Education standards in Australia are governed by a set of rules that remain consistent across the education system. At a tertiary level, this ensures that universities, VET providers and other educational institutions maintain a high standard of education for everyone, including international students.
Let’s break down education standards in Australia, the way qualifications are classified, how to compare education providers, and the Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching (QILT) rankings.
What are Australia’s education standards?
The education standards that apply to international students are covered by the Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000 (the ESOS Act). The ESOS Act is a legal framework that guides the delivery of education to international students in Australia. Essentially, it lays out the rationale for providing international students with quality tertiary education services. This reflects how Australian citizens also receive a high standard of education at all levels.
The National Code of Practice for Providers of Education and Training to Overseas Students 2018 (the National Code) sets out clear standards for registered providers to meet when devising courses, conducting registration, dealing with complaints, and so on. This ensures that all providers comply with the ESOS Act. The National Code comprises 11 standards that cover all aspects of service delivery:
- Standard 1: Marketing information and practices
- Standard 2: Recruitment of an overseas student
- Standard 3: Formalisation of enrolment and written agreements
- Standard 4: Education agents
- Standard 5: Younger overseas students
- Standard 6: Overseas student support services
- Standard 7: Overseas student transfers
- Standard 8: Overseas student visa requirements
- Standard 9: Deferring, suspending or cancelling the overseas student’s enrolment
- Standard 10: Complaints and appeals
- Standard 11: Additional requirements
As you can see, these standards cover everything from marketing and recruitment to visas, support services and changes to enrolment. In other words, this means that any university course, TAFE program or vocational activity you undertake has been designed to meet a certain standard of quality in all areas.
What is the Australian Qualifications Framework?
Let’s say you’re weighing up your options for tertiary study, but aren’t sure about what the different qualifications mean. How does a certificate differ from a diploma, for example? If that sounds like you, it’s worth being familiar with the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF).
The AQF is a national system that covers all qualifications at tertiary providers in Australia, comprising of 10 levels:
- Level 1 – Certificate I
- Level 2 – Certificate II
- Level 3 – Certificate III
- Level 4 – Certificate IV
- Level 5 – Diploma
- Level 6 – Advanced Diploma, Associate Degree
- Level 7 – Bachelor Degree
- Level 8 – Bachelor Honours Degree, Graduate Certificate, Graduate Diploma
- Level 9 – Masters Degree
- Level 10 – Doctoral Degree
The system has been designed this way to make it easier to move between different levels of study. Generally speaking, the higher the AQF level, the greater the academic demands of the qualification. If your program belongs to one of these 10 levels, that means your institution is nationally accredited by the AQF and covered by the education standards outlined above.
How do I compare education providers?
If you’re wondering how to compare education providers in Australia, you can use a global ranking system such as the Academic Ranking of World Universities, the QS World University Rankings or the Times Higher Education World University Rankings. These metrics rank universities on a global scale. They compare aspects of service delivery like academic reputation, quality of the teaching environment and volume of research output.
However, it’s worth not putting too much emphasis on whether your provider is ranked higher or lower than other providers. There are a range of other factors that should influence your decision to study somewhere. Each institution has its benefits, and what the rankings say is important might be different to what you value!
What are QILT rankings?
When looking at the education system in Australia, it can also help to look at QILT rankings and how they work to enhance education standards. QILT rankings survey the opinions of students and employers on their higher education experience. There are several surveys, including the Student Experience Survey, the Graduate Outcomes Survey and the Employer Satisfaction Survey.
How is the QILT survey put together?
As part of the QILT surveys, students at Australian institutions are asked about a variety of factors relating to their study experience and entering the workforce:
- The Student Experience Survey allows students to provide feedback while still studying with a provider. It looks at things like teaching quality, the learning environment and student support.
- Next is the Graduate Outcomes Survey, which measures things like the level of satisfaction students have with their working life. This survey is taken four to six months after finishing study.
- Thirdly, the Employer Satisfaction Survey asks employers for feedback on recent graduates who are now in the workforce.
The results from each survey are compiled and published in report form. The survey data helps education providers improve the quality of their service offering, which ultimately encourages better education standards for everyone.
