Transfer of Credits, Withdrawal and Refunds
- Version
- 1.2
- Policy owner
- Examinations Officer
- Approved
- August 2026
- Next review
- August 2027
DAIS-POL-014
Transfer of Credits, Exemptions, Withdrawal and Refunds Policy
Data and AI School of London, NCFE Approved Centre
Policy Owner: Examinations Officer
Version: 1.2 | Date: August 2026 | Review: August 2027
NCFE Risk Level: Medium
Mode of Delivery: Fully Online
14.1 Purpose and Scope
This policy covers the processes for transferring credit between qualifications, granting exemptions from units based on prior achievement, managing the formal withdrawal of learners from NCFE qualifications, and the learner's statutory right to cancel an enrolment within 14 days together with the refunds that follow from it.
14.2 Credit Transfer
Where a learner has previously achieved a unit with NCFE or another recognised awarding organisation that is directly equivalent to a unit in their current qualification, the centre will:
1. Review the equivalency in line with the NCFE Qualification Specification.
2. Record the credit transfer on the learner's NCFE Portal record.
3. Inform the learner in writing of the units credited.
All credit transfer decisions are recorded digitally and are subject to IQA oversight.
14.3 Exemptions
Where an exemption from a unit is permitted by the NCFE Qualification Specification, the Examinations Officer will follow NCFE's published exemption process and update the learner's record on the NCFE Portal accordingly.
14.4 Learner Withdrawal
A learner may be withdrawn in the following circumstances: they request withdrawal; they have been non-responsive for 20 or more working days and all support interventions (Policy 9) have been exhausted; they have been disqualified for malpractice (Policy 10); or they are unable to continue due to personal circumstances.
Withdrawal Process
1. The Learner Support Lead attempts contact through all available digital channels.
2. If the learner confirms withdrawal, the Examinations Officer processes it on the NCFE Portal.
3. The learner is informed in writing of their withdrawal and partial achievement record.
4. Where appropriate, the learner is signposted to alternative provision.
5. The learner's VLE access is suspended within 3 working days, but their records are retained.
14.5 Protecting Learner Records
Partial achievement records are preserved in line with the data retention schedule (Policy 6). Learners retain the right to request their records for up to 7 years following qualification award or 24 months following termination of the centre agreement, whichever is later.
14.6 Exit Feedback
Digital exit feedback forms are offered to all withdrawing learners. The Learner Support Lead reviews feedback from all withdrawals annually to identify patterns and inform quality improvements.
14.7 Cancelling Within 14 Days (Statutory Right)
Enrolment with the school is a distance contract for services, so the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 apply. A learner enrolling as a consumer has the right to cancel within 14 days without giving any reason. The cancellation period expires 14 days after the day the contract is concluded, which is the day payment is taken and the place confirmed.
The cancellation information required by regulation 13 and Schedule 2 of those Regulations is given to every applicant on the payment page, before payment is taken, and is repeated on a durable medium in the payment confirmation email. It is also published at Cancelling your enrolment, together with the model cancellation form set out in Schedule 3.
The Examinations Officer records, against each application, the date the cancellation information was given and the date the learner expressly requested that the course begin during the cancellation period. Neither can be reconstructed afterwards, and both are relied on if a cancellation is disputed.
Where the cancellation information was not given, regulation 31 extends the cancellation period by twelve months, and regulation 36(6) removes the learner's liability to pay for any of the service supplied in that period. Regulation 36(6) applies where either the cancellation information was not given or the learner did not expressly request that the service begin, and regulation 36(4), which allows a proportionate charge, is expressly subject to it. The school treats a missing record as meaning a full refund is due.
14.8 Refunds on Cancellation
Where a learner cancels within the cancellation period the school reimburses all payments received, without undue delay and no later than 14 days after being informed of the decision, using the same means of payment the learner used, with no fee for the reimbursement.
Where the learner expressly requested that the course begin during the cancellation period, and access to the learning platform and course materials was given on that request, the school may retain an amount in proportion to what has been supplied up to the point the learner communicated the cancellation. That proportion is calculated against the full coverage of the contract and is evidenced from the learner's platform record. The school does not retain more than that proportion, and does not apply an administration charge to a statutory cancellation.
14.9 Withdrawal After the Cancellation Period
After the cancellation period has expired, withdrawal is governed by section 14.4 above and does not carry an automatic refund. The school considers a discretionary refund, deferral or transfer where a learner withdraws because of illness, bereavement or another significant change in circumstances; the decision and its reasons are recorded by the Head of Centre.
14.10 Awarding Organisation Fees
NCFE charges the school a registration and certification fee for each learner registered against a qualification. Under NCFE's published fees and pricing, that fee is refunded to the school only where the learner is cancelled with NCFE within 5 working days of registration, and a cancellation fee applies in any event; a learner withdrawn rather than cancelled attracts no fee and may be reinstated if they return.
This is a cost to the school, not a charge to the learner. It is never deducted from a statutory cancellation refund, and it is not a reason to delay a refund. Because registration commits the fee, the Examinations Officer registers a learner as soon as the learner's Unique Learner Number and identity verification are in place, and in any event within the 90 days of the learner start date allowed by NCFE, weighing the fee against the requirement in DAIS-POL-008 8.4 that a learner is registered before beginning any assessable unit.
This policy is reviewed annually. Next review: August 2027. Approved by: Head of Centre. © Data and AI School of London, April 2026. NCFE Approved Centre.