Refund Policy
CISaustralia aims to work fairly and within the best interests of students and our Australian and overseas partners. As such, the following standard Refund Policy applies to all CISaustralia programs unless otherwise indicated in writing.
- Any event, group activity, excursion or trip organised as part of the program is non-refundable if the participant chooses not to attend or is not able to fully participate for any reason.
- CISaustralia scholarships and grants cannot be used to offset any cancellation fees or penalties.
- Payments (including non-refundable application fees, deposits, partial payments, full payments) and scholarships are strictly not transferable between students.
- If a participant cancels or withdraws voluntarily for any reason, the participant must notify CISaustralia in writing. The cancellation will be effective upon receipt and acknowledgement of the written notification by CISaustralia.
- A non-refundable application fee of $95 applies to all programs and is not refundable under any circumstances. Program application fees are clearly articulated in writing prior to all applicants applying and paying the application fee. No application will be assessed by CISaustralia prior to receiving a student’s non-refundable application fee.
- Program fees are clearly articulated by program on the CISaustralia website. Each participant must formally accept their Program Offer acknowledging and accepting the CISaustralia standard Refund Policy and any related exceptions, before they will be accepted onto a program.
- Program deposit amounts are clearly articulated in each participant’s Program Offer Letter and are non-refundable.
- Credit card processing fees are non-refundable.
- International Student Identity Card (ISIC) payments are non-refundable.
A participant who withdraws voluntarily from a CISaustralia program will receive the following refund on program fees already paid:
- If a student withdraws more than 90 days prior to program commencement, CISaustralia will refund all recoverable fees* paid, less the non-refundable application fee and the program deposit.
- If a student withdraws between 61 and 90 days prior to program commencement, CISaustralia will refund all recoverable fees* paid, less a $500 cancellation penalty, the non-refundable application fee and the program deposit.
- If a student withdraws between 31 and 60 days prior to program commencement, CISaustralia will refund all recoverable fees* paid, less a $750 cancellation penalty, the non-refundable application fee and the program deposit.
- If a student withdraws on or less than 30 days prior to program commencement, or following program commencement, no refund of program fees or deposit is applicable.
- In the case of expulsion (dismissal or suspension) from a program, or any other withdrawal that is a direct result of a participant’s breach of the CISaustralia Code of Conduct and/or any other CISaustralia policy or Terms and Conditions, no refund is eligible or will be provided.
*Recoverable Fees: Selected programs may require a separate payment to secure accommodation. Accommodation deposits or full accommodation payments that have been made in advance are often non-refundable (and are in addition to the program deposits and cancellation penalties detailed above), as these funds have already been applied to guarantee accommodation.
Illness
Any serious illness or incident that causes a student to withdraw must be documented by a registered Doctor and formal written notification with associated medical certificate sent to CISaustralia for assessment. The assessment of such situations will be determined at the sole discretion of CISaustralia and as such the recommendation by CISaustralia of any refund is final. CISaustralia aims to work fairly and within the best interests of the student and the Australian or overseas partner.
Program Cancellation and / or Suspension
In cases where CISaustralia is forced to cancel, defer or suspend a program based on a significant world incident or event, the refund policy stated above will apply and be absolute. This includes but is not limited to events such as political or civil unrest, wars, a pandemic or epidemic, severe weather events (earthquake, volcano eruption, tsunami, cyclone etc.), Australian or overseas government travel warning levels, border closure or suspension of travel. If an Australian University has communicated their wish to cancel the program on behalf of its participants, for any reasons or events overseas and/or in Australia, the refund policy stated above will also apply and be absolute. A partial refund may be applicable in exceptional circumstances. The assessment of such situations will be determined at the sole discretion of CISaustralia.
Considerations will include CISaustralia existing financial commitments, paid and/or due (such as staffing and human resource costs, accommodation, transport, excursions, meals, insurance and other related expenses), and as such the determination by CISaustralia of any refund amount is final. CISaustralia aims to work fairly and in the best interests of all parties including the student, the Australian partner University and the associated overseas partner(s). CISaustralia program partners require payments up front, prior to program start dates. While CISaustralia works to create the most flexible payment and refund terms possible, each overseas partner has their own refund policies which CISaustralia are legally required to comply with. If the costs of a student’s program has already been paid to an overseas partner by CISaustralia at the point of a student’s withdrawal, deferral or program cancellation, and fees cannot be recovered, or if a partner’s refund policy does not allow for the return of some or all pre-paid student program fees, CISaustralia will be limited in our ability to recover any costs and subsequently provide any refund for cancelled, deferred and/or suspended programs.
Passport and / or Visa Rejection
Obtaining a passport, visa or related country entry / exit documentation is required to travel overseas. It is each student’s responsibility to ensure they obtain the necessary documentation to travel abroad as required by the student’s country of citizenship and the associated overseas Government(s), and to review and monitor the associated country listing on Smartraveller, for the country(s) they will visit, and follow the associated instructions provided.
In any instances related to a passport or visa rejection which cause a student to withdraw from a program, the refund policy stated above will apply and be absolute. In all such instances students must provide formal written proof of rejected visa or related travel documentation to CISaustralia, as supplied by the associated overseas government Embassy and/ or Consulate or other related government body. A partial refund may be applicable in exceptional circumstances. The assessment of such situations will be determined at the sole discretion of CISaustralia. Considerations will include CISaustralia existing financial commitments, paid and/or due (such as staffing and human resource costs, accommodation, transport, excursions, meals, insurance and other related expenses), and as such the determination by CISaustralia of any refund is final. CISaustralia aims to work fairly and in the best interest of all parties including the student, the Australian partner University and the associated overseas partner(s).
Deferrals
A student can defer their CISaustralia program for up to 12 months from the originally scheduled program start date if the request is made in writing more than 60 days prior to the start of the original scheduled program. Fees will be adjusted according to the new program start date and will be credited to the student’s account and remain with CISaustralia. Students can defer no more than twice within the same 12-month period.
Students can only defer to a different program more than 90 days prior to the start date of the original program they applied and/or were accepted into. Students cannot defer to a different program less than 90 days prior to their original program start date. If less than 90 days and more than 60 days prior to the program start date, students are only able to defer to the same program that they originally applied for and/or were accepted into.If a student wishes to change to a different CISaustralia program within 90 days prior to a program start date, this will be treated as a withdrawal or cancellation from the original program and the CISaustralia refund policy will apply. If a student wishes to defer their CISaustralia program within 60 days prior to a program start date this will be treated as a withdrawal or cancellation from the original program and the CISaustralia refund policy will apply.Penalties may apply as per the CISaustralia refund policy and associated deadlines and due dates. The assessment of such situations will be determined at the sole discretion of CISaustralia, and as such the recommendation by CISaustralia of any refund is final. CISaustralia aims to work fairly and within the best interests of the student and the Australian or overseas partner.
In the event that a student does not undertake their deferred program within 12 months and/or defers twice and still does not undertake a program with CISaustralia, the standard refund policy (as above) will be implemented. All deferrals must be made in writing to CISaustralia and will be considered effective (if valid) on the date received and acknowledged by CISaustralia.
Internship Programs
The refund policy above applies to all students undertaking a CISaustralia internship program. In addition to the terms stated above the following policy also applies.
CISaustralia will endeavour to offer at least one placement within the applicant’s preferred internship field. As there are many variables when working with external host organisations, some placements may be confirmed as close to one week prior to the preferred start date. If the applicant chooses not to accept an offered placement that is demonstrated to be within one of the applicant’s preferred internship placement fields, the program deposit is non-refundable. CISaustralia endeavours to locate the most appropriate placement for all intern participants. It is at the discretion of CISaustralia and the Overseas Internship Manager to determine if a placement is demonstrated to be within one of the applicant’s preferred internship placement fields. In most cases, if time permits, CISaustralia will attempt to locate more than one possible internship placement to offer a participant, however, the program deposit is non-refundable once an initial placement offer is made, regardless of the participant accepting or rejecting a placement offer.
The placement offer is not the same as placement confirmation. An offer can be made verbally or via email by CISaustralia. Placement confirmation is determined once the host organisation officially confirms the placement for the student. A placement confirmation is provided to the participant at this time along with confirmed placement details.
The program deposit will be fully refunded to unsuccessful participants. Unsuccessful participants are those that are not accepted into the CISaustralia internship program or are unable to be matched to a suitable internship placement. The suitability of an internship program for an individual applicant is at the sole discretion of CISaustralia. Careful planning goes into developing internship programs for every individual applicant. As a result, CISaustralia and our partners incur substantial administrative and planning costs prior to the start of each program, covered by a $95 non-refundable intern application fee.
Exceptions
- CISaustralia cannot refund any fees associated with accommodation once a program has begun. Select programs may also have additional refund considerations related to accommodation. Payments related to accommodation, be they deposits or full accommodation payments, are often non-refundable as these funds have already been applied to guarantee accommodation. Students should carefully review their acceptance documents to confirm all accommodation refund scenarios.
- In the case of voluntary withdrawal or expulsion (dismissal or suspension) from a program, or any other withdrawal that is a direct result of a participant’s breach of the CISaustralia Code of Conduct and/or any other CISaustralia policy or Terms and Conditions, no refund is eligible or will be provided.
- No refund will be applicable to non-refundable application fees.
- No refund or funding of any kind will be applicable to any participant involved with or connected to a self-isolation or quarantine situation. CISaustralia will not cover any costs associated with self-isolation or quarantine, be it overseas on arrival (at the start of a program or any stage during a program) or in Australia on return from a program. All self-isolation and/or quarantine costs will be at the participant’s own full expense.
- Credit card processing fees are non-refundable.
- International Student Identity Card (ISIC) payments are non-refundable.
