Refund Policy & Procedure

Overview

When a student withdraws from a course, SSTC Institute will refund the fees paid by the student according to the following Refund Policy:

Refund for Withdrawal Due to Non-Delivery of Course:

SSTC will inform the student in writing within three (3) working days upon knowledge of any of the following:

1. It does not commence the Course on the Course Commencement Date;
2. It terminates the Course before the Course Commencement Date;
3. It does not complete the Course by the Course Completion Date;
4. It terminates the Course before the Course Completion Date;
5. It has not ensured that the Student meets the course entry or matriculation requirement as set by the organisation stated in Schedule A of the
   PEI-Student Contract within any stipulated timeline set by CPE; or
6. The Student’s Pass application is rejected by Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA).

Conditions under which a course may be cancelled include:

• Failure to reach a minimum class size of 10 at the time of the commencement date
• De-registration of the course with CPE
• Any other circumstances under which SSTC is unable to run the course

The Student should be informed in writing of alternative study arrangements (if any), and also be entitled to a refund of the entire Course Fees and Miscellaneous Fees already paid should the Student decide to withdraw, within seven (7) working days of the above notice.

Refund for Withdrawal Due to Other Reasons:

If the Student withdraws from the Course for any reason other than those stated in Refund for Withdrawal Due to Non-Delivery of Course (i) to (vi), SSTC will, within seven (7) working days of receiving the Student’s written notice of withdrawal, refund to the Student an amount based on the Refund Table in Schedule D of the PEI-Student Contract.

Refund During Cooling-Off Period:

The PEI will provide the Student with a cooling-off period of seven (7) working days after the date that the Contract has been signed by both parties.

The Student will be refunded the highest percentage (stated in Refund Table in Schedule D of the PEI-Student Contract) of the fees already paid if the Student submits a written notice of withdrawal to the PEI within the cooling-off period, regardless of whether the Student has started the course or not.

Sums to be refunded:

Percentage (%) of the amount of fees paid	If student’s written notice of withdrawal is received
100% (Maximum Refund)	More than 30 days before the course commencement date
50%	Before, but not more than 30 days before the course commencement date
10%	After, but not more than 7 days after the course commencement date
5%	More than 7 days after the course commencement date, but not more than 14 days after the course commencement date
0%	More than 14 days after the course commencement date

Refund Policy & Procedure
(Short Term Programme and Corporate Training)

Definition

Short Term Programme and Corporate Training courses are defined as courses with duration of not more than 30 days or 50 hours and have been granted waiver from EduTrust requirements.

Refund for Withdrawal Due to Non-Delivery of Course:

SSTC will notify the Student within three (3) working days upon knowledge of any of the following:
(i) It does not commence the Course on the Course Commencement Date;
(ii) It terminates the Course before the Course Commencement Date;
(iii) It does not complete the Course by the Course Completion Date;
(iv) It terminates the Course before the Course Completion Date;
(v) It has not ensured that the Student meets the course entry or matriculation requirement as set by the organisation within any stipulated
timeline set by CPE; or

Conditions under which a course may be cancelled include:
Failure to reach a minimum class size of 10 at the time of the commencement date

• De-registration of the course with CPE
• Any other circumstances under which SSTC is unable to run the course.

The Student should be informed in writing of alternative study arrangements (if any), and also be entitled to a refund of the entire Course Fees and Miscellaneous Fees already paid should the Student decide to withdraw, within seven (7) working days of the above notice.

Refund for Withdrawal Due to Other Reasons:

If the Student withdraws from the Course for any reason other than those stated in Refund for Withdrawal Due to Non-Delivery of Course (i) to (v), SSTC will, within seven (7) working days of receiving the Student’s written notice of withdrawal, refund to the Student an amount based on the Sums to be refunded (Short Term Programme and Corporate Training).

Sums to be refunded:

Percentage (%) of the amount of fees paid	If student’s written notice of withdrawal is received
100%	More than 14 days before the Commencement Date
50%	More than 7 working days but less than 14 days before the Commencement Date
0%	Less than 7 working days before Commencement Date
0%	Absent

Non-Refundable Fees

Not applicable.

Deemed Withdrawal (Transfer)

There will be strictly no transfer for any short term programme enrolled.

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 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.