Under the provisions of Schedule 1A of the Higher Education Support Act 2003 (HESA) and Division 4 of the Higher Education Support (VET) Guideline 2015, VU (the First Provider) must comply with the VET Tuition Assurance requirements.

This is to protect students in the event that VU ceases to provide a VET course of study in which a student is enrolled. The meaning of "ceases to provide a VET course of study” is set out in clause 3.5.3 of the VET Guidelines.

In the event that VU ceases to provide a VET course of study in which a student is enrolled the student is entitled to a choice of:

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

or

  • a refund of his or her up-front VET payments for any VET unit of study that the student commences but does not complete because VU ceases to provide the VET course of study of which the VET unit forms part (this is known as the "VET Tuition Fee Repayment Option”).

VU has met the VET tuition assurance requirements as specified in the Higher Education Support (VET) Guideline 2015 through its current membership of the TAFE Directors of Australia (TDA) Tuition Assurance Scheme.

Your options if VU stops offering your VET course

If VU ceases to provide a VET course of study, TDA will send a student enrolled in the VET course of study a written VET Tuition Assurance Offer (the Offer) advising the student of the Options available under the VET tuition assurance requirements. The Offer will include directions that the student must follow in order to notify TDA of the choice they have made for each affected VET unit. TDA will provide this Offer within twenty business days after it knows, or should know by reasonable enquiries that VU has ceased to provide the VET course of study.

A student may choose either the VET Course Assurance Option or the VET Tuition Fee Repayment Option.

VET Course Assurance Option

  1. Match that student with an appropriate VET course of study with TDA VET TAS Member(s) at an appropriate location(s) or
  2. Offer that student placement in an appropriately purchased suitable alternative VET course of study to be delivered for this purpose through a TDA VET TAS Member or other VET provider approved by the TDA VET TAS Placement Committee for that purpose; and
  3. Give to that student a VET Tuition Assurance Offer of course placement.

VET Tuition Fee Repayment Option

  1. Determine the eligibility of that student for that Option;
  2. Pay the student the total of any up-front payments paid for that VET unit of study by the student (or on behalf of the student by any party other than the Commonwealth); and
  3. Pay the Commonwealth any amounts paid for that VET unit of study by the Commonwealth to the TDA TAS Member which ceased providing the VET course of study in discharge of the student’s liability to pay his or her student contribution amount for VET tuition fees for the unit; and
  4. Provide each student with a Written VET Tuition Assurance Offer; and
  5. Ensure that, on request of a student, a copy of the student’s academic record is provided.

Contacting TAFE Directors Australia

TAFE Directors Australia
National Secretariat, Sydney Institute of TAFE NSW
Turner Hall (Building B) - Ultimo College
Cnr Mary Ann and Harris Streets
Ultimo, NSW 2007
GPO Box 707, Broadway NSW 2007, Australia

Phone: +61 (0) 2 9217 3180 Fax: +61 (0) 9281 7335

Email: memberservices@tda.edu.au