Terms and conditions of enrolment

These Terms and Conditions apply to every learner applying to enrol with Open Polytechnic whether you are enrolling yourself or through an organisation.

Read these Terms and Conditions carefully before you accept them.  By submitting your application, you are confirming that you have read, understood, and accepted these Terms and Conditions.

Online study

When studying at Open Polytechnic, you acknowledge you are engaging in online distance education that requires you to have access to a laptop or desktop computer and reliable access to the internet. 

Regulations

Your enrolment is subject to Open Polytechnic’s Te Kawa Academic Regulatory Framework (‘Te Kawa’) and the programme regulations for your intended study, relevant legislation, as well as our other policies and procedures. The information on our website is based on our policies and procedures but if there something you are not sure about, please contact us on 0508 650 200. 

Fees

Each time you enrol with us, you commit to paying the specified fees by the course start date. If you don’t pay by the course start date, your enrolment may be cancelled. You also agree to pay any late payment fees and debt collection charges.

If we have not received your fees within 28 days of the course start date (standard courses, 12–52 weeks) or within 7 days of the course start date (short courses, 5–10 weeks), we may charge you a 5 per cent late enrolment fee. You are liable for this fee even if you withdraw.

Application

We check your application to see if you are eligible for your intended programme and/or course and to see if you have provided everything we need to progress your application. If you haven’t provided everything we need or have not paid in full, the application process may be delayed. If we receive the information too late, we may offer you the next available course start date or cancel your enrolment.

Enrolment duration

Enrolment normally ends on the course end date except in the following situations:  

• if your course final grade is released before the course end date, your enrolment ends on the day your course final grade is released 
• if you have been given a formal extension to complete an assessment after the course end date, your enrolment ends on the extension date. 

Changing your enrolment

We might need to change your enrolment in the following situations— 

• if course requirements or programme regulations change
• if you don’t engage with the course  
• if you don’t pay your fees on or before the course start date  
• if there are restrictions on enrolments
• if you fail a course that is a prerequisite for another course you have already enrolled in.  

In each situation we will contact you.

Please note: You can’t swap your enrolment to another person. 

Withdrawals

You can only withdraw by completing the withdrawal form within the withdrawal periods shown below. Please note that verbal requests or emails to our staff will not be accepted.

We will acknowledge your withdrawal request as soon as we can. If you do not hear back from us, it means you haven’t successfully withdrawn and you will still be liable for fees. 

Transfers

You may be able transfer from one course offering to a later (or possibly earlier) offering of the same course. You can do this only once, prior to or within the withdrawal period (see below) and any transfer is subject to programme regulations. In this case, your fees are normally transferable to the new course. If you apply to transfer (or withdraw) after the withdrawal periods shown below, you will not be eligible for a refund.

Refunds

If you withdraw within the withdrawal periods specified below, you will be eligible for a full or partial refund. If you withdraw after the withdrawal period, you will not get a refund. Here are the withdrawal periods:

Withdrawal periods, refund eligibility and effect on academic record

Courses 12–52 weeks in length 

* Non-refundable fees are fees that Open Polytechnic has to collect and pay to other organisations as part of your enrolment (where applicable). 

Courses 5–10 weeks in length 

* Non-refundable fees are fees that Open Polytechnic has to collect and pay to other organisations as part of your enrolment (where applicable). 

Late enrolment

Late enrolment applications may be accepted from learners previously enrolled in the same programme up to 10 working days after the course start date, subject to meeting the requirements stated in Te Kawa (s5.6) and the relevant programme regulations.

Course and programme availability

By submitting an enrolment application, you acknowledge that— 

• each enrolment is for an individual course that is part of a programme/qualification/micro-credential
• to be awarded the qualification or credential, you need to complete all course and programme requirements within the timeframe specified in the programme regulations and published on the website  
• you are ultimately responsible for completing the relevant programme/qualification/micro-credential within the timeframe that applies to your programme. Open Polytechnic will do our best to help you complete and will let you know if you at risk of not completing in time.
• not all programmes/qualifications, micro-credentials, majors or courses are open for enrolment every month or every year
• you will notify us if you intend to take a leave of absence from study (so we can advise you if this might affect your ability to complete your intended programme/qualification) 

Plagiarism and academic misconduct

By submitting an enrolment application and being enrolled with Open Polytechnic, you agree that—  

• assessments and assignments will be your own work and that you will not pass off the work of others or copied from any website/ other source as your own (plagiarism).
• all assessments you submit may be submitted to plagiarism checking software for comparing with text contained on the database to determine whether plagiarism has occurred
• documents you submit will also be added to the database for ongoing plagiarism detection purposes
• you will finish your current qualification before starting another qualification
• you will not use the same email address as another person enrolled at Open Polytechnic to communicate with us. 

Concerns, complaints and disputes

You have the right to raise a concern or make a formal complaint or appeal a decision of Open Polytechnic.  If you are not satisfied with the outcome of any complaint or appeal process, you may raise the issue with Study Complaints Ngā Amuamu Tauira.

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