Ext en sio n s
13.3. Ext en sio n s
13.3.1. An extension is defined as any increase to the length of a scholarship and is requested by the institution in OASIS and approved by the Program Area.
13.3.2. Apart from an Honours year extension, only one extension of six months
may be approved for the duration of the scholarship. A request for extension will generally not be considered for a study program that is only one academic year long.
13.3.3. Extensions will only be approved if there are legitimate reasons, including unforeseen and exceptional circumstances that are beyond the control of the awardee and the institution. Critical incidents and welfare issues are generally best addressed with a suspension.
13.3.4. The option to extend an Australia Awards Scholarship will generally only be considered where :
i. the awardee is already in the second or subsequent year of their course
ii. the awardee is expected to achieve the qualification as a consequence of the extension
iii. the institution deems an extension to be the only acceptable strategy to achieve the qualification iv. the awardee has failed a subject and the institution has implemented a strategy to help them complete their study program on time and address the reasons for the failure.
13.3.5. If an extension to the scholarship is approved, the awardee will be
responsible for paying any costs associated with gaining a new visa.
13.3.6. It is the awardee’s responsibility to ensure that they contact the Department of Immigration and Border Protection in sufficient time to extend their visa.
13.3.7. Program Areas must maintain thorough records on extension requests,
approvals and rejections in OASIS, including the rationale for the decision, which must be in line with the extension policy.
13.3.8. The institution should consider all possible options to avoid the need for an
extension in situations where an awardee is not likely to finish their studies on time. These options include:
i. suspension of their Australia Awards Scholarship
ii. supplementary academic support
iii. enrolling in non-standard sessions (e.g. summer school) to repeat failed subjects iii. enrolling in non-standard sessions (e.g. summer school) to repeat failed subjects
awardee would not receive any further funding from DFAT viii. terminating the scholarship if the awardee has failed a subject or failed to make
satisfactory progress in a research program in any two subsequent semesters during the scholarship period.
13.3.9. Where an extension is recommended, the institution must ensure that appropriate support, monitoring and counselling strategies are in place that will enable the awardee to complete within the revised duration.
13.3.10. The institution must submit a study plan signed by the awardee and the institution together with the extension variation for the Program Area’s consideration.
13.3.11. If the awardee is unlikely to achieve the desired outcome with the assistance provided, the institution should recommend termination of the scholarship to the Scholarships and Alumni Branch.
13.3.12. The institution should fund all or part of the expense of extending an award where the institution has failed to:
i. adequately monitor the awardee’s progress
ii. take mitigating action where the reasons for requiring the extension occurred before the last two semesters of study
iii. provide appropriate academic supervision and support to the awardee to enable them to complete the scholarship on time.
13.3.13. Institutions must maintain thorough records on extension requests, approvals and rejections in OASIS.