Purpose

To specify the date or dates on which the institution will retain a specified portion of an Assessed Fee.

SubSystem

Finance

For a preliminary discussion on retention and other schedules, see Schedules in the Specialist Overview.

A Retention Schedule is designed to operate in circumstances when, prior to a Teaching Period Census, a student’s liability for a fee reduces. This may happen because the student withdraws from one or more units, or discontinues their Course Enrolment altogether.

Entries in the Retention Schedule define a portion of the Fee Liability that is to be retained after reassessment even though the student has reduced their enrolment load.

Retention applies equally to paid and unpaid Student Fee Liabilities. Where a student’s liability is reduced after he or she has paid, any refund available equals the balance after retained amounts have been subtracted. For unpaid amounts, debt recovery applies to the amount retained.

Two Methods of Retention

The Load Method is used to retain a percentage of the amount by which a Student's Fee Liability has been reduced, each time they decrease their study load.

The Debt Method also applies when study load is reduced. But this method maintains a level of debt not directly dependent on load. Here, the amount to be retained can be specified either as a percentage of a prior liability or as a fixed amount. (See Scenarios demonstrating the two methods below.)

Timing

Providing Unit Discontinuation Criteria have been correctly established (see documentation for Maintain Unit Discontinuation Date Criteria, ENRF0170, and Maintain Load Calendar Structure, ENRF01K0), Retention Schedules do not operate if a student discontinues or reduces their enrolment after the Teaching Period Census. When a student withdraws after the census, load has already been incurred and therefore any assessed fees would normally remain due for payment. An institution wishing to approve a full or partial refund of fees after the census can make a manual fee adjustment in form FINF3610.

Schedule Entries

One or more records are entered in a Retention Schedule. Each entry represents a particular date on and after which the corresponding retention conditions apply. Generally, the amount or percentage retained will increase as the Fee Period progresses. The Effective Date of the Fee Assessment Routine (FINJ3500, FINJ3001) is compared to the dates in the schedule to decide which entry is applicable when a student's liability is re-assessed.

When commencing students are assessed before their course starts, the Fee Assessment Routine substitutes the Commencement Date of the Course Attempt for the Effective Date supplied by parameter. However, the System ensures that students are not penalised for discontinuing units if a level of retention applies at the Commencement Date but would not have applied at the Effective Date of reassessment.  

Levels and Overrides

Retention Schedules can be specified at any of the three levels, with implications as discussed in the Levels section of Special Topics. But they can only be at two levels concurrently, as follows:

• At FTCI Level and FCCI Level concurrently, in which case the schedule at the FTCI Level overrides that at the FCCI Level for the Corresponding Fee only.
• At FCCI Level and FCFL Level concurrently, in which case the schedule at the FCFL Level overrides that at the FCCI Level for the Corresponding Fee only.

In both these cases, fee without schedules at either FTCI or FCFL Level will have retention applied according to the Category Schedule at FCCI Level, even if they are in a group with other fees where an override applies. However, note the important exception described under WARNING for Student Contribution Amount and Institution Fees.

Where a fee is not covered by a schedule at any level, retention does not apply.

Student Contribution Amount

Fees with a System Fee Type of COMSUPPORT (HECS) can only have Retention Schedules defined at FTCI Level. Institutions should note however that it would not be normal practice to define a Commonwealth Support Place Retention Schedule.

Institution Fees

Fee with a System Fee Trigger Category of INSTITUTN can only have Retention Schedules defined at FTCI Level.

WARNING: For Student Contribution Amount and Institution Fees, the Fee Assessment Routine takes no account of schedules at any other level. Lack of a schedule at the FTCI Level is taken to mean that no schedule exists, and therefore that no retention applies. This is so even where a category which includes the Corresponding Fees as Liabilities has a schedule attached.

Level Access

The form is accessed:

• At FTCI Level through FINF2100, via the Fee Type Calendars button (bottom right) and then the Retention Schedule button (top button, second row from right).
• At FCCI Level through FINF2800, via the Retention Schedules button (second from left).
• At FCFL Level through FINF2800, via the Fee Liabilities button (bottom right) and then the Retention Schedules button (or FTCI Retention Schedule button) (bottom button, second row from left).

The FTCI Retention Schedule button is displayed when a schedule exists at FTCI Level. The form can still be accessed from FCFL Level, but only to display the existing FTCI schedule.

Load Method

Scenario 1:

A university policy is to charge a 'levy' on each occurrence of a reduction in Tuition Fees. This is to recover administrative and other costs (such as delivery of course materials) already incurred for the unit(s) from which the student is withdrawing.

The following set of entries increases the amount of the levy over time:

1^st entry: Date Alias Instance = 20/2/2005, Retention % = 10.00, Load check box selected, Retention Amount = no entry.
2^nd entry: Date Alias Instance = 1/3/2005, Retention % = 25.00, Load check box selected, Retention Amount = no entry.
3^rd entry: Date Alias Instance = 20/3/2005, Retention % = 50.00, Load check box selected, Retention Amount = no entry.

With an effective Assessment Date of 21/2/2005, the 1^st entry will apply. If student 'A's' assessment reduces at that time from $1000 to $750, the amount to be retained will be 10% of $250 (where $250 is the difference between the previous and the current assessment). The student's liability for the fee will be the sum of the current assessment and the amount to be retained : $750 + $25. He will now be liable for $775 in total.

Student 'A' further reduces his load and is reassessed for $500 as at 22/3/2005. Now the 3^rd entry applies. This time the amount to be retained will be 50% of the difference between $750 and $500, or $125. The student will now be liable for $625 (the new assessment plus the amount retained on this reassessment) plus the previously retained amount of $25. His total liability at this point will be $650.

Student 'B' reduces her load for the first time and is also reassessed on 22/3/2005. At this time her fee assessment drops from $1000 to $500. For her, the amount to be retained will be 50% of $500 (the difference), or $250. Her total liability will be $750.

Debt Method

Scenario 2:

In this scenario, if a student discontinues their course, the institution wishes to retain a portion of the highest tuition debt for which they have been liable in the Fee Period. It applies the following Fee Retention and Refund Policy to Tuition Fees:

• Discontinuation up to and including 31 December of the preceding year: Nil retention. 100% refund of fees paid.
• Discontinuation between 1 January and up to the start of teaching: 50% retention of assessed fees. All monies in excess of 50% refunded.
• Discontinuation between the start of Teaching and the Teaching Period census: 80% retention of assessed fees. All monies in excess of 80% refunded
• Discontinuation after the Teaching Period Census: No refund applicable.

This policy can be defined in a Retention Schedule using the percentage debt method as follows:

1^st entry: Date Alias Instance = 1/1/2005, Retention % = 50.00, Debt check box selected, Retention Amount = no entry
2^nd entry: Date Alias Instance = 1/3/2005, Retention % = 80.00, Debt check box selected, Retention Amount = no entry

This scenario uses both variations of the debt method - fixed and percentage debt - in applying retention to a computer access fee.

1^st entry: Date Alias Instance = 1/2/2005, Retention % = no entry, Retention Amount = 50.00
2^nd entry: Date Alias Instance = 1/3/2005, Retention % = no entry, Retention Amount = 75.00
3^rd entry: Date Alias Instance = 25/3/2005, Retention % = 100, Debt check box selected, Retention Amount = no entry.

With an effective Assessment Date of 15/2/2005, the 1^st entry will apply. If student 'A's' assessed Fee Liability is reduced at that time from $120 to $10, then the Fee Assessment will be reduced to $10, an additional debt of $40 will be retained, and the student will be liable for $50 in total.

With an effective Assessment Date of 27/3/2005, the 3^rd entry will apply. If student 'B's' assessed Fee Liability is reduced at that time from $120 to $90, then the Fee Assessment will be recorded as $90, an additional debt of $30 will be retained, and the student will be liable for $120 in total (100% of the original assessment).

Note: If a single student progressively withdraws from units, amounts will be retained each time they reduce their liability in accord with the schedule entry in effect at the time.

The Fee Calendar Instance block contains:

• Calendar Type
• Start Date
• End Date
• Fee Type
• Fee Category
• Currency

The Fee Retention Schedule block contains:

• Date Alias
• Date Value
• Retention %
• Retention Amount
• Deduction Amount
• Start Date
• End Date

  Button

• Back

Rule/Notes:

The Fee Calendar Instances block identifies the Fee Period and level for which the schedule is relevant. For a schedule at FTCI Level, the Fee Category is blank. At FCCI Level, the Fee Type is blank. At FCFL Level, there are entries in both Fee Type and Fee Category fields.

The Currency is displayed if available to the calling form.

Use the Fee Retention Schedule block to record one or more entries representing dates on and after which the corresponding retention applies.

For each entry required, select a Date Alias Instance from those available in the Fee Period.

An amount to be retained can be specified as either:

• A proportion of the difference between the previous assessment and the current assessment, using the Retention Percentage and selecting the Load check box, or
• A proportion of a previous assessment, using the Retention Percentage and selecting the Debt check box (see the notes opposite), or
• A fixed amount, using the Retention Amount field.

The Deduction Amount field is not currently operational.

The Start Date and End Date for each entry indicate the inclusive period during which the entry applies. The Start Date is the Date Alias Instance for the entry, while the End Date is the day before the start of the next entry. For the last entry, the End Date is set to the End Date of the Fee Period (refer to Fee Periods in Understanding Student Finance).

All schedule entries using Retention % must use the same method. If the method is changed for one % entry, the System will ask for confirmation to automatically change all other % entries in the schedule.

However, there can be a mix of Load entries and Fixed Debt entries in the same schedule, and also a mix of Fixed and % Debt entries.

The method for an entry can only be amended if the schedule has not yet been used.

Rules/Notes:

Schedules for fees with a System Fee Type of COMSUPPORT (HECS) or a System Fee Trigger Category of INSTITUTN must be specified at FTCI Level.

A Date Alias can be used more than once, as long as a different instance is selected.

The Debt and Load check boxes only show:

• If inserting a new schedule entry, after a value has been entered in the Retention % field (TIP: tab off the field).
• If an existing 'percentage' record is selected.

A lamp indicates the default method set in FINF1M00.

For the DEBT Method using percentage retention, the assessed liability to which retention applies can differ, depending on the student's pattern of enrolment and withdrawal in units before the census date:

• Where a student progressively discontinues units, retention is calculated on the assessed debt immediately prior to the first Retention Schedule entry, plus any retention transactions already accrued.
• Where a Student's Enrolment fluctuates, retention is calculated on the highest balance of assessed debt (including accrued retention transactions) whether immediately prior to, or during, the period of the applicable schedule entry for the current instance of assessment reduction.

Warning 'lamps' advising that exceptions exist at another level are shown at FCCI Level if, for any fee in the category:

• A schedule exists at any other level, overriding the FCCI schedule for that fee.
• A HECS or Institution Fee is included in the category (see Student Contribution Amount and Institution Fees above).