UWA College: Australian-wide TEQSA return to ESOS compliance

12 May 2023

UWA College: Australian-wide TEQSA return to ESOS compliance - hero

Responding to the significant impact of COVID-19, in March 2020 the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) announced changes to the regulatory arrangements for vocational and higher education international students studying in Australia. These changes saw increased flexibility in allowing international students, including those studying ELICOS courses, to continue their studies fully online from their home country.  

What does this mean for UWA College students? 

With travel restrictions now lifted and overseas students able to travel to Australia for study, TEQSA has announced that universities are expected to return to full compliance with the Education Services for Overseas Students (ESOS) Framework by 30 June 2023. For current and commencing UWA College students, this means that from 30 June 2023 they must, where possible, undertake their studies on campus in Perth. 

Why on campus offers the best learning experience 

We’re looking forward to having more students join us in person at The University of Western Australia's (UWA) vibrant Perth campus as we believe this is the best learning experience for their pathway studies. By studying on campus, UWA College students benefit from: 

  • learning in a supportive environment with their peers and teachers 

  • being provided with the best preparation for their university studies 

  • making friends and being actively involved in university life. 

FAQ to support current and future students 

To support the return to compliance, it’s very important for UWA College staff and the INTO regional teams to work with education counselors and students to provide the correct advice and relevant information.  With this in mind, we have developed an FAQs page to support you in answering questions from current and future UWA College students.   

More information on Australia’s return to compliance 

As part of TEQSA’s return to compliance, registered providers must: 

  • not deliver more than one-third of the units in a course for overseas students by online or distance learning (standard 8.19 of the National Code), and 

  • must ensure that overseas students study at least one unit that is not by distance or online in each study period (Standard 8.20 of the National Code), with the exception of the last unit of the course. 

For ELICOS providers, ELICOS courses must return to a minimum of 20 hours face-to-face scheduled course contact per week (Standard P1.1 of the ELICOS Standards 2018). 

UWA College will need to ensure that it remains compliant with the National Code Standards from 30 June 2023 in relation to international students studying at the College on a student visa. 

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Provider: The University of Western Australia (UWA)  UWA College in Partnership with INTO Perth  CRICOS 00126G, PRV12169, Australian University  INTO Perth Pty Ltd is an approved third-party provider of The University of Western Australia and will provide the course on its behalf.