Australian Study Options for International Students

Australia put tremendous importance on its world-class education and in being the provider and destination of choice to hundreds of thousands of students from all over the world each year.  Meeting the international students’ educational and training goals and providing them with positive study and living experience, including protecting their welfare at all times while in Australia, are of utmost priority to Australian federal and state governments and educational institutions. 

Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000 (ESOS Act)

The Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000 (ESOS Act) is a piece of legislation that establishes the framework (or the whole system or set) of legislations, regulations, and standards that governs the delivery of world-class education to international students in Australia on student visa. 

1. It provides for the system of registration of education providers (and the courses they offer) that cater to international students on student visa.  The registry is called the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students (CRICOS).  There are several agencies, called ESOS agency, that oversee the registration of education providers and their courses in CRICOS.  The Department of Education manages the registration of School providers.  The Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) is the national regulator for the Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector to ensure nationally approved quality standards are met.  It is also the ESOS agency for the VET sector.  The Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) is Australia’s quality assurance and regulatory agency for the Higher Education sector and responsible for CRICOS registration of eligible and compliant providers.

2. Within the framework of the Act are the National Code of Practice for Providers of Education and Training to Overseas Students 2018, National Standards for Foundation Programs, ELICOS Standards 2018, etc.  Simply put, they are set of requirements, obligations and standards to be borne or carried out by education providers to ensure the quality of Australian education and training being provided to international students, and to protect the rights and interests of international students.  They are used by ESOS agencies as benchmarks and conditions to assess the eligibility and compliance of an education provider when it first applies for registration in CRICOS.  They are also used to evaluate the merit of an education provider’s continued registration in CRICOS.

3. It mandates a Tuition Protection Service (TPS) to assist international students in the unlikely event their education provider becomes unable to fully deliver their course of study. The TPS ensures that international students are able to  complete their studies in another course or with another education provider, or receive a refund of their unspent tuition fees.

4. Supports the Migration Act 1958 by reinforcing students’ obligations under their student visas and requiring institutions to monitor students’ compliance with their visa obligations

5. It provides for the continuing protection and enhancement of Australia’s reputation for quality world-class education and training.