Tuition assurance protects students in the event that an institution defaults; that is, ceases to deliver their course, or closes a campus on which it is offered, or closes the institution entirely after the students have commenced their course but before they complete it.

As an approved higher education provider under the Higher Education Support Act 2003, Christian Heritage College (ABN: 94 107 091 001; ACN: 107 091 001), hereafter referred to as CHC, must meet the tuition assurance requirements or be exempt from those requirements. In the unlikely event that CHC ceases to provide a course after it starts but before it is completed, there are arrangements in place to ensure a replacement course is identified and the student is placed with a suitable provider.

Tuition assurance for international students and domestic students is provided through the Australian Government’s Tuition Protection Service (TPS). CHC is a financial member of this service.

OPTIONS FOR TUITION AND COURSE ASSURANCE

CHC is committed to providing tuition and course assurance protection. In the event that CHC ceases to provide a course in which a student is enrolled, an affected student is entitled to a choice of:

• an offer of a place in a similar course of study with a Second Provider without any requirement to pay the Second Provider any student contribution or tuition fee for any replacement units (known as the Course Assurance Option);

or

• a refund of his or her up-front tuition fee payments or re-credit/remission of a HELP loan for any unit of study that the student commences but does not complete because CHC ceases to provide the course of which the unit forms part (known as the Student Contribution/Tuition Fee Repayment Option).

THE COURSE ASSURANCE OPTION

Should the need arise whereby CHC closes a course, a campus, or its operations, the following principles will be applied to existing students:

1. Review CHC’s commitments to current students, at that point in time, by auditing the progress of all affected students in their respective courses.
2. Ascertain programs of study offered by other Australian Higher Education Institutions to determine a list of similar courses offered in similar modalities to those affected by CHC’s decision.
3. Notify affected students in writing that their course is no longer provided within two (2) business days after CHC ceases to provide a course after it starts but before it is completed.
4. As soon as practicable, CHC will also update its website to reflect that the course is no longer being delivered and to give students information about the tuition assurance arrangements.
5. Affected students will be offered a replacement course, which must:

• lead to the same or comparable qualification as the original course;
• have a mode of delivery that is the same as or, with the student’s consent, similar to the mode for the original course;
• be located where the replacement course is primarily delivered in a location that is reasonable, having regard to the costs of, and the time required for, a student’s travel; and
• ensure the student will not incur additional fees that are unreasonable and will be able to attend the replacement course without unreasonable impacts on the student’s prior commitments.

6. Negotiate with students to develop a strategy for each affected student to complete their course. This strategy will comprise one, or a combination, of the following options:

• CHC could continue to offer the unit/s of study, or course in a teach-out arrangement, honouring the normal time constraints for the student’s mode of study in their given course.
• CHC could assist a student to enrol in another institution to provide appropriate units for cross-institutional credit into their CHC course in a timely manner.
• CHC could assist a student to transfer their credits to another higher education provider offering a similar course – especially if a student is yet to complete more than 50% of their course. Affected students may seek a review about whether the course offered to them meets the requirements for replacement courses.

7. Affected students may seek a review about whether the course offered to them meets the requirements for replacement courses.
8. Where a student accepts the replacement course offered there will not be a requirement to pay the second provider for the replacement components of the replacement course. However, the fees payable for the remainder of the replacement course may be different from the fees payable for the original course.
9. A student who accepts the replacement course offered will receive course credits at the second provider for parts of the original course successfully completed, as evidenced by a copy of a statement of attainment or academic transcript issued by CHC at no cost to the student.
10. Each affected student will be given a deadline by which they need to advise CHC as to the option they have selected.
11. If an affected student enrols in a course other than an CHC determined replacement course, the above conditions do not apply. He or she may be required to pay additional tuition fees and might not receive the same number of course credits.