The first time I was informed of the terms of withdrawal and refund was a month after lessons began. One condition surprised me. It stated that students who withdrew later than 14 days after classes began would be liable to pay the outstanding tuition fee. Still, I signed the contract.

Like most students, quitting was the farthest thought from my mind, especially after paying almost $7,000 for the first tuition fee instalment and ancillary charges.

But the pressure of work and other commitments forced me to withdraw a few months later. A month later, MDIS accepted my withdrawal - and asked me to pay, within three months, the rest of the course fee which amounted to some $20,000. I have since found out that this is not an industry practice. It is ironic that other non-CaseTrust-accredited institutions do not expect their students to pay the full sum if they withdraw. If I had known this before signing up with MDIS, I would have chosen another school.

I am a working adult who left school more than a decade ago, and one can never say one can hold down a job and study at the same time. I sought the help of Case but to no avail.

MDIS claims its withdrawal policy was clearly communicated to me in the confirmation papers, the student handbook and its website. The confirmation form I signed makes no mention of the withdrawal policy, the handbook was distributed only after classes had begun and there was no mention of the terms of withdrawal on the online registration page or the course fee information page in the website when I registered online.

Stephanie Kok Min Hui (Miss)