Getting Started as Student

If you are still receiving a statement from SIT that your fees haven’t been paid and your programme of study has already started, please talk to Administration.

Any overdue fees may be sent to a debt collection agency, who will be supplied with all relevant details in respect of any outstanding fees, as well as your contact details. Debt collection will incur additional fees.

All assignments have due dates which need to be met. All of your assessment due dates can be found on Blackboard by going into any paper in which you are enrolled and clicking on ‘Calendar’ on the left of the page or discuss with your tutor.

Step 1: 
To decide whether your previous education, training or work experience is relevant, start by looking at the paper descriptors of the SIT papers you want to apply RPL for. You may obtain these from the RPL facilitator or the Programme Manager. If the paper is a unit standard (papers with codes beginning with ‘US’), you can get a copy of the unit standard from the NZQA website: https://www.nzqa.govt.nz/framework/search/index.do

Step 2: 
For each paper:

• Identify the knowledge and skill you have learned that reasonably match the learning outcomes for the paper.
• Ensure that you have obtained or can obtain necessary evidence to prove that you have the skills and knowledge.
• Repeat the above steps for each outcome of each paper you are applying RPL for.

Reminder: Any formal education/training and/or experience will need to:

1. Have similar content
2. Be at the same level as the paper/unit standard that you are applying for
3. Have a similar number of credits
4. Be current (i.e. have been completed in approximately the last five years)

Step 3: 
Contact the Programme Manager and discuss your proposal. They will advise if you should pursue the RPL process.

Step 4: 
You need to prepare a portfolio of evidence that clearly shows the assessor how you meet each learning outcome. This may mean contacting an institute that you studied with to obtain academic transcripts and course descriptors. It is your responsibility to obtain these documents and have transcripts verified.

Fee & Evidence Information

Sample Paper Descriptor

Step 5: 
Contact the RPL facilitator once you have this information organised. The facilitator will be able to advise you if sufficient evidence has been supplied and on the next steps of the process.

Note:

• It takes 4 to 8 weeks to process an RPL application. It may take longer to process your application during the peak periods at the beginning and end of the year.
• RPL can only be gained for a complete unit standard/module/paper
• An applicant may be awarded RPL where it can be demonstrated that prior learning reaches the required standard
• If the RPL result is required for a qualification completion at the end of the year:
  • It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that sufficient time is given to their RPL application by submitting the application early.(Preferable 4 months before programme completion date)
  • If the RPL application requires the result of another paper taken concurrently at another institution, please make sure to inform the Programme Manager.
• “Credit Transfer” refers to credit gained from a qualification awarded by another provider
• “Cross Credit” refers to credits that may be granted for more than one qualification within the one institution

There are three ways to prove your prior learning:

• Attestation: An authoritative person(s) confirms your prior learning, either through an interview or through a written statement.
• Challenge: Your prior learning is tested by means of a practical, oral or written test or a combination of these three.
• Portfolio: You prepare a collection of materials and information containing all the details and evidence of your previous learning.

RPL stands for Recognition of Prior Learning. The aim of RPL is to avoid repetition and save time.

RPL considers your:

• Previous programmes and qualifications
• Life experiences
• Work experiences
• Training programmes and workshops

The RPL process recognises what you have learnt and measures this against the requirements of the programme that you are enrolling for.

If you have already completed some unit standards or papers in the programme that you are applying for, please complete the Cross-Credit form. Send it to us with a copy of your NZQA Record of Achievement. If possible, please send this form in with your application form.

More information about Recognition of Prior Learning can be found on our website. You can also email admin_group@sit.ac.nz for the form.