Renewal of registration and course accreditation 10 December 2025
Provider: Southern Cross Education Institute (Higher Education) Pty Ltd
Renewal of registration and course accreditation
Report on renewal of registration of Southern Cross Education Institute (Higher Education) Pty Ltd
On 10 December 2025, TEQSA:
- renewed, under section 36 of the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency Act 2011 (TEQSA Act), the registration of Southern Cross Education Institute (Higher Education) Pty Ltd as an Institute of Higher Education for 5 years to 9 December 2030.
- renewed, under section 56 of the TEQSA Act, the accreditation of the Bachelor of Human and Community Services offered by Southern Cross Education Institute (Higher Education) Pty Ltd, for 5 years to align with the renewal of registration.
- revoked, under section 32 of the TEQSA Act, Conditions 1, 2 and 5 that were imposed on the registration of Southern Cross Education Institute (Higher Education) Pty Ltd on 30 November 2017.
- imposed, under section 32 of the TEQSA Act, the following condition on the registration of Southern Cross Education Institute (Higher Education) Pty Ltd:
Condition 1: Corporate and academic governance, monitoring and accountability, staffing and credit
- By 31 March 2026, or a later date approved by TEQSA's Director of Re-registration, SCEI HE must provide TEQSA with evidence that SCEI HE's Corporate and Academic Boards have assured themselves that:
- SCEI HE has established clear indicators for evaluating and monitoring the effectiveness of each completed action against the intended outcome stated in the SCEI HE Corporate Governance Action Plan, the SCEI HE Academic Governance Action Plan, and the SCEI HE Action Plan - HESF Domains 1, 3 and 5 submitted to TEQSA on 23 May 2025
- Academic staff for the Bachelor of Human and Community Services (BHCS) either hold verified qualifications that meet Standard 3.2.3c of the Threshold Standards and have skills in contemporary teaching, learning and assessment principles; or have their teaching guided and overseen by staff who meet Standard 3.2.3
- All staff have knowledge of contemporary developments in their discipline or field, informed by continuing scholarship or research or advances in practice, as required by Standard 3.2.3a, and
- Staff are providing adequate educational and academic support to, and meeting the administrative and learning needs of, students at both the Adelaide and Melbourne campuses, as required by Section 3.2 of the Threshold Standards.
- By 30 June 2027 or a later date approved by TEQSA's Director of Re-registration in writing, SCEI HE must provide TEQSA with evidence that:
- SCEI HE has used the established indicators referred to in paragraph a(i) to review and report on the effectiveness of its completed actions in relation to academic governance against the intended outcome that the action was stated in the plan to achieve, and to identify any areas for improvement
- SCEI HE's governing bodies have considered the reports and determined further actions to be taken to address any identified areas for improvement, including the specific steps required to implement the actions in relation to academic governance and the timeline for the actions referred to in paragraph a(i)
- SCEI HE has effective mechanisms in place to enable competent oversight and management of academic risks, including in relation to:
- low staffing levels, high rates of staff turnover or changes, and other challenges relating to staffing capacity and availability at each of SCEI HE's campuses,
- lack of quality oversight and control in the recruitment and development of academic staff, and their engagement with scholarship and skills in contemporary teaching,
- lack of coherence in processes for moderation and approval of grades,
- inconsistent practices in the awarding of credit and recognition of prior learning,
- lack of benchmarking and external referencing of policies and procedures, and
- student underperformance.
- The effective mechanisms referred to in paragraph b(iii) include:
- the evaluation of the effectiveness of mitigation strategies in its Risk Register
- the reporting of academic risks to the Academic Board and the Corporate Board and proper consideration, evaluation and addressing of the reported risks in board meetings
- processes for verifying and recording qualifications and skills of staff engaged in academic oversight, teaching and supervision, and
- the Academic Board's engagement and evaluation of the effectiveness of updated policies and procedures for addressing academic risks.
Main reasons for the decision
TEQSA made these decisions in light of risks that SCEI HE may not meet, or continue to meet Sections 6.1, 6.2, 6.3, 5.1, 5.3, 3.2, 1.2 and Criterion B1.1 of the Higher Education Standards Framework (Threshold Standards) 2021.
Application to withdraw conditions
In accordance with section 32 of the TEQSA Act, TEQSA may vary or revoke a condition imposed on the registration of a higher education provider, either on its own initiative, or upon application by the provider for variation or revocation.