On this page: 

• Enrolment process
• Verification of learner identity
• Privacy statement
• Variations to standard enrolments
• Enrolment changes
• Withdrawals  

Enrolment process

We recommend that your admission and enrolment processes include the steps below:

We expect you to inform each learner during the enrolment process about all planned learning activities leading to the award of the qualification they have enrolled in. “Planned learning activities” includes self-directed learning activities you expect the learner to engage with/participate in. It does not include self-directed activities that the learner initiates. 

Admission

We expect you to publish admission information before the start of each of your programmes. This should include:

• admission requirements
• criteria and processes for assessing and recognising prior learning
• criteria and process for cross-crediting courses across programmes or qualifications
• documents a learner must submit; for example, an academic transcript or record from another TEO
• your enrolment processes
• minimum attendance and code of conduct requirements
• withdrawal requirements and process (including refunds)
• student support services available, and
• student services fees information.

Inducement to enrol

An enrolment is not a valid domestic enrolment if the learner has been induced to enrol.

We recommend that you contact our Customer Contact Team, phone 0800 601 301 or email customerservice@tec.govt.nz, before offering any incentive to learners to enrol with you.

Enrolment application

To enrol in a programme leading to the award of a qualification, a learner needs to apply by completing and submitting an enrolment form, and providing evidence to enable you to:

• verify their identity, and
• determine their eligibility.

To ensure your enrolment form collects all necessary information, you need to be familiar with the SDR Manual. Ensure you collect all the information you are required to report in the Single Data Return (SDR), to determine whether the learner is eligible for DQ1-2 funded delivery.

If you wish, you can use the generic enrolment form provided at Single Data Return (SDR).

We recommend that you publish your enrolment form.

Verification of learner identity

For the full requirements for verification of learner identity, see the funding conditions for the relevant year.

Note the base funding conditions and specific DQ1-2 funding conditions.

You must sight either an original or a certified copy of the original identification document. A certified copy can be a photocopy, photograph or scanned copy that has been endorsed as a true copy of the original by an authorised person. 

Once you have verified the learner’s identity, you will then need to check if they are eligible to be a valid domestic enrolment.

Privacy statement

Once you have assessed a learner as eligible, you must provide them with a privacy statement explaining that you are holding their personal information for specified purposes and that you have disclosure obligations.

For more information about what you must provide in your privacy statement and a template for you to use, see Privacy statement requirements for TEOs.

The template privacy statement is also included in the generic enrolment form provided at Single Data Return (SDR).

Variations to standard enrolments

Recognition of learning/prior achievement

Recognition of learning/prior achievement refers to previous study or experience relevant to the qualification a learner is about to enrol in or is currently studying. It enables learners to proceed with study without repeating aspects of their previous qualification, or re-learning skills they have already achieved through past work or other experience.

Recognition of prior learning (RPL), and credit recognition and transfer (CRT), are forms of recognising learning/prior achievement. For information and guidelines for TEOs, see Guidelines for the recognition and award of learning for credit – NZQA.

It is your responsibility to recognise each learner’s prior learning and adjust the courses in your programme. You cannot claim DQ1-2 funding for RPL or CRT, or for delivering tuition where the learner already has prior learning (ie, skills and/or knowledge). This means you are responsible for:

• undertaking a preliminary evaluation and identifying whether a learner is likely to have the knowledge, skills and attributes that can contribute to the graduate outcomes of the qualification
• seeking evidence of prior academic achievement using the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) Record of Achievement (NZROA) when the learner enrols.

For questions about recognition of prior learning, please contact NZQA.

Learners wanting to defer their start date

You may agree to defer a learner’s enrolment start date, but you should have a policy for the circumstances under which a learner may defer their start date.

No DQ1-2 funding can be claimed unless the learner has started their study and the 10% or one month date for accessing funding has passed. This is calculated from the date the learner starts their deferred enrolment.

Learners wanting to accelerate their study (undertake additional learning)

You should not enrol a learner in an additional course or qualification unless they elect to exceed the equivalent full-time student (EFTS) value of the qualification (eg, if they re-do a course that they previously did not pass). In this case, the total EFTS value of the learner’s enrolments for the qualification will be greater than the EFTS value of the qualification they achieve.

In that instance the additional learning hours should be matched by an appropriate number of additional teaching hours.

Learners enrolling concurrently with another TEO

Concurrent enrolments at another TEO are not prohibited. However, it is unlikely a learner enrolled in foundation-level education would successfully manage concurrent enrolments at separate TEOs and complete their courses and qualifications.

If you have a foundation-level learner in this situation, you should work with the other TEO to determine whether their study workload is manageable and whether they are likely to successfully complete both qualifications.

Enrolment changes

If a learner's enrolment changes for any reason, you must update your records to reflect the changes. We recommend you send updated enrolment information to the learner. 

We suggest you specify the period in which a learner can change their enrolment or withdraw from a course (so it is clear on their academic record and they do not incur unnecessary costs). 

Student services fees refund when the enrolment changes

You must inform learners at the time of enrolment what period of time they have to change their enrolment or withdraw from a course or programme with a refund of student services fees, if applicable (excluding any administration charge).

You must process student services fee refunds in a timely manner for the learner. 

If you refund all or some of a learner’s student services fee, you must refund them in the manner in which the original fee was paid. 

You cannot hold the refund as a credit (for enrolling or re-enrolling at your TEO in the future) unless you can demonstrate that the learner has understood their refund entitlement and agreed to waive their entitlement.

The above also applies when you pay the learner's student services fees through a scholarship.

Refund period requirements are different for private training establishments (PTEs) and tertiary education institutions (TEIs). For specific withdrawal conditions refer to the funding conditions for the relevant year  .

Withdrawals

A withdrawal is when a learner ceases to participate in a course, programme or micro-credential (regardless of whether they have been refunded any student services fees), either:

• by providing notice to the TEO that they wish to withdraw participation, or
• as a result of non-attendance or non-participation for any reason.

Disengaged learners who have not formally withdrawn

A learner may have disengaged from their programme or micro-credential but not have formally withdrawn. For example, they may fail to attend a face-to-face course or not log in for online learning.

You should determine at the earliest opportunity if a disengaged learner is withdrawing from a course. You need to apply a deemed withdrawal date to any enrolment that meets the criteria above, and report it in the Single Data Return (SDR).

If their enrolment continues to be reported and is unsuccessful, it will be counted as a course non-completion for the calculation of Educational Performance Indicators (EPIs).

Note: A TEO is not eligible to receive funding for an enrolment with a withdrawal date that occurs before 10% or one month of the course has passed (rounded up to the nearest whole day), whichever is earlier.

Advising StudyLink and other parties of learner withdrawal

When a learner who is receiving a student loan and/or allowance withdraws from a programme, you must notify StudyLink of the withdrawal date (or the date you deem that the learner withdrew, eg, by non-attendance or non-participation).

Withdrawal date and student services fees refund period

If a learner withdraws from a course or programme within this period, you must provide the learner with a refund of their student services fee.

Note: Refund period requirements are different for private training establishments (PTEs) and tertiary education institutions (TEIs).

Requesting fees payment from StudyLink

Student services fees cannot be paid for through the Student Loan Scheme.

Learners with unpaid student services fees

A learner becomes a valid domestic enrolment when they have paid or committed to paying the student services fee, and the student services fee refund period has passed.

If the learner does not pay the student services fees they committed to, then they cease to be a valid domestic enrolment. You cannot claim DQ1-2 funding for them.