Assuring Quality in Australian Higher Education

Here you will find information about how Australia assures the quality of its higher education system and how a higher education provider is registered to offer higher education courses in Australia. Higher education providers are registered to operate in Australia by the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) who registers and evaluates providers against the Higher Education Standards Framework. Compliance with the Higher Education Threshold Standards (consisting of the Provider Standards and Qualification Standards) is mandatory for all higher education providers in Australia. More information on the Higher Education Standards Framework can be found on the TEQSA website.

There are 43 self-accrediting higher education institutions in Australia and 39 of these are universities. In addition to these institutions there are over 100 private education providers registered by TEQSA to offer higher education. TEQSA maintains the National Register of Higher Education Providers, which includes details of all registered higher education providers in Australia, including Australian and overseas universities. The Register can be found on the TEQSA website.

The Australian Qualifications Framework is the national policy for regulated qualifications in Australian education and training. It incorporates the qualifications from each education and training sector in a single national qualifications framework. The AQF was first introduced to underpin the national system of qualifications in Australia, encompassing higher education, vocational education and training and schools. The AQF recently underwent a strengthening process to ensure its currency and relevancy.

Follow the links below to find out more.

• Alert on Fake Degrees and Unaccredited Higher Education Providers
  Explains who can offer an Australian degree, contains an alert about fake degree sellers and bogus and unauthorised higher education providers, and an email service allowing you to query the recognition of higher education institutions in Australia.
  
  
• Alert information on Greenwich University
  Explains the status of 'Greenwich University', a private institution which operated on Norfolk Island from 1998 until December 2002.
  
  
• Frequently asked questions
  Provides answers to frequently asked questions.
  
  
• Useful links and publications  
  Provides links to useful websites and Department of Industry, Innovation, Science and Tertiary Education publications and online resources. 
  
  
• Partners in Quality Assurance
  About the partners in quality assurance and the roles they play.
  
  
• Technical Note 1
  Student Outcome Indicators of Australian Higher Education.
  
  
• Technical Note 2
  Subset of the indicators published in Technical Note 1.
  
  
• The Australian Qualifications Framework
  About the national policy for regulated qualifications in Australian education and training.
  
  
• The Australian Universities Quality Agency (AUQA)
  About the agency responsible for auditing the quality of Australian universities.
  
  

Contact Us

Email: highered@innovation.gov.au