Fees & Refund Policy

Payment Methods & Terms

We accept the following payment methods:

• Atome
• Cash
• Major credit cards
• NETS

Late Payment Fee Policy

Trainees are required to meet payment deadlines for their course fees as agreed upon and stated in the PEI Standard Student Contract. Bells considers a payment made 3 days after the scheduled due dates in Schedule B for the Course Fees and 3 days after the scheduled due dates in the invoices for the Miscellaneous Fees as late.

Bells will impose a late payment fee if the payments are not received by the stipulated due dates. Failure to pay course fees and late payment fees will result in Bells reserving the right to cancel trainee registration and other trainee services.

Fee Protection Scheme (FPS)

The Fee Protection Scheme (FPS) protects students’ fees in the event that a Private Education Institution (PEI) is unable to continue operating due to insolvency and/or regulatory closure. It also protects students if the PEI fails to pay penalties or refund fees arising from a judgement made against it by the Singapore courts.

In accordance with EduTrust requirements, PEIs are required to adopt the FPS to provide full protection for all fees paid by their students. This includes all monies paid towards enrolment and course fees, excluding course application fees, agent commission fees (if applicable), non-compulsory and non-standard miscellaneous fees (e.g. re-examination fees or credit card payment charges), and Goods and Services Tax (GST).

FPS Insurance Provider

Bells Institute of Higher Learning Pte Ltd. adopts Great Eastern General Insurance Limited as its FPS insurance provider. The scheme applies to all local and international students.

For more information, please refer to TPGateway: Protection of Course Fees.

Refund Policy

Student Contracts can differ depending on when they are signed. Your signed Student Contract is legally binding and sets out the applicable refund terms for non-delivery of the course, withdrawal for other reasons and withdrawal during the cooling-off period.

Withdrawal Due to Non-Delivery of Course

The Institute will notify the trainee in writing within 3 working days after becoming aware of any of the following refund events:

1. The Institute cannot commence the course on the Course Commencement Date.
2. The Institute cannot complete the course by the Course Completion Date.
3. The course will be terminated before the Course Completion Date.
4. The trainee does not meet the course entry or matriculation requirements stated in Schedule A.
5. ICA rejects the trainee’s Student Pass application.

Alternative Study Arrangements

For events (a) to (c), the Institute will use reasonable efforts to make alternative study arrangements and propose them in writing to the Contracting Party within 10 working days of informing them of the refund event.

If accepted, the arrangements will be set out in a new written contract. The existing contract automatically terminates when the new contract takes effect. If no alternative is proposed within the stipulated period, or the Contracting Party does not accept it, the Contracting Party may immediately terminate the contract by written notice to the Institute.

For events (d) and (e), the Institute will immediately terminate the contract by written notice to the Contracting Party.

Refunds Following Contract Termination

• If the contract is terminated under Clause 3.2(b), read with Clause 3.1(a) of the Standard Student Contract, all Course Fees and Miscellaneous Fees paid will be refunded within 7 working days of termination.
• If terminated under Clause 3.2(b), read with Clause 3.1(b) or 3.1(c), Course Fees and Miscellaneous Fees will be refunded in proportion to the uncompleted portion or duration of the course, whichever is higher, within 7 working days of termination.
• If terminated under Clause 3.3, or Clause 3.2(c) read with Clause 3.1(a), all Course Fees and Miscellaneous Fees paid will be refunded within 7 working days of termination.
• If terminated under Clause 3.2(c), read with Clause 3.1(b) or 3.1(c), Course Fees and Miscellaneous Fees will be refunded in proportion to the uncompleted portion or duration of the course, whichever is higher, within 7 working days of termination.

Withdrawal During the Cooling-Off Period

The Contracting Party may terminate the contract at any time within the cooling-off period by written notice to the Institute, without any liability to the Institute. All Course Fees and Miscellaneous Fees paid will be returned within 7 working days of receipt of the written notice. Refer to your signed Student Contract for the applicable cooling-off period.

Withdrawal Outside the Cooling-Off Period

Without prejudice to Clauses 3.1 to 3.8 of the Standard Student Contract, the Contracting Party may terminate the contract at any time before the Course Completion Date by written notice. Within 7 working days of receiving the notice, the Institute will refund any amount determined in accordance with Schedule D of the signed Student Contract.

Refund Table

The applicable refund percentages are set out in Schedule D of your signed Student Contract. These may differ depending on when the contract was signed. The table below is a reference; your signed contract determines the applicable terms.

Refund Procedure

Trainee-Initiated Refund

1. Submit a Refund Request Form stating the reason for your request.
2. Discuss the request with Programme Management. They will clarify the reason and record the refund computation under the Processing of Request section.
3. Acknowledge the computation. You must acknowledge the amount and agree that processing may take several days. For trainees under 18, a parent or guardian must acknowledge it through the Refund Request Form.
4. Processing follows Student Administration’s approval or acknowledgement. The process depends on how payment was made, as explained below.

SkillsFuture Credit (SFC) & Post-Secondary Education Account (PSEA)

Programme Management initiates the refund in the Training Management System (TMS), informs you of the amount and explains the computation. After verification, Student Administration processes the refund through the TPGateway Portal. You may log in to the respective portal to verify that the refund has been credited back to your account.

If the Institute has not yet received your SFC/PSEA payment when you request a refund, Programme Management initiates cancellation of the pending claim in TMS. After verification, Student Administration processes the cancellation through TPGateway. You may check the respective portal; the reflection takes immediate effect with no downtime.

Other Payment Methods

Programme Management will arrange a meeting to understand your request, inform you of the refund amount and explain the computation. Student Administration will then process the refund. The maximum time from your withdrawal or refund request to issuance of the eligible refund is 7 working days.

Institute-Initiated Refund Due to SWDA Funding Revision

When the SWDA Training Grant Team notifies the Institute of a revision to funding eligibility, Programme Management verifies the affected trainees and revised amounts. This is a mandatory adjustment initiated by the Institute, so you do not need to submit a Refund Request Form.

SFC & PSEA Payments

Student Administration raises a ticket through the SWDA Service Portal to the MOE (PSEA) Team or SFC Team to refund the excess amount. You may log in to the respective portal to verify that the refund has been credited back to your account.

Other Payment Methods

Programme Management confirms the PayNow account number with the trainee and forwards it to Finance for processing. The maximum time from notification by the SWDA Training Grant Team to issuance of the eligible refund is 7 working days.