Assuring Quality in Australian Higher Education

Here you will find useful information about how Australia assures the quality of its higher education system. You will also be able to find out if a university or a course offered by a particular higher education provider is accredited. Accreditation by the appropriate authority gives you the confidence that the university or higher education provider is meeting the standards expected of Australian higher education.

There are 43 self-accrediting higher education institutions in Australia and 39 of these are universities. In addition to these institutions there are over 100 private education providers accredited by State and Territory Governments offering higher education courses. The Australian Qualification Framework (AQF) lists universities and other self-accrediting higher education institutions  , providing a link to the institutions homepage. The AQF also provides information on non self-accrediting higher education institutions      

Follow the links below to find out more.

• The Australian Higher Education Quality Assurance Framework
  Describes the role of the Commonwealth, Australian States and Territories, the AQF and AUQA in quality assurance in Australian higher education.
• Alert on Fake Degrees and Unaccredited Higher Education Providers
  Explains who can offer an Australian degree, contains an alert about fake degree sellers and bogus and unauthorised higher education providers, and an email service allowing you to query the recognition of higher education institutions in Australia.
• Alert information on Greenwich University
  Explains the status of 'Greenwich University', a private institution which operated on Norfolk Island from 1998 until December 2002.
• Quality Auditing of Offshore Delivery    
  Provides information about the Australian Government's offshore auditing of Australian higher education.
• Frequently asked questions
  Provides answers to frequently asked questions.
• Useful links and publications    
  Provides links to useful websites and DEST publications and online resources.

Contact us:
highered@dest.gov.au