Complaints

Complaints about higher education providers

The Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) is Australia’s regulatory and quality assurance agency for higher education. TEQSA is not a complaint handling body. Due to TEQSA’s confidentiality obligations, we are not able to respond to complainants about any regulatory action we may take in relation to the subject matter of the complaint.

If you wish to complain about a provider through a process that provides an individual response to your complaint, you should submit your complaint to the complaints area of the provider, or (where applicable) to the relevant State or Commonwealth Ombudsman to take the matter further. Contact details for each relevant State and Commonwealth Ombudsman can be found below under the heading ‘Other Complaint Handling Bodies’.

While TEQSA is not a complaint handling body, if you have a complaint about a higher education provider and you feel it is necessary to refer the complaint to us, please send your complaint in writing to the postal or email addresses below:

Complaints Officer
TEQSA
GPO Box 1672
MELBOURNE VIC 3001

Email: complaints@teqsa.gov.au

If you write to or email TEQSA with a complaint about a provider, you should provide:

  • your name
  • the provider to which your complaint relates
  • whether you have raised the complaint with the provider (and if you have, the details of the provider’s response), and
  • the details of your complaint.

While you may choose to submit a complaint anonymously, providing your name will assist us to better deal with the issues raised in your complaint.

Any complaints TEQSA receives in writing about a higher education provider will be retained and considered when TEQSA performs its regulatory functions in determining if a provider is meeting its obligations under the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency Act 2011.

Other complaint handling bodies

All higher education providers are required to have policies and procedures to manage complaints in a constructive and timely manner. TEQSA suggests that you first approach the relevant higher education provider to deal with your complaint.

If you are not satisfied with the way your complaint has been handled by the provider, you may also wish to contact one of the relevant Ombudsmen below:

International students at private higher education providers:

Domestic students and other international students:

Complaints under the ESOS Act

The Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2010 (ESOS Act) is administered by the Department of Industry, Innovation, Science, Research and Tertiary Education. If you have a complaint that relates to the ESOS Act you should either:

Complaints about TEQSA

If you have a complaint about TEQSA, please send your complaint in writing to the postal or email addresses below:

Complaints Officer
TEQSA
GPO Box 1672
MELBOURNE VIC 3001

Email: complaints@teqsa.gov.au

If TEQSA’s internal complaint handling processes do not resolve the complaint to your satisfaction, you can take the matter further by contacting the Commonwealth Ombudsman.