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Reporting requirements and exemptions

Understand provider reporting requirements for USIs and management of exemptions.

Data and reporting requirements

For data and reporting purposes, training and education providers need to follow appropriate reporting and legislation requirements:

Registered Training Organisations (RTOs)

Collecting and reporting your students’ USIs is a requirement under Commonwealth legislation and a condition of your RTO registration.

RTOs must report annually, or choose to report quarterly, on fee for service training directly to the National VET Provider Collection. Reporting quarterly benefits students who will have their USI VET transcript updated more frequently.

Under the National VET Data Policy, RTOs are required to report USIs.

Unless you have received an exemption from your VET Regulator, RTOs are required to:

  • collect a USI from each student
  • verify a USI supplied by a student
  • ensure a student has a valid USI before issuing a qualification or statement of attainment for any nationally recognised training
  • ensure the security of USIs and related documentation
  • destroy any personal information which you have collected solely for the purpose of creating a USI on behalf of a student
  • adhere to all USI legislative requirements.

We strongly recommend that RTOs create or collect and verify USIs at the time of enrolment. This can avoid needing to confirm details with students later on.

For RTOs to meet their requirements, they must have access to the USI Organisation Portal. Alternatively, RTOs can access the USI Registry System using the web services interface with a Student Management System.

Missing USIs for RTOs

Leaving the USI field blank when you submit your training information will trigger a warning or error (depending on other conditions) within the AVETMISS Validation Software (AVS). State Training Authorities and Regulators monitor the percentage of missing USIs for RTOs. 

If you have requested a USI for a student and followed up without success, you must leave the field blank. We recommend you keep a record of the attempts made to contact the student. Creating or collecting and verifying USIs at enrolment and following up quickly with students without a USI is the best way to avoid reporting issues.

Credit transfers and USI VET transcripts

Standard 1.7 of the National Vocational Education and Training Regulator Instrument 2025 identifies the requirements for the acceptance and provision of credit transfers to students.

A VET transcript can be used as evidence for the assessment of credit transfers for units of competency and/or modules (unless licencing or regulatory requirements prevent this).

RTO reporting legislation

RTO guides and frameworks

Exemptions for RTOs reporting VET data

An RTO can be exempt by their regulator from the requirement to collect and submit AVETMISS compliant data. Further information on provider exemption can be found under sections 5.3 and 5.5 of the National VET Data Policy.

Further information on exemption by VET Regulator can be found at NCVER fact sheet – Exempted RTO reporting.

Regulators

Higher education providers

Amendments were made in March 2020 to the Student Identifiers Act 2014 to extend the USI from VET to higher education students. This allows higher education providers and tertiary admission centres to collect, use and disclose the USI for legislative purposes.

Under section 53A of the Act, a registered higher education provider must not confer a regulated higher education award to an individual without a verifiable USI, or an exemption from being assigned one.

To remain compliant students must be encouraged to provide a USI at the earliest opportunity but no later than:

  • the census date for eligible students accessing Commonwealth Supported Places or Commonwealth financial assistance
  • before an international student leaves Australia.

Amendments were made in June 2020 to the Higher Education Support Act 2003 (HESA). 

All higher education students must have a USI to be eligible for a Commonwealth supported place, Commonwealth financial assistance and/or in order to graduate and receive their award. This includes international students studying in Australia.

Student exemptions

All vocational education and training (VET) and higher education students must have a USI if they are studying in Australia. Australian students studying with an Australian provider overseas must also have a USI.

Students may apply for an exemption from a USI. Information on exemptions and the consequences of not having one can be found on the Exemption page for students.

International students do not require a USI if they completed all their study outside of Australia.

When applying for Commonwealth financial assistance or a Commonwealth Supported Place the student must have a USI and cannot apply for an exemption. Commonwealth financial assistance includes:

If the Student Identifiers Registrar grants the student an exemption, they will receive a letter of confirmation. Students need to provide a copy of their letter to their provider to demonstrate they are exempt from having a USI. 

Reporting student exemptions

If receiving an exemption from a student, providers cannot ask the student why they’re exempt.

For more information for providers delivering VET training on how to meet their AVETMISS reporting obligations: 

Higher Education providers should email TCSIsupport@education.gov.au for guidance on how to satisfy their reporting requirements.

Related information

VET transcripts and RTOs

Find out how RTOs can access USI vocational education training (VET) transcripts with student permission via the Organisation Portal.

Student permissions

Providers need student permission to create, search for, or share a USI and view VET transcripts.

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