International education

Information for schools

A school must be registered on the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students (CRICOS) before providing education to overseas students who have been issued a student visa in their own right.

The Education Standards Board (ESB) is a designated state authority for recommending school providers for the registration, renewal and ongoing monitoring of schools’ compliance under the Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000 (Cwlth).

The ESB is responsible for:

• assessing  applications  for endorsement on the CRICOS register
• placing conditions on CRICOS registration, if necessary.

The Commonwealth Department of Education, Skills and Employment is responsible for registering an endorsed school on CRICOS.

The registration period is a maximum of seven years. 
 

About CRICOS

CRICOS is the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students: a searchable database managed by the Department of Education, Skills and Employment. The database provides details of educational institutions approved to recruit, enrol and deliver education and training services to overseas students and the courses they offer.

Applying for CRICOS registration

Registered schools seeking CRICOS endorsement and approval must demonstrate compliance with the:

• Education Services for Overseas Students (ESOS) Act 2000 (Cwlth)
• Education Services for Overseas Students Regulations 2001 (Cwlth) 
• National Code 2018

Schools registered on CRICOS are required to use an online student management system called the Provider Registration and International Student Management System (PRISMS). Access to PRISMS is given by Department of Education, Skills and Employment once a provider is registered on CRICOS.

PRISMS is used to generate an electronic confirmation of enrolment for student visa purposes, and to provide reports to the Department of Home Affairs on students’ compliance with conditions of their visas.

Application form for CRICOS registration

Schools seeking to apply or reapply for CRICOS endorsement on registration must use the CRICOS endorsement on registration application form.

On receipt of a CRICOS endorsement on registration application, we will provide instructions on how to upload evidence to demonstrate all criteria in the National Code 2018. The information and documentary evidence you provide will enable the Education Standards Board to assess your application against the National Code 2018. 

The evidence checklist should be submitted with your evidence to complete your application.

Updating CRICOS registration details

CRICOS registered schools must use the Update CRICOS registration details form to request these changes:

• update provider name
• update provider contact details
• update Principal Executive Officer (PEO) or PEO details
• change to overseas student capacity
• update, add or remove a provider location
• add or remove a course code
• update existing course code (including course costs).

We will update the provider record on PRISMS once we have reviewed the information provided.
Some types of changes may require that further information be provided.

Fees for CRICOS registration

There are fees for CRICOS registration.

Cancelling CRICOS registration

The Request to cancel registration on CRICOS form notifies the Education Standards Board that education services to full fee-paying overseas students will no longer be offered at your school.

The intended date for ceasing delivery of education services to full fee-paying overseas students must be after the course end date for any student still enrolled in CRICOS courses at your school. Alternatively, students may be transferred to another provider before the student’s course end date. Refer to Standard 7 of the National Code of Practice for Providers of Education and Training to Overseas Students 2018 for more information.

After receiving your form, we will send a cancellation request to the Department of Education, Skills and Employment (DESE) to change your provider registration status on the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students (CRICOS) to ‘cancelled’. This will occur after your intended date for ceasing CRICOS education services.

The Principal Executive Officer (PEO) will receive a confirmation email from DESE when the school’s CRICOS provider registration has been cancelled.

Education services must not be provided to full fee-paying overseas students after CRICOS registration has been cancelled.

Resources

The resources on this page are published to assist schools with understanding ESOS and CRICOS requirements. Links and documents will be added from time to time as necessary. CRICOS-registered schools in South Australia will be notified when there are changes or additions to this page.

TPS overview for education providers
National Code 2018 implementation