How to add or withdraw a course on CRICOS

How to apply to add a course on CRICOS

CRICOS registered providers are required to apply to TEQSA to add a course of study to their CRICOS registration. To add a course on CRICOS, registered providers should submit the Add course on CRICOS application via the TEQSA Provider Portal. Before an application to add a course to CRICOS can be made, that course must first be accredited by TEQSA, except where the provider has self-accrediting authority (SAA).

Course details

In your application, you should include all relevant course details, including:

  • registered location/s where the course will be delivered (including campus name/s as listed in PRISMS)
  • AQF level and qualification type
  • whether the course awards a dual qualification
  • field of education type, including codes for broad, narrow, and detailed field of education
  • course duration in weeks (including breaks)
  • maximum percentage of total course that a student may undertake by distance and/or online learning
  • estimated tuition fee
  • estimated non-tuition fee/s
  • mandatory work-based training component (if applicable), including hours per week, number of weeks, and total number of hours
  • projected number of international students
  • projected number of domestic students
  • language the course will be delivered in, if other than English.

Professional accreditation

If professional accreditation is required for the course, your application should include evidence demonstrating that accreditation with the relevant professional body has been obtained, including the duration of the accreditation. If an application to the relevant professional body has been submitted and is awaiting an outcome, include details of the application status and indicative date of an outcome.

Arrangements with other providers

If the course is to be delivered as part of an arrangement with another provider, include:

  • the name of the other provider/s
  • the CRICOS provider code/s of the other provider/s (if applicable)
  • applicable delivery site/s of the other providers.

Please note, if the arrangement with another provider has not been previously approved by TEQSA, an Arrangements with other provider/s (third-party partnership/s) application should be submitted concurrently with this application.

Exceptions

How to apply to withdraw a course on CRICOS

CRICOS registered providers are required to apply to TEQSA to withdraw one or more courses of study from the provider’s CRICOS registration. To withdraw a course, submit the Withdraw course/s on CRICOS form via the TEQSA Provider Portal. There are no fees associated with this application.

In applying to withdraw a course, you may indicate whether the course is to be cancelled or suspended:

  • Cancel:
    Once a CRICOS code has been cancelled it cannot be reinstated. By selecting this option, you will effectively delete the course from CRICOS.
  • Suspend:
    By suspending a course, it may continue to be delivered with any currently registered students with a Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE), but the provider will not be able to issue any new CoEs for that course. A suspended course may have its registration restored again in the future. 

Please ensure there are no CoEs with an ‘approved’, ‘saved’, ‘pending’, or ‘visa granted’ status linked to a course before choosing to cancel or suspend a course. Any CoEs linked to a course that is suspended or cancelled may impact the student’s visa, potentially resulting in a cancellation.

Course details

To withdraw a course on CRICOS, TEQSA requires the following information:

  • whether the course is to be cancelled or suspended
  • proposed date of withdrawal (suspension or cancellation)
  • reason for withdrawing the course
  • confirmation that all overseas students registered for the course will be able to complete it before it is withdrawn from CRICOS.

Transfer of current students

If there are any overseas students that will transfer to another provider, for each applicable course, please include:

  • an outline of the arrangements that have been put in place for the overseas students to complete their course with other providers
  • a sample of the correspondence that will be sent to students regarding the transfer of students to another provider
  • a copy of each agreement that has been put in place with other providers.

Refund arrangements

If any overseas students will have access to a refund, for each applicable course, please include:

  • an outline of the arrangements that have been put in place for the refund of course fees
  • a sample of the correspondence that will be sent to students regarding the refund arrangements.

Pending students

If there are any pending overseas students with a CoE for a course being withdrawn from CRICOS, please include a sample of the correspondence that will be sent to these students, as well as education agents, about the withdrawal of each applicable course from CRICOS.

Arrangements for overseas students

If there are any pending or current overseas students with a CoE for the course/s to be withdrawn, providers should include a list of impacted students confirming whether the student:

  • will complete their course/s before the course/s are withdrawn
  • has been offered a place in an alternative course and has accepted the offer in writing
  • has received a refund of tuition fees in relation to the course.

If any other relevant arrangement has been agreed between the student, the provider and a third party, details of that arrangement should also be included in the list with the following information:

  • the name of each overseas student currently enrolled in a course
  • a unique identifier for each student (for example, date of birth, student number)
  • the course/s in which the overseas student is enrolled
  • the specific arrangement agreed for each student
  • for transfer students, include details of the new provider and contact person, and the new provider’s CRICOS Provider Code.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

Is an application required to add or remove a course from an existing location?

If both the course and the location are already registered on CRICOS, you can request to link (add) or unlink (remove) any CRICOS registered course to a CRICOS registered location by using the Linking Courses to Locations Function. Instructions on this process are available in the PRISMS Provider User Guide). No application to TEQSA is required.

How do I change course fees on CRICOS?

To make a change to course fees providers should:

  • upload the revised cost information in the Department of Education’s Provider Registration and International Student Management System (PRISMS)
  • email the CRICOS team at cricos@teqsa.gov.au to advise that a request has been made.

There are no fees associated with these changes.

How do I reinstate a suspended course?

If you wish to reinstate a suspended course on PRISMS for a brief period of time to accommodate a CoE extension, please contact the CRICOS inbox at cricos@teqsa.gov.au.

Courses with a cancelled status can only be reinstated by the Department of Education, via a request made by the CRICOS team.

When should the 'Other CRICOS changes' application be submitted?

The Other CRICOS changes application should be submitted to TEQSA via the Provider Portal in the following circumstances:

  • Changes to the duration of a course. You should provide evidence to support your application including rationale for the change and minutes of the decision taken by the governing body, evidence that students have been advised of the proposed change and evidence that students have been advised to contact the Department of Home Affairs if this change will require an extension of their student visa.
  • Changes to the title of a course, where the course duration and its learning outcomes remain the same. You should provide evidence to support your application including minutes of the decision taken to update the course title and evidence that current and accepted students have been informed.
  • Changes to work integrated learning components of a course. You should provide evidence to support your application including the rationale for the change and minutes of the decision taken.
  • To report administrative changes such as change of provider address.
  • To request a correction of a course’s Field of Education.
  • To request corrections to minor errors in the initial data entry.

Changes to the title or duration of accredited courses of study from providers without self-accrediting authority require a Material Change notification, as this change requires an update to the National Register. More information is available on our Material changes page.

The Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000 and National Code of Practice for Providers of Education and Training to Overseas Students 2018 also have notification and approval requirements for CRICOS registered providers. Find out more about on our Notifications and approvals required of CRICOS registered providers page.

When do changes to a course already registered on CRICOS require an application to register a new course?

In some instances, changes to a course are significant enough to require a new application to add a course on CRICOS. Providers should submit an Add course on CRICOS application if there are:

  • changes to the title of the course, which reflect significant changes to the outcomes of the course
  • any significant change to the course field of study
  • any change to the course level.

How should a course with specialisations be registered on CRICOS?

Specialisations can be registered as a single course of study on CRICOS, if all pathways through the course lead to the same award and share all the following characteristics:

  • qualification level
  • broad field of education
  • course duration
  • course location
  • any work-based components
  • an estimate of course costs (this may be an average of a cost range).

The award title is not changed based on the addition of specialisations, but the specialisation may be included on the testamur, for example, a Bachelor of Arts with specialisation options.

When applying to add a single course with more than one specialisation to CRICOS, providers must demonstrate these characteristics (as part of course accreditation or by confirmation of internal processes for providers with self-accrediting authority).

It is important to note that CRICOS registration is a separate process to course accreditation under the TEQSA Act. For the purposes of accrediting awards with multiple specialisations, each specialisation will be assessed separately to ensure that each is a coherent course of study.

How should ‘joint award’ and ‘dual award’ courses be registered on CRICOS?

TEQSA uses the term ‘joint award’ to refer to ‘a single course of study arranged and delivered jointly by two or more providers that leads to the award of a single qualification that is recognised within the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) and is typically conferred jointly by the providers involved.’ TEQSA uses the term ‘dual award’ to refer to where ‘one or more courses of study … [lead] to the award of two separate qualifications’, for example: a double degree. For more information about joint and dual awards, refer to TEQSA’s Guidance note: Joint and dual awards.

To register a dual award course, submit an Add course on CRICOS application, respond ‘yes’ to the question ‘Is this a dual course?’, and make sure to enter the fields of education for both awards.

To register a joint award course, the primary provider is to submit an Add course on CRICOS application. If the joint award will be delivered as part of a new arrangement between providers, also submit an Arrangements with another provider (third-party partnerships) application. For more information about third-party partnership applications, see How to apply for TEQSA to assess a third-party agreement.

How should ‘nested’ courses be registered on CRICOS?

TEQSA uses the term ‘nested courses of study’ to refer to where ‘a set of courses of study … are offered sequentially and can lead to qualifications at different Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) levels’, for example: where a student may exit a bachelor program early with a diploma. For more information about nested courses, refer to TEQSA’s Guidance note: Nested courses of study.

To register a nested course, submit separate Add course on CRICOS applications to create a unique CRICOS code for each award. While it is not a requirement that providers register exit awards, it is best practice to do so to enable monitoring of course progression and completions.

If nested courses are not separately registered, and a student finalises their studies and completes with an exit award, the provider would need to report this event on PRISMS as non-completion of the primary course. This is to ensure the Department of Home Affairs is notified that the student’s course of study has concluded, requiring them to either apply for a new visa or exit the country. A more accurate record would be created if the student were transferred to the exit award, which can only occur if the course is CRICOS registered.

Having nested courses registered on CRICOS allows oversight into student transfers to lower qualifications. Such transfers may highlight risks to the sector from (a) providers regularly admitting students into higher qualifications that are not able to meet the standard required, or (b) encouraging students to exit with lower qualifications rather than implementing robust strategies to support transition and progression.

Further information

For more information or assistance applying to add or withdraw a course on CRICOS, please contact the CRICOS team at cricos@teqsa.gov.au.

For more information regarding fees providers must pay in relation to applications made to TEQSA, refer to our Application-based fees page.
 

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