Fee refunds

If you drop a course after the Change of Enrolment period due to medical or exceptional circumstances, you will be eligible for a partial fee refund (of not more than 50%), provided you meet the following criteria: 

• you submit a Change of Enrolment to drop the course(s) in myUC by the Academic Withdrawal Deadline date for the relevant course(s)
• you submit a request for a partial refund within the calendar year of the relevant course
• your circumstances are accepted as being medical or exceptional 
• you provide acceptable evidence

The following circumstances are considered to be 'medical or exceptional':

• serious illness or accident, or severe psychological impairment
• bereavement
• critical personal circumstances involving the health and wellbeing of a relative
• sporting/cultural commitments where you are representing New Zealand or trialling for New Zealand representation
• service in the New Zealand Armed Forces
• other exceptional circumstances beyond your control (for example a natural disaster, damage to significant property, impacts arising from being the victim of a crime, etc)

The following circumstances are not considered to be 'medical or exceptional':

• domestic or financial commitments/changes
• employment commitments/changes (except essential workers during lockdown)
• circumstances which arise after the completion of the relevant course
• short-term impairment (eg missing 2 days of class due to illness)
• circumstances that are more appropriately covered by provisions for Special Consideration in Final Examinations (eg short-term illness during the exam period)
• known impairment such as chronic illness (medical or psychological), injury or disability unless medical evidence confirms that, despite appropriate management, there has been an unexpected worsening of the condition
• ignorance of withdrawal regulations and dates

If a request is made for the same/similar reasons to a previous request, it may be declined because the reason is not 'unexpected'.

Acceptable evidence 

If your request for Consideration for a Partial Refund is due to medical impairment (illness, injury, or mental health), you must provide a medical certificate that is dated to the period of impairment (that is, when the symptoms of your illness or injury are apparent to the Medical Practitioner). A medical certificate dated after the period of impairment is unlikely to be considered acceptable.

In cases of bereavement, appropriate evidence may include a death notice. Where the notice does not mention you by name, you will need to provide a letter from a funeral director, minister of religion, kaumatua/kuia or the police to confirm your relationship with the deceased.

For all other exceptional circumstances, the nature of the supporting documentation will depend on the circumstances but might include police reports or a letter from an appropriate third party. If you are unsure of appropriate evidence, contact the Enrolments team for advice. 

Information provided in support of your application will be kept confidential, in accordance with the University's Privacy Policy. 

If you have pre-paid your tuition fees but cannot complete your enrolment by the Deadline to add courses and drop courses with a full refund date (for example if your student visa application is declined), you can request a full refund of your tuition fees. After this date, you will not normally be eligible for a fee refund.

Email studentfinance@canterbury.ac.nz for more information on the refund process. 

If you have paid international tuition fees and you are granted 'domestic' status (residence class visa and/or citizenship) while you are part-way through the academic year, you may be eligible for a refund of the difference in international and domestic tuition fees for any courses that you have enrolled and paid for but have not yet started. For research students, the refund will be calculated from the beginning of the following calendar month, and a refund must be requested before the end of the previous month. To request a refund of the difference in fees, take proof of your new domestic status to the Enrolments team before the Official Course Start Date for all courses you are enrolled in that you wish to be included in the calculation.

If your refund exceeds NZD 3,500, it will be subject to a checking process with the original payment source confirmed by the Student Finance team before the refund can be released. Refunds will normally be paid back to the source account.  In exceptional circumstances, refunds may be instead paid to a New Zealand bank account, with appropriate documentation. If payment has been made by credit card then the refund will be made against the card. Tuition fee refunds made to an overseas bank account are subject to exchange rate fluctuations. The rate used will be the exchange rate at the time the refund is processed and may result in the payment being a lower amount than what was originally paid depending on the exchange rate movement.

Email enrolmentsupport@canterbury.ac.nz for more information. 

All refunds of tuition fees will be made as soon as possible after the withdrawal, change of circumstances, identification of error, or fee appeal resulting in a refund decision.

Tuition fee refunds are automatically paid back to the original source of payment for student loans, scholarships or Fees Free.  If you originally paid your fees with a credit card or bank transfer, you will be asked to arrange the refund to the relevant payment source - we are obligated to make the refund back to the source account. Do not email any credit/debit card information to us as any communication containing a number sequence that may be a credit/debit card number will be blocked by the University to comply with payment card industry security and international banking regulations.

If you have not received confirmation that we have received your refund information, please email the Student Finance team. 

Be aware that dropping courses after the Change of Enrolment period, may impact on your eligiblity for a student loan and/or allowance (regardless of whether you are awarded a partial refund). Check with Studylink for details.