Fee Payment Policy
Audience and scope:
This policy is relevant to the following roles:

All staff and external stakeholders
Document management and control
Policy Number
AM3
Consultation Scope
Category
Management
Approval Bodies
Policy Owner
Director, Academic
Operations
Academic Registrar
Review Dates
Policy Contact
Person
Reasonable and
appropriate
consultation with staff,
CFO, students and
external stakeholders
Chief Executive and
Academic Board
30 June 2017
Amendment history
Version
Effective Date
Created/Reviewed by
Reason for review/Comment
01
1 August 2008
Part of planned review
02
13th November
2013
11 December
2015
Sue Wohlmuther, Academic
Registrar
Sue Wohlmuther, Academic
Registrar
Chris Park, Academic Registrar
Version 3.0
21 December 2015
Part of Institute review. Was
policy 053
Planned review
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Fee Payment Policy
Table of Contents
AUDIENCE AND SCOPE: .......................................................................................................... 1
DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT AND CONTROL ................................................................................................ 1
AMENDMENT HISTORY ........................................................................................................................ 1
TABLE OF CONTENTS .......................................................................................................................... 2
FEE PAYMENT POLICY ............................................... ERROR! BOOKMARK NOT DEFINED.
PURPOSE ........................................................................................................................................ 3
POLICY ........................................................................................................................................... 3
PROCEDURES ................................................................................................................................... 3
EVALUATION/OUTCOMES .................................................................................................................... 7
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ................................................................................................... 8
GLOSSARY ....................................................................................................................................... 8
EXEMPTIONS AND DISPENSATIONS .......................................................................................................... 8
DELEGATIONS ................................................................................................................................... 8
RELEVANT LEGISLATION ....................................................................................................................... 9
LEGAL COMPLIANCE ........................................................................................................................... 9
ASSOCIATED DOCUMENTS .................................................................................................................... 9
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Fee Payment Policy
Fee Payment
1.
Purpose
1.1
This policy provides instruction to staff about administering fees and the processes to be
followed if fees are not paid.
1.2
This policy ensures the consistent management of fees and forms part of the Institute
procedures for the enrolment of students, along with the policies on cancellations,
withdrawals and transfers, admission and enrolment and the Student Regulations.
1.3
This policy applies to SAC-funded (base) courses. The Faculties and or EnterpriseMIT are
responsible for developing policy and procedures for non-SAC (non-base) courses.
1.4
This policy applies to the payment of fees (including tuition and resource fees) by:
 New Zealand citizens and permanent residents
 International Students
 Companies
1.5
This policy does not apply to the payment of fees for:
 Secondary-Tertiary Alignment Resource (STAR) programmes and courses
 Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) non-SAC funded students
 Industry Training Organisation (ITO) funded courses and programmes
 MIT Trades Academy (MITTA) funded students
 Staff members of Manukau Institute of Technology (permanent and limited tenure, fulltime and pro rata) whose fees are paid, waived or reimbursed by the Institute in
accordance with Policy HR5 People Development Policy
2.
2.
Policy
2.1
The policy pertaining to fee payment is outlined in the Student Regulations section 4: Paying
Fees.
2.2
No student with unpaid fees or other monies owing will be accepted on further Manukau
Institute of Technology courses, or be allowed to graduate with any award until the debt is
paid in full.
2.3
The approval of the Chief Financial Officer (or delegate) must be obtained before any debt is
referred to a debt collection agency.
2.4
The Chief Financial Officer must approve any changes to this policy.
Procedures
3.1
Procedures should be read alongside the current Student Regulations.
3.2
Fees may be paid by:

cash, cheque, EFTPOS, MasterCard* or Visa*

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bank draft
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Fee Payment Policy

electronic transfer

direct credit

student loan

training incentive allowance

scholarships
*A surcharge may be added to the total amount of payments using the credit option when
using MasterCard or Visa (a credit card or debit card). The surcharge will be set at the
current rate charged to MIT for credit or debit card transactions.
3.3
Any payments made by a student/customer should receive an official Manukau Institute of
Technology receipt.
3.4
When Fees Apply
3.5
3.6
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3.4.1
Fees are due for payment at the commencement of the course, in line with the
Admissions and Enrolment section of the Student Regulations.
3.4.2
Administrative staff enrolling students on cross-year or split-year courses must
ensure the correct year’s fees are added to each enrolment (e.g., the fee that
applies to an enrolment is the fee chargeable on the date that the course
commences) by advising Academic Registry to set the programmes up.
3.4.3
No exception may be made to section 3.4.2. without the approval of the Chief
Financial Officer.
Fee Waivers
3.5.1
Students are liable for all fees applicable to their enrolment unless a fee waiver
expressly applies, and the use of this fee waiver has been approved for the
enrolment period by the Chief Financial Officer.
3.5.2
Faculty Administration Managers are responsible for monitoring the use of fee
waivers, including:

ensuring that staff who are applying fee waiver codes as part of their roles
have been appropriately trained, and

that staff comply with all instructions concerning the fee waiver processes.
Fees Paid by a Company
3.6.1
Where a company agrees to pay fees on behalf of a student, that company
undertakes to pay all MIT fees and charges relating to the relevant student’s
enrolment and to meet all collection charges associated with debt recovery, even if
the student has subsequently left their employment.
3.6.2
If a student’s fees are being paid by a company, fees must be paid by company
cheque, credit card or on invoice. A request for a company invoice must be
accompanied by a company purchase order number, postal address and the name
of the contact person on company letterhead.
3.6.3
An MIT credit application is required to be completed by all companies (including
credit references) and a credit check will be made by the cashiers on all new
companies with fees invoiced to a total of $5,000.00 (inc. GST) or over.
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Fee Payment Policy
3.7
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3.6.4
If fees are paid by company cheque or credit card, payment must be received by
MIT before the commencement of the course. If fees are being paid on company
invoice (one per enrolled student), the invoice must be generated before the
commencement of the course.
3.6.5
Payment of invoices is due by the twentieth of the following month from the invoice
date. If payment has not been made by the end of that month, a copy of the
invoice will be generated and sent together with a first reminder letter/email to
request the payment of fees owing.
3.6.6
If payment has still not been made by the end of the next month a second reminder
letter will be sent advising that the company has ten working days to pay the debt
or they will be referred to a debt collection agency.
3.6.7
If after 10 working days the company has not paid the invoice, the debt will be sent
to MIT Finance for referral to the debt collection agency. Academic Registry will
flag the student on the student management system as a doubtful debtor.
3.6.8
For all SAC-funded (base) courses, attendance registers for students must be
completed by lecturers on the SMS for the first fifteen working days from the
commencement of the course. This information is used to confirm that a student
meets section 2.9.2 of the Student Regulations, and is therefore liable to pay fees.
3.6.9
Registers are to be entered into the SMS within five working days from the
commencement of the course and shall continue to be entered promptly into the
SMS until the expiry of the fifteen working day period referred to in section 3.7.1
above. [N.B. This instruction does not apply to programmes that have an
attendance recording requirement (e.g., Youth Guarantee), for these programmes
attendance must be recorded for the whole of the programme, not just for the first
fifteen days].
3.6.10
Faculties must have a system that ensures that students who have not paid and
have not attended are withdrawn (NRQ) from the student management system
within the timeframes specified by, and in accordance with, AM4 Cancellations,
Withdrawals and Transfers and AM5 Cancellations, Withdrawals and Transfers for
International Students.
Managing Unpaid Fees
3.7.1
Debts of over $100.00 (inc. GST) older than 90 days will be referred to a debt
collection agency.
3.7.2
Faculties will be liable for any charges incurred from a debt collection agency if
they decide (by reason of Faculty error) to retract a student debt after it has been
referred and actioned.
3.7.3
If a course has started and the fees have not been paid in full or arrangements
made for payment (e.g. by student loan), the Institute will take the following steps
to obtain the required payment:
i.
Any student whose fees remain unpaid after twenty working days from the
commencement of the course is invoiced by Academic Registry and a first
reminder letter/email sent (after consultation with the Faculty). This includes
all unpaid resource fees, NZQA fees and examination fees.
ii.
If no payment is made by the date due, the debt will be referred to the
Faculty for confirmation of details and/or authorisation to refer to a debt
collection agency.
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Fee Payment Policy
3.8
iii.
Once a debt collection referral is signed by the Dean (or authorising person)
and returned to Academic Registry, the student’s past attendance will be
reconfirmed and a final letter/email will be sent to the student advising that
the debt will be referred to a debt collection agency.
iv.
After 10 working days, if the student has still not contacted Academic
Registry or arranged to pay the invoice, the debt will be sent to MIT Finance
for referral to the debt collection agency. Academic Registry will flag the
student on the student management system as a doubtful debtor.
3.7.4
At the end of each semester Academic Registry will provide to Finance a
consolidated list of doubtful debtors owing less than $100 (inc. GST) along with any
debtors who are under 18 years of age, for consideration of debt write-off.
3.7.5
The procedures outlined in this section 3.8 do not apply to company debts, which
shall be dealt with in accordance with section 3.6 of this policy.
Instalments – Domestic Students
3.8.1
In exceptional circumstances and with the express agreement of the Academic
Registrar, payment by instalment may be agreed.
3.8.2
This will usually be for fees in excess of $250.00 (inc. GST) and only where a
student is not eligible for a student loan through Studylink.
3.8.3
Each instalment arrangement will incur an administration fee of $75.00 (inc. GST).
3.8.4
An instalment agreement must be signed by the student and the original held on
file in Academic Registry. The agreement must:




3.8.5
3.9
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note that the student will be liable for all unpaid tuition fees/resource fees
plus all external costs of collection from appointed agencies,
ensure that the payments will be completed within the duration of the
course,
detail the administrative fees associated with managing the instalment
payments, and
document agreement by the student to pay the administrative fees.
Deans of Faculties will be advised of any students who are paying fees by
instalment.
Instalments – International Students
3.9.1
In exceptional circumstances International students may pay the tuition fee for one
year in two instalments of 60% and 40%.
3.9.2
Only a student who has studied at MIT for at least one year, has a good financial
history, good academic results and is supported by the Dean of the Faculty will be
considered for instalments.
3.9.3
Each instalment arrangement will incur an administration fee of $75.00 (inc. GST).
3.9.4
In the case of an International student paying by instalments an instalment
agreement must be signed by the student and the original held on file in the
International Office. The agreement must:
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Fee Payment Policy





3.9.5
4
note that the student will be liable for all unpaid tuition fees/resource fees,
ensure that the payments will be completed within the duration of the
course,
detail the administrative fees associated with managing the instalment
payments,
document agreement by the student to pay the administrative fees, and
have the express approval of the International Director.
Deans of Faculties will be advised of any International students who are paying
fees by instalment.
Evaluation/Outcomes
Review periods and new policy suggestions are monitored by the Academic Registrar and the
Director, Academic Operations.
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Fee Payment Policy
Additional Information
5
6
Glossary
Term
Definition
Fees
Fees charged by MIT, including but not limited to tuition
fees, resource fees, student services fees, administration
fees and sundry fees.
Fee Waivers
Used when students do not need to pay all or part of the
course fees e.g. Youth Guarantee, discounts.
SAC (Base) Funded
Courses
Courses that have TEC Student Achievement Funding and
International full fee paying students
Non SAC (nonbase) Funded
Courses
Resource fees
Courses that are self-funded, ITO funded or funded by
means other than through the TEC.
Sundry fees
Fees that are not specific to a particular course, including
but not limited to fines, cross credit fees, credit transfer
fees, recognition of prior learning fees, qualification fees
and fees charged on behalf of a third-party.
Tuition fees
Teaching related fees.
Written off
When a bad debt is not pursued, however in such cases the
debt must still be paid before a student may re-enrol at the
Institute.
Non-teaching related fees paid by students to cover specific
course-related costs (e.g. tools).
Exemptions and Dispensations
Dispensations from the requirements of this policy for one-off circumstances must be approved in
writing by either the Chief Financial Officer or the Director responsible for the Academic Registry.
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Delegations
7.1
General
7.1.1
Council delegation to the Chief Executive: To determine, subject to the State Sector Act
1988, the management policies1 of the Institute in relation to the management of its
affairs and the implementation of its approved Investment Plan and Strategic Plan.
(Delegation to be exercised in accordance with the requirements of section 182 of the
Act). [Council Register of Permanent Delegations and Authorisations: CE/OP6 (May
2012)].
1
This delegation excludes Human Resources (personnel) policies which, in accordance with the State Sector Act 1988, are the
responsibility of the Chief Executive as the employer of staff (section 77A State Section Act 1988).
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Fee Payment Policy
7.1.2
7.2
8
Delegated Authorities Policy (FIN2): To write off bad debts within specified limits
(delegation to Directors, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Executive).
Fees
7.2.1
Council delegation to the Chief Executive: To prescribe non tuition fees (including
course costs and administration fees) and student services fees payable by domestic
and International students2. (Delegation to be exercised in accordance with the
requirements of ss227 and 228 of the Education Act 1989). [Council Register of
Permanent Delegations and Authorisations: CE/FI8 (May 2012)].
7.2.2
Council delegation to the Chief Executive: To accept instalments for the payment of any
fee payable by a student of the Institute. [Council Register of Permanent Delegations
and Authorisations: CE/FI 9 (May 2012)].
7.2.3
Chief Executive to the Academic Registrar and Director International (Subdelegation): Authority to accept payment of fees by instalments in exceptional
circumstances where the fees exceed $250.000 (including GST).
7.2.4
Chief Executive to the Academic Registrar and Director International
(Authorisation): Authority to exercise the discretion to charge administration fees as
outlined in section 3.8 and 3.9 of this policy.
Relevant Legislation
Education Act 1989 Part XVI s 224-237
Minors Contracts Act 1969
Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) website re: Enrolment of SAC funded students
9
Legal Compliance
This policy complies with Institute statutes, regulations and relevant legislation.
10
Associated Documents
Policy AM2 Admission and Enrolment Policy
Policy AM4 Cancellations, Withdrawals and Transfers
Policy AM5 Cancellations, Withdrawals and Transfers for International Students
Policy HR5 People Development Policy
2 Tuition
fees for domestic and international students are prescribed by the Council.
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