COMMONWEALTH COLLEGE OF EXCELLENCE (CCE)

CCE Refund and Compensation Policy

The main objective of Student Protection Plan is to ensure that the current and potential students continue their studies with the same quality if a risk to continue study crystallises.

1. The College will have appropriate arrangements in place to protect continuation of study in case any risk scenario materializes.
2. The college will set out Refund and Protection Policy in which the college will refund tuition fees and other relevant costs and provide compensation in the circumstances where the college is not able maintain the quality and continuation of the courses and as a result which students studies are affected.
3. The college maintains that refunds and compensation is a last resort and the college will do its utmost not to disturb or disrupt the students during their academic career.
4. Basically, there are two main risk- based scenarios under which the students may be affected:
   • Planned course termination
   • Unforseeable course termination
     • A) Planned course termination:
     • The college is unable to complete the programme due to unavoidable circumstances. For example, it is two years course and college gives notice to the students that it will only be able teach for one year. The college, of course will endeavour to find places for the students in other higher education institutions.
     • If a student finds an alternative, he/she would be entitled compensation for extra travel cost and other related costs including extra time for travel, extra rent paid due to relocation, etc. All efforts will be made by the college to provide career advice and other support to the student so that any disruption does not affect his/her studies.
     • If students withdraw or discontinue their studies, any refund, or reduction, of tuition fees is at the discretion of the College.
     • If the College decides to refund the tuition fees, any debt or charges owing to the College will be subtracted from any refund of fees.
     • Consult with the students’ union to prepare a compensation plan.
     • Students’ Union will be consulted to calculate the compensation. The college will also ensure that the funding/bursary of the student is not disrupted.
     • B) Unforseeable course termination:
     • This scenario happens after the students are admitted to the college The college may decide not to proceed with the course because of number of students joined the programme are less than the threshold fixed by the college or the college has no other alternative but to terminate the contract with students.
     • In such cases the college will leave no stone unturned to accommodate the students in alternative course or other higher education institutions and will ensure that their funding is not affected.
     • The college will provide support and advice to ensure that the students are not in any way distracted from their studies.
     • Consult with the students’ union to prepare a compensation plan.
     • If the College decides to refund the tuition fees, any debt or charges owing to the College will be subtracted from any refund of fees.
5. Refunds and compensation payments. These could include:
   • Refund of Tuition Fees.
   • Extra maintenance costs;
   • Additional travel costs due to relocation
   • Compensation for extra time for travel
   • Additional tuition costs.
   • Additional rent costs due to relocation
   • If the tuition fee is paid wholly or partially by a third party or sponsor, the College will refund back to the third party. All refunds will only be made to the bank and account holder (or other financial institution) that originally paid the fee. The College will not refund in cash.
   • Where tuition fee is wholly or partially paid by the Student Loans Company (SLC), the amount to be refunded will be based on the tuition fee liability formulae used by the SLC. Any fees received from the SLC will be adjusted
     with the SLC through the SLC’s payment recovery procedure. Refunds will not be made to student or to any other party.
   • Where tuition fee is wholly or partially paid by a student, the refund will be made to the student. The College only refunds to the bank and account holder (or other financial institution) that originally paid the fee. Refunds will not be made in cash.
   • After a refund is agreed, the College will take approximately three weeks to process the refund. Where payment of tuition fees is split between more than one payer, any refund due will be made in proportion to the original split.
6. Guidance from Office for Students(OfS) and/ or the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education will be taken into account in calculating the compensation.
7. This Refund and Compensation Policy is linked to the College’s Student Protection Plan and forms an important part of the College’s Student Contract Terms and Conditions. It will be reviewed from time to time along with other documents.
8. This Policy will not normally apply to individuals who have completed the studies for which they registered as a student with the College.
9. Queries about the application of this policy should be addressed to studentcomplaints@commonwealthcollege.co.uk in the first instance.

Date of next review: May, 2025