In order to be approved as a higher education provider, a body must:
- be a body corporate which carries on business in Australia and has its central management and control in Australia;
- the body’s principal purpose must be either or both of the following: to provide education; to conduct research;
- be a non self-accrediting entity whose name is included in the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) as authorised to offer courses of study leading to higher education awards;
- meet financial viability requirements and other quality requirements;
- meet fairness requirements, including tuition assurance arrangements; merit based selection procedures; appropriate student grievance procedures and review procedures; and
- be able to meet other compliance, accountability and information requirements set out in the Higher Education Support Act 2003 and Guidelines made pursuant to the Act.
These requirements are explained in further detail below.
Australia’s State and Territory Governments are responsible for approving non self-accrediting institutions, maintaining registers of accredited higher education courses and the providers that deliver them, under nationally agreed protocols. Course accreditation includes the assessment and authorisation of courses of study that lead to a higher education award. The Australian Qualifications Framework (commonly known as the AQF) has established a register of recognised education institutions and government accreditation authorities in Australia.
In the Australian Qualifications Framework, higher education awards courses are those leading to a Bachelor Degree, Graduate Certificate, Graduate Diploma, Master Degree or Doctoral Degree. Some courses leading to a Diploma or Advanced Diploma may also be accredited as higher education.
To be approved as a higher education provider, a provider must be a non self-accrediting enitity whose name is included in the Australian Qualifications Framework Register of Recognised Education Institutions & Authorised Accreditation Authorities in Australia as authorised by a State or Territory higher education accreditation authority under the National Protocols for Higher Education Approval Processes to offer courses of study leading to a higher education award but not to accredit any of those courses.
The AQF Register is located at www.aqf.edu.au/register.htm 
Non self-accrediting higher education institutions which have been approved as higher education providers (HEPs) are required to undergo periodic quality audit by a body listed in the Higher Education Provider Guidelines. Currently the Australian Universities Quality Agency (AUQA) is the only auditing body listed.
AUQA maintains a schedule of quality audits for non self-accrediting providers. HEPs which will be audited by AUQA should contact it to discuss the quality audit requirement and/or the scheduling of their audit if they have not already done this.
To discuss the quality audit requirement with AUQA please contact:
Ms Karen Treloar
Audit Director
Australian Universities Quality Agency
Phone: (03) 9664 1044
Email: k.treloar@auqa.edu.au
(from 1 April 2008)
Two further auditing bodies will soon be added to the HEP Guidelines. These are the Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority (VRQA), which will audit HEPs based in Victoria, and the Queensland Office of Higher Education (QOHE), which will audit HEPs based in Queensland or the Northern Territory. HEPs which have their headquarters in one of these States will be able to choose to be audited by AUQA or by the relevant State Agency.
To discuss the quality audit requirement with the VRQA please contact:
Mr Rob Fearnside
Deputy Director
VRQA
Phone: (03) 9651 3207
email: Fearnside.robert.e@edumail.vic.gov.au
To discuss the quality audit requirement with the QOHE please contact:
Ms Helen Lawrance
Manager Accreditation
Queensland Office of Higher Education
Phone: (07) 3237 1172
Email: Helen.lawrance@deta.qld.gov.au
It is possible that other State or Territory accreditation agencies will be added to the HEP Guidelines in the future.
The charge made for the quality audit must be met by the provider. Higher education providers should contact the relevant auditing body to discuss this.
The Audit Handbook
DEEWR has prepared an Audit Handbook for non Self-Accrediting Higher Education Providers to inform HEPs about the quality audit process and help them prepare for it.
An Information Pack for bodies seeking approval as a higher education provider has been prepared by the Department of Education, Science and Training. The Pack provides detailed information about the forms of Commonwealth assistance available to private institutions and the eligibility requirements to become an approved higher education provider in order to access this assistance
- Information Pack PDF
(252 KB, 30 pages)
- Information Pack RTF
(1.4 MB, 30 pages) (Please note if you are having trouble downloading this large file please use the PDF version above)
The Information Pack is accompanied by an Application Pack that contains the necessary forms. It also sets out other information which must accompany your application for approval as a higher education provider.
You can either download the entire Application Pack or download the application forms individually. However it is strongly recommended that you read the entire Application Pack.
Note: Your application for approval as a higher education provider must be returned in hard copy (details in the Pack). A summary of financial information must also be provided electronically via an Excel workbook. The workbook for Q. 19 Finance Data Collection 
(89.0 KB) (Excel Workbook) of Form 2 must be downloaded and completed as part of your application. The completed workbook is to be returned in both hard copy and electronically. Email versions should be sent to nicole.keane@deewr.gov.au and ppinquiries@deewr.gov.au
Entire document
- Application Pack PDF
(361 KB, 54 pages)
- Application Pack RTF
(6.8 MB, 54 pages) (Please note if you are having trouble downloading this large file please use the PDF version above)
Separate forms
A higher education provider must have grievance procedures to deal with complaints relating to:
(a) non-academic matters from the provider’s students, and from persons seeking to enrol in courses of study with the provider; and
(b) academic matters from the provider’s students.
Checklists and examples of forms of evidence:
- Non-Academic Grievance Procedures PDF (42 KB, 5 pages)
- Non-Academic Grievance Procedures RTF (140.0 KB, 5 pages)
- Academic Grievance Procedures PDF (42 KB, 5 pages)
- Academic Grievance Procedures RTF (139.6 KB, 5 pages)
Procedures for dealing with academic and non-academic grievances can be combined and set out in the one document:
- Combined Grievance Procedures PDF (43 KB, 5 pages)
- Combined Grievance Procedures RTF (151.2 KB, 5 pages)