Kaplan sets the policy for student attendance and monitors it as it is fundamental to successful learning. For this reason, Kaplan takes a serious view of truancy. The attendance policy is set with a minimum monthly attendance requirement for classroom-based, synchronous e-learning and asynchronous e-learning (Structured Learning) classes, where applicable.
Minimum attendance rate to be attained is 90% for Student’s Pass holders (based on the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority’s requirement) and 75% for non-Student’s Pass holders. Failure to meet the required attendance will result in disciplinary actions.
The attendance policy and procedures are included in Kaplan Student Handbook. They are also communicated to students during the Welcome Orientation (session and reiterated by Programme Management (PM) in the programme update sent via email and/or the Kaplan 360 app.
Students will receive their timetable and can access module study guides in the Learning Management System (LMS) prior to term commencement. The timetable clearly states all the student’s class dates and times, while the LMS houses the asynchronous learning materials assigned for each module. PM will monitor students’ class attendance and asynchronous learning, and regularly remind students of the importance of attending classes and engaging in asynchronous learning.
Attendance Taking
Classroom-based classes
Synchronous E-Learning (Classes held online)
Asynchronous E-Learning
If students are absent with valid reasons, students should apply for leave via the Kaplan 360 app prior to the class concerned or within 3 working days from the absence date, with supporting documents. Any leave submission which is made more than 3 working days after the absence date will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
All full-time students are encouraged to commit to engaging in study activities for a minimum of 3 hours per day, 5 days per week (Mon-Fri). In addition, Student’s Pass holders are required to comply with this by tapping twice for their attendance on-campus, once upon arrival to the campus and another after a minimum of 3 hours of study activities prior to leaving the campus. Various learning activities including lectures, tutorials, research, self-study (on campus or via the learning portal, whichever applicable) and group work/activities have been planned for different days.
Attendance Monitoring
Full-time Students
Part-time Students
For high-risk students who are receiving counselling support and do not meet the minimum attendance requirement concurrently, PM will seek advice from the school counsellor before engaging them for attendance intervention.
Students will be reviewed for programme termination if their low attendance has been labelled as beyond Level 3. A face-to-face interview between the PM (and PM Head of Department (HOD) if necessary) and the student will be arranged to evaluate for termination. The termination decision will be reviewed by the PM HOD and is to be approved by the Non-Academic Disciplinary Committee (NADC) in consultation with the Dean(s) on a case-by-case basis, taking into consideration of the student’s overall attendance, academic results, any past academic intervention, and personal circumstances. Students may appeal to Non-Academic Appeals Committee (NAAC) regarding the circumstances leading to termination. For Student’s Pass holders, Kaplan will request that ICA cancel the Student’s Pass accordingly.
Leave of Absence
Students are required to submit their leave applications via Kaplan360 mobile app at least one working day prior to the class commencement date. In the case of unforeseeable emergencies, within 3 working days from the date of absence. Leave applications must be accompanied by supporting documents in English and corresponding translations for documents that are prepared in languages other than English. Students may approach the Programme Management Team for assistance or enquiries regarding leave application submission and approval status.
Kaplan accepts leave application for the following reasons, subject to receiving timely and accurate information via the Kaplan360 mobile app, and grants approval on a case-by-case basis. Other grounds for absence will be reviewed by the Programme Management Team.
Reasons of Absence
If a student is leaving Singapore during the period of absence, a soft copy of airline or carrier’s return ticket or boarding pass must be submitted as one of the supporting documents.
Notwithstanding the approved leave of absence, students must adhere to class participation/minimum attendance/assessment requirements to ensure timely completion of the enrolled course.
Kaplan Singapore has implemented the Early Intervention Policy to assist students in their academic progression through early detection and timely intervention. We closely monitor each student’s academic performance and have implemented various measures, including effective academic tutorials, group sessions, motivational talks, one-on-one sessions, and timely academic intervention reviews, to support their course advancement.
Definitions for transfer, withdrawal and deferment
Transfer
This policy applies when a student changes the course of their study in the same study mode. A student who changes his/her study mode (full-time to part-time or vice versa) would be considered as withdrawal.
Deferment
This policy applies when a student delays or postpones the programme (or module) and remains a student of Kaplan.
Withdrawal
This policy applies when a student discontinues their study and ceases to be a student of Kaplan. This also applies to a student who changes the study mode of the programme (full-time to part-time or vice versa).
Automatic Withdrawal for Proprietary Programmes
A student is deemed to have withdrawn from the programme, if the student fails to do all of the following:
Or due to any of the following reasons:
Upon programme withdrawal or automatic withdrawal, students who wish to resume their studies must re-apply as new students. Applications will be subject to terms and conditions of approval, including meeting the prevailing Minimum Entry Requirement (MER) and the approval of Student’s Pass application (if applicable).
Automatic Withdrawal for External Degree Programmes
Automatic withdrawal may be recommended by Kaplan on the same conditions described for proprietary programmes, but must be approved by university partners. Universities may have their own student progression monitoring system and may preclude students for non-engagement for a certain period.
Platforms to Communicate Transfer/Withdrawal/Deferment Policy
The transfer, deferment and withdrawal policies shall be clearly communicated to all students via the Student Handbook on Kaplan’s website, during the Pre-Course Counselling and welcome orientation.
For proprietary programmes, these requests are subject to the approval of the Programme Head , while Diploma programmes’ transfer cases also require approval from Admission Office/Dean for advanced standings.
For external Degree programmes, these requests are subject to the University’s policies and approval.
Students are informed of the Transfer/Deferment Administrative Fees via the miscellaneous fee table in the Standard Student Contract and on Kaplan’s website. For withdrawal and deferment cases, students will need to pay outstanding fees (programme fees, resit/remodule fees and other miscellaneous fees), if applicable.
The programme transfer, deferment and withdrawal policies shall be clearly explained to all students and prospective students.
Maximum processing time of not more than 4 weeks from the point of the student’s request to informing the student of the outcome in writing
Kaplan will take no more than 4 weeks or within the University’s timeline, where applicable, from the point of the student’s request to inform the student of the outcome in writing (letter or email). The procedure is developed with a clear timeline for every step so that it does not exceed 4 weeks or the University’s timeline.
If the approval may take longer than 4 weeks due to the University’s approval schedule, Programme Management (PM) will advise students on the estimated approval date from the University when acknowledging receipt of their request.
Students who wish to transfer, defer or withdraw shall inform Kaplan in writing (form, email or letter) and state the reason(s). Verbal notice is not acceptable.
PM will inform the student in writing within 3 working days from the date the outcome is available and follow up with the necessary arrangements.
During the process, students must continue with their current programme, where applicable and stay in contact with PM. Failure to do so will be deemed as withdrawal from the respective programme.
Conditions for which a transfer or deferment application (stating the maximum deferment period) will be granted
The following are conditions for which a transfer and deferment application will be granted.
Transfer
Deferment
Students are permitted to defer based on the following grounds:
The requests for deferment are not granted automatically unless approved by the PM HOD/University and approval of deferment does not guarantee the relevant programme/module(s) to be run upon the student’s return.
The maximum deferment period for proprietary programmes is 6 months. Students who need more than 6 months’ deferment and can complete their study within the programme tenure, may apply for an extension, subject to PM HOD’s approval. For external Degree programmes, it is subject to the Universities’ policies. Students who fail to report back to Programme Management after the deferment period shall be deemed as Automatic Withdrawal, which may not apply to some external Degree programmes.
Informing Immigration & Checkpoints Authority of Singapore (ICA) of any change of the status of the Student’s Pass, if applicable
Processes are in place to ensure that Kaplan will inform ICA of any change in students’ status that may affect the Student’s Pass issued.
Recruitment and PM teams shall clearly explain to students, the implication of the status of the Student’s Pass if international students withdraw from the school or are forced to withdraw from the school (eg. caught for breaking Singapore’s law).
International students who apply for deferment which is longer than 3 months (except for extenuating circumstances approved by PM Manager) or for transfer are required to cancel the Student’s Pass. For deferment, the Student’s Pass needs to be reapplied upon return; for transfer, the Student’s Pass under the new programme will need to be applied. In both cases, it is subject to ICA’s approval. Charges will be imposed by ICA and Kaplan for re-application/new application of Student’s Pass.
The ERO and PM will ensure that ICA is informed of any change in Student’s Pass status.
Obtaining the parent’s/legal guardian’s written consent if the student is under 18 years of age
It is clearly indicated on respective forms that students under 18 years of age require parent/legal guardian’s consent for the application of withdrawal, transfer, or deferment.
A student under 18 years of age must obtain their parent’s/legal guardian’s written consent via email or their signatures via the withdrawal, transfer, or deferment request form.
Signing a new contract or issuing an addendum to the existing contract when a programme deferment or transfer request has been approved
To ensure this, the signing of a new Student Contract is part of the process upon the resumption from a programme deferment or approved transfer request. Programme fees of the new programme will apply. For deferment cases, students will only sign a new contract when they report back to resume studies and are subject to the programme fees of the new intake.
Maximum processing time of not more than 7 working days from the student’s refund request for the issuing of refund
Request for refund and relevant supporting documents must be submitted in writing to Kaplan. Incomplete or inaccurate information will be rejected. Refund is subjected to approval by Kaplan Management and successful bank settlement of student’s invoice payment that was made by cheque/telegraphic transfer/SAM/Flywire, where applicable. Student will be notified by email of the outcome, amount of refund and mode of refund, if applicable within 7 workings days from the submission of duly completed refund request. For cheque refund, written receipt acknowledgement from students will be required.
Terms and Conditions
1. Refund for Withdrawal Due to Non-Delivery of Programme
KHEA will notify the Student in writing within three (3) working days after becoming aware of any of the following (each a “Refund Event”):
(a) It cannot commence the provision of the Programme on the Programme Commencement Date;
(b) It cannot complete the provision of the Programme by the Programme Completion Date;
(c) The Programme will be terminated before the Programme Completion Date;
(d) The Student does not meet the programme entry or matriculation requirements as stated in Schedule A; or
(e) The Immigration & Checkpoints Authority of Singapore (the “ICA”) rejects the Student’s application for the Student Pass.
2. Where any of the Refund Events in Clauses 1(a) to (c) above has occurred:
(a) KHEA shall use reasonable efforts to make alternative study arrangements for the Student and shall propose such alternative study arrangements in writing to the Contracting Party, within ten (10) working days of informing the Contracting Party of the Refund Event.
(b) If the Contracting Party accepts such alternative study arrangements, KHEA shall set forth such alternative study arrangements in a written contract and this Contract shall automatically terminate on the date that such new written contract comes into effect.
(c) If KHEA does not propose alternative study arrangements to the Contracting Party within the time stipulated in Clause 2(a) above, or the Contracting Party does not accept such alternative study arrangements, the Contracting Party may forthwith terminate this Contract by way of a written notice to KHEA.
3. Where any of the Refund Events in Clauses 1(d) to (e) has occurred, KHEA shall forthwith terminate this Contract by way of a written notice to the Contracting Party.
4. If the Contract is terminated pursuant to Clause 2 read with Clause 1(a), KHEA shall refund all Programme Fees and Miscellaneous Fees paid by the Contracting Party within seven (7) working days of the termination.
5. If the Contract is terminated pursuant to Clause 2(b) read with either Clause 1(b) or Clause 1(c), KHEA shall refund the Programme Fees and Miscellaneous Fees in proportion to the uncompleted portion or duration of the Programme, whichever is higher, to the Contracting Party within seven (7) working days of the termination.
6. If the Contract is terminated pursuant to Clause 3 or Clause 2(c) read with Clause 1(a), KHEA shall refund all Programme Fees and Miscellaneous Fees paid by the Contracting Party within seven (7) working days of the termination.
7. If the Contract is terminated pursuant to Clause 2(c) read with either Clause 1(b) or Clause 1(c), KHEA shall refund the Programme Fees and Miscellaneous Fees in proportion to the uncompleted portion or duration of the Programme, whichever is higher, to the Contracting Party within seven (7) working days of the termination.
Refer to standard SSG's student contract template Schedule E for Refund Events.
8. Refund for Withdrawal During the Cooling-Off Period:
Notwithstanding anything herein contained, the Contracting Party shall be entitled to, without any liability whatsoever to KHEA, forthwith terminate the Contract at any time within the Cooling-Off Period by way of a written notice to KHEA. KHEA shall return all Programme Fees and Miscellaneous Fees paid to it within seven (7) working days of the receipt of the written notice.
9. Refund for Withdrawal Outside the Cooling-Off Period:
Without prejudice to Clauses 1 to 8 above, the Contracting Party may terminate the Contract at any time before the Programme Completion Date by providing a written notice to KHEA. Upon receipt of such notice, KHEA shall within seven (7) working days, refund to the Contracting Party such amount (if any) as determined in accordance with Schedule D.
10. Non-Refundable Fee:
Kaplan Financial
- The New International Student Application Fee is non-refundable under any circumstances. The New International Student Application Fee is an administrative fee to cover the ICA assessment fee paid to the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority of Singapore to process the Student’s Pass application. The New International Student Application Fee does not have any fee component that is used to offset programme fee payment. Programme Fees are listed in Schedule B.
- The New and Existing International Student Administration Fee is non-refundable after the commencement of classes except under the circumstance where the student pass application is rejected by the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority of Singapore. The New (not applicable for Existing) International Student Administration Fee refers to the administrative fee which includes application for Kaplan Student Access Card, Student’s Pass, Fee Protection Scheme, Medical Insurance and ICA Issuance Fee. This fee is payable upon the approval of programme application by the respective approving institutions. The New and Existing International Student Administration Fee does not have any fee component that is used to offset programme fee payment.
- The computer-based examination fee (applicable only for ACCA and FIA courses) for Kaplan Financial programmes is non-refundable save where there is a Non-Delivery of Programme as described in Clause 1 above. The relevant fees are found in Schedule C of the contract.
11. Refund Amount
% of [the amount of Programme Fees and Miscellaneous Fees paid under Schedules B and C]:
Request for Refund
Student can request for refund by submitting the refund form or via email. Examples of reason for refund include the following:
Platforms to communicate refund policy to prospective and existing students
The refund policy shall be clearly communicated to all students via the KHEA website, Standard Student Contract and online student handbook, as well as during the welcome orientation.
The refund policy shall be clearly explained to all students and prospective students. This is part of the Pre-Course Counselling process.
Students are also made aware that they are required to abide by the refund policy clearly specified on the programme application form and Standard Student Contract. It is part of the Student Contract execution process that the refund policy be explained to students.
Communicate to students on the computation of the refund amount
Students will be informed on the computation of the refund amount in writing.
Students who fail to abide by the regulations and guidelines of the Kaplan’s Student Code of Conduct may be subjected to disciplinary action.
Kaplan’s Non-Academic Disciplinary Committee (NADC) shall convene to hear and rule on any non-academic offence referred to it. In determining any appropriate disciplinary action, the Committee shall take its guidance from the Kaplan Non-Academic Misconduct Matrix to address the matter objectively.
Examples of standard outcomes to committee hearings may, non-exclusively, include:
Students whose studies are delayed or terminated because of disciplinary action will not be eligible for any refund of programme and other fees paid.
All reasonable care will be taken to protect the student’s legal rights and freedom, and to ensure that the student’s parent/legal guardian is informed as soon as reasonably practicable after it becomes clear that the student may face formal disciplinary action. This applies to students below the age of 18 and, if necessary, students aged 18 years old and above.
Students who are not satisfied with the decision made may submit a written appeal to the Non-Academic Appeals Committee (NAAC) through their Programme Manager within 14 working days of receiving notification of the disciplinary action. The NAAC has the authority to uphold, modify or impose a harsher judgement than that issued by the NADC based on their independent assessment and consideration of the case. The student will be notified of the decision of the NAAC within 14 working days from the date of submission or hearing (where necessary), whichever is later.
Where the student is still dissatisfied with the result of the appeal, reference can be made from the Dispute Resolution Policy for the next course of possible action.
Academic Misconduct and Penalties
In order for the integrity of reported academic achievements of students to be upheld, Kaplan takes a serious and interested view of occurrences of academic misconduct. Over and above cheating during the examinations, academic misconduct refers to any form of dishonesty committed by a student in relation to summative assessment. It includes the following offences:
Plagiarism
In essence, plagiarism is the theft of someone else’s ideas and work. Copying work or written text from a student, the Internet, or any document without giving due credit to the source of the information is plagiarism regardless of whether a student copies verbatim or rephrases the idea.
Paraphrasing the information taken from sources without referencing is insufficient. In the preparation of work submitted to meet module requirements, whether a draft or a final version of a paper or project, students must take great care to distinguish their own original work from ideas, language, and information derived from other sources. Sources include published primary and secondary materials, electronic media, and information and opinions gathered directly from other people or self.
Self-plagiarism
Submitting the same assignment for more than one class without significantly rewriting the assignment and/or demonstrating sufficient further development of the intellectual ideas expressed therein and without first receiving instructor permission constitutes self-plagiarism. In cases where previous assignments are allowed to be submitted for another class, it is the responsibility of the student to enhance the assignment with additional research such that it is a sufficiently new piece of work. Findings of plagiarism will remain on a student’s record permanently.
Plagiarism is a serious offence and may result in the following sanctions:
Collusion
Students must assume that collaboration in the completion of written assignments is prohibited unless explicitly permitted by the instructor. Students must acknowledge any collaboration and its extent in all submitted assignments. Students are subject to disciplinary action if they:
Collusion is a serious offence and may result in the following sanctions:
Examination Misconduct
Examination misconduct refers to the breaching of Kaplan Singapore’s regulations during the Examination. Examples of examination misconduct are listed as follows:
Cheating
Falsification
Personation
Ghosting including Contract Cheating
Any other form of examination misconduct not identified in the above examples.
Examination misconduct is a serious offence and may result in the following sanctions:
2nd Offence
Kaplan will issue a written statement to notify the student that his or her enrolment has been terminated for violation of the academic policy; i.e. the student will be expelled from Kaplan, with notification to the ICA for student pass holders.
The appeal procedure will apply if student wishes to appeal on the penalty or determination. Findings of academic misconduct will remain on a student’s record permanently.
Appeal on penalty or determination
The appeal procedure will apply if student wishes to appeal on the penalty or determination. Findings of academic misconduct will remain on a student’s record permanently.
University Partner Programmes
Penalties for university partner programmes on academic misconduct offences will be in accordance to the university partners’ respective policies.
Policy
Disputes or grievances may arise concerning any aspect of a student’s educational experience, including both academic and non-academic matters.
For issues related to student discipline or academic concerns (e.g., appeals against results or expulsion), the relevant University or Kaplan Student Code of Conduct and its associated procedures will take precedence over this Dispute and Grievance Resolution Policy.
Students must include their Full Name, Student ID, Contact Information, Intake Code, and Course Title in all communications. Anonymous complaints will not be considered and addressed.
3-Step Procedure
Step 1 – If a dispute or grievance arises, students are encouraged to first address the issue directly with the responsible department. Alternatively, students can seek assistance from their Programme Management (PM) staff. Contact details for the Heads of Department are provided below. In many cases, grievances can be resolved at this initial stage, and the PM staff may arrange a meeting to facilitate a resolution.
Foundation and Language Programmes
Ms Evelyn Wu (DID: 6309 5759 | evelyn.wu@kaplan.com)
- Programme Director
Diploma, Bachelor’s & Master’s Degree Programmes
Ms Cheng Siew Kiong (DID: 6496 5650 | siewkiong.cheng@kaplan.com)
- Senior Director, Student Services
Kaplan Financial Courses
Ms Lorelle Koh (DID: 6309 5715 | lorelle.koh@kaplan.com)
- Head, Kaplan Financial
Step 2 – If the issue is not resolved through this direct interaction, students may submit their concerns via email to feedback.sg@kaplan.com. This email will be forwarded to the relevant department(s) for review. Kaplan Higher Education Academy aims to resolve all disputes or complaints within 7 working days. However, complex issues involving multiple parties may require additional time and may need to be escalated to the Vice-President of Operations or Deans.
Step 3 – If the dispute or grievance remains unresolved after completing the above steps, either party may escalate the matter to SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG). SSG may advise on further steps, which could include mediation through the SSG Mediation-Arbitration Scheme, referral to the Small Claims Tribunals (SCT), or seeking legal counsel.
Bad Financial Standing (BFS) is imposed if students have any outstanding fee or charges. When it occurs, BFS is automatically applied to the student’s record. If the student is in BFS, they will not be able to enrol for classes/examinations, access to LMS and self-services (e.g. Kaplan360 mobile app) will also be discontinued and they will not be eligible for graduation and provision of results/academic transcript.
If students discontinue their unit/module enrolment, unit/module re-enrolment and/or re-admission will be refused until the outstanding balance, including late charges, have been paid in full. The PM Director may terminate a student’s enrolment during the teaching period, on the grounds that the student has not paid the outstanding balance of fees or charges. A student whose enrolment has been terminated may be reinstated if the student pays in full the total outstanding fees and charges due.
This policy broadly outlines your obligations whenever information technology resources are used, in order to protect individual personal data, the systems which store and process it, and ensure that Kaplan can meet its obligations to provide quality, timely resources to support the successful execution and completion of academic programmes and examinations.
Students acting in accordance with this policy can use official Kaplan apps, use Kaplan-provided electronic data storage, and communicate electronically via tools such as email, chat, text or video conferencing.
Policy
Student Responsibility
General Use of Computer, Network and Applications
Don’t use campus computing resources (desktops, laptops, notebooks, net books, servers, network devices, tablets, PDAs, etc.) to participate in any activity that adversely affects other students, the reputation of Kaplan, or that poses a security threat either to the campus or to external entities.
Such threats include, but are not limited to:
Privacy
Use of Kaplan Furnished Computer System
Use of Non-Kaplan Furnished Computer System
Use of Kaplan’s Internet Service
Use of Kaplan’s Network and Server
Malware Prevention
Student Account and Password
Computer Security Incident Reporting
Reporting paths. You may report such incidents through your programme manager. Please clearly identify that you are reporting a suspected breach of information security. Be prepared to give the time and date of the incident, who is involved, and a detailed description of the events.
- Dedicated Email Address. Alternatively, please send an e-mail message to SingaporeIThelpdesk@kaplan.com.
- If you are unable to use e-mail to communicate, you may call 6496-5699 and leave a message.
Definitions
We treat all information provided by students with the strictest confidentiality and in accordance with the Kaplan Privacy Policy. During the course of your study, you may wish to edit your personal information and preferences. This can be done via the Kaplan360 mobile app.