Apply for removal of debt

Eligibility

You may be eligible for removal of debt, if all the following criteria are met.

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Circumstances are beyond your control if a situation occurs which:

is not due to your action or inaction (either direct or indirect), and
you were not responsible for, and
is unusual, uncommon or abnormal.

Circumstances did not make their full impact on you until on or after the census date if the circumstances occur:

before the census date, but worsen after that day, or
before the census date, but the full effect or magnitude is not apparent until on or after that day, or
on or after the census date.

Circumstances that made it impossible for you to complete the requirements of a course may include:

Medical circumstances. For example, your medical condition changed to such an extent that you’re unable to continue studying.
Family/personal circumstances. For example, death or a severe medical issue within your family, or unforeseen financial difficulties, that made it unreasonable to expect you to continue your studies.
Employment-related circumstances*. For example, your employment status or arrangements changed so that you’re unable to continue your studies, and this change was beyond your control.
Course-related circumstances. For example, RMIT changed the course offered and you’re disadvantaged by either not being able to complete it, or not being given credit towards other courses.

*Note: international students studying on a student visa are required to provide evidence of sufficient funds to support their studies, so loss or change of employment does not by itself support a removal of debt.

Consideration will be given to whether you were unable to:

undertake the necessary private study required, attend sufficient lectures or tutorials or meet other compulsory attendance requirements to meet your compulsory course requirements
complete the required assessable work
sit the required examinations
complete any other course requirement because of your inability to meet the three items above.

We may refuse your application if it was already not practicable for you to meet the requirements of the course when your special circumstances emerged.

Special circumstances do not include a lack of knowledge or understanding of requirements and University processes.

You must have a final, non-passing grade published (i.e. WDR or NN) for the course/s you seek removal of debt in special circumstances for. 

Applications will not be accepted:

where you do not have a final, non-passing grade published
where you have successfully completed (i.e. passed) the course
where you have withdrawn from the course/s or applied for leave of absence before the relevant census date but believe your withdrawal/leave of absence has not been processed or has been processed incorrectly. Students in this situation should contact Student Connect to discuss the matter.
from domestic students with a government loan (HECS-HELP, FEE-HELP, Vet Student Loan).

For further information, refer to Remission and Removal of Debt Procedure.

Timeframe for applications

You can apply up to 12 months after:

The date you withdrew from the course (if you withdrew from it), or
The end date of the course (if you didn’t withdraw), or
The last date you were due to submit/complete an assessment in the course, if you were permitted to do this after the course end date

RMIT may waive this requirement at its discretion where an applicant demonstrates (through formal, independent and verifiable supporting documentation) the application could not be made within relevant time limits.

How to apply

How to apply for removal of debt

Complete and sign the Application for Removal of Debt due to Special Circumstances form
Gather any independent supporting documents to confirm the circumstances and the dates they arose and/or intensified. The form includes examples of the type of evidence you need to provide. Please ensure all documents are in a readily accessible format (e.g. PDF, PNG, JPG, DOC). Unfortunately, we are unable to access documents that are uploaded to a cloud-based service such as Microsoft SharePoint or OneDrive and then attached as a link
Email the completed form and supporting documents to rdsc@rmit.edu.au.

Once you’ve submitted your application, we’ll send you an acknowledgement of receipt.

We'll assess your application and let you know the outcome within 60 days of the date on which your application is complete.

Supporting documentation

It is essential that you provide relevant formal, independent and verifiable documentation to support your application. A personal statement alone is not sufficient to support an application for removal of debt.

Each supporting document/s must:

be legitimate, current, formal, independent and relevant to your circumstances
be dated and include the name and contact details of the person providing the evidence to support verification by RMIT staff. For overseas documents, contact details must include an official email address from the clinic issuing the document. Personal email domains such us @hotmail.com or @126.com are not accepted.
be able to be verified with the document issuer (if RMIT cannot verify the validity of the documentation provided, your application may be declined).
demonstrate the required special circumstances criteria (See eligibility tab)

Additional information and requirements

Validation of supplied documents

When accessing support services, you are strongly encouraged to utilise RMIT’s services, including the Medical Hub, or other Australian-based services, for medical consultations. Using RMIT and Australian-based support services will assist RMIT with the verification of documents.

It is recommended that, if you use services where the provider is located outside Australia, you confirm with the provider that they will be available and can assist to verify documents upon request by staff from the RMIT Group. If RMIT cannot verify the documentation with your service provider, your application may be declined.

If your supporting documentation is in a language other than English, you must submit a copy of the original document and also provide an English translation by a NAATI-accredited translator.

Further information

Different documents may be required depending on the reasons for your application.
Photographs and videos, e.g. of a family gathering, funeral or other event, should not be submitted as evidence in place of official documentation. Photographs and videos of a graphic nature, e.g. of a person, medical condition/injury, accident or other event, will not be accepted under any circumstances.
We are unable to access documents that are uploaded to a cloud-based service such as Microsoft SharePoint or OneDrive and then provided as a link.
Retain original copies of all documents you submit. We may request an original document if it's needed to verify and assess your application.
Statutory declarations are not accepted. A statutory declaration is a form of self-statement, albeit one witnessed by another person. It does not constitute formal, independent supporting documentation. Detailed guidance on acceptable supporting documentation for a range of circumstances is provided below.
Patient declarations are not accepted. They usually do not express the medical opinion of a health practitioner that you were ill or detail their professional assessment of the type and level of impact of your circumstances on your ability to complete a course.
Letters from family and friends are not considered independent, therefore, you must provide other formal, independent supporting documents to evidence your circumstances and these must be able to be verified by RMIT staff.

False documents and misleading information

Creating, submitting or using fraudulent documents constitutes a breach of the RMIT Student Charter and may be deemed misconduct under the Student Conduct Policy. Providing RMIT with fraudulent documents is also a crime under the Victorian Crimes Act 1958. 

Students who submit fraudulent documents may face a range of consequences, from failing an assessment task through to permanent expulsion or revocation of qualification/s. 

Find out more about document fraud, how you can avoid it and where you can access free support if you need help navigating a challenging situation.

Examples of supporting documents

As part of your application, you will be required to provide different kinds of documentation to so that we can verify your situation. Below are some examples of the types of supporting documents we may ask for. Please note, we may request additional clarification and/or documentation from you to verify all aspects of your circumstances.

Reason	Supporting documents
Medical or psychological	Ask your treating health practitioner to complete the impact assessment statement on page 4 of the Application for Removal of Debt due to Special Circumstances form and, if possible, provide a letter stating: The date(s) when you had medical consultation(s) the date on which your health condition began or worsened how your condition affected your ability to study and undertake assessment tasks, and when it became apparent that you couldn’t continue your studies.
Family/personal	Provide a formal letter from a doctor or counsellor who is familiar with you circumstances stating: the date on which your personal circumstance began or changed how your circumstances affected your ability to study and undertake assessment tasks, and when it became apparent that you couldn’t continue your studies. Please note that for applications made on the grounds of bereavement, documentation such as a death certificate or published death notice alone is insufficient to demonstrate the required special circumstances criteria.  In such circumstances, we may require additional evidentiary documents and/or information from you in order to assist us in the careful consideration of your application (including where you cite multiple and/or complex personal circumstances in your application).  This will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may include (though is not limited to) the impact assessment statement on page 4 of the Application for Removal of Debt due to Special Circumstances form completed by your treating health practitioner.
Employment-related	Provide a formal letter from your employer that includes: your previous work hours and location your current work hours and/or location and the date they changed, and the reason for the changed hours/location. Please note: This reason is applicable to domestic students only Choosing to increase hours of work or to undertake additional employment is not considered a circumstance beyond a student's control.
Course-related	Provide supporting documentation from your RMIT school or college demonstrating that the school/college changed the arrangements for your course after the census date with the effect that you were unable to complete the course. If you did not follow advice from the University prior to the census date regarding withdrawal from your studies, and you later withdraw after the census date, this does not meet the removal of debt criteria as it is not considered beyond your control. Having failed a course due to academic misconduct is also not a special circumstance.

Review and complaints

If you are dissatisfied with the outcome of your application, you can apply to have the decision reviewed by an independent senior RMIT officer. If your application is denied, we will provide you with information about how to apply for a review.

Review requests

Review requests must reach RMIT University within 28 days of the date of your outcome letter or it will not be considered (unless RMIT allows you further time). RMIT is not required to provide further time. RMIT will not generally allow further time for a review request to be submitted unless there are clear and exceptional circumstances that require further time being allowed. These circumstances may include:

where you provide sound evidence that you were or became incapacitated during the submission period, or
where you made a genuine effort to submit the review request during the review period, but the application did not reach RMIT for reasons outside of your control.

If you intend to submit a review request, but do not believe that you will be able to do so within the 28 day submission period, you should write to RMIT at RDSCreviews@rmit.edu.au as soon as possible after receiving the decision, providing clear reasons with all relevant evidence to support why exceptional circumstances exist in your case and RMIT should allow you further time to submit your review request.

If you submit your review request outside of the 28 day submission period, you should provide clear reasons, with all relevant evidence, to support why exceptional circumstances exist in your case and RMIT should accept your review request outside of the 28 day submission period.

Your application outcome letter will also explain the process and time-frame for review requests. The RMIT Student Union Student Rights team can advise you about this process.

There is no charge for a review request.

Complaints

If your application outcome is reviewed and you’re still dissatisfied, for a higher education course you can apply to the National Student Ombudsman, or for a vocational education course to the Victorian Ombudsman, for a further review of the decision.

Please note, duplicate applications (for the same course/s and teaching period/s) will not be accepted or considered. Please follow the appropriate review pathways.

Apply for removal of debt

Apply for removal of debt

In special circumstances, students enrolled in a full fee-paying place, who pay their fees up-front, may be eligible to apply for the removal of their tuition fee debt.