Refund Policy & Procedure

Termination and Refund Policy for Part-time and Full-time courses permitted by CPE under the Private Education Act.

3.1 The PEI will notify the Student in writing within three (3) working days after becoming aware of any of the following (each a “Refund Event”):

i) It cannot commence the provision of the Course on the Course Commencement Date;
ii) It cannot complete the provision of the Course by the Course Completion Date;
iii) The Course will be terminated before the Course Completion Date;
iv) The Student does not meet the course entry or matriculation requirements as stated in Schedule A; or
v) The Immigration & Checkpoints Authority of Singapore (the “ICA”) rejects the Student’s application for the Student Pass.

3.2 Where any of the Refund Events in Clause 3.1(a) to (c) above has occurred:

i) The PEI shall use reasonable efforts to make alternative study arrangements for the Student and shall propose such alternative study arrangements in writing to the Contracting Party, within ten (10) working days of informing the Contracting Party of the Refund Event.
ii) If the Contracting Party accepts such alternative study arrangements, the PEI shall set forth such alternative study arrangements in a written contract and this Contract shall automatically terminate on the date that such new written contract comes into effect.
iii) If the PEI does not propose alternative study arrangements to the Contracting Party within the time stipulated in Clause 3.2(a) above, or the Contracting Party does not accept such alternative study arrangements, the Contracting Party may forthwith terminate this Contract by way of a written notice to the PEI.

3.3 Where any of the Refund Events in Clauses 3.1(d) to (e) has occurred, the PEI shall forthwith terminate this Contract by way of a written notice to the Contracting Party.

3.4 If the Contract is terminated pursuant to Clause 3.2(b) read with Clause 3.1(a), the PEI shall refund all Course Fees and Miscellaneous Fees paid by the Contracting Party within seven (7) working days of the termination.

3.5 If the Contract is terminated pursuant to Clause 3.2(b) read with either Clause 3.1(b) or Clause 3.1(c), the PEI shall refund the Course Fees and Miscellaneous Fees in proportion to the uncompleted portion or duration of the Course, whichever is higher, to the Contracting Party within seven (7) working days of the termination.

3.6 If the Contract is terminated pursuant to Clause 3.3 or Clause 3.2(c) read with Clause 3.1(a), the PEI shall refund all Course Fees and Miscellaneous Fees paid by the Contracting Party within seven (7) working days of the termination.

3.7 If the Contract is terminated pursuant to Clause 3.2(c) read with either Clause 3.1(b) or Clause 3.1(c), the PEI shall refund the Course Fees and Miscellaneous Fees in proportion to the uncompleted portion or duration of the Course, whichever is higher, to the Contracting Party within seven (7) working days of the termination.

 

3.8 Refund During Cooling-Off Period:

Notwithstanding anything herein contained, the Contracting Party shall be entitled to, without any liability whatsoever to the PEI, forthwith terminate the Contract at any time within the Cooling-Off Period by way of a written notice to the PEI. The PEI shall return all Course Fees and Miscellaneous Fees paid to it within seven (7) working days of the receipt of the written notice.

3.9 Refund for Withdrawal Outside the Cooling-Off Period:

Without prejudice to Clauses 3.1 to 3.8 above, the Contracting Party may terminate the Contract at any time before the Course Completion Date by providing a written notice to the PEI. Upon receipt of such notice, the PEI shall within seven (7) working days, refund to the Contracting Party such amount (if any) as determined in accordance with Schedule D.

SCHEDULE D
REFUND POLICY

% of [the amount of Course Fees and Miscellaneous Fees paid under Schedules B and C]	If the Contracting Party’s written notice of withdrawal is received:
100%	More than 20 working days before the Course Commencement Date
50%	On or before, but not more than 20 working days before the Course Commencement Date
10%	After, but not more than 10 working days after the Course Commencement Date
0%	More than 10 working days after the Course Commencement Date

 

 

Non-refundable Fees
Application Fee and consumed FPS insurance premium (with GST) are not refundable.

Deemed Withdrawal (Transfer)
A student who transfers from the course to another course within SSTC, for the purposes of refund, is deemed to have withdrawn from the course and the provisions of Clause 3.9 of the Standard PEI-Student Contract shall apply. Once the request for Transfer is approved, any unconsumed fees of the existing course (if any) may be refunded and used to pay for the new course. Any excess course fees shall be refunded as per the Refund Policy.

Refund Procedure
· After receiving a written notice of withdrawal and/or an approval of Request for Transfer/Withdrawal/Deferment and/or withdrawal during ‘Cooling-Off period’ (if applicable), refund amount is calculated.
· Refund cheque is prepared, student will be notified to collect refund.
· In the event that the student is unable to collect the refund in cheque, refund may be made by telegraphic transfer or bank transfer based on the bank account information provided by the student.
· Refund must be processed within 7 working days from the receipt of the written notice of withdrawal and/or Request for Withdrawal from the student.

 

Transfer/Deferment/Withdrawal Policy

Definition

Transfer: Student changes the course of study but remains as a student of SSTC. The existing Student Contract is cancelled and a new Student
Contract is signed.
Withdrawal: Student is no longer a student of SSTC with the Student Contract terminated.
Deferment: Student’s commencement of the course is deferred to a later date. The existing Student Contract is cancelled and a new Student
Contract is signed.

Policy

• Applications for termination of course (withdrawal), transfer to another course within SSTC (transfer), or deferment of course commencement (deferment) must be made in writing to SSTC, using the Request for Transfer/Withdrawal/Deferment form.
• Students must provide detailed reasons for transfer/withdrawal/deferment with supporting documents if applicable.
• If the student is under any financial subsidies from third-party organisation, the student must write an official letter to the organisation and fill in necessary forms if applicable.
• Before a transfer/withdrawal/deferment request is processed, SSTC will perform checks to ensure that there are no outstanding matters (e.g. fees payable), from the student.
• Students who wish to transfer will undergo pre-course counselling and the Student Selection Process to ensure that entry requirement for the new course is met. Once an admission decision for the new course is made, the application undergoes the Student Admission Process. The transfer is approved once the Student Admission Process is completed successfully.
• Students who wish to defer will undergo counselling by the respective Programme Managers to check on the next available course intake. Once an admission decision for the new intake is made, the application undergoes the Student Admission Process. The deferment is approved once the Student Admission Process is completed successfully.
• Students are allowed to defer only once up to the maximum period of half the course duration, failing which he/she will be deemed to have withdrawn from the course and would have to re-apply as a new applicant if he/she wishes to register on the course again. The refund policy will be applicable.
  In the event where transfer or deferment request is rejected, the student may choose to continue with the current course or to withdraw from it.
• Once a request application is submitted, SSTC will review the request on a fair and reasonable ground and inform the student of the result in an official letter in no more than 3 weeks’ time from the date when the request application form is submitted.
• Students are required to pay Admin Fee for Transfer/Deferment of Enrolment upon successful requests for Transfer/Deferment of enrolment
• If the Withdrawal request application is granted, the unconsumed fee of the existing course (if any) is subject to standard Refund Policy.
• If the Transfer/Deferment request application is granted, unconsumed fees of the existing course (if any) may be refunded and used to pay for the respective new course. Any excess course fees shall be refunded as per the Refund Policy.
• If additional fees are to be paid to the school, SSTC will issue an invoice or appropriate documents specifying the amount to be paid with the payment due date.
• SSTC clearly explains the implication of the status of the student’s pass if international student withdraw from the school.
• SSTC takes necessary steps to inform the FPS service providers, relevant government agencies (e.g. ICA) and other relevant parties.

Policy (Short Term Programme)

• Applicants for termination of course Applications for termination of course (withdrawal) must be made in writing to SSTC.
• There will be strictly no deferment and transfer for any short term programme enrolled. Applicants are strongly advised to ensure that they will be able to attend the programme before applying.

 

 

Transfer/Deferment/Withdrawal Procedure

Transfer Procedure

a) Student submits completed Request for Transfer/Withdrawal/ Deferment form and detailed reasons for transfer with supporting documents, if
applicable, to Student Services Department.
b) Checks are performed to ensure that there are no outstanding matters (e.g. fees payable), from the student.
c) Student receives pre-course counselling to ensure that entry requirement for the new course is met.
d) Student documents are reviewed and a decision is made on the transfer request.
e) Student is informed of the outcome of the request in a formal letter.
f) A new Student Contract for the transferred course is prepared and signed.
g) Students are required to pay Admin Fee for Transfer/Deferment of Enrolment upon successful requests for Transfer/Deferment of enrolment.
h) In the event where transfer request is rejected, the student may choose to continue with the current course or to withdraw from it. Refer to
Withdrawal Procedure.

Withdrawal Procedure

a) Student submits completed Request for Transfer/Withdrawal/ Deferment form and detailed reasons for withdrawal with supporting documents,
if applicable, to Student Services Department.
b) Checks are performed to ensure that there are no outstanding matters (e.g. fees payable), from the student.
c) Student documents are reviewed and a decision is made on the withdrawal request.
d) Student is informed of the outcome of the request in a formal letter.

Deferment Procedure

a) Student submits completed Request for Transfer/Withdrawal/ Deferment form and detailed reasons for deferment with supporting documents,
if applicable, to Student Services Department.
b) Checks are performed to ensure that there are no outstanding matters (e.g. fees payable), from the student.
c) Student receives counselling on the next available course intake.
d) Student documents are reviewed and a decision is made on the deferment request.
e) Student is informed of the outcome of the request in a formal letter.
f) A new Student Contract for the transferred course is prepared and signed.
g) Students are required to pay Admin Fee for Transfer/Deferment of Enrolment upon successful requests for Transfer/Deferment of enrolment.
h) In the event where deferment request is rejected, the student may choose to continue with the current course or to withdraw from it. Refer to
Withdrawal Procedure.

Feedback and Complaints Procedures

Feedback/Complaint received

• Feedback/Complaint is received via face-to-face communication, via telephone or via email from students/ parents/ guardians/ agents/ external partners/ staff or general public.
• The School maintains a Feedback Box at the Reception area, where Feedback forms are available.
• Feedback forms are collected from the box once a day by the Student Affairs Manager.

First Level – Discussion for Resolution by Student Affairs Manager

• Response time is seven (7) working days from date of receiving feedback/complaint.
• If the issue is resolved, the case is closed.
• If no resolution is drawn, the case is referred to the relevant Management Member.

Second Level – Discussion for Resolution by Management Member

• Response time is fourteen (14) working days from date of receiving feedback/ complaint.
• If the issue is resolved, the case is closed.
• If no resolution is drawn, the case is referred to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

Third Level – Discussion for Resolution by Chief Executive Officer (CEO)

• Response time is twenty-one (21) working days from date of receiving feedback/ complaint.
• If the issue is resolved, the case is closed.
• If no resolution is drawn, the case is reported to Committee for Private education (CPE) for advice.

If the case remains unresolved or the aggrieved is dissatisfied with the outcome of the process, the case will be referred to a third-party organization for mediation

• For clear-cut fee refund issues of less than SGD$10,000.00, the case can be lodged with the Small Claims Tribunal (SCT).
• For cases of other nature, the case can be referred to CPE’s appointed Dispute Resolution Scheme.

For Stage 1 – Mediation, the case can be referred to Singapore Mediation Centre (SMC) for mediation. If there is no settlement reached through mediation, the case can be referred to Singapore Institute of Arbitration (SIA) for arbitration.

• Once a settlement is reached, SSTC will take the necessary actions in accordance with the mediation/arbitration instructions.

Third-party Organizations for Mediation

Singapore Mediation Centre: http://mediation.com.sg
Singapore Institute of Arbitrators: http://siarb.org.sg

Academic Honesty Policy

Overview

Academic honesty is a fundamental principle of SSTC as an institution devoted to the pursuit of excellence in teaching and to respecting the value and dignity of each person. Conduct which breaches academic honesty attacks the integrity of learning and scholarship, contravenes academic values of respect for knowledge, scholarship and scholars, and represents a form of fraud.

Elements of Academic Honesty

• Legitimate Co-operationFor some courses/units, students may legitimately co-operate and collaborate on a project, sharing materials or data collected and discussing the interpretation of such material. Examples of legitimate co-operation and collaboration include:
  • informal study/discussion groups,
  • discussion of general themes and concepts,
  • interpretation of assessment criteria, or
  • strengthening and development of academic writing and/or study skills through peer assistance.
• Forms of Academic DishonestyAcademic dishonesty or cheating may take a number of forms. These include:
  • cheating in an examination,
  • plagiarism (unauthorized copying from another source),
  • collusion (unauthorized co-operation or collaboration),
  • recycling (unauthorized re-use of the work submitted to other course/unit), or
• impersonation or procuring impersonation of a student in relation to any assessment task.
  Cheating in Exams/TestsA student must not:
  • cheat or attempt to cheat in any Exam/Test,
  • directly or indirectly assist any other student to cheat,
  • communicate with another student or give assistance to, or receive any communication or assistance from, any other student during an Exam/Test,
  • read and/or copy or attempt to read and/or copy another student’s work or other materials during an Exam/Test,
  • do anything to assist or enable or attempt to assist or enable another student to read and/or copy work or other materials during an Exam/Test,
  • improperly obtain prior knowledge of an Exam/Test paper and use that knowledge in an Exam/Test,
  • cause a disturbance, annoyance to or interference with any other student,
  • re-enter the examination room after leaving it, unless under supervision approved by an Invigilator during the full period of absence,
  • disobey any reasonable direction issued by an Invigilator, lecturer or other authorised,
  • person or set forth on an Exam/Test paper, writing book or any notice,
  • refuse or fail to answer any reasonable question asked of the student by an Invigilator.
• Dealing with Alleged Academic DishonestyFailure to comply with the SSTC’s standards for academic honesty may lead to failure in the assessment task or overall failure in the unit or termination of the student’s enrollment.

 

 

Appeal Policy

Overview

SSTC exercises utmost care and effort to ensure that all assessment results are accurate. However, students are allowed to lodge an appeal against Examination results or the awarding of qualifications such as diplomas or certificates. Please refer to your student handbook for procedure of Appeal.