Refund Terms and Conditions

Refund Terms and Conditions (International Students)

Date Reviewed: January 2023

1. Introduction

We recognise that student circumstances may change at either application stage or post-enrolment resulting in either a withdrawal of admission application or withdrawal from the academic programme. As such, this process has been developed based on the University’s Withdrawal and Fees process and has been devised particularly for international students.

2. Compliance

Cardiff Metropolitan University, in line with the responsibilities of its UKVI sponsor licence, is required to notify UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) of any applicant who has been assigned a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) and who does not enrol, as well as any significant change of circumstances affecting students on a student visa during their studies. This includes if a student suspends studies, withdraws or is withdrawn from their programme or discontinues their studies with the University.

3. Requesting a Refund

An applicant or student may request a refund of deposit or tuition fees already paid, should they make a decision to withdraw their application, or for some other reason are not able to continue with their studies.

Student refund requests must be made by the individual student using the email address used to register their initial application to study at the University.

The refund request must be sent to internationalrefund@cardiffmet.ac.uk.

4. Applicants (Pre-Enrolment or Pre-Entry to the UK): International Student Deposit

The international student deposit is the sum of money an applicant pays to the University when accepting their offer of study and prior to receiving a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS), where applicable.

For Applicants, the deposit is only refundable in the following circumstances:

• The University cancels the programme of study for which the applicant has been accepted an offer; or
• An Applicant fails to meet the University’s entry requirements during their application process; or
• No CAS has been issued by the University; or
• A CAS has been issued by the University but was subsequently cancelled prior to a visa being issued. Confirmation that the student visa application has been cancelled must be provided as evidence. An administrative fee of £500 will be retained by the University in this case; or
• An Applicant is refused a visa to study in the UK. A copy of the visa refusal notice from the UKVI must be provided as evidence. An administrative fee of £500 will be retained by the University as a result of visa refusal.

No refund of deposits or fees will be made to an Applicant who has behaved fraudulently e.g., presented documents or made a statement found by UK Visas and Immigration or the University to be false to obtain a visa or false qualification documents to gain entry to a course.

a. Exceptional Circumstances

Requests for deposit refunds may be considered in exceptional circumstances at the University’s discretion if an applicant is unable to travel to the UK due to:

• Illness certified by a medical professional on headed paper
• Family bereavement
• International incident or force majeure.

In each case supporting documents will be required from an appropriate professional and refunds of this nature will require a longer time to process.

5. Students (Enrolled at the University and in the UK)

No application for a refund will be considered unless withdrawal has been confirmed by the Programme Director and recorded in the University Student System.

As outlined in paragraph 2 above the University is obliged to report any Student visa holder to the UKVI if they are withdrawn from their course. This will result in visa curtailment and students are required to return to their home country.

Students must return to their home country within 3 months of the date of withdrawal and provide evidence of this. Evidence must be in the form of:

– Boarding pass
– Exit stamp in passport

No refund of fees will be made to a Student who has:

• Remained in the UK post study withdrawal (this includes Students who switch immigration category and remain in the UK); or
• Behaved fraudulently e.g., presented documents or made a statement found by UK Visas and Immigration or the University to be false to obtain a visa or false qualification documents to gain entry to a course; or
• Had their studies with the University terminated, for any reason, whether financial or otherwise (including non-engagement).

Liability for fees will depend on the period of study as follows:

6. Suspensions and Deferrals

• In the event that a Student suspends their studies, any payments made will be retained by the University until studies recommence.
• If an Applicant is granted a deferral, the University will hold the deposit until the following year. A refund request can only be made for any additional money paid above the deposit value.

7. Refund Payments

If the refund is approved:

• Refunds will only be made to the original fee payer using the same method of payment as the original remittance. This is due to UK Anti Money Laundering Legislation Requirements and to ensure PCI (Payment Card Industry) Compliance.
• All refund to overseas bank accounts will be made in pound sterling.
• Once a refund has been agreed, CMET Central Finance Team will process the refund in 14 working days. Applicants should be aware that international payments may take longer to deposit into their bank due to country specific banking legislation.
• Any applicable administration fees, as noted in the terms above, will be deducted from the refund value.
• Any bank charges incurred will be deducted from the refund value so the total refund value will be reduced.

8. Queries

Eligibility for a refund will be assessed on a case by case basis. For further enquiries about refunds, in the first instance please email: internationalrefund@cardiffmet.ac.uk.

Concerns about a particular refund decision can also be raised via the University Complaints Policy and Procedure.