Frequently Asked Questions

1. Is my institution recognised as a higher education provider in Australia?

You can check to see if your institution is recognised by Government as a higher education provider in Australia by looking at the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) Register   on the AQF website. Institutions are listed on the basis of whether they are self-accrediting or non self-accrediting.

Self-accrediting institutions, most of which are universities, are empowered by government to accredit their own programmes of study.

As non self-accrediting institutions do not have the authority to accredit their own programmes of study, they must have their courses accredited by a State or Territory accreditation authority listed on the AQF Register of Authorities Empowered by Government to Accredit Post-Compulsory Education State or Territory accreditation authority.    

2. Is my course accredited?

If your higher education course is offered by a university or other self-accrediting provider listed on the AQF Register of Authorities Empowered by Government to Accredit Post-Compulsory Education and Training then it is accredited by that institution.

If your course is not offered by a university then you will need to find out whether it has been accredited by a Government accreditation authority listed on the AQF Register    of Authorities Empowered by Government to Accredit Post-Compulsory Education and Training.

Each State and Territory accreditation authority listed on the AQF keeps a separate register of accredited higher education courses and the registered providers of such courses. It is expected that these registers will soon be available online, linked to the AQF website. Meanwhile, the contact details for the accreditation authorities are provided at Question 8.

3. 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.

The State and Territory accreditation authorities listed on the AQF Register   of Authorities Empowered by Government to Accredit Post-Compulsory Education and Training are responsible for accrediting higher education courses offered by non-university providers. Consistent with the National Protocols for Higher Education Approval Processes, ‘course accreditation’ includes the assessment, approval, accreditation or authorisation of courses of study that lead to higher education awards, and must include consideration of a provider’s capacity to deliver the course.

4. 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.

Other providers of higher education do not have the authority to accredit their own courses. The State and Territory accreditation authorities listed on the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) Register    of Authorities Empowered by Government to Accredit Post-Compulsory Education and Training have the responsibility for formally accrediting higher education courses to be offered by non-university providers in their jurisdiction.

5. 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.

The Australian Vice-Chancellors' Committee (AVCC) has developed national credit transfer principles for the movement of students between TAFE and university, and between Australian universities. Further information on these arrangements may be obtained from the AVCC's web page:
http://www.avcc.edu.au/content.asp?page=/policies_programs/teaching_learning/credit_transfer/scheme/      

In addition, 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 universities or by exploring the Going to Uni     website which has links to individual universities.

6. What information is available on the relative standing of Australian universities?

The Department of Education, Science and Training publishes a wide range of data on the performance of universities. For example, The Characteristics and Performance of Higher Education Institutions, provides a range of indicators that illustrate the diversity of the sector. The indicators cover student characteristics, staff, research, finances, as well as some outcome measures. These measures include retention rates and the graduate outcome data for each institution, including graduate full-time employment, graduate full-time study and average starting salary.

Going to Uni     is a website designed by the Australian Government in 2004 to help prospective higher education students make informed study choices. The site is a guide to Australian universities and the courses that they offer within ten broad fields of study. The site also gives information about the employment and study outcomes of past graduates and how they felt about their courses. This site is one important source of information for students, to help them choose the course and institution that best suits them.

7. Who do I contact in order to establish a new university?    
8. Who do I contact in order to be accredited as a non-university provider of higher education courses?    
9. I wish to lodge a complaint about the quality of teaching and/or assessment at an Australian university. How do I go about it?    

Who do I contact in order to establish a new university or to be accredited as a non-university provide of higher education courses?

Australian States and Territories

State and Territory higher education accreditation authorities have responsibility for the establishment of new universities. You will need to gain approval from the higher education accreditation authority in each State and/or Territory in which you wish to operate. If you wish to operate in multiple States this may be facilitated through mutual recognition arrangements between the jurisdictions.

Australian Capital Territory
Tertiary Accreditation and Registration Office
Department of Education and Training
PO Box 1584 TUGGERANONG ACT 2901    
(02) 6205 7066

http://www.decs.act.gov.au/index.htm    

New South Wales
Higher Education Directorate
NSW Department of Education and Training
Level 5, 35 Bridge Street
(GPO Box 33)
SYDNEY NSW 2000
(02) 9561 8656

http://www.highered.nsw.gov.au/    

Northern Territory
Higher Education Services
Business Planning and Information Division
Department of Employment, Education and Training
GPO Box 4821
DARWIN NT 0801
(08) 8999 5735

http://www.deet.nt.gov.au/education/higher_education/index.shtml    

Queensland
Office of Higher Education
Education Queensland
Education House
Floor 18, 30 Mary Street
Brisbane QLD 4000
(07) 3234 1955

http://education.qld.gov.au/office/higher-education/higher-ed-qld.html    

South Australia
Higher Education Unit
Department of Further Education, Employment Science and Technology
GPO Box 1152
ADELAIDE  SA  5001
(08) 8226 3182

http://www.dfeest.sa.gov.au/dfeest/pages/higher_education/higher_education/    

Tasmania
Tasmanian Qualification Authority
PO Box 147
Sandy Bay
Tasmania 7006
(03) 6233 6364

http://www.tqa.tas.gov.au/1282    

Victoria
Higher Education and Regulation Division
Department of Education and Training
Level 3, 2 Treasury Place
East Melbourne, Victoria 3002
PO Box 266 Melbourne,Victoria 3001
Ph: (03) 9637 2808

http://www.highered.vic.gov.au/default.asp    

Western Australia

Office of Higher Education
Department of Education Services
22 Hasler Road
OSBORNE PARK WA 6017
(08) 9441 1900

http://www.des.wa.gov.au/services/highedu/hear.htm#10    

Australian External Territories
The Minister for Education, Science and Training is responsible for accrediting courses for delivery in the external Territories. The Higher Education Group in the Department of Education, Science and Training provides the support to assist the Minister in the role of accrediting authority. For further information contact:


Quality Assurance Framework Unit
Higher Education Group
Department of Education, Science and Training
GPO Box 9880 (Location 136)
Canberra ACT 2601
Higher Education Mailbox


8. I wish to lodge a complaint about the quality of teaching and/or assessment at an Australian university. How do I go about it?

Australian universities are autonomous bodies established under Commonwealth, State or Territory legislation. The university’s establishing legislation places responsibility for governance and management in a governing body, generally in the form of a Council or Senate which is answerable to the relevant State, Territory or Commonwealth Parliament, and is subject to investigation by Auditors-General and Ombudsmen.

If you have a complaint about an Australian university you should contact the university in the first instance, and explore all its available grievance procedures. A number of universities have created student ombudsmen to handle student complaints. If you have exhausted the university’s grievance processes and have still not received a satisfactory response, you may wish to contact the Commonwealth, State or Territory Ombudsman to which your institution is accountable. The contact details for the State Ombudsmen are provided below. Please note that the ACT Ombudsman is also the Commonwealth Ombudsman.

 Australian Capital Territory Ombudsman
Ground Floor, 1 Farrell Place
Canberra City ACT 2600
(02) 6276 0111

http://www.ombudsman.act.gov.au/    

New South Wales Ombudsman
Level 24, 580 George Street
Sydney NSW 2000
(02) 9286 1000

http://www.ombo.nsw.gov.au/    

Northern Territory Ombudsman
Level 12, NT House
22 Mitchell Street
Darwin NT 0801
(08) 8999 1818

www.nt.gov.au/omb_hcscc/OMBUDSMAN/welcoment.htm    

Queensland Ombudsman
5th Floor, 288 Edward Street
Brisbane QLD 4000
(07) 3884 7000

http://www.qgd.qld.gov.au/nma/nma008.html    

South Australian Ombudsman
5th Floor
50 Grenfell Street
Adelaide SA 5000
(08) 8226 8699

http://www.ombudsman.sa.gov.au/    

Tasmanian Ombudsman
99 Bathurst Street
Hobart 7000
(GPO Box 960)
Hobart TAS 7001
(03) 6233 6217

 http://www.justice.tas.gov.au/ombudsman/home.html    

Victorian Ombudsman
Level 22, 459 Collins Street
Melbourne VIC 3000
(03) 9613 6222

www.ombudsman.vic.gov.au    

Western Australian Ombudsman
18th Floor, St Martin's Tower
44 St George's Terrace
Perth WA 6001
(08) 9220 7555

www.ombudsman.wa.gov.au    

9. I wish to lodge a complaint about the quality of teaching and/or assessment at a non self-accrediting provider of higher education courses. How do I go about it?

If you have a complaint against a non self-accrediting higher education provider you should contact the provider in the first instance, and explore all its available grievance procedures. If you have still not received a satisfactory response, you may wish to contact the Government accreditation authority in the State or Territory in which your institution’s main campus is based. The contact details for the State and Territory accreditation authorities are provided in the answer to Question 7.

Information for overseas students studying in Australia

Study in Australia     is the official Australian Government website for advice on study in Australia.

10. Are there any regulations governing the delivery of higher education courses to overseas students?    
11. What is CRICOS?    

10. Are there any regulations governing the delivery of higher education courses to overseas students?

The provision of education and training services to overseas students in Australia is regulated by the Commonwealth Department of Education, Science and Training 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. (Contact details for these authorities).

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.

11. 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).