Terms and Conditions

1. Application for Admission to the College

1. A student’s name will be registered on payment of an application fee of $100 per student, $150 for families. The application fee covers administrative costs and is  non-refundable.
2. English is the language of instruction and assessment across MLC. A student must meet the College’s English language requirements to be eligible for a place. A student may be required to sit an English Language Assessment Test, to determine if their AEAS proficiency score meets MLC’s requirements.   

2. Enrolment

Upon acceptance of an offer from the College, families must confirm the student’s enrolment by completing the enrolment steps, signing the forms provided, and paying the enrolment processing fee.  The fee is $1,250 for the first student, and $1,000 for each subsequent sibling.  The enrolment fee is non-refundable and non-transferable, and cannot be offset against future tuition fees.

3. Deferral of Enrolment

1. An applicant’s year and level of entry may be deferred to a later year.  Any subsequent deferrals will be subject to availability of places and is at the College’s discretion.
2. Deferral of an accepted place for entry to a later year may require payment of a holding fee of 30% of the tuition fee, in order to keep the place available. A holding fee is non-refundable and is not offset against any future tuition fees.

1. The College requires one full term’s notice for the withdrawal of a student’s accepted place. No ‘part of’ a term or school holiday period will be included in determining the notice period. The provisions of Clause 8, Withdrawal of a Student, will apply if this notice is not received.
2. If the Department of Home Affairs does not grant a student’s visa, the student cannot study at the College. Where evidence is provided from the student, parent/s or guardian/s that the student visa application has been refused by the Department of Home Affairs, MLC will refund, within four weeks, any unspent tuition fees minus the lesser of 5% of the amount of tuition fees received or AUD$500, as prescribed by the relevant legislative instrument.
3. MLC Terms and Conditions, and the availability of complaints and appeals processes, does not remove the right of the student to take action under Australia’s consumer protection laws.

1. All invoices and statements are sent by email and are available on myMLCfamily. Families are responsible for ensuring the College has their current email addresses.
2. Accounts are payable within 14 days from the date of issue. A late payment fee of $250 is applied if a payment is not received by the College by the due date.
3. Signatories to the Offer of Enrolment from the College acknowledge that they are jointly and severally responsible for all fees payable as a result of enrolling a child at MLC. Responsibility for fees remains with all signatories irrespective of what may happen to the relationship of the signatories.
4. You may request the addition or deletion of account billing nominees by notice in writing to Family Accounts. MLC may agree to add new billing nominees at its sole discretion.
5. Any credit card or direct debit payment which is declined by the bank, for any reason, will incur an administration fee of $75.
6. When paying by international bank transfer, please include any applicable bank fees in addition to the College fees to ensure that your account is paid in full.
7. The College may not permit a student to attend classes when fees remain outstanding.
8. All requests for a planned leave of absence from the College, for one term or more, must be submitted in writing to the Head of School for approval at least one full term in advance of the commencement of the leave. The request must include the proposed dates of absence and the reason for the absence.
   1.  A leave of absence, subject to the College’s discretion may be granted for a minimum of one term’s absence.
   2. The request can be granted only where all fees and amounts owing to the College at the time of the request have been paid in full.
   3. For an approved leave of absence, 30% of the applicable tuition fee will be charged in advance as a holding fee to guarantee re-entry. This is non-refundable and not offset against future tuition fees.
   4. During a leave of absence the student will be provided with a broad outline of the curriculum.
   5. The notebook payout fee will be charged to your Family Account in addition to the 30% holding fee.
   6. A leave of absence will not be considered, nor will fees be refunded where the student retains her laptop computer and/ or school work is still provided, assessed and supervised and/or reports submitted.
   7. The withdrawal of a student and subsequent re-enrolment of the same student requires a new application form and payment of the application and enrolment fees. A new date of application will be allocated. 
9. In the case of prolonged illness (one school term or more), an application, accompanied by a medical certificate, may be made to the Director of Corporate Services for consideration of some remission of tuition fees.
10. Refunds: Application and enrolment processing fees are non-refundable. Tuition Fees and Charges: If the required notice is provided, pre-paid pro-rata fees will be refunded within three months to the person/s who made the relevant payment or signatories on the offer of enrolment. For international students the refund policy is aligned with the CRICOS regulations. Information on this policy can be provided on request by MLC Admissions.
11. A half term’s notice is required to discontinue a special subject, or a fee equivalent to a half term’s tuition fee will be charged.
12. A full term’s notice is required to discontinue a co-curricular activity, or a fee equivalent to a full term’s fee will be charged.
13. Parents are responsible for payment for avoidable breakage or damage to College property caused by the student.
14. The Principal may authorise particular expenditures (for example medical expenses, school materials or charges for elective subjects) to be charged to the student’s account.
15. Any Child Care Subsidy owed to families following the Government’s end of year reconciliation process will be paid directly to the CCS claimant in January.  If a family has been overpaid the Child Care Subsidy during the year, the family will be required to repay Centrelink the overpayment.
16. In circumstances where students apply and are granted permission by the College to study subjects offered by external providers, the cost will be an additional expense of the family and may be charged by the College or the external provider.
17. A proportion of funds raised, or fees collected by the school, may be used to support the operation of the Early Learning Centre.
18. Parents will be notified if the College alters fees. These Terms and Conditions may change from time to time and are available on myMLCfamily and the MLC website.

​​6. Technology Access

The College supports student access to electronic information resources and networked services to enhance learning opportunities. Communications on the network are often public in nature and general school rules for behaviour and communication apply. The network is provided for students to conduct research and to communicate with others as part of the educational program. Students are expected to act in a considerate and responsible manner and for Prep - Year 12 students, they must adhere to the ‘Agreement for Student use of Technology at MLC’ policy at all times.


7. Medical

1. In the event of an accident when it is impractical to communicate with a parent or guardian, the Principal or her representative may authorise medical, surgical or other treatment considered necessary by a qualified medical practitioner.
2. All full fee paying international students are required by the Australian Government to have Overseas Student Health Cover for the duration of their studies. The College will advise the amount to be paid to MLC at the offer of enrolment stage. Payment will be required prior to entry to the College, unless health cover to the end of Year 12 was paid at a previous Australian school. In this circumstance proof of payment and detail of the cover is to be provided to the College.

8. Withdrawal of a Student

1. Day Student: One full term’s notice is required, in writing to the Principal, before the withdrawal of a day student from the College. If the required notice is not given, one full term’s tuition fee will be charged in lieu of notice.
2. Boarding Student: Two full term’s notice is required, in writing to the Principal, before the withdrawal of a boarding student from the College. If the required notice is not given, two full term’s boarding fees and one full term’s tuition fee will be charged in lieu of notice.
3. Boarding Student transferring to Day Student: Two full term’s notice is required, in writing to the Principal, when a boarding student no longer requires accommodation and is transferring to a day student. If the required notice is not given, two full term’s boarding fees will be charged in lieu of notice.
4. MLC Kindle: One full term’s notice is required, in writing to the Principal, before the withdrawal of an MLC Kindle student from the College. If the required notice is not given, one full term’s fee will be charged in lieu of notice.

 
9. Attendance

1. Students in Prep - Year 12 returning to the College after school holidays must join their classes on the dates fixed for commencement. A student is not permitted to leave school at the end of a term until the recognised closing date, except under special circumstances and with approval from the Head of School. Parent/s and guardians must notify the College immediately of any absence. A student on a student visa must maintain a minimum of 90% attendance in her course and achieve satisfactory course progress.
2. A student who requires a visa to study in Australia must meet all conditions specified on her student visa issued by the Department of Home Affairs.

10. Student Expectations

All students and, where applicable, their parents are required to abide by the College policies and procedures, as advised on myMLCfamily.net. Failure to abide by the College policies may result in disciplinary action for the student.

The College reserves the right to exclude any student permanently or temporarily, at the sole discretion of the Principal, if this action is in the interest of the student or for the good of the College.

11. MLC Star Card

The MLC Star Card is an important identification item for students.  If lost, it must be reported immediately to the MLC Centre for Computing and Communications (CCC).  The card will be cancelled, and a new card reissued, with the replacement card fee of $5 charged to your Family Account.

12. Local Support for Accommodation and Welfare

An International full fee student who is not living with her parent/s or with a Department of Home Affairs approved relative is required to have an approved arrangement with the College in relation to matters including accommodation and welfare. Where the College has issued a Confirmation of Appropriate Accommodation and Welfare (CAAW), the College has overall responsibility for the accommodation and welfare of the student. The College will appoint a delegate of the Principal to this role.

a. Welfare Arrangements

These students, whether residing in the boarding house or a homestay arrangement, are required to have a Local Support Person who will actively work to support the student as required in matters of both a personal nature and in matters related to the College.  Additionally, the Local Support Person acts as an emergency contact for the student, including being willing to accommodate a boarding/homestay student in an emergency.  It is preferred that the Local Support Person is a relative or family friend that lives locally in Melbourne and must be over the age of 21. Alternatively, a professional support service (MLC’s preferred provider) will be utilised for support and an MLC approved Homestay provider will be used in the case of an emergency. The Local Support Person must agree to the terms of the MLC International Student Program – Local Support Person Policy and Procedure.

b. Accommodation Arrangements

A student not living with her parent/s must live in the MLC Boarding House or an MLC approved homestay accommodation. The College must be notified in writing by the student’s parent/s of any request to change accommodation arrangements. The Principal’s delegate must approve the new arrangements prior to the change.

Any change of circumstances in a student’s welfare or living arrangements must be communicated in writing to the College and approved by the College prior to any change in care arrangements occurring.

13. GST 

Fees and charges quoted for taxable supplies include GST where applicable
 

Methodist Ladies’ College ABN 55 006 036 979 CRICOS 00325A

Effective September 2020