• Portals undergoing scheduled maintenance

    TEQSA's Experts and Provider Portals will be unavailable during the period:

    5:00am on Friday 16 August until 11:59pm on Sunday 18 August 2024 (AEST)

    All users have been notified by email.

    The outage is required to perform urgent maintenance, and we apologise for any inconvenience.

    Users are asked to not attempt to use the portals during this period. To prevent loss of data, please ensure all work is saved by midnight Thursday 15 August. 

    If the outage is likely to impact your ability to meet a deadline, please contact your case/assessment manager as soon as possible to discuss alternative arrangements.

    Should further portal maintenance be required in the coming weeks that impacts your system availability, we will notify users again.

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  • Provider registration

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    Details about registering as a provider
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    How to apply for registration as a higher education provider

    Information regarding how to apply as a registered provider

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    How to apply to renew provider registration

    Information regarding renewing registration with TEQSA

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    How to apply for self-accrediting authority (SAA)

    Information regarding how to apply for self-accrediting authority

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    How to apply to change provider category

    Information regarding applying to change provider category

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    How to withdraw provider registration

    Information regarding how to apply to withdraw registration

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    Requirements and responsibilities for registered providers

    Information about maintaining registration

  • Careers

    If you want to work for a mission-focused organisation that offers flexibility, great conditions, and the ability to contribute to the excellence of Australian higher education, the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency is the place for you.

    Jobs at TEQSA

    Search for current vacancies on our online job portal.

    You can also register your interest in temporary employment opportunities through our Temporary Employment Registers and sign up to receive job alerts.

    Search current vacancies                                                                                                      

    Working at TEQSA

    Why choose TEQSA?

    At TEQSA, we are committed to providing a workplace that recognises and values the diversity of its employees and we encourage excellence, continuous improvement, professional development, integrity and an array of perspectives and contributions.

    Our purpose

    TEQSA is Australia’s independent national quality assurance and regulatory agency for higher education. TEQSA’s purpose is to deliver quality assurance that protects the interests of students and the reputation and standing of Australian higher education.

    TEQSA has three strategic objectives in delivering its purpose:

    1. Promote and support good practice and effective self-assurance across the sector.
    2. Identify, analyse, and respond to risks to the sector.
    3. Ensure compliance with applicable legislation through effective and efficient regulation.

    Our culture

    At TEQSA we want and promote a work environment that is characterised by fairness, personal accountability, and mutual trust and respect. We understand our employees are the key to our success and our focus is to ensure they feel safe, valued, and fulfilled in the work that they do.

    The core values by which we operate include:

    • Trust – We have confidence in each other to do our best. We encourage open and honest conversations that focus on the issue, not the person. We promote a supportive and safe workplace environment.
    • Respect – We approach every situation with kindness, compassion, and an open mindset. We value people, the range of views and experience they bring, and the work they undertake.
    • Accountability – We hold ourselves and each other accountable for our actions, how we work together, and the quality of what we deliver. We gather feedback, reflect, and act on opportunities for improvement.
    • Collaboration – We draw on our collective strength by encouraging each other to contribute to the achievement of shared objectives. We provide context and information to help others succeed.

    Our offer

    People are at the heart of TEQSA’s success, and we are committed to enabling our employees to perform at their best. We offer the following benefits:

    • work that is meaningful, diverse, and challenging
    • genuine flexibility to help achieve a balance between work and life, including access to flexible hours, opportunities for hybrid work and flextime
    • competitive salaries and 15.4% superannuation
    • generous leave provisions to help you live your best life outside of work, including:
      • 4 weeks annual leave, plus additional paid leave when we close down over the Christmas to New Year period
      • option to purchase up to 4 weeks additional leave per year
      • paid parental leave, including maternity leave, supporting parents leave and adoption and foster care leave
      • up to 18 days paid personal leave per year to recover from illness or injury or to care for a family member
      • paid study leave.
    • salary packaging options for eligible staff
    • a national presence (TEQSA’s new, contemporary office is located in Melbourne CBD and remote working arrangements are supported for employees living interstate)
    • a focus on your health and wellbeing with subsidies for flu vaccinations and an Employee Assistance Program. 

    Investing in your professional growth and career development is our key to success. Access to training courses, conferences (including the annual TEQSA conference), webinars, and external study support will ensure you’ll never stop learning and will open doors to rewarding career pathways.

    Our community

    By joining TEQSA, you become a part of the Australian Public Service community of strong, passionate, and proud professionals, and affirm your commitment towards working for something greater than yourself.

    The Australian Public Service (APS) offers a clear purpose and meaningful work where you can make a positive impact in people's lives. We provide a work life balance that supports your lifestyle with great employment conditions.

    Working with us means you’re contributing to improve outcomes for Australia and Australians.

    Find out more

    Applying for jobs

    Find out more about how to apply for a job at TEQSA

    Questions about the recruitment process

    If you have specific questions about an advertised job, please call the contact officer listed on the job and found in the Additional Information section (in the Candidate Information Pack).

    If you have any general questions about the recruitment process, please contact TEQSA’s Recruitment team at recruitment@teqsa.gov.au.

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    Related links

  • Translated resources (understanding academic integrity)

    The information on the Understanding Academic Integrity webpages is available in the following languages:

    Back to Understanding Academic Integrity landing page

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    Related links

  • Interim sector update: Regulatory expectations of providers to assure safety and wellbeing on campus in relation to student protests

    August 2024

    TEQSA reminds all registered higher education providers and their governing bodies of the obligations they have under the Higher Education Standards Framework (Threshold Standards) 2021 to assure student and staff wellbeing and safety, freedom of speech and academic freedom. The ongoing conflict in the Middle East is impacting many Australians, including students and staff within higher education institutions, and protest activities have escalated on some university campuses. It is important that all providers are prepared so they can manage and respond to these activities, and other student protests related to any cause or purpose, in ways that ensure they are meeting the Threshold Standards.

    Key points

    When responding to student protest activity, providers will consider the following parts of the Threshold Standards:

    • Standard 2.3 encompasses organisational responsibilities for safeguarding and supporting the wellbeing and safety of students and staff.
    • Standard 6.1.4 applies to the governing body taking steps to maintain an institutional environment where the wellbeing of students and staff is fostered, and freedom and speech and academic freedom are upheld and protected.

    Providers

    To manage and respond to the risks associated with student protest activity related to any cause or purpose, and to ensure providers continue meeting the Threshold Standards, TEQSA expects that providers will take the following measures:

    Institutional policies and processes

    In keeping with the requirements of the Threshold Standards, providers should clearly communicate institutional policies and procedures on topics such as academic support, freedom of speech and academic freedom, student and staff conduct, and misconduct. These policies and procedures should be up-to-date and applied consistently and fairly.

    Information about student conduct policies, expectations and how to access support will be shared through communications to students and other communication channels. Policies and processes will be reviewed regularly to ensure their effectiveness, and any identified gaps in policies and procedures or legal frameworks will be addressed promptly.

    Academic support and adjustment

    Providers will give additional focus to identifying and supporting at-risk students. Currently, this includes those whose wellbeing has been significantly affected by the conflict in the Middle East or associated protest activity. Measures will include ensuring processes for academic adjustment are fit for the current circumstances and embedded with trauma-informed principles, and putting in place other academic supports to ensure students can continue their studies.

    Ensuring a safe campus, including teaching and learning spaces

    Providers will ensure materials that breach Australian law or conflict with institutional policies, including hate speech and symbols, are promptly removed from institutional property, including removal from both physical property and digital platforms.

    Students and staff who have concerns for their safety and security on campus should be supported. Information on how to access the available supports should be shared routinely, and the effectiveness of supports regularly reviewed. The governing body of the provider will have appropriate oversight of concerns regarding student and staff safety.

    Providers should have effective critical incident management structures and institutional security arrangements. This includes relationships with outside agencies, such as police, and proactive approaches to ensure any risks to student and staff safety are identified, shared and acted upon. As appropriate to the circumstances, efforts should be made to engage with student groups on campus to ensure any protest activities are respectful and in keeping with providers’ policies.

    Particular attention will be paid to ensuring teaching and learning spaces are safe for all. While it has been a longstanding custom in some universities for students to announce details of protests at the start of classes, this has been problematic given the charged and often personalised nature of events related to the Middle East. Recent feedback to TEQSA indicates that people entering classrooms to voice positions on protests and on the conflict are engaging in behaviour that is disruptive and intimidating to many. Policies related to freedom and speech and academic freedom should be carefully considered in light of these concerns. Educating students about expectations for acceptable engagement and expression of views, as well as training and support for staff to respond to disruptions to learning environments both on-campus and online, will be important measures.

    Ensuring complaint and support mechanisms are accessible

    Providers will have a continued focus on ensuring students and staff are aware of complaint and support processes. TEQSA has received feedback that some students do not feel safe making specific complaints. Providers should ensure their complaint processes are trauma-informed and continue to highlight the ways staff and students can make complaints and access support. Measures for maintaining confidentiality during complaints processes should be considered.

    Taking appropriate action in response to inappropriate conduct

    Providers are expected to apply their institutional policies to students and staff whose conduct may be in breach of those policies – this includes behaviour as part of organised protest activity and language or conduct in learning settings that goes beyond what is acceptable in academic discussion. Providers will ensure institutional policies and procedures are fairly and consistently applied and any cases where action is taken are transparently reported in line with organisational policy.

    Providers may take appropriate action to respond to people from outside the provider’s community, whose actions pose a risk to a provider’s property, digital environments, learning and teaching spaces or the safety and wellbeing of students or staff. TEQSA is aware that there can be complexity in legal provisions for dealing with occupation of an institution’s grounds and disbanding protests, and these can vary between providers. Providers should give ongoing consideration to managing building access, the use of student and staff ID cards, and making use of appropriate legal avenues to remove people that are not part of the provider’s community who are engaging in behaviour that poses a risk to the safety and wellbeing of students and staff.

    Upholding freedom of speech and academic freedom

    Providers will evaluate the effectiveness and operation of their policies relating to freedom of speech and academic freedom and make any required adjustments. Protest activity in the first half of 2024 presented a major test of changes to provider freedom of speech and academic freedom policies following the development of the French Model code in 2019.

    Additionally, providers will actively consider how they work to assure their governing bodies that students and staff understand the content of the relevant policies and how they intersect with the law in relation to anti-discrimination and hate speech that may be applicable on-campus and online.

    Good practice

    TEQSA aims to develop a range of good practice resources and guidance to support providers in managing the ongoing risks associated with student protest activity and assure the wellbeing and safety of students and staff, as well as freedom of speech and academic freedom. Resources will be published on our website as they are developed.

    TEQSA recognises that this is an evolving issue for higher education, and will continue to monitor and update our advice. As part of this work, we welcome feedback, including examples of good practice within the sector. You can provide feedback to us at: policyandresearch@teqsa.gov.au.

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  • Register now for the TEQSA 2024 Conference

    Our 8th annual conference on 13 November is exploring the theme of Navigating tomorrow: Anticipating challenges, embracing change. Join us for Australia's only truly sector-focused event in the award-winning Grand Ballroom at Sofitel Melbourne on Collins, in the heart of the Treasury precinct and Fitzroy Gardens. A virtual attendance option is also available.

    This year, we're delighted to welcome Professor Braden Hill, of Edith Cowan University, as our Master of Ceremonies, and Productivity Commission Chair, Danielle Wood, for our keynote panel discussion. The Hon Jason Clare MP, Minister for Education, will also attend to give the Minister's Welcome Address. A conference program of inspirational speakers will explore a range of topics including the rapid transformation in technology, demographics and global pressures facing providers, students and the Australian community, and the opportunities and risks that will help the sector prepare for a dynamic future in higher education.

    In planning this year’s conference we’ve listened to your feedback and enhanced the networking sessions, including an exclusive Welcome Reception at Sofi's Lounge on Tuesday 12 November and the traditional post-conference cocktail event on Wednesday 13 November. A half day of pre-conference seminars is also scheduled on 12 November.

    See the conference website for more details, including early bird tickets and discounted accommodation offers.

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  • Corporate plan

    Prepared in accordance with the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Rule 2013 (PGPA Rule), TEQSA’s Corporate Plan sets out our priorities for the four reporting periods from 2024-25 to 2027-28.

    The PDF version of the document is available above. An HTML version is available on request.

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  • Sector alert: Provider responsibilities when using education agents

    4 November 2022

    TEQSA is reminding all higher education providers of their obligations for monitoring the performance of education agents and ensuring that international students are genuine and engaged with learning.

    Background

    There have recent media reports outlining the alleged misuse of student visas, including education agents working to secure visas for non-genuine students.

    Education providers delivering to overseas students are responsible for ensuring that their education agents act ethically, honestly and in the best interest of overseas students and uphold the reputation of Australia’s international education sector.

    Providers are also required to monitor student engagement throughout a course of study.

    These obligations are set out in standards 1.3.4, 1.3.5, 7.1.1, 7.1.4 and 7.1.5 of the Higher Education Standards Framework (Threshold Standards) 2021, and standard 4 of the National Code of Practice for Providers of Education and Training to Overseas Students 2018 (the National Code).

    TEQSA’s role

    TEQSA does not regulate education agents. As per the TEQSA Act, it regulates all registered providers that offer higher education qualifications in or from Australia, as well as some standalone ELICOS providers.

    TEQSA monitors providers’ compliance with the requirements of the Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000 and associated legislative framework (the ESOS framework).

    Under standard 4 of the National Code, registered providers are responsible for ensuring that their education agents act ethically, honestly and in the best interest of overseas students and uphold the reputation of Australia’s international education sector.

    In particular, higher education providers delivering to overseas students must:

    • have a written agreement with each education agent
    • not accept students where it suspects the education agent of engaging in dishonest recruitment practices
    • take immediate corrective action where it believes or becomes aware of an education agent that has not complied with its responsibilities under relevant ESOS and migration legislation.

    Provider actions

    All higher education providers must ensure that:

    • Education agents that they have contracts with are published on their website and that this listing is correct and up-to-date.
    • Student engagement policies and procedures are in place and followed. This includes monitoring international students’ engagement in learning and their academic progress and taking action where students are at risk.
    • Robust oversight is in place for all contracts with education agents. This includes monitoring performance, ensuring students referred by agents are genuine and engaged in learning and taking prompt corrective action in the event or likelihood of misrepresentation or unethical conduct.
    • Staff managing relationships with education agents are aware of the responsibilities and obligations incumbent on providers under the Higher Education Standards Framework and National Code, as well as institutional policies and procedures.

    Relevant standards

    Higher Education Standards Framework (Threshold Standards) 2021

    Standard 1.3.4:
    Processes that identify students at risk of unsatisfactory progress and provide specific support are implemented across all courses of study.

    Standard 1.3.5:
    Trends in rates of retention, progression and completion of student cohorts through courses of study are monitored to enable review and improvement.

    Standard 7.1.1:
    Representation of the higher education provider, its educational offerings and charges, whether directly or through agents or other parties, is accurate and not misleading.

    Standard 7.1.4:
    Agents and other parties that are involved in representing the higher education provider are bound by formal contracts with the provider, their performance is monitored and prompt corrective action is taken in the event or likelihood of misrepresentation or unethical conduct.

    Standard 7.1.5:
    Representations, whether expressed or implied, about the outcomes associated with undertaking a course of study, eligibility for acceptance into another course of study, employment outcomes or possible migration outcomes are not false or misleading.

    National Code of Practice for Providers of Education and Training to Overseas Students 2018

    Standard 4.1:
    The registered provider must enter into a written agreement with each education agent it engages to formally represent it, and enter and maintain the education agent’s details in PRISMS.

    Standard 4.2: 
    The written agreement must outline:

    • 4.2.1  the responsibilities of the registered provider, including that the registered provider is responsible at all times for compliance with the ESOS Act and National Code 2018
    • 4.2.2 the registered provider’s requirements of the agent in representing the registered provider as outlined in Standard 4.3
    • 4.2.3 the registered provider’s processes for monitoring the activities of the education agent in representing the provider, and ensuring the education agent is giving students accurate and up-to-date information on the registered provider’s services
    • 4.2.4 the corrective action that may be taken by the registered provider if the education agent does not comply with its obligations under the written agreement including providing for corrective action outlined in Standard 4.4
    • 4.2.5 the registered provider’s grounds for termination of the registered provider’s written agreement with the education agent, including providing for termination in the circumstances outlined in Standard 4.5
    • 4.2.6  the circumstances under which information about the education agent may be disclosed by the registered provider and the Commonwealth or state or territory agencies.

    Standard 4.3:
    A registered provider must require its education agent to:

    • 4.3.1 declare in writing and take reasonable steps to avoid conflicts of interests with its duties as an education agent of the registered provider
    • 4.3.2 observe appropriate levels of confidentiality and transparency in their dealings with overseas students or intending overseas students
    • 4.3.3 act honestly and in good faith, and in the best interests of the student
    • 4.3.4 have appropriate knowledge and understanding of the international education system in Australia, including the Australian International Education and Training Agent Code of Ethics.

    Standard 4.4:
    Where the registered provider becomes aware that, or has reason to believe, the education agent or an employee or subcontractor of that education agent has not complied with the education agent’s responsibilities under standards 4.2 and 4.3, the registered provider must take immediate corrective action.

    Standard 4.5:
    Where the registered provider becomes aware, or has reason to believe, that the education agent or an employee or subcontractor of the education agent is engaging in false or misleading recruitment practices, the registered provider must immediately terminate its relationship with the education agent, or require the education agent to terminate its relationship with the employee or subcontractor who engaged in those practices.

    Standard 4.6:
    The registered provider must not accept students from an education agent if it knows or reasonably suspects the education agent to be:

    • 4.6.1 providing migration advice, unless that education agent is authorised to do so under the Migration Act
    • 4.6.2  engaged in, or to have previously engaged in, dishonest recruitment practices, including the deliberate attempt to recruit a student where this clearly conflicts with the obligations of registered providers under Standard 7 (Overseas student transfers)
    • 4.6.3 facilitating the enrolment of a student who the education agent believes will not comply with the conditions of his or her visa
    • 4.6.4 using PRISMS to create CoEs for other than bona fide students.

    Further information

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  • Translated resources for students

    To help international students build their understanding of academic integrity and the responsible use of generative artificial intelligence (gen AI), language translations of key resources are available.

    Chinese Simplified

    Artificial intelligence: advice for students webpage

    Understanding Academic Integrity webpages

    Filipino

    Understanding Academic Integrity webpages

    Hindi

    Artificial intelligence: advice for students webpage

    Understanding Academic Integrity webpages

    Indonesian

    Artificial intelligence: advice for students webpage

    Understanding Academic Integrity webpages

    Malay

    Understanding Academic Integrity webpages

    Nepali

    Understanding Academic Integrity webpages

    Portuguese

    Artificial intelligence: advice for students webpage

    Understanding Academic Integrity webpages

    Punjabi

    Artificial intelligence: advice for students webpage

    Understanding Academic Integrity webpages

    Spanish

    Artificial intelligence: advice for students webpage

    Understanding Academic Integrity webpages

    Vietnamese

    Artificial intelligence: advice for students webpage

    Understanding Academic Integrity webpages
     

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