Terms and Conditions

Enrolled Prior to July 1st 2021?

If you enrolled in any course with The Graphic Design School prior to July 1st 2021, please use the following link to check the terms & conditions and pricing/payment options specific to your enrolment.

Introduction to Terms

These terms and conditions are subject to change without notice from time to time at our sole discretion. We will post changes and amendments to these terms and conditions to this website.

Unique Student Identifier (USI)

Australian students participating in Nationally Recognised Training in Australia will need to have a Unique Student Identifier, or USI, upon enroling in either the CUA40720 Certificate IV in Design or our Design@Work course. Australian students are required to have a Unique Student Identifier (USI) in order to receive their certificate upon successful completion of their course.

The USI is a form of file-number that will link students to their training records, which are held in the National Training Collection, under the purview of the Australian Federal Government. Students will be able to access their records online, download them and share them with future training organisations digitally.

In order to obtain your USI please use the link below, select “Get a USI” and follow the easy steps:

https://www.usi.gov.au/students

Once you have your USI (or if you already have a USI) you will need to email it to us here at: support@thegraphicdesignschool.com so it can be verified and added to your student records.

Please note - The Student Identifiers Registrar’s Privacy Policy is available at: http://www.usi.gov.au/Pages/privacy-policy.aspx. It contains information about how the individual may:

• Access and seek correction of the personal information held about them; and
• Complain about a breach of privacy and how such complaints will be dealt with.

Fees

Intensive Foundation Graphic Design Course

Costs a full price one–off payment of IFC.1.PRICE.VALUE. Students may also opt to pay for the course via the payment plan method.

The payment plan method is:

• IFC.2.PRICE.VALUE per month for 12 months. This plan costs a total of IFC.2.PRICE.TOTAL.

The above payment plan schedule includes bank and administration charges.

The first payment of the payment plan will be deducted on the day of enrolment. Each subsequent payment will be deducted automatically from the nominated credit card on the same day of each month (see Direct Credit Card Debit Plans below for further details).

The above stated fees are for a course duration of 12 months maximum. For course incompletion within the 12 months duration, please refer to Course Incompletion.

CUA40720 Certificate IV in Design Course

USI required.

The CUA40720 Certificate IV in Design costs a full payment of CERTIV.1.PRICE.TOTAL with a fees structure described below.

The payment method is:

• Initial Course Fees. The initial fee is CERTIV.1.PRICE.VALUE which is deducted on the day of enrolment. This initial course fee covers all costs for the first 6 months of tuition.

• Second and Third Instalments. The second instalment of CERTIV.1.PRICE.VALUE is direct debited from the credit card you enrolled with 6 months to the day, after enrolment. The third instalment of CERTIV.1.PRICE.VALUE is direct debited a further 6 months from then (12 months after enrolment).

• Course Completion Fees. The remaining CERTIV.1.PRICE.COMPLETION course fee is direct debited upon course completion and prior to issuance of your certificate.

Please Note - The prices listed above include bank and administration charges. (See Direct Credit Card Debit Plans below for further details).

The Upgrade to CUA40720 Certificate IV In Design

USI required.

The Course Upgrade costs a full price one off payment of CERTUP.11.PRICE.TOTAL. Students may also opt to pay for the course via the payment plan method.

The payment plan method is:

• CERTUP.12.PRICE.VALUE per month for 2 months for a total of CERTUP.12.PRICE.TOTAL.

The first payment of the plan will be deducted on the day of enrolment in the Upgrade Course. The subsequent payment will be deducted automatically from the nominated credit card on the same day of the following month (See Direct Credit Card Debit Plans below for further details).

The above stated fees are for course duration of 3 months maximum. For course incompletion within the 3 months duration, please refer to Course Incompletion.

Please note: the Upgrade to the CUA40720 Certificate IV in Design is only available to students who have completed the Intensive Foundation Design Course with The Graphic Design School Pty Ltd.

The Web Design Course

The Course costs a full price one off payment of WDC.1.PRICE.VALUE. Students may also opt to pay for the course via the payment plan method.

The payment plan method is:

• WDC.2.PRICE.VALUE per month for 6 months. This plan costs a total of WDC.2.PRICE.TOTAL

The above payment plan schedule includes bank charges and administration charges.

The first payment of the plan will be deducted on the day of enrolment. Each subsequent payment will be deducted automatically from the nominated credit card on the same day each month (see Direct Credit Card Debit Plans below for further detail).

The above stated fees are for course duration of 6 months maximum. The prices listed above include bank and administration charges. (See Direct Credit Card Debit Plans below for further details).

The Design@Work Course

—USI required

The Course costs a full price one off payment of DW.1.PRICE.VALUE. Students may also opt to pay for the course via the payment plan method.

The payment plan method is:

• DW.2.PRICE.VALUE per month for 3 months. This plan costs a total of DW.2.PRICE.TOTAL

The above payment plan schedule includes bank charges and administration charges.

The first payment of the plan will be deducted on the day of enrolment. Each subsequent payment will be deducted automatically from the nominated credit card on the same day each month (see Direct Credit Card Debit Plans below for further detail).

The above stated fees are for course duration of 12 months maximum.

PLEASE NOTE: All published prices are subject to change without prior notice. Unless otherwise specified in writing, all quotations or estimates expire 14 days after date of issue.

International Shipping Fees

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, AusPost has placed restrictions on shipments to certain countries. Some countries are not open for shipping at all, however most International destinations are still operating.

Unfortunately there are extra shipping costs for student certificates in international destinations, this freight cost varies and can go up to AU$96. We have however decided to set a AU$50 flat rate fee to be charged to the student, this will be invoiced upon issuance of the certificate. Please note this rate includes handling and where available internal tracking and signature on delivery.

Please know that we are closely monitoring any changes, as soon as AusPost returns to normal operations we will abolish this shipping fee.

The Graphic Design School is authorised to charge the following administration and associated fees:

Administration Fees

• Decline Payment
• Course Extension
• Course Upgrade
• Intensive Foundation Course Administration
• Certificate IV Course Administration
• Web Design Course Administration
• Design@Work Course Administration
• Student Assessment (in the case of partial refund or re-enrolment)
• Re-enrolment
• Re-issuance of Certificate

Details of fees listed are explained later in the Terms and Conditions document.

Payment Methods

Enrolment is available online 24/7 you may pay for enrolment via:

• Visa
• Mastercard
• PayPal (Paypal is not available for recurring debit payments)

Clients who wish to pay via bank transfer may pay in full by this method. Please email accounts@thegraphicdesignschool.com to find out whether you are eligible to pay via bank transfer. Payment in cash is discouraged.

Fees Payable

Fees are payable upon enrolment with The Graphic Design School. The Graphic Design School may discontinue training if fees are not paid as required. Administration charges of FEES.ADMIN.PRICE.VALUE apply to declined transactions due through an agreed upon payment plan. In order to avoid admin charges please email accounts@thegraphicdesignschool.com or call the school before your due transaction debit date if you are having difficulty making payments.

Direct Credit Card Debit Payment Plans

Direct debits will be drawn from the same credit card or PayPal account that you used for enrolment. It is not necessary to pay through the payment page of the website each due payment date. Payments are deducted as indicated by the payment agreement specific to your course and payment method.

In consideration for The Graphic Design School Pty Ltd initially making the Intensive Foundation Graphic Design Course available to you, you agree to pay The Graphic Design School Pty Ltd the first payment of IFC.2.PRICE.VALUE on the day of enrolment, and the remaining 11 payments of IFC.2.PRICE.VALUE on the same day each month for the following 11 months. The 12 months payment plan for the Intensive Foundation Graphic Design Course totals IFC.2.PRICE.TOTAL.

In consideration for The Graphic Design School Pty Ltd initially making the Web Design Course available to you, you agree to pay The Graphic Design School Pty Ltd the first payment of WDC.2.PRICE.VALUE on the day of enrolment, and the remaining 5 payments of WDC.2.PRICE.VALUE on the same day each month. The 6 months payment plan for the Web Design Course totals WDC.2.PRICE.TOTAL.

In consideration for The Graphic Design School Pty Ltd initially making the Design@Work Course available to you, you agree to pay The Graphic Design School Pty Ltd the first payment of DW.2.PRICE.VALUEon the day of enrolment, and the remaining 2 payments of DW.2.PRICE.VALUE on the same day each month for the following two months. The 3 months payment plan for the Design@Work Course totals DW.2.PRICE.TOTAL.

Your Certificate of Completion will not be issued until all payments have been made in full. Please choose your plan wisely as you may not change payment plans once the initial payment amount has been processed.

Disability Supplementary Information Notice for Enrolment

The purpose of the Disability supplement is to provide additional information to assist you with answering the disability question on the Enrolment Form.

Disability in ​the contexts provided below does not include short-term disabling health conditions such as a fractured leg, influenza, or corrected physical conditions such as impaired vision managed by wearing glasses or lenses.

• Hearing/deaf - Hearing impairment is used to refer to a person who has an acquired mild, moderate, severe or profound hearing loss after learning to speak, communicates orally and maximises residual hearing with the assistance of amplification. A person who is deaf has a severe or profound hearing loss from, at, or near birth and mainly relies upon vision to communicate, whether through lip reading, gestures, cued speech, finger spelling and/or sign language.
• Physical - A physical disability affects the mobility or dexterity of a person and may include a total or partial loss of a part of the body. A physical disability may have existed since birth or may be the result of an accident, illness, or injury suffered later in life; for example, amputation, arthritis, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, paraplegia, quadriplegia or post-polio syndrome.
• Intellectual In general, the term ‘intellectual disability’ is used to refer to low general intellectual functioning and difficulties in adaptive behaviour, both of which conditions were manifested before the person reached the age of 18. It may result from infection before or after birth, trauma during birth, or illness.
• Learning - A general term that refers to a heterogeneous group of disorders manifested by significant difficulties in the acquisition and use of listening, speaking, reading, writing, reasoning, or mathematical abilities. These disorders are intrinsic to the individual, presumed to be due to central nervous system dysfunction, and may occur across the life span. Problems in self-regulatory behaviours, social perception, and social interaction may exist with learning disabilities but do not by themselves constitute a learning disability. 
• Mental illness - Mental illness refers to a cluster of psychological and physiological symptoms that cause a person suffering or distress and which represent a departure from a person’s usual pattern and level of functioning.
• Acquired brain impairment - Acquired brain impairment is injury to the brain that results in deterioration in cognitive, physical, emotional or independent functioning. Acquired brain impairment can occur as a result of trauma, hypoxia, infection, tumour, accidents, violence, substance abuse, degenerative neurological diseases or stroke. These impairments may be either temporary or permanent and cause partial or total disability or psychosocial maladjustment.
• Vision - This covers a partial loss of sight causing difficulties in seeing, up to and including blindness. This may be present from birth or acquired as a result of disease, illness or injury.
• Medical condition - Medical condition is a temporary or permanent condition that may be hereditary, genetically acquired or of unknown origin. The condition may not be obvious or readily identifiable, yet may be mildly or severely debilitating and result in fluctuating levels of wellness and sickness, and/or periods of hospitalisation; for example, HIV/AIDS, cancer, chronic fatigue syndrome, Crohn’s disease, cystic fibrosis, asthma or diabetes.
• Other - A disability, impairment or long-term condition which is not suitably described by one or several disability types in combination. Autism spectrum disorders are reported under this category.

After Enrolment

Our Commitment to You

• Once your initial payment has been successfully processed you will be sent your enrolment details, login and password to access your account in online secure study site (The Schoolyard). The time that this payment takes to process depends on your financial institutions response. As a general rule this response arrives within 48 hours. The School will issue you your enrolment details within 24 hours (within normal business days) of this response.
• A tax invoice of payment made will be issued to you for the first payment, the dates of future planned direct debits will be noted on this invoice. This invoice will be issued to you within 10 days of enrolment. Once your account has been paid in full you may request a tax invoice of fees paid at accounts@thegraphicdesignschool.com.
• After the initial payment made upon enrolment, subsequent Direct Debit payments will be debited from your credit card no earlier than the day of your enrolment date and no later than 5 days after this date. We advise our students to have money in their accounts 5 days before and 5 days after the due date to avoid any risk of a declined payment.
• The date of enrolment will determine that the payment will be deducted on the same day each month thereafter. E.g. If enrolment is on the 24th of January, the next debit date will occur on the 24th February, then 24th March and so on and so forth until all payments in total have been made.
• The school will notify you of a declined transaction and/or successful reprocessing via email.
• If you enroled through PayPal, PayPal will notify you via email of your declined transaction. PayPal will notify you in the same email the date they intend to reprocess your payment. Failure to replenish funds on your PayPal account may incur PayPal account restrictions. This is a decision made entirely by PayPal. The School does not have access to your PayPal account, nor can they influence PayPal’s decision regarding your account.
• We will keep all information regarding your nominated account private and confidential. It is essential to the processing of secure online credit card payments that the school use a payment gateway. Both the payment gateway (Eway PTY LTD) and our financial institution are privy to your account details for reasons of processing your payments. Further information on how we use your data can be found in our Privacy Policy.
• The Graphic Design School cannot be held responsible or financially liable for third party’s errors. We will endeavour to help solve errors with third parties however, for our customers benefit.
• We abide by the Australian Privacy Principles of the Commonwealth Privacy Act (1988).

Your Rights

If you want to make changes to your direct debit arrangements, please contact us in writing via email at least 10 business days before the due date of the next debit transaction. These changes may include terminating your Direct Debit Agreement by paying in full the balance of your direct debit agreement, altering the monthly payment schedule. Certain changes may be affected at the sole discretion of The Graphic Design School.

Where you consider that a direct debit has been transacted incorrectly (outside the Direct Debit Agreement arrangements) please contact us immediately via email accounts@thegraphicdesignschool.com. We will respond to your query within 10 business days and do our utmost to help resolve the issue.

If you do not receive a satisfactory response from us to your dispute, contact your financial institution.

Your Commitment to Us

It is your responsibility:

• To ensure that sufficient funds are available in your account to meet the requirements of our agreement on each due date.
• To ensure that the authorisation given by you to draw on your nominated account is identical to the account signing instructions held by the Financial Institution where your account is based.
• To advise us if the account nominated by you under the Direct Debit Agreement is transferred or closed.
• To contact us and arrange a suitable alternative payment method if the Direct Debit Agreement is cancelled either by you or by the Financial Institution where your nominated account is based.
• If your payment is dishonoured or declined for any reason and you have not given 10 days notice to the school, you will be required to pay an administration fee of FEES.ADMIN.PRICE.VALUE to The Graphic Design School.
• Please note we cannot accept any bank charges levied by your Financial Institution for rejected transactions in your nominated account. For any queries or concerns regarding this arrangement or The Graphic Design School Pty Ltd Direct Debit Agreement, please contact our accounts team via email accounts@thegraphicdesignschool.com.
• If a direct debit item is returned unpaid by your nominated Financial Institution due to insufficient funds, we will attempt to reprocess the funds owing, on any following day at our discretion. In the circumstance of a declined payment you will be automatically charged a FEES.ADMIN.PRICE.VALUE admin fee. The school will notify you of a declined transaction and/or successful reprocessing via email.
• Failure to correctly notify us as to how and when you plan to rectify the reason that your account was declined will result in a suspension of your Schoolyard account until all fees owed are paid. Failure to rectify the reason that your account was declined in a timely manner will result in a suspension of your Schoolyard account until all fees owed are paid.
• When using the Direct Debit facility with a credit card that has an expiration date, before the end of your next due direct debit payment you must contact The Graphic Design School within 30 days of the credit card expiration date to notify The Graphic Design School of the new card details. Failure to do so may result an administration fee of FEES.ADMIN.PRICE.VALUE.
• We reserve the right to cancel The Graphic Design School Pty Ltd Direct Debit agreement with you if more than two or more direct debits are returned unpaid by your nominated Financial Institution and you fail to rectify the issues of payment. Our Accounts Team will contact you to arrange an alternative payment method. In the event that you are not able to meet the Direct Debit agreement. We reserve the right to cancel you as a student from the course, along with the Certificate of Completion that may be due or issued without refund of fees already paid.

Student Support

The Graphic Design School has an online forum that can be accessed through the Schoolyard. This forum is manned by the school’s tutors and forum admin. You will find many questions by current and past students that can help you answer a query, or you can post a question to one of the tutors yourself. You can also give us a call at our head office if you are having any difficulties.

English language, literacy and numeracy skills

Language, literacy and numeracy skills are critical to almost all areas of work. This is particularly true in graphic design where there is a need to communicate with clients, read and understand design briefs and do research. Our course is delivered in English, so it is assumed that every student will have good English, reading, comprehension, speaking, listening and writing. If you can read and understand the TGDS website and the Student Handbook, that is the level of English needed for this course. You will be asked upon enrolment the level of these skills you posess.

The Graphic Design School will support students during their study with training and assessment materials that are easily understood and suitable to the level of the workplace skills being delivered. We will also provide tutors throughout the course who can answer questions and help through the Schoolyard support forum.

Our Expectation of you

The Graphic Design School expects you:

• To contribute to learning in a harmonious and positive manner irrespective of gender, race, sexual preference, political affiliation, marital status, disability or religious belief.
• To comply with the rules and regulations of The Graphic Design School.
• To be honest and respectful, this includes not falsifying work or information and not communicating in any way that may cause offence to others or The Graphic Design School.
• To be responsible for your own learning and development by participating actively and positively and by ensuring that you maintain progress with learning modules.
• To monitor your own progress by ensuring that assessments are submitted in a timely manner.
• To utilize facilities and The Graphic Design School publications with respect and to honour our copyrights and prevent our publication from being distributed to unauthorised persons.
• To respect other students and The Graphic Design School staff right to privacy and confidentiality.

Your equity

The Graphic Design School is committed to ensuring that the training and assessment environment is free from discrimination and harassment. We are the caring, equalitarian, religious and politically neutral variety at The Graphic Design School. You will find your fellow students and the faculty are kind, inquisitive, informative, sometimes humorous and often inspiring. Student support forum discussions are conducted with open and honest communication. We have never had one abusive or rude comment made by a student or staff on the forum, we are very proud of this and find it a rare thing in a forum situation. We are however aware that cyber bullying does exist on the World Wide Web. Discrimination and harassment will not be tolerated under any circumstances by the school. Students should expect fair and friendly behaviour from The Graphic Design School staff and each other.

Students who feel that they have been discriminated against or harassed should report this information to admin staff. This will initiate a complaints handling procedure which will be fair and transparent and will protect your rights as a complainant. If a student feels that a satisfactory resolution has not been met he/she may report an instance of discrimination or harassment to an agency external to The Graphic Design School, they are advised to contact the HREOC Complaints Info-line on 1300 656 419.

Your privacy

The Graphic Design School takes the privacy of participants very seriously and complies with all legislative requirements. These include the Privacy Act 1988 and Australian Privacy Principles (2013).

Student information is only shared with external agencies such as registering authorities to meet compliance requirements as a Registered Training Organisation. All information shared is kept in the strictest confidence by both parties and is available on request.

In some cases as required by law, The Graphic Design School will need to make student information available to others such as the National Centre for Vocational Education and Research. In all other cases The Graphic Design School will seek the written permission of the student for this disclosure.

The Graphic Design School may need to make student assessment information available to The Graphic Design School tutors in order to conduct sessions of assessment validation, continuous improvement and tutor training. We will only collect personal information about you and given by you when you submit an enquiry, brochure request or direct application for a course through one of our online forms. We may use this information to; inform our users of new offers, products, and services which may be of interest to them, send our users news items which are relevant to their interests. In addition, TGDS may also collect cookies from your computer, which enables us to determine when and if you use the TGDS website and also to help customise TGDS website experience. We do not match your personal information to cookies.

In all cases The Graphic Design School will seek the written permission of the student for this disclosure.

Equipment Requirements

What will you need in order to complete the Intensive Foundation Graphic Design Course, CUA40720 Certificate IV in Design and Design@Work Course

As you will be studying from home there will be a certain amount of equipment that you will need to undertake the course successfully. These are as follows:

A Computer

PC or Mac is fine, the course runs on either operating system. The Schoolyard itself functions like any other internet site, no special requirements are needed to run the Schoolyard. However, you will be using graphic-processing software throughout the course. These software packages require a minimum level of system specifications to run fast and efficiently.

Below are the minimum system requirements taken directly from Adobe in order to run the Creative Cloud design platform.

If you wish to discuss your current computer or if you are interested in purchasing a new machine in order to complete your design studies; please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us on info@thegraphicdesignschool.com.

Windows Users

• Multicore Intel processor (with 64-bit support) or AMD Athlon 64 processor
• Microsoft® Windows® 10 (64-bit Version)
• 8 GB of RAM (16 GB recommended) 
• 3.5GB of available hard-disk space for installation; additional free space required during installation; SSD recommended
• 1024×768 display  (1920 x 1080 recommended)
• Optional: To use Touch Workspace in Illustrator, you must have a touch-screen-enabled tablet/monitor running Windows 10 (Microsoft Surface Pro is recommended by Adobe only for use with Touch Workspace).
• Optional: To use GPU Performance: Your Windows should have a minimum of 1GB of VRAM
• Internet connection and registration are necessary for required Adobe software activation, membership validation, and access to Schoolyard online services.

Mac OS

• Multicore Intel® processor with 64-bit support or M1 processor
• macOS version 11.0 (Big Sur), macOS version 10.15 (Catalina) or macOS version 10.14 (Mojave)
• 8 GB of RAM (16 GB recommended)
• 3.5GB of available hard-disk space for installation; additional free space required during installation; SSD recommended
• 1024×768 display (1920×1080 recommended)
• Optional: To use GPU Performance: Your Mac should have a minimum of 1 GB of VRAM  (2GB recommended)
• Internet connection and registration are necessary for required Adobe software activation, membership validation, and access to Schoolyard online services.

Software

You will be required to subscribe to Adobe Creative Cloud (Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign and Acrobat Pro). You can take advantage of preferred student rates.

Internet Connection

Connection to the internet is also required. There are no set speeds or access that are a minimum requirement as all modules can be downloaded and saved to your computer. Training videos can be streamed at an optional dial up speed level if needed (This option has been provided for people in remote areas or areas with limited access to high speed internet). If you do have the option to have access to higher speed internet (cable or broadband or fibre), this will help you have more timely access when you need to conduct design research on the web.

Camera Equipment

Module 6 and 9 requires you to have access to a digital SLR camera. This camera must be at least 7 mega pixels. In Module 10 and 11 you may like to photograph your work for presentation of your portfolio projects, this is entirely personal, most students will use ready made mockups. If however you would like to create your own mockup from scratch you may need the SLR camera again.

If you don’t own an SLR camera, don’t panic. You only need the camera for a few days, you could try and borrow one from a friend or colleague. You could even rent one: Click here to see a quick search for rental options near you.

Illustration Supplies

Throughout the course you will need to complete design sketches, we ask that students have a small range of lead pencils HB-4B, A4 and A3 sketching pads.

Printing and Scanning equipment

In order to record evidence as part of your design processes you will be required to have access to a scanner and a printer. A colour printer is a personal preference, but not necessary for your assessments, Black and White printing is acceptable.

What will you need in order to complete the Web Design Course

PC or Mac is fine, the course runs on either operating system. The Schoolyard itself functions like any other internet site, no special requirements are needed to run the Schoolyard. However, you will be using graphic-processing software throughout the course. These software packages require a minimum level of system specifications to run fast and efficiently.

Below are the minimum system requirements taken directly from Adobe in order to run the Creative Cloud design platform.

If you wish to discuss your current computer or if you are interested in purchasing a new machine in order to complete your design studies; please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us on info@thegraphicdesignschool.com.

Windows Users

• Multicore Intel processor (with 64-bit support) or AMD Athlon 64 processor
• Microsoft® Windows® 10 (64-bit Version)
• 8 GB of RAM (16 GB recommended) 
• 3.5GB of available hard-disk space for installation; additional free space required during installation; SSD recommended
• 1024×768 display  (1920 x 1080 recommended)
• Optional: To use Touch Workspace in Illustrator, you must have a touch-screen-enabled tablet/monitor running Windows 10 (Microsoft Surface Pro is recommended by Adobe only for use with Touch Workspace).
• Optional: To use GPU Performance: Your Windows should have a minimum of 1GB of VRAM
• Internet connection and registration are necessary for required Adobe software activation, membership validation, and access to Schoolyard online services.

Mac OS

• Multicore Intel® processor with 64-bit support or M1 processor
• macOS version 11.0 (Big Sur), macOS version 10.15 (Catalina) or macOS version 10.14 (Mojave)
• 8 GB of RAM (16 GB recommended)
• 3.5GB of available hard-disk space for installation; additional free space required during installation; SSD recommended
• 1024×768 display (1920×1080 recommended)
• Optional: To use GPU Performance: Your Mac should have a minimum of 1 GB of VRAM  (2GB recommended)
• Internet connection and registration are necessary for required Adobe software activation, membership validation, and access to Schoolyard online services.

Software

You will be required to subscribe to Adobe Creative Cloud (Illustrator, Photoshop, Adobe Xd and Acrobat Pro). You can take advantage of preferred student rates.

Internet Connection

Connection to the internet is also required. There are no set speeds or access that are a minimum requirement as all modules can be downloaded and saved to your computer. Training videos can be streamed at an optional dial up speed level if needed (This option has been provided for people in remote areas or areas with limited access to high speed internet). If you do have the option to have access to higher speed internet (cable or broadband or fibre), this will help you have more timely access when you need to conduct design research on the web.

Illustration Supplies

Throughout the course you will need to complete design sketches, we ask that students have a small range of lead pencils HB-4B, a sketching pad.

Printing and Scanning Equipment

In order to record evidence as part of your design processes you will be required to have access to a scanner and a printer. A colour printer is a personal preference, but not necessary for your assessments, black and white printing is acceptable.

Student Cancellation

Refund within the 7 day trial period

All courses except Design@Work

Students who cancel their enrolment within 7 days of enrolment will be entitled to a full refund of fees paid, irrespective of whether the student has undertaken assessment. Requests for refunds will be processed and transacted at the end of each month in which the cancellation notification was received. Certificates will not be issued in the case of a full refund request. Refunds can be requested by email to support@thegraphicdesignschool.com you will need to complete a simple refund request form.

Refund after the 7 day trial period

All courses except Design@Work

Students who seek refund after 7 days will only be considered for partial refund in the case of compassionate and compelling circumstances (listed below) within the first 6 months of enrolment (3 months for the Web Design Course). In this case certified copies of documents supporting the student’s case must accompany applications for refund. Partial refunds can be requested by email to support@thegraphicdesignschool.com. You will need to complete a refund request form, attach it with your documents and forward via post to the address supplied on the refund form. Issuance of a partial refund is at the sole discretion of the school, if the school does not deem that you qualify for and/or cannot provide sufficient documents to support your case, you will not be issued a refund. Refunds will NOT be considered after 6 months of course enrolment (compassionate or otherwise). The following partial refunds apply to the following courses:

Intensive Foundations Course & Web Design Course

• A non-refundable enrolment fee of IFC.REFUNDS.NON_REFUNDABLE_FEES will apply to partial refund of the Intensive Foundation Design Course fees. Plus a non-refundable fee of IFC.REFUNDS.NON_REFUNDABLE_PER_MODULE per module submitted for grading. Refunds will NOT be considered after 6 months of course enrolment (compassionate or otherwise).
• If the student applying for partial refund due to compassionate and compelling circumstances has undertaken assessment the school will charge the student a fee of IFC.REFUNDS.NON_REFUNDABLE_PER_MODULE per module supplied
• A student who is issued a partial refund will be asked to sign a Deed of Release. In the case where a student has successfully completed modules they may request a certificate stating modules achieved. The student will no longer have any access to the Schoolyard or learning materials.

CUA40720 Certificate IV in Design

• A non-refundable course fee of CERTIV.REFUNDS.NON_REFUNDABLE_FEES applies to all refunds after 7 days. Plus a non-refundable fee of CERTIV.REFUNDS.NON_REFUNDABLE_PER_MODULE per module submitted for grading.
• If the student applying for partial refund due to compassionate and compelling circumstances has undertaken assessment the school will charge the student a fee of CERTIV.REFUNDS.NON_REFUNDABLE_PER_MODULE per module supplied
• On or after 6 months from the enrolment date of your course all fees are non-refundable. Regardless of assessment undertaken, regardless of circumstance (compassionate or otherwise).
• A student who is issued a partial refund will be asked to sign a Deed of Release. In the case where a student has successfully completed modules they may request a certificate stating modules achieved. The student will no longer have any access to the Schoolyard or learning materials.

A student who is issued a partial refund will be asked to sign a “Deed of Release”. In the case where a student has successfully completed modules they may request a certificate stating modules achieved. The student will no longer have any access to the Schoolyard or learning materials.

Note: Refunds will not be granted under any circumstance after the expiry date on any course.

Upgrade to CUA40720 Certificate IV in Design

• The Certificate IV in Design Upgrade Course is non-refundable

Foundation Web Design Course

• A non-refundable course fee of WDC.REFUNDS.NON_REFUNDABLE_FEES applies to all refunds after 7 days. Plus a non-refundable fee of WDC.REFUNDS.NON_REFUNDABLE_PER_MODULE per module supplied.
• On or after 3 months from the enrolment date of your course all fees are non-refundable. Regardless of assessment undertaken, regardless of circumstance (compassionate or otherwise).

Design@Work Course Refund Policy

You have a 7 day full refund period while you review your Module 1 and the Schoolyard, if for any reason you decide that the Design@Work course is not for you within that time, you may request a full refund.

After the 7 day refund period is over you will have access to the rest of the course. This course has a strictly no refund policy after 7 days.

If you are happy with the course and decide to move on within your 7 day refund period, you may also request that the rest of the course will be released, this will forfeit your refund.

Compassionate and Compelling Circumstances

Compassionate and compelling circumstances encompass events, conditions or circumstances that are:

• Beyond the student’s control
• Do not eventuate until after the course has been commenced
• Affect the student’s ability to complete course work in the given timeframe

The above circumstances are limited to:

• Serious illness in oneself
• Natural disaster affecting ones principle place of residence
• Traumatic experience that physically affects the ability to study

Circumstances that do not entitle students to a refund or an extension under the Compelling and Compassionate Circumstances policy:

• If student enrolment is terminated by the school due to a serious breach of school policy or our terms and conditions as described in our direct debit agreement, a refund will not be issued.
• If a student has falsified documents or intentionally misleading information on enrolment form or payment system that have influenced the decision to offer a place in the course. This includes falsifying or intentionally misleading your capacity to undertake the course.
• Student discontinues the course for reasons that the school does not deem to qualify for compassionate and compelling circumstances.
• Student does not provide sufficient or correct evidence to support a case of compassionate and compelling circumstances.
• Student does not finish the full course before the course finish date and has elected to not purchase the 6—month extension.
• If a student has an existing condition or circumstance at the time of enrolment that may prevent the student from undertaking or completing the course.
• If a student has previously received an extension/s totalling six months in duration. Under the Compelling and Compassionate Circumstance policy. A maximum of 6 months extension will be granted under this policy.
• The student has reached or passed the 6 months of their enrolment date.

Note 1: Refund payments are processed by way or reversal of funds to the credit card, PayPal or bank account that fees were paid through initially.

Note 2: All refunds are granted at the discretion of the Director. No refund will be given if an extension has been granted under the compassionate and compelling circumstance policy.

Note 3: All refunds processed will include a receipt explaining refund calculations.

Course Incompletion

Intensive Foundation Course Incompletion within 1 year period

Students who do not complete the course within the one year allotted for the course will be entitled to purchase a 6—month extension for IFC.EXTENSION.VALUE. Students who opt to purchase a 6 month extension must submit a module for grading within the extension period in order to be eligible to remain on the course. If the student does not purchase the course extension, the student may request a certificate stating modules completed to satisfaction. Access to the course and its materials will be declined after the year date has passed. Access to learning materials not already undertaken will strictly be declined. The course cannot be deferred.

CUA40720 Certificate IV in Design Course Incompletion within 15 months period

Students who do not complete the course within the 15 months allotted for the course will be entitled to purchase a 6—month extension for CERTIV.EXTENSION.VALUE. Students who opt to purchase a 6 month extension must submit a module for grading within the extension period in order to be eligible to remain on the course. If the student does not purchase the course extension, the student may request a certificate stating modules completed to satisfaction (Please note, Statement of Attainment cannot be issued until the full 12 modules are completed). Access to the course and its materials will be declined after the 15 months date has passed. Access to learning materials not already undertaken will strictly be declined. The course cannot be deferred.

Upgrade to CUA40720 Certificate IV in Design Incompletion within 3 months period

Students who do not complete the course within the 3 months allotted for the course will be entitled to purchase a 3 month extension for CERTUP.EXTENSION.VALUE. If the student does not purchase the course extension, the student may request a certificate stating modules completed to satisfaction (Please note, Statement of Attainment cannot be issued until the full 12 modules are completed). Access to the course and its materials will be declined after the 15 months date has passed. Access to learning materials not already undertaken will strictly be declined. The course cannot be deferred.

Web Design Course Incompletion within 6 month period

Students who do not complete the course within the 6 months allotted for the course will be entitled to purchase a 3 month extension for WDC.EXTENSION.VALUE. Students who opt to purchase a 3 month extension must submit a module for grading within the extension period in order to be eligible to remain on the course.If the student does not purchase the course extension, the student may request a certificate stating modules completed to satisfaction. Access to the course and its materials will be declined after the 6 month date has passed. Access to learning materials not already undertaken will strictly be declined. The course cannot be deferred.

Student Re-Enrolment

All re-enrolments will incur a re-enrolment fee and charge per module not previously completed. Fees are laid out for each course below:

Re–enrolment is available only for the Intensive Foundations Course, Certificate IV (CUA40720) and Foundation Web Design Courses.

Re–enrolment is by application and is at the discretion of the Director

Intensive Foundation Course

Re-enrolment in the Intensive Foundation Design Course will incur a re-enrolment fee of IFC.RE_ENROLMENT.VALUE, plus IFC.RE_ENROLMENT.PER_MODULE per module to be assessed.

CUA40720 Certificate IV in Design Course

Re-enrolment in the CUA40720 Certificate IV in Design Course will incur a re-enrolment fee of CERTIV.RE_ENROLMENT.VALUE, plus CERTIV.RE_ENROLMENT.PER_MODULE per module to be assessed.

Foundation Web Design Course

Re-enrolment in the will incur a re-enrolment fee of WDC.RE_ENROLMENT.VALUE, plus WDC.RE_ENROLMENT.PER_MODULE per module to be assessed.

Upon Enrolment

Upon Enrolment in the Intensive Foundation Course

You will have access to modules 1 and 2. Thereafter students will have access to modules once they have uploaded their previous assessment to their tutor. Your tutor can take an average of 14 days to grade an assessment. Students may not upload the next assessment until they have received the previous grade from their tutor.

Upon Enrolment in the CUA40720 Certificate IV in Design Course

You will have access to modules 1 and 2. Thereafter students will have access to modules once they have uploaded their previous assessment to their tutor. Your tutor can take an average of 14 days to grade an assessment. Students may not upload the next assessment until they have received the previous grade from their tutor.

Upon Enrolment in the Upgrade to CUA40720 Certificate IV in Design

You will have access to all learning materials. Your tutor can take an average of 14 days to grade an assessment.

Upon Enrolment in the Web Design Course

You will have access to module 1. Thereafter students will have access to modules once they have uploaded their previous assessment to their tutor. Your tutor can take an average of 14 days to grade an assessment. Students may not upload the next assessment until they have received the previous grade from their tutor.

Upon Enrolment in the Design@Work Course

You will have access to module 1. After 7 days, you’ll get full course access for a period of 12 months from the date of enrolment. You can choose to gain access to the entire course during the 7 days trial period by waiving your refund entitlement.

Assignment grading is optional but, is included in the enrolment fee, assignments must be submitted during the 12 month course duration.

Re-Issuance of Certificate

You may gain hard copies of your certificate and/or statement of attainment for FEES.RE_ISSUANCE.HARD_COPY for each obtained. Postage and handling within Australia will be charged at FEES.RE_ISSUANCE.POSTAGE.AUSTRALIA, and FEES.RE_ISSUANCE.POSTAGE.OTHER outside of Australia. PayPal, credit card or Australian cheque payments accepted only.

Our Continuous Improvement of Services

The Graphic Design School Pty is committed to the continuous improvement of its training and assessment services, student services and management systems. Central to this commitment is our approach to continuous improvement and the procedures we apply to achieve systematic and sustained improvement. Students are encouraged to provide feedback to The Graphic Design School Pty Ltd so we can improve our services in the future. The Graphic Design School will notify students before an upgrade is commenced, and will make every effort to minimise disruption to student services. Any time lost to students as the result of course or website upgrade will not be recompensed by way of refund or course extension.

Transitioning, Improvement, Upgrade Or Change of Student Service

The Graphic Design School Pty Ltd is required to adhere to Australian educational standards and legislation. This may result in necessary changes to training and assessment services, student services and management systems. The Graphic Design School will notify students before an upgrade is commenced, and will make every effort to minimise disruption to student services. Any time lost to students as the result of course or website upgrade will not be recompensed by way of refund or course extension.

The Graphic Design School guarantees to advise students of any changes to the services provided under agreement as soon as practicable, including any changes of ownership.