All Australian higher education providers must offer students quality higher education and access to information related to their experience.
The Higher Education Standards Framework (Threshold Standards) 2021 sets out a number of requirements that all providers must meet in order to be registered with TEQSA. The Threshold Standards have been structured to align with student experiences – from enrolment to award of qualification.
In line with the requirements of the Threshold Standards, providers must inform both current and future students in relation to:
- fees and refunds
- who to contact for particular questions
- academic requirements and deadlines
- complaints and grievance processes, including access to external review processes if a complaint has not been resolved (more information is available in our Complaints section)
- operations contracted to a third party
- access to learning resources, including technical requirements for access to IT system support services
- ways to enhance personal safety and security, both on and off campus.
What if I have an issue with a higher education provider?
If you are unhappy about aspects of your experience with a higher education provider, you should access your providers’ complaints resolution policies and procedures. These policies and procedures should be easily accessible, consistent, fair and confidential. They should also include advice and support on how to resolve your complaint.
In most cases, your complaint should be resolved locally and informally. However, you may need to use your provider’s formal complaints procedures.
We can only accept complaints about a provider’s compliance with the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Act 2011 and the Threshold Standards. More information on what we can and cannot accept complaints about is available in our Complaints section.
For international students
The Study Australia website is the trusted source of information for prospective international students, their families and agents to learn more about Australia as a place to study.
The website has practical and reliable information to help students make informed decisions about where they'd like to study in Australia, which course and institution best suits their needs, and what the experience can be like when they live and study here.
It also sets out to reassure prospective students about the laws and specialist services in place in Australia, which ensure every individual feels safe, welcomed, supported and protected while in Australia.
Study Australia helps students to understand their rights and responsibilities on issues as diverse as visas, employment, and tuition fees, and is committed to looking after students every step of their study journey.