APEX Australia Higher
Education Governance

Registration and Accreditation

APEX Australia Higher Education (registered as APEX Institute of Higher Education) is a non self-accrediting Institute of Higher Education, registered with the Australian Government’s Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA).  TEQSA has approved APEX to deliver a Bachelor of Business to domestic students, as well as international students studying in Australia, as well as overseas/international students on Australian student visas.  Students who successfully complete APEX’s Bachelor of Business will gain a higher education qualification. This course has been accredited by TEQSA, meaning that:

• The course is recognised under the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF).
• The course is recognised under, and adheres to the Higher Education Standards Framework (Thresholds Standards) 2015 (updated in 2021). This framework provides a comprehensive blueprint for how APEX is to understand, monitor and manage its higher education activities and any associated risks. In addition, the framework stipulates the statutory requirements that APEX must continue to meet in order to maintain its registration as a Higher Education Provider.

Professional Recognition

BBus graduates are not required to be professionally registered to practise / work.

To view more information on APEX’s accreditation and registration with TEQSA, please click here. To view more information on AHE’s accreditation with the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students (CRICOS), please click here.

Organisational Structure

Financial Standing

APEX Australia Higher Education (ABN: 45 615 071 853) provides the information below about the Institute’s financial standing as required by TEQSA.

1. Director’s Declaration: Download Here
2. Auditor’s Independence Declaration and Auditor’s Report: Download Here

ESOS Framework

The Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000, or ESOS Act, establishes legislative requirements and standards for the quality assurance of education and training institutions offering courses to international students who are in Australia on a student visa.

As a registered provider under the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for overseas Students (CRICOS), APEX complies with the Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000 (Cth) (ESOS), and the broader ESOS Framework. Further information on the ESOS Framework can be found at: www.dese.gov.au/esos-framework

The National Code of Practice for Providers of Education and Training to Overseas Students (2018) (National Code) forms part of the ESOS framework setting nationally consistent standards for the delivery of courses to overseas students. As the National Code is a legislative instrument, the standards that it imposes on providers (such as APEX) are legally enforceable. Information on these standards can be found at https://internationaleducation.gov.au/Regulatory-Information/Pages/National-Code-2018-Factsheets-.aspx

APEX is committed to ensuring that the ‍‍National Code and broader ESOS Framework, are actively implemented, monitored, and observed.

Tuition Assurance

APEX Australia Higher Education is a registered Education Provider under the Australian Government’s Tuition Protection Service (TPS). The TPS imposes statutory reporting obligations on APEX, in addition to imposing placement and refund obligations on APEX in instances of provider or student default.

The Australian Government at Tuition Protection Services (https://tps.gov.au) states that the Tuition Protection Service (TPS) is an initiative of the Australian Government to assist international students and eligible domestic students accessing a VET Student Loan (VSL), FEE-HELP or HECS-HELP (HELP) loan, whose education providers are unable to fully deliver their course of study. The TPS ensures that these students are able to either:

• complete their studies in another course or with another education provider or
• receive a refund of their unspent tuition fees (international students) or a re-credit of their loan for open units of study (VSL and HELP)

COVID-19

The TPS understands that the current COVID-19 situation may be concerning for some students and providers. Providers and students are encouraged to stay up-to-date on current advice, and consider flexible approaches to support the continuity of education and training delivery.

The TPS Overview for International Students at (tps.gov.au/StaticContent/Get/StudentInformation) explains that the Tuition Protection Service (TPS) is an initiative of the Australian Government to assist international students whose education providers are unable to fully deliver their course of study.

The TPS ensures that international students are able to either:

• complete their studies in another course or with another education provider or
• receive a refund of their unspent tuition fees

Australia has a well established international education sector with over 1200 education providers delivering a high quality education to international students. For many years now Australia has been a world leader in protecting the tuition fees of international students studying in Australia on a student visa. Recent changes to the Education Services for Overseas Students (ESOS) Act have further strengthened protections for international students through the introduction of the Tuition Protection Service (TPS).

In the unlikely event a student’s education provider is unable to deliver a course the student has paid for and does not meet their obligations to either offer you an alternative course that you accept or pay you a refund of your unspent prepaid tuition fees (this is called a provider’s ‘default obligations’), the TPS will assist you in finding an alternative course or to get a refund if a suitable alternative is not found.

• The Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000
• The National Code of Practice 2018

Commonwealth Ombudsman

The Commonwealth Ombudsman investigates complaints about problems that overseas students have with private education and training in Australia.

In the event that you are not satisfied with the APEX’s internal procedures for handling a grievance or an issue you have raised, and you wish to complain about this to someone outside of the APEX, the Commonwealth Ombudsman is the correct channel for this to occur.

The Commonwealth Ombudsman can be reached on 1300 362 072 and is open from 9.00am to 5.00pm Monday to Friday. The Commonwealth Ombudsman can also be contacted via email on ombudsman@ombudsman.gov.au or GPO Box 442 Canberra ACT 2601.The Commonwealth Ombudsman’s web site is www.ombudsman.gov.au/contact-us.

The Commonwealth Ombudsman investigates complaints about:

• Refusing admission to a course
• Fees and refunds
• Course or provider transfer
• Course progress or attendance
• Cancellation of enrolment
• Accommodation or work arranged by a provider
• A provider not doing something or taking too long to do something
• Incorrect advice given by an education agent who has an agreement with a private provide

The Commonwealth Ombudsman treats all information with privacy and respect.

The Commonwealth Ombudsman cannot make decisions about academic merit. For example, if a provider has decided that a student has not met the course progress or attendance requirements, the Commonwealth Ombudsman cannot make a new decision about this. Instead the Commonwealth Ombudsman may look at whether the education provider followed the rules properly in making its decision and that the student was treated fairly