Student fee refunds - QUT

Have you recently graduated or have left QUT and require a student fee refund? Follow the steps on this page to apply.

If you're a current student, there's more information for you on the HiQ website.

View the student fee refunds information for current students

Are you hoping to drop a unit without paying for it? Visit Withdraw from units without penalty to find out if you're eligible.

When you can apply

You can apply for a student fee refund if you:

overpaid your course fees
withdrew from units on or before the census date and have already made a payment
received notification of a successful outcome for a withdrawal without financial penalty application and your student account has a credit balance
are an international student and need your deposit refunded due to cancellation of your course (cancellation fees may apply).

If you want a refund of other fee payments to QUT, contact HiQ.

If you don't apply for a refund you're eligible for and are continuing to study at QUT, the funds will remain credited to your student account for future use.

Supporting information - proof of payment

In certain circumstances, you'll need to provide additional banking information to allow us to process your refund.

Additional banking information you may need to provide

Your credit card has expired

If the credit card used to make your original payment has expired, you'll need to provide:

the new credit card expiry date
a bank statement showing the original payment transaction (including account holder name and bank account number)
nominated bank account details in the name of the original account holder, for deposit of refund.

Your credit card has closed

If the credit card used to make your original payment has closed, you'll need to provide:

a bank statement confirming credit card closure (including account holder name and bank account number)
a bank statement showing the original payment transaction (including account holder name and bank account number)
nominated bank account details in the name of the original account holder, for deposit of refund.

Your bank account has closed

If the bank account used to make your original payment has closed, you'll need to provide:

a bank statement confirming account closure (including account holder name and bank account number)
a bank statement showing the original payment transaction (including account holder name and bank account number)
nominated bank account details in the name of the original account holder, for deposit of refund.

You paid by Australia Post

If you paid by Australia Post, you'll need to provide:

a bank statement showing the original payment transaction (including account holder name and bank account number)
nominated bank account details in the name of the original account holder, for deposit of refund.

Supporting documents (international students only) - special circumstances

If you're an international student cancelling your course due to special circumstances, you'll need to show evidence of the special circumstances that prevented you from continuing in your course (an approved release from QUT is not grounds for course cancellation due to special circumstances). Documents must show evidence of either:

Student visa refusal

If you're requesting a refund due to visa refusal, you are required to provide notification of visa refusal from the Department of Home Affairs.

Health conditions (physical and mental)

You may be able to claim special circumstances if you're unwell, or a pre-existing physical or mental health condition has changed to such an extent that you're unable to continue studying, either temporarily or for the remainder of the semester.

Documents you must supply

You must provide a certificate or letter from a registered health practitioner, stating:

the date(s) the practitioner examined you
the nature, severity and duration of the complaint (where appropriate)
that, in the practitioner's opinion, you weren't fit to study or sit an exam on the relevant date (dates must be specified)
the health practitioner's name, contact details, provider number and signature.

A statement that you are or were suffering from a 'medical condition' without supporting comments from the practitioner on the effect of the complaint will not be sufficient.

Certificates provided must be dated within the time frame of the teaching period for which you are applying. Retrospective certificates will only be accepted where the issuing practitioner provides a dated history of your treatment.

We won't accept your application if your certificate or letter does not comply with these requirements. If it doesn't comply, you'll need to submit a new medical certificate or letter before we will process your application.

Attempts to alter, amend or falsify information on a medical certificate or letter from a registered health practitioner may result in formal disciplinary action. We regularly check medical certificates, letters and supporting documents to confirm their accuracy.

If you have a QUT Access Equity Plan, which is current for the semester and contains an assignment extension recommendation, we'll consider it as documentation for an assignment extension.

Family or personal circumstances

You may be able to claim special circumstances if family or personal circumstances beyond your control have arisen or become apparent, and make it unreasonable for you to undertake study for a short period of time, or to continue studying for the remainder of the semester.

Family or personal circumstances include:

death or serious illness of a close family member or friend
significant medical problems within your family
family or relationship breakdown
severe disruption to domestic arrangements
being victim of a crime or accident
collapse of a family business which is severe enough to require your personal attention or unreasonable to expect you to commence or continue studies.

Documents you must supply

A decision based on family or personal circumstances is more subjective than one based on medical grounds.

Depending on the nature of the circumstances, supporting evidence may include a medical certificate or letter from a counsellor, doctor or police officer.

The supporting documentation must contain the name, date and contact details of the person providing the evidence. It should also demonstrate the impact these circumstances have had on your ability to complete your studies.

Unexpected political, civil or natural events

You may be able to claim special circumstances if unexpected political, civil or natural events beyond your control have arisen or become apparent, and make it unreasonable for you to undertake study for a short period of time, or to continue studying for the remainder of the semester.

Unexpected political, civil or natural events are considered if:

your home country is experiencing economic sanctions or other monetary restrictions limiting your ability to pay your tuition fees by the due date.
your home country has experienced a recent natural disaster or civil unrest.
you can provide evidence of foreign exchange issues that are impacting your ability to transfer payment.

Documents you must supply

The supporting documentation must be independent and may include:

a letter from your bank.
a link to a news article.

Where there has been a natural disaster or civil unrest, you can provide internet evidence of the situation, or a statement from local authorities supporting your claim. In many instances, QUT will be aware of such circumstances.

All supporting documents must be translated into English.

Read about special circumstances in section 2 of the International Student Refund Policy

How to apply

To apply, complete a student fee refund form.

How to apply for a refund of your Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC)

If you're requesting a refund due to visa refusal, complete a student fee refund form.

For all other OSHC refunds, contact your OSHC provider.

What happens next

Once we have all the required details, you will normally receive the outcome of your student fee refund request within 20 working days.

Where your refund will be paid

Your payment will be returned to the payment method or bank account from which the payment was made.

In exceptional circumstances, your payment can be refunded to a different Australian bank account, however you must supply documents in addition to your proof of original payment.

Documents must show evidence of either:

a bank account closure - eg. proof or statement of bank account closure and written agreement from the account holder if the account is not in your name.
a credit card closure/updated credit card expiry date - eg. proof or statement of credit card closure and written agreement from the account holder if the account is not in your name.
a loan payment - you will need to provide the loan agreement and written agreement from the account holder if the account is not in your name.
foreign currency monetary controls - eg. a news article or letter from your bank.

If your request is approved and processed, you will be asked to submit your Australian banking details.

Refunds to overseas bank accounts

The timing of your refund will vary depending on your bank and the intermediary banks involved in the transfer.

Refunds of payments to sponsored students

Students who have received payments from sponsors will have their refund returned to the sponsoring body.

How to request a review

If you believe the outcome of the decision to be incorrect or unjust, you can request a review.

You can request a review of the decision by emailing fees@qut.edu.au stating your reasons and including any additional supporting documentation.

The type of documents you need to supply will vary depending on your circumstances. Documentation examples are available in the supporting documents section above.

The QUT Guild Advocacy team may be able to help you prepare a review request.

Review requests must be submitted within 10 working days of receiving your original outcome. We’ll email you to confirm we’ve received your request.

What happens after you request a review

The Director of Student Administration (or delegate) will consider your original application, any information you included in your review request and the requirements of relevant policy and legislation.

The Director (or delegate) will then choose to either:

confirm the original decision
change the decision
set the original decision aside and make a new decision based on a new rationale.

You’ll be emailed with the outcome of your review request within 20 working days of us receiving it.

If you’re unhappy with how we handled your review

If you believe we have not followed policy and procedure in arriving at the review decision, you can seek advice or lodge a complaint with the QUT Student Ombudsman. The Ombudsman is responsible for administering QUT’s student related complaints policy.

However, the decision of the Director (or delegate) is final within QUT. The QUT Student Ombudsman is unable to make a fresh decision on the review outcome. The QUT Student Ombudsman can only assess whether the review process and decision complied with QUT's established policies and procedures.

If you are unhappy with the outcome from the QUT Student Ombudsman, you have the right to seek external review from an agency such as the National Student Ombudsman. If you hold an international student visa, you also have the right to contact the National Student Ombudsman if you believe that procedures outlined in the National Code have not been correctly followed by the University.

If you decide to apply for an external review from the National Student Ombudsman or other agency, please advise the QUT Student Ombudsman of your application by sending an email to ombudsman@qut.edu.au.