What is a higher education provider?
What is a self-accrediting higher education provider?
What is a non self-accrediting provider?
What is a private provider?
What is a higher education award?
What is VET?
List of providers and their websites
What is a higher education provider?
A higher education provider (provider) is a body that is established or recognised by or under the law of the Commonwealth, a State, the Australian Capital Territory or the Northern Territory. The provider has to be approved by the Australian Government Minister for Education before it can receive grants or its students can receive assistance from the Commonwealth.
Providers are subject to quality and accountability requirements.
A provider is either a:
- university
- self-accrediting provider, or
- non self-accrediting provider.
What is a self-accrediting higher education provider?
A self-accrediting higher education provider is an institution authorised by government to accredit its own awards.
The following table describes the two types of self-accrediting higher education providers:
| A... |
Description |
| University |
A University means a body:
- that is established as a university, or recognised as a university, by or under a law of the Commonwealth, a State, the Australian Capital Territory or the Northern Territory, and
- meets nationally agreed criteria for a university.
|
| Other self-accrediting provider |
a body, other than a university, whose name is included in the Australian Qualifications Framework Register as the name of a higher education institution empowered to issue its own qualifications.
See also: Australian Qualifications Framework Register 
|
There are 44 self-accrediting higher education providers in Australia, most of which are universities.
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What is a non self-accrediting higher education provider?
A non self-accrediting provider:
- is recognised under relevant State or Territory legislation,
- is included in the list of Non Self-Accrediting Higher Education Institutions contained in the Australian Qualifications Framework Register, and
- offers at least one course of study that is accredited as a higher education award.
There are approximately 120 non self-accrediting providers in Australia.
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What is a private higher education provider?
A private provider may be either a:
- university
- self-accrediting provider, or
- non self-accrediting provider.
The term generally refers to bodies which have not been established by governments. It may include bodies which have not been established by governments with the main purpose of delivering higher education.
A private provider must be recognised by a government accreditation authority listed on the Australian Qualifications Framework Register before it can deliver higher education awards.
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What is a higher education award?
Higher education awards are national qualifications issued by self-accrediting higher education institutions and approved non self-accrediting providers.
A nationally recognised higher education award includes a degree, status, title or description of bachelor, master or doctor. It may be an award of graduate diploma or graduate certificate, or any other award specified as a higher education award under the Australian Qualifications Framework.
See also: Getting qualifications
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What is VET?
VET is post-compulsory education and training provided by tertiary education institutions such as Technical and Further Education institutions (TAFE).
Vocational Education and Training (VET) provides people with specific occupational or work-related knowledge and skills.
See also: Vocational Education & Training
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List of providers and their websites
See also: Higher education providers
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