Withdrawals and refunds

If you are considering withdrawing from your course, please discuss with your teacher or head teacher first, as there are ways they can assist you in continuing with your studies.
If you decide that you can no longer continue with your studies, you may be eligible to defer up to 12 months or to withdraw and discontinue your studies.

At TAFE NSW, we regularly review the progress of students throughout their studies. If you're unable to attend or participate in your course, it’s important to let us know.
There are different options available to you such as:

• deferring, or
• withdrawing from your studies.

Deferring means that you can postpone a course you've started to a later time. You can defer your study for up to 12 months during the duration of the course.

Withdrawing means that you have decided to end your studies in your enrolled course before completing your training or that you will not be returning to study after deferment.

Census dates

If you have a VET Student Loan or FEE-HELP loan, the census day is the last day you can withdraw (or let us know you won’t be continuing your studies). If you miss this census deadline, you will incur the financial liability for the tuition fee.

VET Student Loans

You can find out more about census dates by going to the VET Student Loans FAQs page. The information is in the FAQ called ‘How and when are my course fees charged?’ 

FEE-HELP Loans

If you have a FEE-HELP loan, you can find your census date information listed on the Higher Education Academic calendar.

To defer from your study, you must complete the Deferral Application Form and return it to your campus of enrolment.

Smart and Skilled

If you return to your studies within 12 months, your Smart and Skilled student fee or Concession fee will not change.
If you don’t return to study within 12 months, your student record will update to show you as having withdrawn or discontinued your study.

Skilling for Recovery Job Trainer

Deferrals under the Commonwealth Government's Skilling for Recovery Job Trainer initiative may be considered if the request is supported by a medical certificate.
The deferral period must not be longer than six months and you must have commenced training before seeking deferral.

If you decide to cancel or withdraw from your study, you will need to:

• read our Withdrawal and Refund Fact Sheet for Students, and
• notify your campus in writing using the Withdrawal Application Form.

If you have taken out a student loan, there are conditions for withdrawals, cancellations and refunds, as well as forms for:

• VET Student Loans Withdrawal & Deferral Application Form
• FEE-HELP Withdrawal & Interruption Application Form

You can find out more by visiting the VET Student Loan page or FEE-HELP page.

If you are enrolled in a government-subsidised course such as Smart and Skilled, you might consider deferring your studies rather than withdrawing.
If you’re an international student, please contact the International Customer Experience Coordinator at your campus of enrolment for further withdrawal information.

If you were enrolled in a Smart and Skilled course, and are ready to recommence your studies, we can help you. You should be aware that if the eligibility criteria have changed, you will be assessed against the updated eligibility criteria.

Please contact your campus for more information.

You may be eligible for a refund if you:

• enrolled in a course that’s been cancelled by TAFE NSW – you won’t need to apply for a refund
• overpaid your fee – you won’t need to apply for a refund
• paid the Smart and Skilled fee but were later granted a fee exemption backdated to your enrolment – you won’t need to apply for a refund
• decided after enrolling that you want to withdraw, and have formally advised the campus in writing of your intent, before the official course start date
• enrolled in a course lasting less than a week and informed the campus in writing of your intent to withdraw at least five business days before the course start date.

Partial refund

Other times you may only be eligible for a partial refund or amendment to your fee and future instalments.

These circumstances include:

• having pre-paid future fee instalments but having withdrawn at the start of your course.
• if you pay the full Smart and Skilled student fee and receive Youth Allowance or Austudy within two weeks of your course start date. In this case you'll be eligible for a concession fee.
• if you have paid the full Smart and Skilled student fee and are granted Credit Transfer or Recognition of Prior Learning after starting your studies.

Please note that where full payment of the Smart and Skilled fee has been made your student fee and any future instalments will be adjusted accordingly.

Fee-for-service course refund

If you're requesting a refund for a commercial or fee-for-service course, please contact your campus of enrolment for specific requirements.

If you enrol in an approved apprenticeship or traineeship course, you must provide evidence of your status as an apprentice or trainee.
If you can show this evidence at the time of enrolment, your student fees will be adjusted. Additionally, your future payments will reflect the subsidised apprenticeship or traineeship fee. If you cannot provide evidence, you will need to pay the Smart and Skilled fee for the qualification.