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You are here: Getting started > Higher education in Australia > Australian Universities Quality Agency
Australian Universities Quality Agency
What is the Quality Assurance Framework?
What is AUQA?
What is an audit report?
What is in an audit report?
What happens with the recommendations?
What if the audit is negative?
Does my provider have an audit report?
What is the Quality Assurance Framework?
The quality assurance framework for higher education in Australia encompasses the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) and the varied roles of universities, State and Territory governments, the Australian Universities Quality Agency (AUQA) and the Australian Government.
What is AUQA?
The Australian Universities Quality Agency (AUQA) is an independent, not-for-profit national agency established to monitor, audit and report on quality assurance in Australian higher education. AUQA was established by the Ministerial Council for Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs (MCEETYA) in March 2000.
AUQA is responsible for:
- conducting audits of Australian universities and self-accrediting higher education providers (providers) and State and Territory Government higher education accreditation authorities (agencies)
- publishing public reports on the outcomes of these audits
- commenting on the criteria for the recognition of new universities and accreditation of non-university higher education awards, as a result of the audit process
- reporting on the relative standards and international standing of the Australian higher education system and its quality assurance processes, as a result of the audit process.
See also: Australian Universities Quality Agency website 
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What is an audit report?
AUQA audits are undertaken, on a five-yearly cycle, to determine the extent to which Australian universities, self-accrediting providers and agencies are achieving their missions and objectives and maintaining appropriate standards for higher education in Australia.
Audits are based on self-assessment and a site visit by the audit panel. AUQA uses panels of experts with experience in higher education (in Australia and abroad) to undertake the audits.
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What is in an audit report?
Each AUQA audit report contains a summary of findings, commendations, affirmations and a list of recommendations that should be followed by the universities, self-accrediting providers or agencies.
The audit report for individual universities and self-accrediting providers determines how appropriate and effective their quality assurance policies and processes are for:
- teaching and learning
- research and research training
- community outreach program
- internationalisation
- academic support
- students and student services
- staff and staff services
- infrastructure and administration.
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What happens with the recommendations?
It is the responsibility of the governing body of the university, self-accrediting provider, or the relevant Department or Minister for the agencies to take action taken in response to audit reports.
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What if the audit is negative?
If a university, self-accrediting provider or agency receives a negative audit report it is the responsibility of the governing body or relevant Department or Minister to take appropriate action. Failure to respond appropriately to negative reports can lead to funding sanctions by the Commonwealth Government, or regulatory action by the relevant State or Territory Government.
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Does my provider have an audit report?
AUQA conducts audits on all Australian universities and self-accrediting providers. As AUQA audits commenced in 2002, not all providers have an audit report. When an Audit Report has been published it will become available on the AUQA web site.
See also: Audit reports - self-accrediting institutions
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