These resources will provide you with the latest information on ensuring student wellbeing in higher education and how the Australian Government is addressing this issue.

Resources

TEQSA resources

• Good Practice Note: Preventing and responding to sexual assault and sexual harassment in the Australian higher education sector
• Guidance note: Wellbeing and safety
• Sector Update: Respect @ Work
• Student wellbeing: prevention of sexual assault and sexual harassment 
• Student wellbeing and online learning: Tips for providers (PDF, 208 KB)
• Student wellbeing and online learning: Tips for students (PDF, 210 KB)

Universities Australia

• 2021 National Student Safety Survey 

Australian Human Rights Commission

• Change the Course: National Report on Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment at Australian Universities

Other resources

• Other student support services

All Australian higher education providers must offer students quality higher education and access to information related to their experience.

The Higher Education Standards Framework (Threshold Standards) 2021 sets out a number of requirements that all providers must meet in order to be registered with TEQSA. The Threshold Standards have been structured to align with student experiences – from enrolment to award of qualification.

In line with the requirements of the Threshold Standards, providers must inform both current and future students in relation to:

• fees and refunds
• who to contact for particular questions
• academic requirements and deadlines
• complaints and grievance processes, including access to external review processes if a complaint has not been resolved (more information is available in our Complaints section)
• operations contracted to a third party
• access to learning resources, including technical requirements for access to IT system support services
• ways to enhance personal safety and security, both on and off campus.

What if I have an issue with a higher education provider?

If you are unhappy about aspects of your experience with a higher education provider, you should access your providers’ complaints resolution policies and procedures. These policies and procedures should be easily accessible, consistent, fair and confidential. They should also include advice and support on how to resolve your complaint.

In most cases, your complaint should be resolved locally and informally. However, you may need to use your provider’s formal complaints procedures.

We can only accept complaints about a provider’s compliance with the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Act 2011 and the Threshold Standards. More information on what we can and cannot accept complaints about is available in our Complaints section.

For international students

The Study Australia website is the trusted source of information for prospective international students, their families and agents to learn more about Australia as a place to study.

The website has practical and reliable information to help students make informed decisions about where they'd like to study in Australia, which course and institution best suits their needs, and what the experience can be like when they live and study here.

It also sets out to reassure prospective students about the laws and specialist services in place in Australia, which ensure every individual feels safe, welcomed, supported and protected while in Australia.

Study Australia helps students to understand their rights and responsibilities on issues as diverse as visas, employment, and tuition fees, and is committed to looking after students every step of their study journey.

Academic integrity 

Academic integrity is:

‘the expectation that teachers, students, researchers and all members of the academic community act with: honesty, trust, fairness, respect and responsibility.’ 

Breaching academic integrity is also known as ‘academic misconduct’ or ‘academic dishonesty’.

All Australian higher education students are expected to uphold academic integrity during their studies. An important way of upholding your academic integrity is by contacting your teachers or your school if you are having study problems and working with them on solutions. 

Studying and learning provides the knowledge expected of a graduate from your course but any form of cheating means that you could miss important professional knowledge and practice that you need to succeed in your future career.  

Protecting your reputation

Students become part of a learning community when they study. Actions that undermine the academic integrity of your course or institution could affect your reputation in the future. For example, if you are caught cheating during your studies, professional bodies may refuse to accredit you.

Avoiding criminals 

Maintaining academic integrity also protects you from criminals.

Commercial cheating services are illegal in Australia.  

Students who use illegal cheating services, to buy an essay, study notes or have someone impersonate them in an exam, are also at risk of blackmail. Operators of illegal cheating services can threaten to inform the university or the student’s future employer about their cheating unless the student pays them a large sum of money – sometimes years after the cheating took place.

Behaviours that support academic integrity

You can support academic integrity by¹:

• acknowledging where the information you use comes from, clearly citing or referencing the source
• sitting your own exams and submitting your own work
• accurately reporting research findings and abiding by research policies
• using information appropriately, according to copyright and privacy laws 
• acting ethically or doing the 'right thing', even when you are facing difficulties.

If you are having problems that could affect your academic performance, it is best to speak to your lecturer or tutor or course coordinator.

Behaviours that undermine academic integrity

A range of student behaviours can undermine academic integrity. Sometimes, students mistakenly believe that these behaviours are commonplace or don’t have consequences. This is wrong. Substantial penalties can apply for breaching academic integrity (see Penalties for breaching academic integrity below for more information).

Behaviours that undermine or breach academic integrity include²: 

Plagiarism

Submitting work that is not your own without acknowledging, citing or referencing the original source of the work, is known as plagiarism. It doesn’t matter whether you do this accidentally or on purpose, whether you change the words to make them your own or simply copy and paste. When you are using another person’s thoughts and ideas, you must reference the source material.

Recycling or resubmitting work

Recycling involves submitting (or resubmitting) work that has already been assessed, without your teacher’s permission. For example, submitting a report that you were graded on in a first-year class as part of your work in a third-year class. If you want to build on your previous work, you should discuss this first with your teacher.

Fabricating information

Fabrication involves making up information for research-focused assessment tasks, such as experimental or interview data. It can also include inventing sources of data, evidence or ideas by citing publications that are incorrect or that simply don’t exist.

Collusion

Collusion involves engaging in illegitimate cooperation with one or more other students to complete assessable work. This is different to working on group assignments that are set by your teachers. Examples of illegitimate cooperation include working with a friend or group of friends to write an essay or report that is meant to be an individual piece of work. It can also include sharing quiz or test questions and answers with other students, as well as written assignments like reports and essays. Illegitimate cooperation can unfairly advantage a student or group of students over others. Students should also never share their work with others as there is a risk the person you share it with could upload it to an illegal commercial cheating service or circulate it to others. 

Exam cheating

Contract cheating and impersonation

Penalties for breaching academic integrity

Students can face a range of penalties for breaching academic integrity, which is commonly referred to as ‘academic misconduct’ or ‘academic dishonesty’. It is often thought that students rarely get caught. Yet research shows teachers and institutions can detect breaches of academic integrity, and students doing the wrong thing do get caught³. And ways of catching cheating are constantly improving.

Penalties for breaching academic integrity can include:

• having to repeat the assessment task or unit of study
• failing the assessment task, unit of study or course
• being expelled from your institution, which may impact your student visa
• facing criminal charges.

In addition to the risk of academic or criminal penalties, being found to have breached academic integrity can impact your relationships with other students, family and friends; impact your future career and cause you to suffer a financial loss or even lose your student visa.

Getting help

If you have questions about academic integrity, or need study skills advice and support, you should speak with your institution. Your teachers or course coordinator are a good place to start. 

If you are alleged to have breached academic integrity, you should treat this matter seriously. Your institution must have clear policies and procedures related to student discipline, complaints and appeals. You should read these policies, and you may also be able to seek advocacy and support services from your student association if there is one at your institution.

Notes

1. Definitions adapted from material developed by La Trobe University.
2. Definitions adapted from material developed by The University of Sydney.
3. Dawson, P. & Sutherland-Smith, W. (2017). Can markers detect contract cheating? Results from a pilot study, Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education.

Overview

Search the National Register

TEQSA maintains the National Register of Higher Education Providers and Courses.

TEQSA’s regulatory decisions are recorded on the National Register after providers have the opportunity to comment or seek review.

Unsuccessful applications for TEQSA registration are not recorded on the register. These are recorded on the unsuccessful applications page of this website.

Information on the National Register

The National Register Guidelines outline what information is published on the register.

Providers

Provider pages contain information about:

• legal and trading names
• registration duration
• conditions
• TEQSA decisions
• any TEQSA accredited courses 
• links to information about the provider on CRICOS, Training.gov.au and QILT are also available. 

Courses

For TEQSA accredited courses, click the Courses tab on a provider's page. This takes you to a page which lists TEQSA accredited courses at that provider.

Information on this page includes:

• course name
• when TEQSA accredited the course
• accreditation expiry
• any conditions we have placed on that course.

Please note: Australian Universities and other providers with self-accrediting authority accredit their own courses. Self-accredited courses are not listed on the register.

Trading names

Providers are listed under legal names, but many use trading names. Find them by searching for provider’s full or partial legal or trading name. Results show registered names, but the provider's page has all trading names in the 'Details' section.

If your provider's name isn't found, your course may have a third-party arrangement. In such cases, the registered provider is responsible. If you can't find your provider, please contact us.

Cancelled, withdrawn or expired registrations

This National Register details providers whose registration:

• has been cancelled by TEQSA
• was withdrawn by the provider
• has expired. 

Registration or accreditation pending renewal

Active providers

When a listing reads 'registration ongoing pending renewal', 'pending' means providers are waiting for a TEQSA decision about re-registration. The provider stays registered during this time.

Active courses

When courses are marked 'accreditation ongoing pending renewal', 'pending' means providers are waiting for a TEQSA decision about re-accreditation. The course stays accredited during this time.

How to search the National Register

Search the National Register

Filters on the left let you refine your search. You can filter by:

• provider name
• provider category
• self-accreditation status
• active/inactive
• courses in languages other than English
• course results can also be filtered by status and language. 

Applications for registration and course accreditation

Decision:	Rejected
Date of decision:	10 May 2021
Main reasons for decision:	The decisions were made on the basis that TEQSA was not satisfied that Southeast Education Pty Ltd meets the following provisions of the​​​​ Higher Education Standards Framework (Threshold Standards) 2015:  Corporate monitoring and accountability (Standard 6.2.1) Academic Governance (6.3.2) Learning Outcomes and Assessment (1.4.3) Course Design (3.1.2)  Learning Resources (3.3.1)  Criteria B1.1.1 and B1.1.3 of Part B
Review stage:

What are conditions?

Higher education providers must meet certain conditions in order to become and remain registered with TEQSA.

Conditions are obligations placed on higher education providers by either the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency Act 2011 (TEQSA Act) or the Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000 (ESOS Act) and may be placed on providers’ registration or course accreditation.

There are two types of conditions:

• conditions imposed by the TEQSA or ESOS Act
• conditions imposed as a result of decisions made by TEQSA under the TEQSA or ESOS Act.

Examples of conditions imposed by the TEQSA Act include that higher education providers need to offer at least one accredited course of study, and cooperate with TEQSA to enable our regulatory functions. 

When does TEQSA impose conditions?

TEQSA may place specific conditions on providers’ registration or course accreditation in order to address an identified concern about their higher education activities.

If we identify a risk of non-compliance (or actual non-compliance) with the Higher Education Standards Framework (Threshold Standards) 2021, National Code of Practice for Providers of Education and Training for Overseas Students 2018 (National Code), the TEQSA Act or ESOS Act, providers may be required to:

• review certain activities within a particular time
• provide us with a report about how it has addressed the problems identified
• undertake certain actions in order to address or mitigate the risk and/or non-compliance
• cease to enrol students in a particular course or not offer a particular higher education award.

How TEQSA makes decisions

When making a decision to impose a condition, TEQSA considers all the relevant evidence about a provider and must also comply with the basic regulatory principles of: 

• reflecting risk
• proportionate regulation 
• regulatory necessity.

Providers are given the opportunity to comment on a proposed decision to impose a condition that may adversely affect them and can put forward any information they consider relevant before we make a final decision.

We will advise providers (in writing) within 30 days of making a decision to impose, vary or revoke a condition and will explain what the condition is, the reason(s) the decision was made and any timeframes or deadlines that must be met.

Applying for a condition to be revoked or varied

Providers can apply for a condition to be revoked or varied. All applications to revoke or vary a condition must be submitted via the TEQSA Provider Portal.

Information on how to apply to vary or revoke a condition is available from our Application guides and support page.

• Application for Variation or Revocation of a Condition – Application Guide and Form
• Applicable fees for Varying or Revoking a Condition of Registration or Accreditation

NOTE: It is essential that applicants read the application guide prior to submitting an application.

Seeking review 

Providers can apply to have a decision to impose a condition on their registration or course accreditation reviewed. For more information about the avenues of review open to providers, visit our Review of TEQSA decisions page.

Providers that do not meet a condition

Providers must comply with conditions placed on their registration or course accreditation. If a provider fails to comply with a condition, the TEQSA Act allows us to take action including court proceedings or shortening/cancelling registration or course accreditation.

We will consider whether to take further action based on the basic principles for regulation.

National Register of Higher Education Providers

Any specific conditions on providers’ registration (applied from 1 July 2013) are noted on the National Register. We will not, except in exceptional circumstances, note a decision or publish a public report on the National Register until the period for applying for review of the decision has expired or until the review is complete.

Search the National Register

How to apply to add a course on CRICOS

CRICOS registered providers are required to apply to TEQSA to add a course of study to their CRICOS registration. To add a course on CRICOS, registered providers should submit the Add course on CRICOS application via the TEQSA Provider Portal. Before an application to add a course to CRICOS can be made, that course must first be accredited by TEQSA, except where the provider has self-accrediting authority (SAA).

Course details

In your application, you should include all relevant course details, including:

• registered location/s where the course will be delivered (including campus name/s as listed in PRISMS)
• AQF level and qualification type
• whether the course awards a dual qualification
• field of education type, including codes for broad, narrow, and detailed field of education
• course duration in weeks (including breaks)
• maximum percentage of total course that a student may undertake by distance and/or online learning
• estimated tuition fee
• estimated non-tuition fee/s
• mandatory work-based training component (if applicable), including hours per week, number of weeks, and total number of hours
• projected number of international students
• projected number of domestic students
• language the course will be delivered in, if other than English.

Professional accreditation

If professional accreditation is required for the course, your application should include evidence demonstrating that accreditation with the relevant professional body has been obtained, including the duration of the accreditation. If an application to the relevant professional body has been submitted and is awaiting an outcome, include details of the application status and indicative date of an outcome.

Arrangements with other providers

If the course is to be delivered as part of an arrangement with another provider, include:

• the name of the other provider/s
• the CRICOS provider code/s of the other provider/s (if applicable)
• applicable delivery site/s of the other providers.

Please note, if the arrangement with another provider has not been previously approved by TEQSA, an Arrangements with other provider/s (third-party partnership/s) application should be submitted concurrently with this application.

Exceptions

• For providers seeking to add an ELICOS or Foundation course, see the Foundation Programs and ELICOS page.
• To add a course that has previously been registered on CRICOS to an existing location, submit a Link Courses to Locations request in PRISMS. See the PRISMS Provider User Guide for further instruction. 
• To add a course that has previously been registered on CRICOS to a new location, include the course details in an Intention to relocate or add new delivery site application.

How to apply to withdraw a course on CRICOS

CRICOS registered providers are required to apply to TEQSA to withdraw one or more courses of study from the provider’s CRICOS registration. To withdraw a course, submit the Withdraw course/s on CRICOS form via the TEQSA Provider Portal. There are no fees associated with this application.

In applying to withdraw a course, you may indicate whether the course is to be cancelled or suspended:

• Cancel:
  Once a CRICOS code has been cancelled it cannot be reinstated. By selecting this option, you will effectively delete the course from CRICOS.
• Suspend:
  By suspending a course, it may continue to be delivered with any currently registered students with a Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE), but the provider will not be able to issue any new CoEs for that course. A suspended course may have its registration restored again in the future. 

Please ensure there are no CoEs with an ‘approved’, ‘saved’, ‘pending’, or ‘visa granted’ status linked to a course before choosing to cancel or suspend a course. Any CoEs linked to a course that is suspended or cancelled may impact the student’s visa, potentially resulting in a cancellation.

Course details

To withdraw a course on CRICOS, TEQSA requires the following information:

• whether the course is to be cancelled or suspended
• proposed date of withdrawal (suspension or cancellation)
• reason for withdrawing the course
• confirmation that all overseas students registered for the course will be able to complete it before it is withdrawn from CRICOS.

Transfer of current students

If there are any overseas students that will transfer to another provider, for each applicable course, please include:

• an outline of the arrangements that have been put in place for the overseas students to complete their course with other providers
• a sample of the correspondence that will be sent to students regarding the transfer of students to another provider
• a copy of each agreement that has been put in place with other providers.

Refund arrangements

If any overseas students will have access to a refund, for each applicable course, please include:

• an outline of the arrangements that have been put in place for the refund of course fees
• a sample of the correspondence that will be sent to students regarding the refund arrangements.

Pending students

If there are any pending overseas students with a CoE for a course being withdrawn from CRICOS, please include a sample of the correspondence that will be sent to these students, as well as education agents, about the withdrawal of each applicable course from CRICOS.

Arrangements for overseas students

If there are any pending or current overseas students with a CoE for the course/s to be withdrawn, providers should include a list of impacted students confirming whether the student:

• will complete their course/s before the course/s are withdrawn
• has been offered a place in an alternative course and has accepted the offer in writing
• has received a refund of tuition fees in relation to the course.

If any other relevant arrangement has been agreed between the student, the provider and a third party, details of that arrangement should also be included in the list with the following information:

• the name of each overseas student currently enrolled in a course
• a unique identifier for each student (for example, date of birth, student number)
• the course/s in which the overseas student is enrolled
• the specific arrangement agreed for each student
• for transfer students, include details of the new provider and contact person, and the new provider’s CRICOS Provider Code.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

Is an application required to add or remove a course from an existing location?

If both the course and the location are already registered on CRICOS, you can request to link (add) or unlink (remove) any CRICOS registered course to a CRICOS registered location by using the Linking Courses to Locations Function. Instructions on this process are available in the PRISMS Provider User Guide). No application to TEQSA is required.

How do I change course fees on CRICOS?

How do I reinstate a suspended course?

When should the 'Other CRICOS changes' application be submitted?

When do changes to a course already registered on CRICOS require an application to register a new course?

How should a course with specialisations be registered on CRICOS?

How should ‘joint award’ and ‘dual award’ courses be registered on CRICOS?

How should ‘nested’ courses be registered on CRICOS?

Further information

For more information or assistance applying to add or withdraw a course on CRICOS, please contact the CRICOS team at cricos@teqsa.gov.au.

For more information regarding fees providers must pay in relation to applications made to TEQSA, refer to our Application-based fees page.
 

Introduction

This resource has been developed to provide the sector with information and background research on key topics associated with student assignment outsourcing and contract cheating.

It has been designed to supplement the practical tools outlined in both the Good Practice Note: Addressing Contract Cheating and the Academic Integrity Toolkit, providing background information on topics associated with student outsourcing behaviours in higher education, particularly those associated with contract cheating, and has a focus on the Australian context. 

The information within this Contract Cheating site is based on the opinions of experts relating to academic integrity and has not been generated by TEQSA. This information should not be treated as guidance notes, advice or endorsement from TEQSA. You should read, and carefully consider, the TEQSA disclaimer before accessing any of the material.

Report a concern to TEQSA

To report a concern to TEQSA about contract cheating, please send your concern to concerns@teqsa.gov.au.

Please provide as much detail as possible. Helpful information includes the relevant website address, how you became aware of the website, and any supporting evidence.

Acknowledgements

Rebecca Awdry, Deakin University

How to use this site

Navigate to a section using the links below: