Policies

School Policies

Confidentiality Policy

Private Education Institutions are required under the Private Education Regulations to keep proper records of their students. The School collects, uses, shares and protects personal data and information according to the requirements as detailed in the Personal Data Protection Act 2012.

The school may collect, use or disclose a student’s personal data for purposes such as to provide the student with education services, to evaluate the student’s suitability for a course, or to administer bursaries, scholarships and relevant financial assistance schemes to eligible students.

All personal data and information collected shall be kept strictly confidential. Unless required or permitted to do so by law, the School will not share, sell or distribute any of the information you provide to us without your consent.

From time to time, the school may contact you via mail, electronic-mail, or telephone (call or SMS-Text), to inform about upcoming courses, workshops, or activities, workshops that we think may be of interest to you. If you no longer wish to receive marketing material, you may contact us at dpo@orita-sinclair.edu.sg to inform us and we will update your preferences in our database.

Amendment Policy

The school reserves the right to change, modify or discontinue tuition fees, the calendar, course offerings, majors, graduation requirements, rules, policies, and procedures as it deems necessary or appropriate. Students will be provided with written notice of these changes whenever possible through means such as posted notices or the Student Handbook. No exceptions may be made to any of the academic or academic-related policies or procedures without prior written authorisation by the CEO/Principal. No representation by any School employee to the contrary may be considered authorised or binding.

Feedback Policy

The school welcomes and values all feedback, comments, suggestions, and complaints from the public, staff, or students. The school will acknowledge the feedback within 3 working days and target to resolve the feedback within 21 working days upon receiving the feedback.

Dispute Resolution Policy

The school has adopted a dispute resolution policy which endeavours to reach a fair and amicable solution (that is, a solution is found to address the grievance that is fair and acceptable to both parties, the student and the school). 

The Principal assigns the relevant manager to establish the facts of the case and complete the necessary investigation within 7 working days. 

The manager-in-charge assesses whether the complaint/grievance is justified, and if so, upon approval from the Principal, offers a solution to the student. 

If the student accepts the solution, no further action will be pursued except to record and file the grievance and solution. 

If the student declines the solution, the grievance will be referred to the Principal who will review the case and offer a second solution. All these proceedings would be completed within 14 days and complainants are kept informed of the status. The target is to resolve the disputes within 21 days. 

If the student still refuses to accept the second solution and before the maximum of 21 days, the school will propose that the matter be resolved through the Dispute Resolution Scheme of the Committee for Private Education; i.e. Private Education (Dispute Resolution Schemes) Regulations 2010. The disputes may be referred to the Singapore Mediation Centre (SMC) or the Singapore Institute of Arbitrators (SIA). (https://www.ssg.gov.sg/cpe/student-services/dispute-resolution.html). 

Refund Policy

The School’s refund policy is as follows:

A. Refund for Withdrawal due to Non-Delivery of Course

The school will notify the student within three (3) working days upon knowledge of any of the following:

1. PEI fails, for any reason, to commence the Course on the Course Commencement Date;*
2. PEI terminates the Course, for any reason, prior to the Course Commencement Date;
3. PEI fails, for any reason, to complete the Course by the Course Completion Date;
4. PEI terminates the Course, for any reason, prior to Course Completion Date; or
5. The Student’s Pass application is rejected by Immigration and Checkpoint Authority (ICA).
6. PEI has not ensured that the student meets the course entry or matriculation requirement as set by the organization stated in Schedule A within any stipulated timeline by CPE.

*School’s non-performance (ie. Cancellation of a class before it begins) arises due to the insufficient number of students to make up a class.

The Student should be informed in writing of alternative study arrangements (if any), and also be entitled to a refund of the entire Course Fees and Miscellaneous Fees already paid should the Student decide to withdraw, within seven (7) working days of the above notice. ICA charges are not considered Miscellaneous Fees.

Time Frame for Refund: Within 7 working days with the necessary documentation

B. Refund for Withdrawal due to other reasons

Where the student withdraws from the course for any reason other than those set out in ‘Withdrawal Due to Non-Delivery of Course’ above:

Amount: The amount refunded is based on when the student’s written notice of withdrawal is received, as indicated below (application fees are non-refundable). ICA charges are not considered Miscellaneous Fees.

Time Frame for Refund: Refund made within 7 working days from the effective date of withdrawal (if this is different from the date of receipt of notice).

Cooling Off Period: Students have a 7-working day cooling off period after signing the contract, during which they are entitled to get the Highest Percentage according to Schedule D in the Student Contract of the fees already paid if the student submits a written notice of withdrawal to the PEI within the cooling-off period, regardless of whether the Student has started the course or not. The 7-working days will start from the date, the contract is signed by both parties (i.e. the school and student).

Course deferments are only allowed for local students. Students who wish to defer must submit a Request for Deferment. Deferment is reviewed on a case-by-case basis and will normally be granted for medical reasons, national service, and other valid reasons. Documented proof must be attached to the Request for Deferment. There will be no refund of course fees in the case of deferments. International students may not defer. Instead, they must withdraw from the course and if they wish to continue their studies at a later stage, they must reapply to study at the School in accordance with the application procedures for international students.

Refund Procedures

• The School’s refund procedure covers the following commonly occurring situations:
  • School’s non-performance
  • ICA not approving the student pass
  • The student changes his mind during the 7-working days cooling-off period
  • Student’s withdrawal
• The procedure for a student-initiated refund (due to the student’s withdrawal/change of mind during the cooling period, etc) is as follows:
  • . The student gives a written letter to the School requesting a refund with the reasons for the refund.

1. The School will calculate the amount of refund and explain the breakdown of the refund to the student. The student then signs an acknowledgement form.
2. Once approved, the School will arrange for the escrow account provider to refund the money directly to the student.
3. For students under insurance (FPS), the Finance Executive will prepare the cheque payment to be made to the student.

• The procedure for a school-initiated refund (due to the School not performing / ICA not approving the student pass, etc) is as follows:
  • . Upon receipt of written confirmation that the course will not run or the student pass has not been approved, the School will calculate the amount of refund due to the student.

1. Once approved, the School will arrange for the escrow account provider to refund the money directly to the students.
2. For students under insurance (FPS), the Finance Executive will prepare the cheque payment to be made to the student.

Deferment Policy

If a student wishes to defer, he/she is required to submit his/her request in writing for deferment of study two weeks before the start of term. An admin charge of S$53.50 is payable upon submission of the request and a course deferment fee of S$428.00 is payable upon approval of the request for deferment. There is no refund of course deferment fees. The School will assess and reply to any request for deferment within 4 weeks.

Local Students

Students who wish to defer must submit their request in written form to the School Administration Office using the Student Request for Deferment Form. Deferments are normally granted for medical reasons, National Service call-up, and other valid reasons. Documented proof must be attached to the Request for Deferment Form.

International Students

International students may not defer. Instead, they must withdraw from the course. If they wish to continue their studies at a later stage, they must reapply to study at the School according to application procedures for international applicants.

Transfer & Withdrawal Policies

Course Transfer

A course transfer is when a student wishes to transfer from one course of study in the school to another.

All applications for course transfer must be submitted in writing in a format stipulated by the school. Students are required to provide reasons and justifications for making the request. No verbal notice is allowed.

Some of the circumstances under which a course transfer can be considered are:

1. Change in the interest of the student
2. Medical conditions that affect the student’s ability to continue in the original course
3. The aptitude of the student for the new course

The maximum processing time for a course transfer is not more than 4 weeks from the point of the student’s request to informing the student of the outcome in writing.

An admin charge of S$53.50 is payable upon submission of the request and a course transfer fee of S$428.00 is payable upon approval of the request. There is no refund of course deferment fees. 

A transfer to a course in another school is treated as a withdrawal from Orita Sinclair.

For international students, the school will cancel the student pass and apply for a new one. If the application is unsuccessful, the student will have to return home within 30 days.

Course Withdrawal (without cause)

A course withdrawal without cause occurs when the student on his own accord decides to terminate his studies after the commencement of the course where there is no refund of the course fee involved. For course withdrawals in which there is a refund, please refer to the school’s refund policy.

All applications for course withdrawal must be submitted in writing in a format stipulated by the school. Students are required to provide reasons and justifications for making the request. No verbal notice is allowed.

The maximum processing time for a course withdrawal is not more than 4 weeks from the point of the student’s request to informing the student of the outcome in writing.

For international students, the school will cancel the student pass immediately upon approval and the student will have to return home within 30 days.

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