Applications must be on the approved online application form (available from the provider portal), include all information requested, and be accompanied by the applicable fee and payment/invoice form. Access more information on our fees page.

Under the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency Act 2011, initial registration applications in the ‘Institute of Higher Education’ category must be accompanied by an application for accreditation of at least one course of study.

After reviewing the relevant guidance materials, and at least six months before submitting an application, prospective providers should contact new.registration.enquiries@TEQSA.gov.au to advise us of an intention to apply for registration.

Before applying to become a higher education provider

There are minimum requirements that all applicants must meet prior to applying for registration as a higher education provider.

For more information on these requirements, visit our Before applying to become a higher education provider page.

Application guides and the Higher Education Standards Framework

TEQSA evaluates applications to register higher education providers against the Higher Education Standards Framework (Threshold Standards) 2021 (Threshold Standards).

Visit our Contextual overview of the HES Framework 2021 page for information regarding its context and an introduction to the Standards. More detailed overviews of each of the Threshold Standards Domains can be accessed from our Threshold Standards page.

We have produced a number of application guides to assist prospective higher education providers which can be accessed from our Application guides and support page.

This page contains TEQSA resources published in the last 12 months, to support institutions, staff and students in considering the potential impacts and benefits gen AI tools pose for teaching, learning, assessment and research.

This page contains resources to support institutions, staff and students in considering the potential impacts and benefits generative artificial intelligence (gen AI) tools pose for teaching, learning and assessment. TEQSA understands the uniqueness of each provider’s circumstances and therefore offers the following case studies and resources as examples of approaches being taken, both in Australia and beyond, for consideration. The resources on this page are not intended as guidance but rather seek to share approaches and practice.

TEQSA’s provider portal is unavailable

3 July 2026

In April, TEQSA became aware of potential cyber security vulnerabilities to the provider portal. While no data breach has occurred, we took immediate action to ensure the security of providers’ information by taking the provider portal offline.

Following investigations, and with consideration for the impact on providers, TEQSA has made the decision not to reinstate the provider portal. Work to deliver a long-term solution, which will reinstate automated processes for providers, is well progressed and we expect to have more information to share in the coming months.

Meanwhile, process changes are in place and have been developed, as much as possible, to minimise the impact on providers.

We appreciate your patience and cooperation as we continue this important work and we remain committed to maintaining the security and integrity of provider information. 

Details of process changes for providers are provided below.

Changes to processes for providers

The following process changes have been developed, as much as possible, to minimise the impact on providers. 

These changes include extending the submission date for all upcoming applications to renew course accreditation. If your institution is affected, a member of our Courses team will contact you. We kindly ask that you pause the preparation of your renewal submission while we work to contact all affected providers. 

For all other applications and requests, where email is not available, secure alternate arrangements are in place:

• reporting against conditions, or responding to requests for information – reach out to the TEQSA assessment team specified in the request
• commencing an application for re-registration, course accreditation, or CRICOS operational assessments:
  • Email CRM@teqsa.gov.au specifying the type of application you wish to make. Please include your provider name and provider ID.
  • TEQSA will create a new SIGBOX folder for each application or request for information, and will send an email with an application number and a link providing access to the SIGBOX folder to the authorised portal administrator
  • The SIGBOX link may be shared by the administrator with other users in your organisation who are submitting information to TEQSA. Please note that TEQSA will create new SIGBOX folders for each application or request for information.
• For all other queries, please contact the Enquiries Management team at providerenquiries@teqsa.gov.au.
   

Using SIGBOX

A SIGBOX user guide is available for providers.

Frequently asked questions

Is my data safe? Yes. TEQSA has taken this action as a precaution and in line with our commitment to safeguarding provider data. No data breach has occurred. Ensuring the protection of information is a high priority for TEQSA, and we want to be confident the controls we have in place are of the highest standard.

When will the Provider Portal be reinstated? The portal will be unavailable until further notice. SIGBOX is currently being used for file transfers, to support regulatory assessments, and TEQSA is working on additional solutions. We will provide more information as this work progresses.

How will the unavailability of the Provider Portal impact my submission deadlines? To ensure TEQSA’s regulatory assessment work continues, we are currently using SIGBOX for file transfers. SIGBOX is a secure Australian-based file-sharing site, used by several Australian government agencies. A user guide to SIGBOX is available.

TEQSA will work with providers to support the continuation of application and assessment processes. If you are concerned about the impact this unexpected closure may cause on an upcoming assessment, please contact the appropriate assessment team noted on the key provider contacts page of our website.

Additional support

If you require further support, or have additional questions, please contact our Enquiries Management team at providerenquiries@teqsa.gov.au.