Under the provisions of the Higher Education Support Act 2003 (HESA) and the associated Higher Education Provider Guidelines Gestalt Therapy Brisbane (the First Provider) is required to provide a tuition assurance arrangement for persons, other than overseas students*, who are enrolled in higher education courses it offers. This requirement is to protect students in the event that Gestalt Therapy Brisbane ceases to provide a course of study in which a student is enrolled.  The meaning of ‘ceasing to provide a course of study’ is set out in the HEP Guidelines at: http://www.comlaw.gov.au/comlaw/management.nsf/lookupindexpagesbyid/IP200510176?OpenDocument .

In the event that Gestalt Therapy Brisbane ceases to provide a course of study in which a student is enrolled the student is entitled to a choice of:

a)    an offer of a place in a similar course of study with a Second Provider without any requirement to pay the Second Provider any student contribution or tuition fee for any replacement units (this is known as the “Course Assurance Option”);

OR

b)    a refund of his or her up-front payments for any unit of study that the student commences but does not complete because Gestalt Therapy Brisbane ceases to provide the course of study of which the unit forms part (this is known as the “Student Contribution/Tuition Fee Repayment Option”)

Gestalt Therapy Brisbane has met the tuition assurance requirements of the HESA through its current membership of the Australian council for Private education and Training (ACPET)’s Australian Student Tuition Assurance Scheme (ASTAS).  Contact details for the Australian council for Private education and Training are:

National Office

Australian Council for Private Education and Training (ACPET)

Suite 101, Level 1, 126 Wellington Parade, East Melbourne VIC 3002

P.O. Box 551, East Melbourne VIC 8002

Phone +61 3 9416 1355   Fax +61 3 9416 1895

www.acpet.edu.au

If Gestalt Therapy Brisbane ceases to provide a course of study, the ACPET’s Australian Student Tuition Assurance Scheme (ASTAS) will send a student enrolled in the course of study a Written Tuition Assurance Offer (the Offer) advising the student of the options available under the tuition assurance requirements.  The Offer will include directions that the student must follow in order to notify Australian Council for Private education and Training (ACPET) of the choice they have made for each affected unit. The Australian Council for Private education and Training (ACPET) will provide this Offer within twenty Business Days after it knows, or should now by reasonable enquiries that the Gestalt Therapy Brisbane has ceased to provide the course or study. 

The course/s of study for which Gestalt Therapy Brisbane has ACPET’s ASTAS are:

• Graduate Certificate in Gestalt Therapy (Accredited by the Office of Higher Education, Queensland Education, 9 January, 2009 from 1 January 2009 - 31 December, 2013)
• Master of Gestalt Therapy (Accredited by the Office of Higher Education, Queensland Education, 9 January, 2009 from 1 January 2009 – 31 December 2013)
• Master of Gestalt Therapy (Continuing Students in programme Accredited by the Officer of Higher Education Queensland Education, until December 2008)

A student may choose either:

The Course Assurance Option:

Under the course assurance option, a student will be offered a place in a similar course of study by the Australian Council for Private education and Training (ACPET). If the student accepts this option, the Australian Council for Private education and Training (ACPET) will make all necessary arrangements to ensure a student is able to enrol with the Second Provider in the similar course of study. This offered course will lead to the same or a comparable qualification without any requirement on the part of the student to pay the Second Provider any student contribution or tuition fee for any replacement units (that is, units that the student had commenced but not completed because the course ceased to be offered).  A student will receive full credit from the Second Provider for any units of study successfully completed at Gestalt Therapy Brisbane.

The Second Provider nominated by the Australian Council for Private education and Training (ACPET) may have different contribution amounts or tuition fees to the amounts or fees the student would have paid for units of study which were part of the course of study the Gestalt Therapy Brisbane ceased to provide but which the student had not yet started studying.

A student is not obliged to enrol in a course of study with a Second Provider offered by the Australian Council for Private education and Training (ACPET) under the Course Assurance Option.  However, if he/she enrols with any other provider there is no obligation on that provider to offer full credit transfer for the units of study completed with the Gestalt Therapy Brisbane or to offer replacement/s unit free of charge.

OR

The Student Contribution/Tuition Fee Repayment Option

Under the Student Contribution/Tuition Fee Repayment Option, Australian Council for Private education and Training (ACPET) undertakes to pay the student the total of any up-front payments already paid by the student for any units of study the student has commenced but not completed because the course ceased to be offered.  Students selecting this option will also have their SLE or FEE-HELP balance/s re-credited for the uncompleted units.

The information about Tuition Assurance is provided to students in the Student Handbook and on the Gestalt Therapy Brisbane Website, http://www.gestaltinstitute.com.au/tuition_assurance.htm

*See Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2002 for the definition of overseas student.