Private Education Act
Under the Private Education Act, legislated in December 2009, a Council for Private Education was set up to regulate the private education industry in Singapore. From 03 October 2016, the Council for Private Education became part of a new statutory board – SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG). Under the new structure, the SSG Board appointed the Committee for Private Education (CPE) to carry out its functions and powers relating to private education under the Private Education Act.
All Private Education Institutions (PEIs) are required to comply with the regulations under the Act in order to continue operations.
Following are the requirements which Newcastle Australia Institute of Higher Education Pte Ltd (Newcastle Australia) has put in place: -
PEI-Student Contract
CPE, in aiming to enhance the confidence of students and their parents in the quality of education in Singapore, has stipulated that all PEIs must sign a PEI-Student Contract with students. The contract sets out the terms and conditions governing the relationship between the student and PEI. Newcastle Australia will honour all terms and conditions in the contract and in all communication materials. Students may request for a copy of the PEI-Student Contract from Newcastle Australia or view it on the SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) website.
Cooling-Off Period
There will be a cooling-off period of 7 working days after signing the PEI-Student Contract. Students have the right to cancel the contract within the 7 working days and be refunded the highest percentage (as indicated under the refund table in the student contract) of the fees already paid if the students submit written notice of withdrawal to Newcastle Australia within the cooling off period. After the cooling-off period, Newcastle Australia refund policy will apply.
Industry-wide Course Fee Protection Insurance Scheme for PEI
Newcastle Australia adopts a mandatory Industry-Wide Course Fee Protection Coverage Policy (IWC) to protect the paid fees of students residing in Singapore, renewable on an annual basis. The IWC serves to protect the student’s fees in the event that the PEI is unable to continue operations due to insolvency, and/or regulatory closure. In addition, the IWC protects the student if the PEI fails to pay penalties or return fees to the student arising from judgments made against it by the Singapore courts.
Newcastle Australia has appointed Lonpac Insurance Bhd as our IWC insurance providers. Under the IWC insurance scheme, students’ fees will be insured by the insurer pre-assigned by Newcastle Australia. In case of events as stated above, students will be able to claim their paid fees from Lonpac Insurance Bhd.
More details of the Fee Protection Scheme can also be found in the FPS Instruction Manual, available at the Protection of Course Fees page.
Standard Student Contract
The Standard Student Contract provided by Newcastle Australia Institute of Higher Education Pte. Ltd. is a legally binding contract between the school and the student that embodies the following mandatory requirements:
- Full disclosure of all costs for tuition/non-tuition fees
- Clear definition of refund policies covering
- Clear definition of course details – course title, pre-requisites, qualification awarded, course duration, withdrawals
Standard Student Contract is compulsory to every student attending courses at Newcastle Australia Institute of Higher Education.
Administrative Matters
Refund Policy
Refund, Course Transfer, Leave of Absence and Withdrawal Policies
Withdrawal due to non-delivery of course
Newcastle Australia shall refund the entire Course Fees and Miscellaneous Fees already paid by the Student if:
- It does not commence the Course on the Course Commencement Date;
- It terminates the Course before the Course Commencement Date;
- It does not complete the Course by the Course Completion Date;
- It terminates the Course before the Course Completion Date;
- It has not ensured that the student meets the course entry or matriculation requirement as set by the awarding institution within any stipulated timeline set by CPE; or
- The Student’s Pass application is rejected by Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA).
Refund for withdrawals due to non-delivery of course shall be made within 7 working days of the above notice should the student decide to withdraw.
Withdrawals due to other reasons
In the event that the students withdraw due to reasons other than those stated above, refund to students will be computed based on the table below.
| Percentage of aggregate amount of the course fees and where applicable, the miscellaneous fees paid | If student’s fully completed request for withdrawal is received: |
|---|---|
| 95% refund | More than 14 days before the course commencement date |
| 75% refund | Within 14 days before the course commencement date OR within 7 days after the course commencement date |
| No refund | More than 7 days after the course commencement date |
NOTES
- Application fee for courses is non-refundable and non-transferable.
- Request for refund is to be executed by student, through the submission of a refund request to the Administration Office, along with the supporting documents (where applicable).
- Refunds (if any) will be processed not more than 7 working days from receipt of Student’s fully completed refund request.
- For refund arising from a course-related request which requires approval from UON Australia (where applicable), e.g., transfer of course or leave of absence application, the refund request will only be accepted and processed after the course-related request has been approved.
Course Transfer, Withdrawal and Leave of Absence Policy (effective 23 Mar 2022)
Students are to put up their request for course transfer, withdrawal and leave of absence Administration Office. For students who are below the age of 18, the supporting documents must include the parent’s/legal guardian’s written consent to the student’s request. Newcastle Australia will acknowledge the students’ requests in 3 working days and advise students on the final outcome within a reasonable time frame (not more than 4 weeks).
NOTES
Course Transfer and Leave of Absence
- Approval for course transfer and leave of absence are granted on a case-by-case basis.
- Students are subject to meeting each individual course’s admission requirements as well as the conditions for which a course transfer or leave of absence will be granted as part of the consideration. Such conditions will be made available in the Programme Handbook where applicable. In the case of external degree programmes, the conditions will be aligned with the conditions stipulated by the University Partners.
- A transfer fee may be applicable for some programmes.
- A fresh PEI-Student Contract will be executed between the Student and Newcastle Australia when the course transfer request has been approved or when the Student’s original student contract has expired at the point of student returning from his/her leave of absence.
- Students are deemed to have withdrawn from the original course when the application for course transfer is approved; the refund percentage as indicated in the refund table shall apply.
- International students who wish to transfer to another course offered by Newcastle Australia will need to submit their Student’s Pass application to Immigration and Checkpoints Authority of Singapore (ICA) for approval.
Withdrawal
- Transferring to another institution is deemed as a withdrawal from Newcastle Australia. As such, for international students who transfer to another institution, their Student’s Pass will be cancelled and must be returned to Newcastle Australia. Attendance record and other relevant documentation to facilitate the transfer will be provided upon request.
Financial Matters
- Course Fees Payment – Payment may made at the payment counters at Newcastle Australia Campus or via E-Payment
- Modes of Payment – Payment may be made in cash, nets, cheque, credit card/Debit Card or cashier/money/postal order
- Study Loans – Students may obtain study loans from these banks and institutions under a course financing scheme (subject to approval). For loan enquiries and applications, please deal directly with the bank or institution.
- Interest-Free Instalment Plans – You can enjoy interest-free instalments of six or twelve months with the following credit cards. Terms and conditions apply.
Pre-Course Counselling Checklist
Key points to note
To help you confirm that you have gathered sufficient information on your choice of study, we have prepared a checklist of key points for you to take note of. Kindly ensure that you understand the details relating to the points listed below before submitting your application. The information can be found in our brochure/website. If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact our Programme Counsellors who would be happy to assist you.
- Application fee and procedures.
- Course admission and English Language proficiency requirements and exemptions.
- Course modules, outlines, assessment and learning outcomes.
- Total fee payable for the entire course duration.
- Course duration and assessment schedules.
- Progression and award criteria.
- Type of certification awarded at the end of the course.
- Opportunities for further education or job prospects after graduation.
- Successful applicants are required to accept the offer and PEI-Student contract.
- IWC/Fee Protection Scheme adopted by Newcastle Australia and the payment methods/schedule.
- Newcastle Australia Medical Insurance.
- Refund, transfer and withdrawal policies.
- Venue of studies and a general description of the facilities and infrastructure.
- Types of student support services, e.g., Student Services and Student Life.
Learning Support
The Peer Assisted Study Session offer students a conducive learning atmosphere which varies from the usual lecture or tutorial environment. PASS sessions are led by 'PASS Leaders' who are senior students who have done well at the subject in the past. The focus is on integrating the course content (what to learn) with academic reasoning and study skills (how to learn).
At-risk students are identified by their lecturers or can come forward on their own to take up PASS sessions. The PASS supervisor then matches students with their respective PASS Leaders accordingly. In each session a PASS Leader will be on hand to guide students through the course material. The focus of each session will be determined by the needs of the student (tutee), providing a valuable opportunity for students to seek help and advice in a friendly, relaxed environment.
The Duty Tutors Assistance Scheme (DTAS) initiative was introduced to assist students who may need extra help with difficult concepts. DTAS is manned by Duty Tutors who are well versed in their subjects, which means that you will get the extra help you need to do well in a course.
DTAS is available only for Engineering and Business students.
For more information, you can contact your respective Academic Coordinator:
For Business programs, contact Dr Rita Pidani at rita.pidani@newcastle.edu.au.
For Engineering programs, contact Dr Chiang Liang Kok at chiangliang.kok@newcastle.edu.au.
Transition to Tertiary Education Course
Newcastle Australia IHE has developed a Transition to Tertiary Education Course to support students transitioning to University. The aim of the course is to help students understand the high academic standards, ethos and task demands of their program.
The course consists of two sessions that provide information on writing reports, preparing for exams and presenting research. It is designed to provide students with the foundation of good scholarly knowledge, appropriate skills, strategies, core concepts and work habits.
Session 1:
- Library research skills
- Library access (login, creating pin number)
- Subject research guides
- E-journals and E-books
- Evaluating websites
- Academic integrity
- Referencing
- Turnitin and plagiarism
Session 2:
- Essay writing, paraphrasing and synthesising
- Critical reading and writing
- Presentation skills
- Case studies
- Exam preparation
- Time management
Students can get access to details about this course in their Student Handbook.
Confidentiality Clause
Newcastle Australia is committed to maintaining the confidentiality of the student’s personal information in compliance with the Personal Data Protection Act 2012 and undertakes not to divulge any of the student’s personal information to any third party without the prior written consent of the student
SUBJECT to the obligation of Newcastle Australia to disclose to any Singapore government authority any information relating to the student in compliance with the law and/or to the organisation conferring/awarding the qualification.
View the Newcastle Australia Institute of Higher Education registration certificate.
Online Resources
Students are able to get access to more academic resources by visiting the Learning Resources.
The resources available on this site can help students with:
- Study Skills
- Referencing
- Exam Skills
- English writing Skills
- Graduate resources
Academic workshops
The Learning Adviser, Ms Jade Ong conducts workshops covering Study Skills, Academic Writing Skills, Career Support and English Language skills. There are also additional workshops conducted specifically for assignment and research purposes, depending on the need of students.
Some examples of the workshops are:
- Skills in Academic writing
- Critical thinking in Academic writing
- C.V writing and Interview Skills
- Giving effective presentations
- Email etiquette
Need More Support?
- English language use
- Oral and written skills
- Support for essay writing
- Report writing
- Assignment preparation
- Study skills
- Other learning difficulties as they arise
