Is my course accredited?
Prior to 30 January 2012 all universities and other institutions approved to offer higher education awards will continue to be listed on the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) register. The AQF register will also continue to include information on the courses each institution is accredited to deliver.
From 30 January 2012 the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) will maintain a list of approved higher education providers on a provider register. TEQSA’s provider register will also include information on whether higher education institutions are self-accrediting or non self-accrediting and the courses which each provider is accredited to deliver.
Can only universities offer higher education courses?
No. Non-university providers can be accredited to offer higher education courses. Higher education courses include those leading to the awards of diploma, advanced diploma, associate degree, bachelor degree, graduate certificate, graduate diploma, master's degree or doctoral degree.
Who is responsible for the quality of higher education course delivery?
Australian universities have the authority to accredit their own courses. While universities can accredit their own awards, they may not necessarily confer professional accreditation for entry to professional practice. They are also responsible for their own academic and quality assurance standards. In fact the capacity to responsibly exercise this authority is among the criteria for recognition as a university in Australia.
Most other higher education providers do not have the authority to accredit their own courses. From 30 January 2012 the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) will accredit these courses and publish this information on the provider register. Prior to this State and Territory accrediting authorities had responsibility for course accreditation.
How can I find out about credit transfer and Australian universities?
Universities in Australia determine their own entry requirements for students, including minimum coursework requirements. However, universities generally do not expect students to repeat coursework that has been successfully completed at a similar level and standard elsewhere.
Individual universities have developed a range of cross-sector qualification linkages with the vocational education and training (VET) sector. They include credit transfer, dual awards where a student enrols in both a higher education degree and VET award, and articulation arrangements where a student progresses from one award to another along a clearly specified pathway.
Further information may be obtained from individual university websites.
How can I make a complaint about a university?
Universities in Australia are autonomous institutions, and as such the Australian Government is unable to intervene in individual student complaints.
All universities are required to have formal grievance procedures in place to deal with student complaints. If a student has exhausted all lines of complaint at their university, they may be able to make a complaint to the relevant State or Territory Ombudsman. Details of the State and Territory Ombudsmen can be found on our contacts page.
Which regulations govern the delivery of higher education courses to international students?
The provision of education and training services to overseas students in Australia is regulated by the Commonwealth Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations through the Education Services for Overseas Students (ESOS) Act and associated legislation. The purpose of the legislation is to protect the interests of people coming to Australia on student visas, by providing tuition and financial assurance and by ensuring a nationally consistent approach to provider registration.
Under the ESOS Act, only providers registered on the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students (CRICOS) are permitted to offer education or training services to overseas students. CRICOS provides a national listing of all providers registered to offer courses to people studying in Australia on student visas, as well as the courses that these providers are registered to offer. Both the providers intending to offer courses to overseas students and the courses offered by them must be approved by the appropriate State or Territory education authority.
A National Code of Practice for Registration Authorities and Providers of Education and Training to Overseas Students has also been developed as part of the regulatory framework. The Code provides legally enforceable and nationally consistent standards for providers registered to offer courses to overseas students in Australia.
What is CRICOS?
The Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students (CRICOS) lists those providers that have been registered to offer courses to people studying in Australia on student visas, as well as listing the courses they offer. Since 4 June 2001 institutions wishing to provide courses to overseas students studying in Australia have been required to comply with the requirements of the National Code of Practice for Registration Authorities and Providers of Education and Training to Overseas Students (the National Code).
[Return to Top]