Australian Student Tuition Assurance Scheme (ASTAS)
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The ACPET ASTAS is designed to satisfy the requirements of:
The ASTAS also offers members an economical way of complying with the conditions of registration of the Australian Qualification Training Framework (AQTF) |
While the Scheme satisfies regulatory requirements, it also provides participants a significant marketing tool in attracting prospective students by assuring them and their parents that tuition fees paid are protected.
The Scheme ensures that domestic students displaced from any course conducted by an ACPET member participating in ASTAS, due to the member's inability to continue the course, will be efficiently relocated with minimal disruption to studies in a comparable course with another ACPET member participating in ASTAS or other approved provider.
The Scheme covers a student if s/he is a citizen or permanent resident of Australia and enrolled as a full or part-time student in approved programs leading to an accredited award and has paid tuition fees in advance for a period of ten weeks or more and is not a student as defined in the ESOS Act 2000.
Should a participating ACPET member be unable to continue operating a course, ACPET will make suitable arrangements for any eligible domestic student who has not withdrawn from the course and has not completed course requirements due to:
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the course not commencing on the agreed starting date; or
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the course ceasing to be provided after it has started; or
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the full course not being delivered because a sanction has been imposed on the provider.
The new provider (the member receiving the domestic student) will make no additional tuition charge for the portion of the previous course for which the member provider who is no longer able to continue that course has received full payment. The new provider is entitled to charge its normal tuition fee for any portion of a course not previously paid for by the domestic student to the original provider. The student will normally be responsible for meeting any relocation expenses and the purchase of any texts or materials required by the new provider.
If no member of the Scheme offers a suitable comparable course, the ACPET ASTAS will make the necessary financial and administrative arrangements to commission or obtain access to an appropriate course for the specific purpose of offering placement for these students. These courses may be delivered by a member of the Scheme, or may be delivered by another registered provider commissioned by the ACPET ASTAS for that purpose.
For further information on the ACPET by-laws under which it operates and regulates the ASTAS, and the Code of Ethics required of ACPET members click on the following links:
Participation in ASTAS
An ACPET member is eligible to join the Australian Student Tuition Assurance Scheme (ASTAS) if it:
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delivers approved programs leading to an accredited award;
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has not been refused coverage, or had specific courses offered by the member refused coverage, in the Scheme or a similar Scheme; and
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has complied with AQTF Standards, as applicable.
To participate in ASTAS, a provider must first be accepted for membership of ACPET. ASTAS scheme fees are based on the annual gross turnover realised from tuition fees from Australian students in the last financial year.
Organisations interested in participating in ASTAS are invited to download the ACPET information kit, which includes information on the Australian Student Tuition Assurance Scheme. Applications can be made by completing the application form, and forwarding this along with other required documents as detailed in the application form.
Making changes to course cover under the Australian Student Tuition Assurance Scheme (ASTAS)
Under the ACPET’s policy and procedures for the operation of the Australian Student Tuition Assurance Scheme (ASTAS), ACPET is obliged to maintain a schedule of all the courses covered under the ASTAS for each member of the Scheme.
It is the responsibility of each member to ensure that ACPET is advised of any changes to their scope for the purposes of tuition assurance and their subsequent compliance with AQTF Standard 3.4 and/or the Higher Education Support Act. ACPET receives no such advice from either the DEST or the State/Territory accrediting body and relies entirely on information supplied by the member.
Further, ACPET is not an accrediting body and has no ability to authenticate any changes to a provider’s scope. ACPET must be notified solely for the purposes of tuition assurance. In some instances, tuition assurance may need to be sought first in order for the changes to take effect.
Any changes to a provider’s scope must be handled through the State or Territory training recognition authority through which they were first registered.
It is important that any changes made to your scope, especially additions or deletions of courses, are made known to ACPET, as these will affect your tuition assurance.
To notify ACPET of any changes to your ASTAS cover as outlined above, please use the “Request for amendments to ASTAS cover” form. Please ensure you allow a minimum of one week for processing of any amendment applications.