South Europe College Policies
Learn about our policies in-depth, including both general and specific guidelines
Policy for Registrations and Admissions
This policy aims to provide equal opportunity for all the prospective students aspiring to be part of SOUTH EUROPE COLLEGE (SEC). Should a prospective student fail to meet the requirements of the program he/she is applying to, his/her qualifications will be evaluated by SEC. Interview may be required in some cases.
Every program in the SEC has specific requirements for admission, which may include the following:
- Credentials that conform to the European Qualifications Framework standards with regard to the program level and overall credits. In the case of international credentials, MQRIC declaration must be obtained from the Ministry of Higher Education and Training
- Identification card or passport for identity authentication
Accepted applicants will be provided with login credentials for SEC’s virtual learning platform. Rejected applicants, on the other hand, will be notified via email. Appeals may be submitted within 30 days from the receipt of the email.
Policy for Public Information
This policy aims to exhibit SEC’s transparency through publishing pertinent information about SEC and the courses it offers.
Information that are publicly available on various media, including the operative university’s website which is kept up to date to provide clear and accurate information about the educational institution and the educational programs, are as follows:
the name of our college and the license number and the category under which it is licensed:
- High Education Institution
SEC’s contact details, address, official accreditation, and faculty members - Specific course’s title, level, credits, code number, objectives, and syllabus
- Methods of instruction and evaluation systems
Also, the institution’s Internal Quality Assurance Document as approved by the MFHEA
The aforementioned published information are reviewed annually or as deemed necessary.
Policy for Performance and Attendance
This policy aims to ensure academic excellence and development through mandatory regular attendance and participation of students in all academic undertakings.
All students should have at least 80% attendance and participation, even with the existence of unforeseen events as enumerated below. In addition, students must pass all the examinations, including the module assignment and the final exam. Failure to comply with the aforementioned regulations will result in illegibility of receiving a final certificate.
In case of the following unforeseen events, students must notify the university of their absence and present relevant documents upon return in order to be excused from classes:
⦁ Sickness or injury
⦁ Serious illness of family member
⦁ Litigation
⦁ SEC-approved extracurricular activities participation
⦁ National event participation
Policy for Course Withdrawal and Refund
This policy aims to present a number of options for a student who opt to discontinue his/her enrollment. Availing any one of the following options can only be done once in a student’s academic career:
⦁ Withdrawal and Refund
Withdrawal from or transfer to a course corresponds to €100 of administrative fee. Other relevant fees are presented in detail in the student’s acceptance letter. Refunds may be issued for requests submitted to the Student’s Information System (SIS) within a month after the enrollment. In the case of an international student, refunds are limited to the amount specified in his/her acceptance letter.
⦁ Deferments and Extensions
Requests for deferments/extensions are subject to SEC’s approval. Sufficient documentation, clean student record of deferment/extension request, and good payment history are expected for the approval of request. Approved requests may have corresponding fees.
⦁ Course Transfer
Requests for course transfer submitted to the admission email are subject to SEC’s approval. For transfer fees, a student may refer to the specific details indicated in his/her acceptance letter.
Policy for Data Protection
This policy aims to present the kinds of data SEC acquires from the students, faculty, other employees, and third parties; the manner of collecting, using, and storing the acquired data; and the rights of the students with regard to their data.
Data Collection
Student, faculty, employee, and third-party data may be obtained by SEC from online registrations, social media engagements, physical or online surveys, cookie-enabled university website visits, details given to the university via phone calls, enrollment details, career inquiries, third-party service inquiries, public work administrations, and university’s internal reports.
Also, ESU gained the international accreditation from the Accreditation Service for International Schools, Colleges and Universities (ASIC) in UK. ASIC accreditation enjoys a high international acceptance. In addition, ASIC is a member in CHEA (CIQG) in the United State of America. Moreover, it is included in the International Directory, in addition to being a member in the British Quality Foundation and European Distance and E-learning Network. Also, the ESU aspires to get the accreditations of the Ministries of Education in many countries.
Data Usage
The acquired data may be used by SEC for various registrations such as classes, exams, insurance, and other services; paperwork processing; SEC’s service improvement; payment processing; immigration-related attendance records; certification standards compliance; emergencies; school-related issues; and marketing material distribution.
Data Storage
Hard copies of students’ data are stored at SEC’s administration offices. These hard copies are stored for ten years and are deleted thereafter. On the other hand, soft copies of some data are kept indefinitely for SEC’s reference. Some student information may also be saved on encrypted computers used by the students within the institution. SEC guarantees the absolute confidentiality of the aforementioned data.
Hard copies of faculty members’ and employees’ data are stored at the human resources department and administrative department. Soft copies are kept in the university’s software system.
Data Access
Compliant with the 2001 Data Protection Act, only authorized personnel can access and review the abovementioned data.
Data Protection Rights
Students are entitled to the following rights:
⦁ Right to object participation in any promotional materials used by SEC
⦁ Right to object sharing of data with stakeholders
⦁ Right to request copies of one’s own personal data
⦁ Right to rectify any erroneous information related to one’s own personal data
⦁ Right to request deletion of one’s own personal data, subject to certain criteria
⦁ Right to restrict/object processing of one’s own personal data, subject to certain criteria
⦁ Right to request transmission of one’s own data to another organization, subject to legal constraints
⦁ Right to not accept/delete cookies on one’s own browser
SEC’s privacy policy is reviewed on a regular basis. Policy changes are always reflected on this page. For related requests or concerns, students may reach us at the internal ticketing contact system.
PhD duration of Study: 3 academic years divided into 9 semesters.
Policy for Academic Integrity
This policy aims to present the scope of and penalties for plagiarism and cheating. SEC enforces a zero-tolerance policy for such offenses.
Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to, the following:
⦁ Copying from physical or electronic sources as if it is one’s own
⦁ Paraphrasing materials without proper citation
⦁ Reusing previously submitted assignment
⦁ Availing third-party service and submitting it as one’s own
SEC uses Turnitin software to ensure that students’ submissions are compliant with the university’s standard of having less than 21% similarity to other sources.
Cheating includes, but is not limited to, the following:
⦁ Having unauthorized notes or information during examinations
⦁ Communicating during examinations
Students proven to have committed plagiarism or cheating offenses will be subject to the following penalties, depending on the level of offense:
⦁ Verbal warning
⦁ Failing grade for the particular coursework
⦁ Temporary or permanent course suspension
⦁ Cancellation of examination
PhD: Research and personal meeting are in Arabic.
Policy for Mitigation
This policy aims to present negative unforeseen circumstances that may arise in a student’s academic career as well as steps to be taken in case mitigation is desired.
Unforeseen circumstances include, but are not limited to, the following:
⦁ Physical or mental illness
⦁ Financial constraints
⦁ Emotional problems, e.g., death of a family member
⦁ Disability
⦁ Loss of immigration status
⦁ Court appearance
In such cases, students are expected to notify relevant faculty or academic personnel for guidance. Relevant documents requested from or submitted by the students will then be processed by SEC’s relevant departments.
Policy for Student Complaints
This policy aims to discuss the procedure in filing a complaint.
SEC encourages informal settlement, if possible, when dealing with student concerns via addressing complaints directly to relevant people. Nevertheless, should there be a need to file a formal complaint, the following procedure is followed:
⦁ The student-complainant files a formal complaint through SEC’s senior management team. The student should notify the team regarding the following: attempts made to resolve the concern informally, details of the complaint, and desired solution.
⦁ The complaint is raised to SEC’s relevant official, who forms a committee that is tasked to investigate on the issue.
⦁ Committee’s assessment, including appeal details, is released within 15 days upon receiving the complaint. Involved people may be summoned for hearing if deemed necessary.
⦁ Committee finalizes the necessary actions and coordinates with the SEC’s relevant official for the implementation.
Appeals may or may not be permitted by the committee. SEC is tasked to evaluate all the appeals. The committee and SEC’s decision is final.
SEC guarantees the absolute confidentiality of all complaints filed before the senior management team.
Application Procedure
To obtain RPL, the following procedure must be followed:
⦁ The student must fill out the application form via SEC’s website. Should the student need further assistance, he/she may contact SEC.
⦁ The student must produce scanned copies of relevant documents that serve as proof of his/her past learnings. Relevant documents may include, but are not limited to:
• Curriculum vitae
• Employment history
• Diploma
• Letter of recommendation
• List of work accomplishments at previous employment
• Volunteer work
• Work-related documents
⦁ The student must accomplish two declaration papers that guarantee truthfulness in all the submitted documents and that allow SEC to access and validate them.
⦁ The student must submit via email all the aforementioned documents, together with his/her application form.
Within two weeks, the student will get a status update on his/her application. The student may be requested to submit further evidence or may be invited for additional assessment.
An RPL coordinator will be available to assist the student-applicants in the entire process. There will also be assessor/s assisting the RPL coordinator. Technical or academic specialists will be in charge of interviewing the applicants. Should there be a split decision among the involved personnel, RPL coordinator will have the final decision.
Evaluation
The submitted documents are evaluated based on their validity, authenticity, and relevance. Proof presented must cover at least 70% of the course’s learning objectives. Aside from the document review, the evaluation process involves one or a combination of the following: assignment, interview, practical assessment, case study, or written exam. Student-applicants are notified of the method/s of evaluation within two weeks after their submission.
Results and Appeals
Student-applicants will receive the results, in the form of markings on transcripts, within a month after the final evaluation. Should the applicants find the results unjust or inaccurate, they can file a complaint to the CEO and the Internal Quality Assurance team via the internal ticketing system. In such cases, a second assessment may be made through a new technical specialist assessor. The result of the second assessment will be final and will be sent to the applicant as a full written report.
Confidentiality
SEC guarantees the absolute confidentiality of all the documents submitted by the applicants.
Policy for Learning Resources
This policy aims to orient the students on the course’s details. A full day must be allotted to discuss the course’s objectives, syllabus, modules, instructors, assignments, grading system, and submissions’ format/inclusions (i.e., name, course, deadline, word count, plagiarism similarity percentage, among others). Instructors may also propose academic placement opportunities for particular students.
Policy for Student Work Assessment
This policy aims to present SEC’s internal quality procedures in creating summative and formative assessments.
SEC implements two kinds of evaluation: summative and formative. The former is an evaluation of learnings via assignments, examinations, and other similar methods; whereas, the latter is used to track students’ progress via feedback from instructors, peers, or one’s self.
To ensure fair and efficient evaluation process of students’ works and performance, SEC guarantees the following:
⦁ Competence of faculty in every aspect of the assessments
⦁ Assessment-for-learning approach
⦁ Formative assessment in lectures and in all of the student activities
⦁ Disclosure of assessment method and criteria prior to the start of classes
⦁ Assessment Design Creation: SEC applies the following procedure in creating assessments:
⦁ The faculty creates summative assessments based on SEC’s policy and standards.
⦁ The Internal Quality Assurance team reviews the summative assessments and ensures that they are aligned with the course’s goals, they cover a range of activities, and they have reasonable grading schedule.
⦁ Classroom observation and faculty’s portfolio review are done for formative assessment.
⦁ Improvements/changes are discussed with relevant faculty members.
⦁ Students receive the assessment tasks.
⦁ Internal Quality Assurance team ensures that feedback given by the instructors to the students are consistent, fair, and accurate. However, should a student wish to have his/her grade re-evaluated, SEC will follow the procedure stated in its policy for student complaints.
Sample Student Agreement
⦁ This agreement shall govern the relationship between SEC, hereinafter referred as ‘the educational institution’ and (name of student with Identity card number), hereinafter referred to as ‘the student’. By accepting an offer to study at the institution and by completing the process of registration and enrolment, the institution and the student are agreeing to abide by the terms of this agreement.
⦁ The terms of this agreement will become effective upon registration and payment to the institution of the fees for the educational programme quoted in Clause 3.
The educational programme
⦁ Name of the educational programme:
⦁ Awarding Body:
⦁ EQF/MQF Level:
⦁ Number of credits:
⦁ Duration:
⦁ Commencement date:
⦁ Termination date:
⦁ Hours of Total Learning:
⦁ Mode of Delivery:
⦁ Mode of Attendance:
⦁ Language of Instruction:
⦁ Addresses where the programme will be delivered:
⦁ Addresses where the placement/clinical training will take place:
⦁ Entry Requirements for the educational programme:
⦁ Structure of the programme:
⦁ The intended learning outcomes:
⦁ The teaching, learning and assessment procedures:
⦁ Academic qualifications leading to a regulated profession
⦁ The grading system:
⦁ The educational fees:
Cancellation and Refund Procedures
A student may exercise the right to be refunded the tuition fees in certain cases.
A student may apply for a refund by (quote procedure to obtain a refund and make reference to a refund policy if already in place).
This agreement does not preclude the student from taking further action under the Consumer Affairs Act (Cap378 Laws of Malta).
Duties of SEC
SEC is committed to :
(i) Provide to the student the teaching, assessment and other educational services for which the student is enrolled and the educational institution shall take all the steps which are reasonably in its power to provide these educational services in accordance with the terms of this agreement.
(ii) Guarantee the students’ rights, including the right to obtain assessment results upon the student having completed all the necessary assessment requirements of the programme or parts thereof.
(iii) Advice the intending overseas students of their duty to furnish the educational institution with any change in their contact details, which include their residential address and telephone number in Malta as well as a contact address overseas, following the completion of their studies.
Duties of the Student
⦁ Duties of the Student
The student shall: –
⦁ Disclose to the educational institution full and accurate academic and personal information as required for applications for admission, registration, and enrolment purposes.
⦁ Inform the educational institution if there is any change to the academic or personal information that was provided at admission, registration or enrolment stage as soon as is reasonably practicable.
⦁ Fulfill all the academic requirements of the educational programme; including participating in lectures/tutorials or other guided-learning activities, submitting coursework/assignements on time, participate in course-related activities and adequately prepare and sit for examinations/assessment.
⦁ Abide by any statutes, regulations, rôles and policies which are in place in the educational institution, and which apply to students.
⦁ Overseas students shall furnish the educational institution with any change in their contact details, which include their residential address and telephone number in Malta as well as a contact address overseas, following the completion of their studies.
SEC’s Default Clauses
⦁ SEC’s Default Clauses
The institution is in default and hence obliged to refund the student with the tuition fees which have been paid and any other expenses, such as travel and accommodation expenses, incurred for the purpose of studying in Malta, when: –
⦁ The educational programme does not start on the agreed starting day;
⦁ The educational programme ceases to be provided at any time after it starts but before it is completed;
⦁ The educational programme is not provided in full to the student due to a condition or restriction imposed on the educational institution by the Authority in accordance with the regulations in S.L607.03 or due to the revocation, by the Authority, of the applicable license or accreditation in accordance to S.L.607.03.
Provided that where the intending student or the student has withdrawn from the programme before the day on which such circumstances arise, the educational institution shall not be deemed to be so in default
⦁ The educational institution fails to issue all examination and other assessment results to the student upon the student having completed all the necessary assessment requirements of the programme or parts thereof.
Student’s Default Clauses
The educational institution and the student shall attempt to resolve any dispute by following this procedure (explain the process by which both parties intend to resolve any dispute which may arise from the agreement).
This agreement is governed by Maltese Law and does not preclude the parties from seeking other legal remedies provided under the Laws of Malta.
Data Sharing Clause
In accordance to article 5 of the Further and Higher Education Act (CAP 607 Laws of Malta) and without prejudice to the data protection provisions established by virtue of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the (name of provider) shall grant access to the Malta Further and Higher Education Authority (MFHEA) to the information collected through this student agreement. The data shall be transmitted to the Authority within a reasonable time from when it was requested and shall be used by the Authority in pursuance of its functions.