The Tuition Protection Service (TPS) assists domestic higher education students whose education providers are unable to fully deliver their course of study.
On this page:
What is a provider default?
Australia has an excellent reputation for quality education. However, sometimes an education provider may close, fail to start a course that students are enrolled in, or stop offering a course that students are enrolled in part way through. This is called a ‘provider default’.
What is the Tuition Protection Service (TPS)?
The Tuition Protection Service (TPS) is an Australian Government initiative that supports domestic higher education students in the event of a provider default. The TPS may assist domestic higher education students regardless of whether they access a HELP loan or pay their tuition fees up-front.
If your education provider fails to meet its obligations to you after a provider default, the TPS may assist you to:
- Find alternative course options for you to continue your studies with another education provider, or
- Receive a HELP loan re-credit for the unit(s) of study you could not complete due to the default, or
- Receive a refund for any tuition fees paid up-front for the unit(s) of study you could not complete due to the default.
Obligations for higher education providers
The Higher Education Support Act 2003 and the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency Act 2011 set out the ongoing obligations for providers of domestic higher education students.
All non-exempt higher education providers are required to pay the annual HELP Tuition Protection Levy (HELP Levy) and/or the Up-front Payments Tuition Protection Levy (Up-front Levy). The HELP and Up-front Levies fund the student placement, HELP loan re-credit and refund activities of the TPS in the event of a higher education provider default, as well as TPS operational costs.
More information
Further information about the TPS, assistance available for domestic higher education students, and tuition protection obligations of higher education providers is available on the TPS webpage.