Category: Teaching and Learning

Date of approval: Feb 2009

1. Deferral
A student seeking to defer a place before commencing a course must have permission from the course coordinator or nominee and must complete the prescribed form available from within the College. 

The permission to defer a place cannot be granted for more than one year and is granted at the discretion of the Course Coordinator.

Only one deferral per student per course is allowed. Students will be notified in writing of the approval of their deferral application.

A student must also notify the College of his/her intention to take up his/her deferred place at least two months before the commencement of his/her course of study or the offer will lapse.

Notwithstanding anything in this policy, restrictions apply to whether international students on Business Visa can defer commencement of their course in order to ensure compliance with the ESOS Act and the National Code, respectively. Deferment may also affect their visa.

International students who wish to defer must inform the College. The VCHN College of Health and Nursing will process any deferral in accordance with the provisions of the ESOS Act and the National Code. Students will be required to contact the Department of Immigration and Citizenship for visa information before submitting this form.

The Nurses Board of Victoria will be notified of all participants deferring from the Initial Registration (Division 1) Course for Overseas Nurses. 

2. Leave of Absence
Students/participants who seek to suspend/interrupt their studies following enrolment must do so by requesting Leave of Absence.

A student wishing to apply for leave of absence, having commenced a course, must apply to the Course Coordinator by completing the prescribed Leave of Absence form. Leave of Absence shall be granted at the discretion of the Course Coordinator.

The Course Coordinator or nominee will take into consideration the reasons for the leave of absence, the nature of the course and the student's progress to date in considering whether permission is granted to take leave of absence.

The permission to take leave of absence will normally be granted for up to one year, after which a student must apply to re-enter and re-enrol into the course. Leave of absence is granted to a student, subject to the availability of that course in the following year. A student will be notified in writing of approval of their Leave of Absence application.

A student must normally notify the College of his/her intention to recommence his/her course of study at least two months before commencement of classes.

An appeal to extend the maximum period of one year of Leave of Absence will only be considered in exceptional circumstances. Students must appeal in writing to the Course Coordinator detailing their circumstances. Support documents must be attached. Students will be notified of the decision in writing.

Notwithstanding anything in this policy, restrictions apply to whether international students on Business Visa can take a leave of absence in order to ensure compliance with the ESOS Act and the National Code. Taking a leave of absence may also affect their visa. Students will be required to contact the Department of Immigration and Citizenship for visa information before submitting this form.

The Accrediting Nurses Board will be notified of all participants in Registration programs for Division 1/Registered nurses who have overseas qualifications or who are returning to practice who cannot complete the course within the specified maximum hours for the course.

3. Withdrawal from a Course
A student must formally withdraw from his/her course

• if he/she should decide to accept a later round offer, or an irregular offer from another institution;
• if he/she decides to accept another offer from the VCHN College of Health and Nursing; or
• if for any other reason, he/she decides to discontinue his/her course.

A student may withdraw from a course at any time during the duration period without automatically receiving fail grades in the course subject/modules/units/competencies.

Students must be advised of any variations to the withdrawal requirement/deadline.  For example, where a course has a withdrawal date earlier than the standard duration period, this information must be included in course outlines.  Where this information is not conveyed, the student is entitled to withdraw up until the final assessment at any time without penalty.

A student who withdraws from a course should complete the prescribed form (Withdrawal from Course) obtained from the Course Coordinator. If a student wishes to subsequently return to the course, he/she must apply in writing to the Course Coordinator. If the application to return to the course is successful, credit for modules already completed will normally be available.

This policy regarding student withdrawals must be provided to students at the commencement of the course.

Notwithstanding anything in this policy, restrictions apply to whether international students can withdraw from their course in order to ensure compliance with the ESOS Act and the National Code. Withdrawal may also affect their visa. Students will be required to contact the Department of Immigration and Citizenship for visa information before submitting the application form.

The Accrediting Nurses Board will be notified of all participants withdrawing from Registration programs for Division 1/Registered nurse who have overseas qualifications or who are returning to practice.

This policy should be read in conjunction with the following policies and procedures:

• Discontinuation Policy
• Student Code of Behaviour
• Student Discipline Procedure
• Assessment Policy
• Assessment of Competency Procedure