Your tertiary admissions centre (TAC), or your higher education provider, will allocate you a Commonwealth Higher Education Student Support Number (CHESSN) as part of the admission application process. When you apply for admission, you will be asked by your provider or TAC to consent to personal identifying information to be provided to the Australian Government (the Department of Education, Science and Training, and the Tax Office) for the allocation of a CHESSN and the management of your Commonwealth assistance.
Providers are required to comply with Commonwealth privacy legislation when handling personal information relating to your Commonwealth assistance. There are strict penalties for officers of providers and the Australian Government who misuse this personal information.
Providers must have grievance procedures for non-academic matters, which can be used by students for dealing with complaints about their providers misusing this personal information. Providers must also have a procedure to allow you to access the personal information.
You will be notified of your CHESSN in your Commonwealth Assistance Notice (see: How can I check if the calculation of my student contribution is correct?).