The Tuition Protection Service (TPS) helps international and domestic students if their education provider closes, stops offering their course, fails to start their course or discontinues units of study they are enrolled in. It is primarily funded by a levy paid by the education providers of the students it is designed to assist.
On this page:
What we do
The TPS helps:
- international students
- domestic higher education students who pay up-front fees at private providers
- FEE-HELP and HECS-HELP students at private providers
- VET Student Loans (VSL) students at private providers
We aim to:
- Stay focussed on protecting, assisting, and supporting students’ interests
- Conduct ourselves professionally, connecting and communicating transparently and in a responsive manner in working with students and our stakeholders, including providers
- Provide clear, appropriate, and concise advice
- Work within our Service Charter
The TPS is sector funded, and each of the services is funded by its own tuition protection levy. Providers pay annual levies commensurate with their size and risk. The levies are held in quarantined accounts for each sector and are used to support students and providers.
The TPS is managed by the TPS Director who is responsible for delivering the service and ensuring the long-term sustainability of the accounts.
The responsible Minister sets the Administrative fee component of the levy paid by providers for each levy. Each year, following advice from the TPS Advisory Board, the TPS Director will set the risk rated premium and special tuition protection components of each annual levy.
The TPS Director
The TPS Director oversees the operation of the TPS. This includes the operation of the student placement system, payments to providers for accepting students affected by a provider default and refunds or loan re-credits to students where appropriate. The TPS Director also sets the risk rated premium and special tuition protection components of each levy to be paid by providers annually.
Ms Melinda Hatton has been appointed as the TPS Director from 5 April 2022 to 5 April 2027.
Our Service Charter
The Tuition Protection Service Director’s Privacy Policy
Read the Tuition Protection Service Director’s Privacy Policy
Tuition Protection Service Director’s Privacy Complaints Handling Policy
Read the Tuition Protection Service Director’s Privacy Complaints Handling Policy