International Student Policy

Fact box

Policy owner: Chair, Quality Assurance Committee
Policy category: Academic: Academic Administration
Policy status: Approved
Approval body: Academic Board
Endorsement body: Quality Assurance Committee
Related policies:
- Admissions Policy
- Assessment Policy
Last amended: 20th Dec. 2022
Relevant HESF:

Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to outline processes relating to the admission, enrolment and transfer of international students at Alphacrucis University College (AC).

Scope

Whole of AC

Policy

An international student is defined as any student who is not an Australian or New Zealand citizen, an Australian permanent resident or holder of an Australian permanent humanitarian visa. An international student may study with AC onshore, offshore or online. AC adheres to the requirements of the ESOS Act and The National Code. Only international students who are 18 years old or above may apply for admission into an AC course of study.

CONFIRMATION OF ENROLMENT

International onshore students require a Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE) certificate in order to apply for a student visa. This CoE is issued by the International Student Officer (ISO) only after all requirements (including Academic Entry requirements and Genuine Temporary Entrant (GTE) requirements) have been satisfied, and the student has paid, as a minimum, the first semester’s fees in full.

INTERNATIONAL STUDENT TRANSFER

Under the National Code 2018, a registered provider is restricted from enrolling an international student transferring from another provider before the student has completed six months of their principal course. The exception to this occurs when the student has been granted a release by their current provider. The provider must also specify the circumstances in which they will approve a transfer and provide a letter of release to their existing international students.

Request for Transfer

International onshore students who have not completed the first six months of their principal course must request a transfer to another provider in accordance with the procedures outlined below. AC will assess each request for transfer in line with the stipulations included in this policy and, where a request for transfer is approved, will record the date of effect and reason for release in PRISMS. Successful applications will meet the Circumstances in which Transfers will be Granted, as outlined below, and will include a valid enrolment offer from the receiving provider.

A request for release will be issued at no cost to the student, and will advise the student of the need to contact Department of Home Affairs to seek advice on whether a new student visa is required.

International students enrolled at AC who complete the first six calendar months of their principal course are free to transfer to another provider and do not require approval of release.

The first six months of the principal course is calculated as six calendar months from the date of commencement of the principal course. The principal course is usually the final course of study a student will undertake with the provider. For example, if they are taking a package course (i.e. Diploma + Bachelor) the principal course is the Bachelor course.

Circumstances in which transfers will be granted

A request from an international onshore student to transfer to another provider is assessed by the AC International Student Officer (ISO), and will be approved by the Director of Student Experience. AC will obtain transfer requests where the transfer is in the student's best interests, including but not limited to:

the student can provide evidence that his or her reasonable expectations about the current course are not being met;
the course has not been delivered as per the written agreement;
there is evidence that the student was misled by the registered provider or education or migration agent regarding the provider and its course and the course is therefore unsuitable to their needs and/or study objectives;
there are other compassionate or compelling reasons for the transfer:
an appeal (internal or external) on another matter results in a decision or recommendation to release the overseas student;
the overseas student will be reported because they are unable to achieve satisfactory course progress at the level they are studying, even after engaging with AC’s intervention strategy.

Circumstances in which transfers will be refused

the transfer may jeopardise the student’s progression through a package of courses;
the student has recently started studying the course and the full range of support services are yet to be provided or offered to the student (it is good practice to revisit the issue within a timeframe negotiated with the student).

Where a transfer or release is refused, the student is provided with written reasons for refusing the request and informed of their right to appeal the decision through the AC appeals processes within 20 working days.

Accepting International Student Transfers

Under the National Code, AC is restricted from enrolling a transferring international onshore student before the student has completed six months of his or her principal course, except where:

the original registered provider has ceased to be registered or the course in which the student is enrolled has ceased to be registered;
the original registered provider has provided release, and recorded the date of effect and reason for release within PRISMS;
the original registered provider has had a sanction imposed on its registration by the Australian Government or state or territory government that prevents the student from continuing his or her principal course, or;
any government sponsor of the student considers the change to be in the student’s best interest and has provided written support for that change.

Responsible for implementation

Chair, Quality Assurance Committee

Key stakeholders

All staff and international students

Procedures

International Student Procedures

Mode of Delivery

International onshore students must undertake a full-time study load delivered primarily in face-to-face mode. Special consideration in relation to this requirement must be sought and approved by the relevant Student Affairs Committee on compassionate and compelling circumstances. No more than 33% of the course can be undertaken by online delivery mode.

Overseas Student Health Cover

All international onshore students must have Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) for the entire duration of their course and stay in Australia. AC does not arrange this on behalf of the student.

PROCEDURE FOR ISSUING CoE FOR AN INTERNATIONAL ONSHORE STUDENT

The following must be completed before a student can be issued with a CoE:

Application for study with AC (to be completed by the student);
Confirmation that the student meets course admission criteria (to be completed by the ISO);
Verification that the student is a GTE (to be completed by the ISO);
Payment of first semester's fees (to be completed by the student).

Upon successful completion of these steps, the ISO issues the CoE for the student. No CoE may be issued without this authorisation.

Once authorised, the ISO will add a new CoE on PRISMS, confirming that all the following personal details have been entered correctly.

The ISO will create the CoE and forward a copy of all relevant CoE/s to the student.

Implementing an 'extension' of a CoE

Where the student, or AC, has identified that the student will not be able to complete the course of study by the Proposed Course End Date indicated on the CoE, an extension may be granted. In general, such an extension is only possible where there are compassionate or compelling circumstances, or where AC has implemented an intervention strategy. The Program Director (or equivalent) will usually present the situation and recommendation to the Student Affairs Committee (SAC) for guidance.

If approved, the Program Director (or equivalent) will notify the Student Experience Department of the reasons for an extension. The ISO will follow the instructions in the PRISMS Provider User Guide for student requests an 'extension' of their CoE. Upon the issue of a new CoE from PRISMS, the ISO will keep a copy in the student’s folder and notify the student of the extension plus advise the student to contact Immigration to seek advise on any potential impacts on their visa.

Non-commencement of Study

Where a student does not commence study, the ISO immediately cancels the student’s CoE and advises the student in writing. Non-commencement is defined as failure to attend the first two weeks of classes. If a student has compassionate or compelling circumstances that prevented them from attending these classes then an extension may be requested according to the procedure outlined above. Where the student is studying at a partner college rather than directly with AC, that partner college must notify AC as soon as they become aware that a student has not commenced their studies.

PROCEDURE FOR INTERNATIONAL ONSHORE STUDENT TRANSFER

1. Applications for transfer are to be made via the online form, with relevant documentation attached; including:

a valid enrolment offer from the receiving provider; and
a letter detailing how the student meets the circumstances in which a transfer will be granted.

2. AC will respond in writing to the student within 20 working days.

3. In the event that the student is unhappy with AC’s decision, they are able to appeal this decision using AC’s internal appeals process.

4. AC will maintain records of all requests from students for transfer of release, the assessment of, and decision regarding, the request on the student’s file, for two years after the student ceases to be an accepted student.