Refund Policy

This policy sets out how our fees are charged, which payments are refundable and how payment is accepted.

Our Fee Structure

Our professional fee is divided into two payments, and the amounts, dates and inclusions are set out in the written agreement you sign with us before any work begins. We do not charge anything that is not recorded in that agreement.

The first payment is the file opening fee, which becomes due at the time your file is opened. This fee covers the assessment of your academic and financial profile, one-to-one counselling, the shortlisting of institutions and destinations, the preparation and checking of your documents, and the university application fees for the institutions to which we apply on your behalf. Because those application fees are paid out to the universities as soon as the applications are submitted, a substantial part of this payment leaves our hands immediately and cannot be recovered.

The second payment is the balance of our service fee, which becomes due only after your visa has been approved. If your visa is not approved, this balance is not payable. This structure exists deliberately: it means the larger part of what you pay us is tied to a successful outcome.

The File Opening Fee Is Non-Refundable

Once your file has been opened, the file opening fee is non-refundable in full and under all circumstances. No part of it is returned, reduced or carried forward, and this applies regardless of the stage at which your file ends or the reason it ends.

This includes, without limitation, a refusal of your visa application by an embassy, high commission or immigration authority; a decision by a university or college to decline your application or to withdraw an offer; a decision by you to discontinue, to change destination, to defer to a later intake, or to withdraw for personal, financial, medical or family reasons; a change in visa rules, eligibility criteria, financial thresholds or intake dates announced after your file was opened; and your inability to obtain the required English language score or supporting documents.

The reason is that the services the fee pays for are delivered at the outset. Assessment, counselling, documentation and university applications are carried out as soon as the file opens, and the university application fees included in the payment are transferred to the institutions concerned. The work is complete and the money is spent well before any decision is made on your case.

Costs That Are Not Part of Our Fee

A number of costs arise during a study abroad application that are charged by third parties and not by us. These are entirely separate from our professional fee and are not covered by any payment you make to us. They include university tuition, admission deposits and enrolment charges; visa application and embassy fees; VFS Global or other visa application centre service charges; biometrics, medical examination and police clearance fees; blocked account, GIC or proof-of-funds deposits; IELTS, TOEFL, PTE and other test fees; document attestation, notarisation, translation and courier charges; and air tickets, travel insurance and related travel costs.

You may pay these amounts directly to the organisation concerned, or, where a facility exists, through us. Where you pay through us, we forward the amount in full to the third party and add no margin to it. Once such a payment has been made, we are not in a position to refund it, because the funds are no longer held by us. Any refund of a third-party charge is determined solely by the organisation that received it, under its own published rules, and we will assist you in pursuing such a refund where one is available.

If Your Application Is Refused

A refusal does not give rise to a refund of the file opening fee, for the reasons set out above. It does, however, give rise to continuing obligations on our part, and we take those seriously.

Where your application is refused, we will obtain and explain the grounds of refusal to you in plain terms, assess honestly whether a reapplication, an appeal or a change of destination is realistic in your case, and, where a reapplication is realistic, prepare and submit it under the terms of your existing agreement without a further file opening fee. Where we conclude that no realistic route remains open to you, we will tell you so rather than encourage a further application that we do not believe will succeed.

The balance of our service fee remains unpayable unless and until a visa is approved.

If You Cancel

You may discontinue our services at any time by notifying us in writing at the office handling your file. Cancellation does not entitle you to a refund of the file opening fee, and any third-party payments already made on your behalf remain subject to the rules of the organisation that received them.

Where your file is cancelled, we will return to you any original documents in our possession and confirm in writing that the engagement has ended.

How Payments Are Accepted

We accept payment in cash at either of our Bangladesh offices, or by deposit or transfer to the company bank account named in your signed agreement. A receipt is issued for every payment we receive, and you should retain it. We do not presently collect payment through this website.

We never request payment to a personal mobile financial services account or to a personal bank account. If you are asked to send money to a personal bKash, Nagad or Rocket number, or to a personal bank account, in the name of SA Associates or any of its staff, that request does not come from us. Please contact our office to verify before making any such payment. We accept no responsibility for funds sent to accounts other than those named in your signed agreement.

Raising a Concern About a Payment

If you believe that a charge has been applied incorrectly, that a payment has not been recorded, or that a receipt has not been issued, please contact the office handling your file, quoting your file reference and attaching a copy of the relevant receipt. We will review the matter and respond to you in writing.

If you have any question about this policy before making a payment, we would rather answer it in advance than after the money has been paid. You can reach us at [email protected].

SA Associates · Dhaka and Chittagong, Bangladesh · [email protected]
Where anything in this document conflicts with the written agreement signed between you and us, that agreement takes precedence.