If you do need to withdraw from study, here’s what you need to know.
Students who withdraw from study or drop individual classes after the withdrawal date for any semester will receive a withdrawn (WDN) or Did Not Sit (DNS) grade, depending on the date of the withdrawal.
Last dates to withdraw and receive a refund•
- Semesters One & Two, and Full Summer School: Three weeks after the Semester start date
- January & November Summer Schools: One week after the Semester start date
- English Language: Five days after module start date
- Full year research: Anytime during the year; students are charged for all months up to and including the month of withdrawal.
If you are leaving for a semester, or discontinuing your study for at least 12 months, you are required to formally notify the University to enable your record to be updated correctly.
The withdrawal form is available from Student Administration, located on the ground floor of the George Forbes Memorial Building, or email [email protected].
To apply for a refund of tuition fees please fill in a refund form (available from Student Administration or Student Finance).
Refunds are processed on Tuesdays and payments are made on Fridays – direct credit payments may take 2-3 working days to appear in your bank account.
International students should refer to the International Student Tuition Refund Policy for detailed information or contact the International Student Advisor for assistance.
For further information please contact [email protected] for withdrawals and [email protected] for refunds.
• Exact Dates can be found on the Key Dates page of this website or the Lincoln University Calendars.
International student tuition refund policy
An administration fee of NZ$1000, including GST, will be charged to all international students who request a tuition fee refund as a result of a semester cancellation or withdrawal, or transferal to another educational institution, no later than 21 days after the first day of a full semester or five days after the start of English Language Programmes or Summer School (the withdrawal date with refund). The fee is levied to cover administrative and related costs incurred by the University.
An administration fee of NZ$500 will be charged to students who request a refund but who have not enrolled or fully enrolled. However, students who have been denied a study visa by New Zealand Immigration will not be charged an administration fee.
An administration fee of NZ$500 will be charged to students who request a refund who have been excluded from study for academic reasons at Lincoln University.
Students who are currently fully enrolled and entitled to a refund due solely to an overpayment to the University will not be charged an administration fee.
All refunds required to be deposited into an overseas bank account will be charged an additional administration fee of $50, including GST.
Students who do not cancel or withdraw from an entire semester’s enrolment but withdraw from a course before the withdrawal date will be entitled to a refund of fees for that individual course which they withdrew from, and no refund fee will be charged.
To be eligible for a refund of tuition fees, a student must first withdraw within the period specified in the Lincoln University Calendar.
Lincoln University must receive a completed Withdrawal Form signed by the student before any refund will be processed. Official withdrawal is recorded as the date that Lincoln University receives a completed withdrawal form. The withdrawal form can be obtained from Student Administration ([email protected]) and the refund request form from the Student Finance Department ([email protected] ).
Refunds will be made only to the overseas bank account nominated by the student in writing, or to another approved New Zealand educational institution.
If the student is studying at another institution in New Zealand, which meets the Foreign Student Policy requirements of Immigration New Zealand, the refund will then be transferred to this institution on presentation of a copy of an admission letter that includes the institution’s bank account details.
The refund of any placement fees paid by a student to a recruitment agent will have to be claimed directly from the agent. Lincoln University is not liable to compensate a student for commission or fees paid to a recruitment agent by the student.
International students who become New Zealand citizens or permanent residents after the last day to enrol in a semester (as stated in the Calendar) will be required to pay the full fee which is applicable to their residency status at that time. If the student subsequently furnishes official documentation that his/her residency status has changed, the level of fees payable will be adjusted for subsequent semesters of study.
Students who withdraw from study after the last date to withdraw with a refund will not qualify for a refund of any fees paid.
Responsibility for authorising refunds for any student enrolled at Lincoln University is delegated by the Vice-Chancellor to the Manager Student Administration. Appeals related to fee refunds should be sent in writing to the Manager Student Administration.
As International students are required to enrol in full-time courses of study to meet the requirements of their student visa, any decision to withdraw from a course must first be discussed with Student Administration staff.
The University will take all reasonable steps to ensure students are duly notified of tuition fee refunds they are entitled to. Student refund requests must be submitted in writing to Lincoln University Student Administration no later than 12 months from the date the student is eligible for the refund, after which date the student refund is no longer valid and the amounts previously paid are forfeited. In the event a student claiming a tuition refund does not believe they have been fairly treated, they may submit their case in writing to the Vice-Chancellor of the University for further consideration.