Foundation Program

A Foundation Program is a nationally recognised course that provides overseas students with an academic entry pathway to first-year undergraduate study or its equivalent. Only education institutions registered under the ESOS Act and listed on CRICOS can enrol overseas students to study in Australia on a student visa.

Foundation Programs must comply with requirements set out in the ESOS Act, the National Code of Practice for Providers of Education and Training to Overseas Students 2018 (National Code 2018), and the Education Services for Overseas Students (Foundation Program Standards) Instrument 2021 (Foundation Program Standards).

Providers must submit a self-assurance report of no more than 5 pages, provide evidence of risk identification and management, demonstrate how key sector risks are managed (including student recruitment and admission, student participation, support and experience, and student attainment), outline findings from at least one review by a suitably qualified discipline expert verifying compliance with Foundation Program Standards, provide evidence of the course's approval through internal quality assurance mechanisms, outline whether the program is standard or extended and streamed or generalist, verify scheduled English language hours comply with Standard 4, and provide evidence of formal measures ensuring English language assessment outcomes are comparable to higher education pathway admission criteria.

CRICOS-registered providers who deliver Foundation Programs must apply for re-accreditation of their Foundation Program(s) at the same time they apply to renew their CRICOS registration. These providers will submit 2 self-assurance reports as part of their CRICOS renewal: one focused on CRICOS re-registration requirements, and the other on the Foundation Program requirements. The Foundation Program self-assurance report must address risk management, key sector risks, at least one expert compliance review, and continuous improvement measures.

A self-assurance report should consist of no more than 5 pages outlining how the provider's governing body assures itself of the quality of its education operations in relation to its Foundation Program and that it meets and will continue to meet the requirements of the ESOS Act, the National Code 2018, and the Foundation Program Standards. All claims must be substantiated by evidence, with reference to specific supporting documents in-text, and wherever possible, supporting evidence should be directly accessible via in-text hyperlinks, included as attachments, or listed in an index for later submission on request.