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Education or Training Providers FAQs - Help with USI Registry System

Before you start, you need to:
•    get the student’s permission to create a USI on their behalf
•    ask the student to provide identification.

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VET Admission Bodies and Tertiary Admission Centres require your permission to verify your USI, however all other education or training providers and VET Related Bodies do not.

The following details are required to verify a USI:

  • USI
  • first/given name
  • last/family name
  • date of birth.

Student USIs can be verified individually or in bulk (a maximum of 500) within the Organisation Portal. 

Verify a student USI.

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A student needs to give permission for you to find their USI. Using either the 'Existing USI Search' and 'Find USI' function requires the permission of the student.

There are 2 ways to find a student’s USI in the Organisation Portal: 

  • Existing USI - enables you to search only
  • Find USI – enables you to search and update student details.

Existing USI search function 

This enables you to search for a USI if the student has given you permission, but not make any changes to a student’s details. 

You need the following to search for an existing USI: 

  • last/family name 
  • date of birth 
  • gender. 

You also need at least one of the following optional details: 

  • first/given name 
  • middle name/s 
  • email 
  • mobile number 
  • town/city of birth. 

Using the existing USI search function will trigger a notification to  the student, either by text message or email notifying them that their education or training provider has searched for their USI.

When using a Student Management System (SMS) connected to the USI Registry System via web services, use the ‘Locate USI’ function within the SMS.

Find USI function

This enables you to search for a USI and update details depending on the permissions granted to your organisation by the student. A student can give a provider permission to both view their details and/or update their details.

To update the student’s first name, last name or date of birth you need to see an acceptable verifiable form of identification with their new details. 

You do not need any identification to update their preferred name, gender or contact details. 

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Education or training providers have the option to include preferred first/last names or single names for their students when creating their USI within the USI Organisation Portal. The official name used to establish the USI account and verify the USI must still match the form of ID used to create their USI.

Preferred Name

The preferred name option is designed to assist a student to more easily access their account and be more comfortable with recording their official ID name.

To include a preferred name in the USI account, please answer ‘Yes’ to the following question in the Organisation Portal and enter their preferred names into the respective fields.

For business or official purposes, is the student known by any other name that is not on their form of ID?

If you currently connect with the USI system via web services using your own Student Management System to create a USI for your students, they will have an option to add their preferred name later. Existing USI account holders will also be able to update their details to include a preferred name.

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If you need help, please call us on 1300 857 536 or from outside on Australia +61 2 6240 8740. Our contact centre is open between 8:30am-6.30pm (Australian Eastern Standard Time), Monday to Friday (excluding national and South Australian public holidays).

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Office of the Student Identifiers Registrar (OSIR)
Last Modified on Thursday 27th April 2023 [674]