Important Information

Confirmation of enrolment will be provided in the form of an invoice. Payment is due within 14 days of the date of the invoice and NO LATER than the programme start date. If you wish to dispute your fees, you must do so within one moth of receiving the invoice or statement.

A request to review the fees or account balance must be made within this month, in writing to the Head of Registry. At the discretion of AIC, and with just cause, this period may be extended. Once the request is received, the review will be completed within seven (7) working days. Once the review is completed, any outstanding balance is due immediately. Depending on the programme or course, fees charged will be one or several of: Student fee, Internet fee, ID card/Library Card fee, Examination fee(s), Student Health Levy, NZQA Unit Standard fees, Clinical Access fee, and Application Processing fee.

Tuition fees vary between programmes. The fees shown on our online programme information pages are indicative fees. Please note that all fees are for one year of study and in New Zealand dollars (NZD). Fees are likely to increase for each year of study and additional fees may be required for programme materials. Please click here for a list of Important Dates.

Failure to pay any invoice(s) by the due date means you will then be liable for all costs and expenses (including legal costs, debt collection agent fees, and this may affect your credit rating) which may be incurred in the recovery or attempted recovery of the overdue amount from you. 

Under these circumstances OPAIC may give to, or obtain from, any relevant third-party information held about your personal or commercial credit arrangements. Academic Results for a student will be withheld for any course or programme where fees or any other debt remains unpaid. A student will be prevented from graduating or receiving their award(s) until their debt has been paid in full. That student will also be prevented from re-enrolling in further courses of study.

Enrolment in a programme is conditional upon and subject to sufficient numbers of students enrolling in the programme. If OPAIC cancels or postpones a programme all international student fees will be refunded in full or credited to another course at the student’s request. If a programme has reached its full capacity, you will be placed in the next intake/study block for that programme.

Transfers are negotiated with the Head of Department. There are no penalties; however, there may be additional fees required or a refund may be due. 

If you want to leave your programme or course, you must formally withdraw by filling out a withdrawal form (available from the Registry Department) and returning it to the School Administrator. Withdrawal is confirmed from the date this form is received by OPAIC, and will be used when processing your withdrawal.

Click here to view our Withdrawal, Transfer, Cancellation and Refund Procedure. Make sure you understand the procedure before enrolling.

OPAIC collects and stores information about students to comply with various statutes and/or regulations, to enable us to make decisions regarding your academic progress, and to provide you with evidence of your academic achievements. This information may be also shared with other Otago Polytechnic schools/areas on a “need to know” basis, and is used to arrange appropriate support for students. After graduation, your contact information is used for the graduate destination survey and provided to the Alumni Office.

Where it is relevant, personal information may be disclosed to other agencies such as, but not limited to: Ministry of Education, Audit New Zealand, New Zealand Qualifications Authority, Industry Training Organisations, industry licensing and registration bodies, other tertiary institutions and providers of work experience for students in courses with a practical component. Upon failure to comply with AP0710 International Student Attainment and Attendance policy, information may also be provided to the parent, guardian or caregiver of an international student. 

In addition, when required by law, we will release information as directed. An information matching agreement exists between the Ministry of Social Development and OPAIC, which allows payment of loans and allowances. We will provide information to Otago Polytechnic Students’ Association for its membership records.

Students have the right to request to see and correct if necessary the information you have provided.  If you wish to enquire about personal information held by OPAIC please contact the Registry Department. You will be required to provide a valid ID such as a driver’s license or passport if you wish to access your personal information.

If you have a criminal conviction, and you are studying (or considering studying) towards a qualification that will lead to a job in the state-funded sector (including teaching or providing youth services) working directly with children, you will need to check whether your conviction could prevent you from working in some roles in your chosen field. This is because new legislation, the Vulnerable Children's Act 2014, will prevent state sector agencies and government-funded service providers from hiring people with convictions for "specified offences" to work with children in some roles. The restrictions came into effect on 1 July, 2015. 

Read the list of specified offences online here
Get more specific information (including FAQs) here 

This information has been supplied by the Children's Action Plan Directorate and the Tertiary Education Commission.

It is important that you read all of the information and policies surrounding terms and conditions before you apply to OPAIC. When you sign the declaration on the enrolment form, it means that you accept these terms and conditions. Please also ensure that you have read and understood the following policies before applying.

• AP0501 Recognition of Prior Learning
• AP0504 Application, entry and enrolment
• AP0520.04a English language requirements
• AP0710 International student attainment and achievement

All of our policies can be found here.