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Consultation on TEQSA’s Regulatory Risk Framework
Consultation on TEQSA’s Regulatory Risk Framework was launched on 19 March 2026.
Consultation on TEQSA’s Regulatory Risk Framework
Consultation on TEQSA’s Regulatory Risk Framework was launched on 19 March 2026.
Consultation on TEQSA’s Regulatory Risk Framework
Consultation on TEQSA’s Regulatory Risk Framework was launched on 19 March 2026.
English Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students (ELICOS) courses are nationally recognised and provide solely or mostly English language instruction to help overseas students improve their English. This may be for work or career purposes, personal interest, travel, or to prepare them to continue their education in English, either in Australia or elsewhere.
Only education institutions registered under the Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000 (ESOS Act) and listed on the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students (CRICOS) can enrol overseas students to study in Australia on a student visa.
TEQSA has regulatory responsibility for ELICOS courses delivered by registered higher education providers, and ELICOS courses delivered by education providers with an entry arrangement with at least one registered higher education provider. TEQSA is also the ESOS agency responsible for registering and renewing registration on CRICOS by these providers.
ELICOS courses must comply with requirements set out in the:
Where there is an arrangement in place for an overseas student to enter a tertiary course directly following successful completion of the ELICOS course, providers must demonstrate that assessment outcomes for overseas students are comparable to other English language criteria used for admission to that tertiary course. For more information, see TEQSA’s ELICOS direct entry guide.
While there are non-statutory organisations that provide professional accreditation, professional development, quality assurance reviews and other services supporting the standard of English language teaching in Australia, only an Australian Government ESOS agency can approve providers to deliver ELICOS courses to overseas students who are in Australia on a student visa.
TEQSA strongly encourages providers applying to accredit a new course or to renew accreditation for their ELICOS course to engage independent expert advice.
TEQSA expects that ELICOS providers can demonstrate how they are ensuring their management, teaching, marketing and administration staff are engaged with contemporary, best-practice approaches to educational and professional outcomes, reflecting an up-to-date knowledge of significant developments in theory and practice in English language training.
TEQSA requires that providers seeking to add an ELICOS course to their CRICOS registration or renew an existing ELICOS course submit a self-assurance report.
A self-assurance report is an opportunity for providers to demonstrate the effectiveness of their self-assurance mechanisms.
The report should consist of no more than 5 pages outlining how the provider’s governing body assures itself of the quality of its education operations in relation to its ELICOS course, and that it meets and will continue to meet the requirements of the ESOS Act, the National Code 2018 and the ELICOS Standards.
Note: All claims made in the self-assurance report must be substantiated by evidence, with reference to specific supporting documents in-text. Wherever possible, supporting evidence should be directly accessible via in-text hyperlinks, included as attachments to the report where specified, or otherwise listed in an index for later submission on request.
As part of the self-assurance report, providers wishing to add a new ELICOS course to CRICOS should:
| Student participation, support and experience |
TEQSA recommends that providers consider:
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| Student attainment |
TEQSA recommends that providers consider:
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| Workforce planning |
TEQSA recommends that providers consider:
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Note: TEQSA expects that providers specialising in the delivery of ELICOS courses will adapt sector-wide advice to the specific needs of their students.
TEQSA requires CRICOS-registered providers who deliver ELICOS courses to apply for re-accreditation of their ELICOS course(s) at the same time they are applying to renew their CRICOS registration. For these providers, the application to renew their ELICOS course(s) is integrated into the application to renew their CRICOS registration. These providers will submit 2 self-assurance reports as part of their CRICOS renewal: one focused on the CRICOS re-registration requirements, and one focused on the ELICOS requirements.
Providers wishing to renew an ELICOS course should follow the same requirements in preparing the self-assurance report as when applying to add a new ELICOS course to CRICOS.
TEQSA strongly encourages providers to commission a review by a suitably qualified discipline expert to verify their ELICOS courses’ compliance with the ESOS Act, the National Code 2018 and the ELICOS Standards. Commissioning a review can be an effective way for a provider to check that the design of their ELICOS course and their institutional policies, procedures and practices are fit for purpose.
The engagement of an independent expert should be seen primarily as an opportunity to contribute to self-assurance and the continuous improvement of the organisation, rather than a method to meet TEQSA or other requirements. TEQSA expects providers can show how they have reflected on the recommendations made and identified and implemented improvements, both of which are critical elements of a healthy self-assurance and quality improvement process.
Reviewers’ professional experience and qualifications should match the requirements of the review task, and reviewers should be briefed before the assignment and given clear specifications for the task. TEQSA has prepared a sample brief for reviewers, to indicate TEQSA’s expectations in relation to the scope of the review.
For more information or assistance with applying to add an ELICOS course to CRICOS, please contact the CRICOS team at cricos@teqsa.gov.au.
The Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) welcomes today’s decision of the Federal Court of Australia in proceedings brought by TEQSA against Chegg Inc. The Court found that Chegg contravened academic cheating laws on three occasions through its ‘Expert Q&A’ service, and ordered it to pay penalties of $500,000 and costs of $150,000. This decision marks a significant outcome for the integrity of higher education sector and is an Australian-first for contraventions of Australia’s academic cheating laws.
This case, the first of its kind in Australia, considered new laws introduced in 2020, amending the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency Act 2011 (TEQSA Act) to prohibit the provision of academic cheating services.
The Court found that on 3 occasions, Chegg contravened subsection 114A(3) of the TEQSA Act, which prohibits providing, offering to provide, or arranging for a third party to provide, an academic cheating service to a higher education student.
TEQSA Chief Executive Officer Dr Mary Russell said the decision sends a clear signal that services which undermine academic integrity and put learning outcomes at risk have no place in Australia’s higher education system.
The Court’s decision provides an important milestone for the sector’s response to emerging threats to academic integrity.
We note and appreciate that providers played a critical role in collecting regulatory intelligence, in proactively raising concerns about Chegg. Bringing concerns to TEQSA’s attention early supports timely, risk-based regulatory action.
TEQSA will continue to work closely with providers, government and international partners to uphold academic standards and protect the reputation of the higher education sector, and student experiences and outcomes.
“Academic integrity is fundamental to the quality and reputation of Australia’s higher education sector and the academic success and experiences of students.“
“This outcome reinforces the importance of academic integrity to Australian higher education. TEQSA will act decisively to address allegations of academic cheating services being provided or offered to Australian higher education students.”
“TEQSA welcomes reports from students, providers, academic staff and the wider public about suspected academic cheating services. Reports can be made via our website at teqsa.gov.au.”
Please refer to TEQSA’s October 2024 statement on legal action against Chegg, which outlined TEQSA’s allegations and what TEQSA was seeking: TEQSA commences legal proceedings against Chegg.
The publicly available details about the Chegg matter can be found on the Federal Court’s website.
In March, TEQSA senior staff visited Quezon City, the Philippines, to share information and exchange learnings with colleagues from the Philippines’ Commission of Higher Education.
The exchange is part of a 3-year program, supported by the Australian Government’s Southeast Asia and Australia Governance Partnerships program (SEAG2G). SEAG2G seeks to develop deeper institutional partnerships between Australia and Southeast Asia. It aims to increase awareness and understanding of the common opportunities and challenges faced by Australia and our Southeast Asian neighbours and share institutional knowledge and expertise. The program also seeks to support the establishment of high quality transnational education in the Philippines and other South East Asian nations.
Further, this sharing of knowledge and expertise looks to support the development and delivery of effective responses to critical economic development opportunities and challenges – such as higher education and transnational education.
During the exchange, TEQSA staff shared their knowledge and experience on topics such as balancing regulation and education, quality in transnational education, and institutional quality assurance.
TEQSA would like to thank the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade for sponsoring the SEAG2G initiative, and our Commission of Higher Education colleagues for their warm hospitality and hosting this valuable event.
We've established a new webinar series to help inform the sector about our regulatory work, quality assurance matters and sector risk.
All TEQSA Talks webinars will also provide opportunities for providers and other stakeholders to ask us questions.
Registrations are required for this free webinar series.
All webinars will be recorded and uploaded to our website.
TEQSA Talks
Next webinar date for 2026 TBC
In the course of official duties, the agency head of TEQSA received the following gifts and/or benefits where the value exceeds the stipulated threshold of $AUD100.00 (excluding GST).
| Date received | Date recorded | Gift item/benefit/service | Received by (agency contact if not received directly by agency head) | Presented by (giver’s name, organisation / country) | Occasion | Estimated value in $A (wholesale value in country of origin or current market value in Australia) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Nil |
Nil |
Nil |
Nil |
Nil |
Nil |
Nil |
TEQSA’s annual stakeholder consultation has been conducted each year since 2015-16 to gain insights into stakeholder views on the agency, its regulatory output and approach to risk. The annual survey also informs strategic initiatives in relation to continuous improvement, sector-wide risk management and stakeholder engagement. The results of past surveys have informed targets within the Regulator Performance Framework and TEQSA’s Corporate Plan as a measure of meeting key objectives.
Via an online survey with providers, TEQSA seeks to gain insights into provider views on the agency’s performance, in addition to potential and/or emerging sector-wide risks.
TEQSA engaged JWS Research as an independent market research provider to conduct and analyse results of their annual stakeholder survey.
What is the ESOS Framework?