Terms & Conditions

Introduction

Potential and current students are encouraged to refer to these Terms and Conditions to ensure that they are familiar with College policies, procedures and expectations. They contain important information that you should be aware of to enable you to make informed decisions when you are applying or when you are enrolled at North West Regional College.

These Terms & Conditions relate to both current and prospective students

Application and Enrolment

The College welcomes applications / enrolments for study for both full time and part time courses. We encourage all applicants to apply online via www.nwrc.ac.uk/apply. Application Forms and other College documents can be made available in alternative formats on request where possible. For further information and to request an alternative format, please contact our Marketing & PR Dept. on 02871 276402 or email marketing@nwrc.ac.uk.

Full details of the College Admissions and Enrolments Policy can be found at www.nwrc.ac.uk/policies. This provides clear information on our admissions processes.

Course Entry Requirements

The minimum course entry requirements are outlined within the Admissions and Enrolments Policy. However, specific entry requirements for individual courses can be found in the College Prospectus and online at www.nwrc.ac.uk/course-guides

The College will determine the equivalency of entry requirements in line with the Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF).

Equality

The College is committed to promoting equality and fulfilling its responsibilities under Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998.

Section 75 requires us, in carrying out our functions, powers and duties to have due regard to the need to promote equality of opportunity between persons of different religious belief, political opinion, racial group, age, marital status or sexual orientation; men and women generally; persons with a disability and persons without; persons with dependants and persons without.

In addition, without prejudice to the obligations above, in carrying out our functions we are required to have regard to the desirability of promoting good relations between persons of different religious belief, political opinion or racial group.

Equality considerations are central to our policy processes. The main aim of Section 75 is to make sure that Equality is at the core of everything we do.

Students with disabilities and/or additional learning support needs

The College will assess and provide all reasonably practicable support to ensure that a student with a disability is not placed at a substantial disadvantage in comparison with a student who does not have a disability. Students will be provided with a range of opportunities to disclose their additional support needs and every disclosure made will be followed up on by the Learning Link team at the College.

In accordance with the Special Educational Needs and Disability Order (NI) 2005 and the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, careful and sensitive screening of the needs of the individual student will be made to assess the support/reasonable adjustments required to enable them to carry out their learning within the resources available to the College.

Students must provide relevant and up-to-date documentary evidence and/or supporting information in relation to their additional needs, in order to permit reasonable adjustments to be made and additional support to be put in place. Students will be advised of the nature of the documentary evidence required as soon as possible and generally during preliminary discussions with the Learning Link team.

The College is committed to making reasonable adjustments for learners within certain boundaries. Reasonable adjustments ensure that as far as is practicable, a student with additional needs has the same access to the curriculum and services as other students. The following factors will be taken into account when considering reasonable adjustments:

The need to maintain academic standards
Health & Safety
Financial resources available and cost
The relevant interests of other stakeholders, including other students
Practicality
The effect of the impairment on the individual student
Other aids or services available/funding

While the College will endeavour at all times to meet the needs of students with learning difficulties and disabilities, parents/carers and other stakeholders must accept that there may be occasions when College provision is unable to address the needs of that student.

For further information please contact our Learning Link team on learninglink@nwrc.ac.uk or by calling 028 7127 6024. We are also fully subscribed to AccessAble.

International Students

The College holds a Student Sponsor Licence (previously known as Tier 4), meaning we can enrol students from outside the UK & ROI, known as International Students. The College will seek to remain compliant with the UK Visa & Immigration Point Based System. We welcome applications from International Students to full-time level three or above courses which lead to a level six qualification (Ofqual qualification).

The Points-Based System will work in the interests of the whole of the UK, including Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. We will maintain the Common Travel Area (CTA) arrangements between the UK, Ireland and the Crown Dependencies (Isle of Man, Guernsey and Jersey) after the end of the transition period. The Points-Based System will be a fair system, because we will treat people from every part of the world equally. The College can accept Biometric Residence Permit and EU Settlement Scheme as evidence. The International Office will be in touch to confirm what proof of immigration would be required to prove right to study.

If English is not your first language, you will need to demonstrate that your written and spoken English is adequate for the programme that you want to study. Most International Students submit scores in the British Council IELTS test, although alternative tests are acceptable. They must all have been taken in a Secure English Language Test Centre –Prove your English language abilities with a secure English language test (SELT) - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) Entry requirements can be found on the following website Student visa : Knowledge of English - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

In order to be accepted you must meet all the conditions that are updated on www.gov.uk/student-visa

Common Travel Area (CTA)

The Immigration and Social Security Co-ordination (EU Withdrawal) Bill clarifies the immigration status of Irish citizens and confirms there will be no change to their rights to freely enter, live and work in the UK without requiring permission. There will continue to be no routine immigration controls on journeys from within the CTA to the UK, with no immigration controls whatsoever on the Northern Ireland

– Ireland land border. The Government will continue to work closely with CTA partners to facilitate legitimate travel within the CTA while tackling abuse of these arrangements.

Disclosure of Criminal History

As part of the application procedure a Safeguarding Assessment process is mandatory for all students that have disclosed previous and or pending convictions. The College would like to confirm that engagement in this process does not automatically restrict a student from securing a place within the College. Students that disclose a criminal history will be required to complete a Basic or an Enhanced Access NI check. This will depend on the nature of the course they have applied for. All students applying for a course that requires work placement in regulated activity will be required to complete an Enhanced Access NI check. The College is committed to processing Criminal Record Checks in accordance with the Access NI Code of Practice which is available on the Access NI website or alternatively a copy can be requested from Student Services at the College. It is important to note however that the conditions of a student’s offer are subject to the satisfactory checks and assessment having been complete in line with the NWRC Policy on the Disclosure of Criminal History available online www.nwrc.ac.uk/policies.

If previous convictions are not disclosed at the point of admission and the College learns or is notified retrospectively this may result in a student being required to leave the course. Depending on the course, there may be occasions whereby a current/previous conviction may preclude a student from engaging on a particular course. When this is apparent, the College shall discuss this with the student in full and alternative options and alternative courses of academic study will be provided via the College Career’s Academy. Contact Information: Email careers@nwrc.ac.uk; Telephone 028 7127 6111.

Course, Changes Suspension and Closure Procedure

We prepare information about our courses with care making every effort to ensure that the information is accurate and up to date. On occasions, it may be necessary to make changes to information provided on College courses due to circumstances beyond our control. In the event of this occurring, we will make every effort to inform you as soon as possible. Details of the Course Changes, Suspension and Closure Procedure can be found online www.nwrc.ac.uk/policies. In the event of changes being required and confirmed, these will be communicated to applicants and students who will be affected as soon as possible and in line with the College’s obligations under the terms of the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013.

Courses will be delivered in compliance with the Awarding Organisations delivery requirements.

Reasonable Adjustments to Course Delivery

In the event of a pandemic, the College may have to implement restrictions in respect to your study or effect a temporary College closure. Please be assured, in such instances the College will follow government advice, the advice of Regulators and Awarding Organisations to make appropriate reasonable adjustments to maintain the ongoing quality of teaching and support for all our students. In line with the Consumer Rights Act 2015, you will be notified of any such changes, the reasons for the changes and any options available to you to avoid such changes having an adverse impact on your future career and financial aspects.

Safeguarding

Health and Safety measures in Covid-19

The college will prioritise the health and safety of staff and students/learners, in line with advice and guidance from relevant authorities including the PHA, aligned to the Department for the Economy framework for the safe resumption of on-site educational provision and related activity, ensure that all relevant risk assessments have been taken and appropriate guidance issued as required.

College Fees

Information in relation to fees and related charges can be found within the Fees and Charges Policy www.nwrc.ac.uk/policies. This Policy also provides information on the payment of fees, collection of student debt and regulations relating to refunds where applicable. Should other charges apply specific to your course, these can be found in the College Prospectus and online at www.nwrc.ac.uk/course-guides. By accepting your offer and enrolling on the course, you confirm that you have received sufficient information on the programme that you have chosen and are aware of the associated fees and payment terms.

Data Protection & Freedom of Information

Personal data provided by you to the College may be processed by us in accordance with the provision of the Data Protection Legislation and our Data Protection Policy. We will only use the information that we collect about you lawfully (in accordance with the Data Protection Legislation).

For further information in relation to Data Protection & Freedom of Information Policies please visit our website on www.nwrc.ac.uk/data-protection

Right to Cancel

We are required under Consumer Protection legislation to allow a minimum 14 day cooling off period for students, this timeframe begins on enrolment (acceptance of offer). This means that you can get a full refund of fees if you cancel within the cooling off period.

If you wish to cancel your application you must inform us in writing by either emailing admissions@nwrc.ac.uk or by letter to NWRC Admissions, Strand Road, Derry~Londonderry, BT48 7AL.

Compliments and Complaints Policy

The College is committed to providing the highest quality of service to all our current and prospective students. If a student is not satisfied with the quality of service provided by the College or College staff, they have the right to complain.

The raising of complaints and the provision of feedback provides the College with an opportunity to improve its services. The College monitors complaints and the outcomes in order to improve the quality of our provision. This policy advises students of the College's commitment to ensuring that any issues or problems are resolved quickly and as close to the source as possible, to the satisfaction of all concerned.

You can access our Complaint and Compliments Policy via www.nwrc.ac.uk/policies

Code of Conduct/Student Charter

All students must abide by the Student Charter that is provided at time of Induction as part of the Student Handbook. If you do not comply with the College rules and regulations, including attendance regulations as set out in the Student Charter, disciplinary action will take place according to the College Student Disciplinary Policy. This may result in you not being able to continue your studies at the College. The College’s Student Disciplinary Procedures can be found online www.nwrc.ac.uk/policies.

Health & Safety

The North West Regional College will comply fully with the requirements of the Health and Safety at Work (Northern Ireland) Order 1978 and will ensure so far as is reasonably practicable the health, safety and welfare of its students, visitors and employees at work. It will also ensure that the discharge of these responsibilities in co-operation with its students and employees shall be an integral part of the duties and objectives of the College.

Changes to Terms and Conditions

The North West Regional College may change these terms and conditions at any time. You should visit the College website regularly to review any amendments to the regulations and policies referred to in the Terms. We will make reasonable endeavors to draw your attention to any significant changes to regulations and policies.

Disclaimer

The information contained within this document is correct at time of print. However, it may be subject to change and no course advertised is guaranteed. Please note that courses are delivered in English (unless otherwise stated)