Change of Provider or Course

Change of Provider or Course
On your path to becoming an International student you would have done a lot of investigation and research as to what is available. In this minefield of information your research would probably have covered which courses to study, the outcomes you require, your place of study and finally, which of the educational providers would give you the best outcomes to achieve your goals and dreams. So, what happens if your course is not living up to your expectations, or you are not getting your desired outcomes? Or you feel this field of study is no longer appropriate to your career path? What if you feel that your educational course provider is not the right fit for you, or the standards of the course are not being met?  This can lead to a need to a change of provider or course. How do you make these changes and get back on your career path?

As an International Student you must adhere to and comply with the policies and Australian Government requirements, and they are clear and specific when it comes to a change of course or provider.  If you are on a student visa and wish to change providers or course, in most cases you must have completed 6 months on your principle course or get approved release from your current course provider. You must be able to prove why you need to transfer and have written proof from your previous provider as to this reason.  There are, however, some circumstances and these would vary depending on each individual case.  Some of the circumstances that may be taken into consideration are as follows:

  • Your course provider or course may no longer be CRICOS registered.
  • Your course provider has not delivered on the agreed documented outcomes.
  • Compassionate grounds, these have defined criterion and may require approved certificates as proof.
  • Your circumstances have changed, and it is no longer in your best interest to continue the course

Concurrent Courses
As a student you can usually only enrol in concurrent courses if you have prior approval. Your study load from these concurrent courses cannot be more than your full-time study load. You must ensure that the courses you wish to undertake are available and approved if you are to change educational providers.  

Other considerations
If you find your current course too demanding or you are struggling to comprehend the course content, you may want to change your course. In that case you need to be aware that changing a course with a lower qualification may result in having to reapply for a VISA.

If you are changing course and enrolling in a new course, you may need to pay new fees.  You may need to find out the cut off day to make changes to your course enrolment, if you do not do this you may find you are paying fees for a course that you are no longer taking.  If you change the course before the cut off date you may receive some type of refund for fees paid.

Let us help you
Change of provider or course can come with an overwhelming amount of policies and procedures. It is important to ensure that the correct steps are taken at the appropriate time to safeguard a smooth and seamless process to get you back on track to fulfilling your goals and ambitions. Let us help guide you, we have the knowledge and expertise.