Fees, Policies, The Code of Practice, and When you need help !
When your application is accepted, we create an invoice specifically for you. The invoice specifies all of the costs for your stay, including tuition, accommodation, insurance etc., and contains everything you need to know about making the payment.
Policies and Agreements
The Board wishes to ensure that international student fees are handled according to normal accounting practices.
- International student fees are secure from misappropriation and are only made available to the School in accordance with the School’s Refund Policy. The intent of this policy is to ensure systems are in place for students, and parents or legal guardians, to understand refund processes where a student withdraws from a course, does not attend the course, or the school removes a course or the school closes.
Aims
- To ensure that in the event that the school is unable to provide tuition the unspent proportion is returned to the payee. This may be the students’ parents’ dependent upon the source of the International Student Tuition Fee.
- To ensure that the funds received for international students are accounted for separately from other School accounts and in such a way that individual students contributions are protected and monitored.
- To ensure that international student’s payments may be drawn down in accordance with the school refund policy.
Guidelines
- Accounting procedures are in place to ensure that monies are available for release.
- International Student Tuition Fees are placed into a separated coded account for International Student Tuition Fees and drawn down monthly throughout the academic school year with the balance held in Funds in Custody.
- These monies will be available for approved refunds resulting from withdrawal from the School or in the event of the School not being able to provide tuition.
In addition all International Students must have comprehensive travel and health insurance. The travel and health insurance organised through the school includes section 2.3 Non-Recoverable Student Fess “If due to an Unexpected Event, you are unable to continue your studies in New Zealand, We will pay you for the value of your unused prepaid student fees.
Fees Refund Policy for International Students.
[This policy is based on Section 4B (7) of the Education Amendment Act (No.4) 1991]Tuition Fees
- There will be in principle, no refunds after the first two weeks a student is at the College, except under exceptional circumstances and at the discretion of the Headmaster and International Director.
- If a student withdraws from the College before the completion of the year for which he has been enrolled, the student may apply in writing clearly stating the circumstances of his withdrawal and requesting consideration of a refund.
- In arriving at the decision of the amount to be refunded to the student, the school will take into account:
- the costs already incurred by the College (including the Government levy and any agent’s fees)
- the salaries of staff already committed for the duration for the course
- the amount covering the use of facilities and resources to the date of withdrawal.
- Fees refunded exclude all non-fundable fees and 10 weeks tuition fee following withdrawal notification.
No refund will be made in the event a student is excluded from school by the parents or Board of Trustees for breach of contract. Homestay Fees* If the student moves out of his homestay before the end of the time that has been contracted for, the portion of the prepaid homestay fees not used will be refunded. The Homestay placement fee will not be refunded.* The refund must be applied for in writing to the Board of Trustees, giving two weeks’ notice, or paying two weeks’ accommodation fees in lieu of notice.* If a student does not take up his homestay for any reason there will be a full refund less half the Homestay placement fee.
The policy aims to set clear guidelines for students, staff and parents regarding the possession and use of mobile phones at Wellington College. This policy is intended to allow students to feel secure at school, interact positively with their peers in a face-to-face manner, and enable staff to teach without the distraction that mobile phones invariably bring into the learning environment.
2 International Accommodation Policy March 2023
WC POLICY
International Student Accommodation Policy
Rationale
The College undertakes to comply with the Safety and Well-Being Outcomes of the Code. This policy should be read in conjunction with the college’s Designated Caregiver Agreement, Homestay Accommodation Agreement, Residential Caregiver Agreement, The Education (Pastoral Care of Tertiary and International Learners) Code of Practice 2021 and the Education Act 1989.
Purpose
This policy outlines factors that will be considered when managing accommodation for international students enrolled at the college including:
- The provision of a suitable living environment conducive to study and a safe and supportive home
- Involving residential caregivers in the welfare of the
- Assisting student to successfully integrate into New Zealand
- Ensuring the students are well cared for and supported by the
Guidelines
Approved Accommodation
All international students must live with parents or residential caregivers that have been approved by the college. The following categories of residential care may be approved by the college:
- Designated caregiver (13 – 18 years old)
- Living with parents (13 – 18 years old)
- Homestay (14 – 18 years old)
- Approved temporary
Note: Homestay is not available for students under the age of 14. Wellington College reserves the right to utilise an external homestay provider who meets all Code requirements.
Residential Caregivers
Onsite Assessment
Residential care accommodation for international students will undergo an on-site assessment to determine that the accommodation is of an acceptable standard, is not a boarding establishment and the residential caregiver provides a safe physical and emotional living environment.
Ongoing Monitoring
All residential care accommodation for international students will be monitored on a regular basis including visits to the accommodation and student interviews to ensure that the accommodation continues to meet required standards.
Resolving Difficulties
Where difficulties arise in residential care, the college will liaise with residential caregivers, contracted agents, students and parents as appropriate to resolve such difficulties.
Safety Checking
Safety checks, including Police Vetting as appropriate, is carried out for residential caregivers. Other adults aged 18 years and over living in the accommodation will undergo an appropriate safety check.
Designated Caregivers
- The college will have written Designated Caregiver Agreements with all designated caregivers
- The monitoring of students living in designated care will be managed in accordance with this policy and the Designated Caregiver Agreement
Homestay
- The college will have written Residential Caregiver Agreements with all homestays
- The college will have written Homestay Accommodation Agreements with all students and their families
- The monitoring of students living in homestays will be managed in accordance with this policy and the Homestay Accommodation Agreement
- Homestay fees paid to the college will be held by the college on behalf of students and paid to host families in regular Remaining homestay fees at the end of enrolment will be refunded according to the colleges’ refund policy.
Temporary Accommodation
The college will:
- Assess the suitability of the accommodation considering the age and gender of the
- Ensure adequate supervision is in place for all
- Ensure all pastoral needs of the students are met including meals and
- Ensure that supervisors in temporary accommodation undergo an appropriate safety
- Monitor and manage risks to
Rationale
The College has developed this Policy to ensure that:
- Students are treated fairly, consistently and have an opportunity to provide a
- Investigations are carried out in line with the requirements of the Code of
This policy should be read in conjunction with the Contract of Enrolment, The Education (Pastoral Care of Tertiary and International Learners) Code of Practice 2021 and the Education Act 1989.
Purpose
The following is the college’s current disciplinary policy for dealing with breaches of the students Contract of Enrolment (the Agreement). This is not intended to restrict the college’s general power of discipline and this policy may be changed from time to time at the discretion of the college.
Overview
- Except in serious situations where immediate termination of the agreement is necessary, or where the breach does not call for any formal response other than a warning, the college will try, where appropriate, to follow a two- stage disciplinary
- In Stage One, the college will investigate and decide the facts, and will reach a conclusion on what happened and whether it amounts to a breach of the
- In Stage Two, if the college has determined that a breach has occurred, the college will consider the appropriate response to that breach, up to and including termination of the
- The student will have an opportunity to provide a response to the alleged breach that the college is investigating (the Allegation) and any proposed disciplinary action that the college is considering taking (the Proposed Action).
- This policy does not limit the college’s power to take appropriate disciplinary action urgently and without following this process if this is necessary having regard to the seriousness of the
- This policy also does not limit the college’s power to suspend the student for the duration of the disciplinary process where suspension is considered necessary for the safety or education of any
General Policy
When the college is conducting a disciplinary process involving the student it will aim to provide the student with the following:
- A written summary of the Allegation or the Proposed Action;
- An opportunity to respond to the Allegation or the Proposed Action, either in person or in writing or both, at the choice of the student;
- An opportunity to consider the Allegation or the Proposed Action for a reasonable period of time (keeping in mind the seriousness of the Allegation or the Proposed Action) before giving a response;
- An opportunity to contact his or her Parent before giving a response, unless the delay caused by contacting that person is unreasonable keeping in mind the seriousness of the Allegation or Proposed Action;
- An opportunity to have an independent support person of his or her choice present at any meeting relating to the disciplinary process;
- An opportunity to meet with that support person in private at any stage during the disciplinary process;
- An opportunity to have a translator present (or otherwise enable the student to participate in the process in his or her own language) during any meeting or process if the college or the student considers that a language barrier means that a translator is required; and a copy of this policy setting out the rights which the student has when engaging in the disciplinary process.
The Code of Practice for the Pastoral Care of International Students 2021
Wellington College ensures international fee paying students are well informed, safe and properly cared for. The New Zealand government was the first in the world to develop legislation specifically for the care of international students.
Click here for your “Know the Code” guide.
Download the printable version of the Code of Practice including amendments 2021 (PDF, 736KB).
The full, legislative version is also available here on the New Zealand Legislation website.
What Happens when something goes wrong ? What if I have a complaint that the school and I can’t agree on ?
New Zealand has an organisation called istudent complaints that has been developed to support institutions and students when things are not going right.
