Education agents and commissions
Following recent changes to the requirements around education agents and commissions, TEQSA is reminding all providers they are now banned from paying or giving education agents a commission for the recruitment of overseas students who transfer from another provider.
The changes also include new and broader definitions of 'education agent' and 'commission' to capture all education agent activities and interactions with providers. Taking effect on 1 April 2026, the changes relate to the Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000 (ESOS Act) and the National Code of Practice for Providers of Education and Training to Overseas Students 2018 (National Code).
TEQSA expects providers have ensured:
- their business processes for student recruitment and agent management are compliant with the amended ESOS framework
- complete and accurate information on PRISMS is recorded about the commissions they pay to education agents
- processes and procedural guidance for their staff are updated in respect of agent management and the payment of commissions
- record-keeping practices are sufficient to show evidence of these processes.
The Commonwealth Department of Education has released 2 resources to assist providers with their understanding of the changes:
- Ban on the payment of agent commissions for onshore transfers (PDF, 465 KB)
- Requirements around education agents and commissions (PDF, 388 KB).