2026: Is the Australian degree you picked registered on CRICOS at that campus?

Registration runs course-by-course and location-by-location, so the same degree title can differ by campus. Here is what to compare before you choose.

Primary source: www.legislation.gov.au · source dated fetched 2026-09-20 · verified on 2026-09-20

No, not automatically — and this is the trap when two campuses advertise the same degree. Under section 10 of the Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000 (ESOS Act 2000), a provider may be registered “to provide a course or courses at a location or locations”. The unit of registration is the course-and-location pair, not the institution as a whole. So an identical course title at the city campus and at the suburban campus sits on two separate registration entries, and only the one covering the campus you actually attend counts. This follows the Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000 as published on the Australian Government’s Federal Register of Legislation (see References). Nothing here is tailored advice for your circumstances: this describes how the Act frames registration in general terms, and where your own enrolment sits against that framework is something to confirm against the official record as currently published.

Is registration granted to the university, or to the course at a place?

It is granted to the provider for specified courses at specified locations. Section 10(1) says the ESOS agency for the provider may register the provider “to provide a course or courses at a location or locations” once an application under section 9 is made and the registration requirements are met. Two further details in the same section matter when you are comparing campuses. The agency must use a risk management approach when deciding whether to register a provider (s 10(2)). And a Note to s 10 records that the Minister may determine that the agency is not required to, or must not, deal with registration applications for a period under section 14C — meaning an application covering a new location can be paused or barred by ministerial determination rather than approved on the provider’s timetable.

The practical consequence: “this university is registered” is a statement about the provider, while “this degree at this campus is registered” is the statement you need. The first does not settle the second.

Why can the same degree title differ at two campuses?

Because two names that look identical can sit on different registration entries. A single provider may hold registration for a course at some locations and not others; different legal entities may deliver a course that carries the same title; and the entry may carry conditions or be subject to change. The Act does not treat the marketing name as the thing registered — it treats the combination of provider, course, and location as the thing registered. That is why “the course exists” and “the course exists where I will study it” are two separate questions, and why a pamphlet from a different campus proves nothing about yours.

What looks identical	What the Act treats as distinct	Source
Same degree title	Separate registration for each location	ESOS Act s 10(1)
Same university brand	The registered provider must be identified for the course	ESOS Act s 107(d)
Same course page online	The unique identifier allocated to the provider	ESOS Act s 107(e), s 14A(4)(d)
Provider shown as registered	Registration is separate from any suspension certificate in effect	ESOS Act ss 100–101

What has to be identified in writing for a course offered at a location?

Section 107 makes it an offence for a person, in written material including electronic form, to offer an overseas student or intending overseas student a course at a location, invite them to undertake or apply for it, or hold itself out as able to provide it there — and fail to identify certain things. The required items include the registered provider for the course (s 107(d)) and the unique identifier allocated to that provider under paragraph 14A(4)(d) (s 107(e)), plus any other information prescribed by the regulations (s 107(f)). The penalty is imprisonment for 6 months.

Note how the obligation is drafted: it bites whenever someone offers or holds out “a course at a location”. The written material has to identify the provider behind that course, so an offer document that names a location without naming the registered provider and its identifier is not meeting what this provision describes.

Can a provider stay registered and still be unable to enrol overseas students?

Yes, and this is why a registration snapshot is not the whole picture. An Immigration Minister’s suspension certificate remains in effect for six months beginning on the day it says it takes effect (s 100(1)), and the Minister may revoke it at any time by written notice to the provider (s 100(2)). While such a certificate is in effect, it is an offence to make an offer to an overseas student, intending overseas student or prescribed non-citizen to be provided with a course at any location by that provider, to invite them to undertake or apply for such a course, or to hold the provider out as able or willing to provide one — with a penalty of imprisonment for 2 years (s 101(1)). Crucially, s 101(2) says the provider is still registered for all other purposes.

So “registered” and “able to enrol overseas students right now” are not the same statement. A provider can remain on the Register while offering courses to overseas students is, during the certificate period, conduct the Act makes criminal. Certificates can also be renewed: unless the provider satisfies the Minister otherwise by the end of the period, the Minister may give a further certificate without following the procedure in subsections 98(1) and (2), though a copy must be tabled in both Houses of Parliament within 15 sitting days of being given (s 102). The Secretary must then cause the Register to be altered appropriately (s 103(1)) — but s 103(2) adds that failure to do so does not affect the validity of the certificate or its revocation. In other words, the Register’s accuracy is not a guarantee; the certificate operates regardless.

How do you line up two identical course names side by side?

Work through the elements the Act itself singles out, and compare them campus by campus rather than brand by brand. Suppose an applicant is choosing between the same Bachelor title offered at Campus A and Campus B: the comparison is only meaningful once each of the following is checked separately for each location.

The registered provider. Confirm the registered provider for that course matches for both. Under s 107(d) this is a required identification, not a formality.
The provider’s unique identifier. Compare the identifier allocated under s 14A(4)(d). A different identifier signals you are looking at a different entry, whatever the brochure says.
The location itself. Registration covers courses at locations (s 10(1)). Verify the campus address you will attend is one of them, not merely “a location in the same city”.
Current suspension status. Check whether any Immigration Minister’s suspension certificate, or further certificate, is in effect, since ss 100–103 allow a certificate to run for six months and be renewed.
The currency of what you are reading. Registration requirements and the published record change; treat the currently published official information as the reference point, since a printed offer or a cached web page may lag behind it.

If any row differs between the two campuses, they are not interchangeable offers, even though the degree title you will receive may read identically on graduation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does a university’s registration automatically cover every campus?

No. Section 10(1) allows registration “to provide a course or courses at a location or locations”, so coverage runs per course at each location. A provider can be registered for a course at one campus and not another, and the two share only a brand and a title.

If two campuses advertise the same degree name, does checking one prove the other?

It does not. The marketing name is not the registered item; the combination of provider, course, and location is. Comparing the registered provider and the unique identifier allocated under s 14A(4)(d) for each campus is what separates two genuinely equivalent offers from two lookalikes.

What must appear in writing when a course is offered at a location?

Under s 107, written material that offers the course, invites the student to apply for it, or holds the provider out as able to deliver it must identify the registered provider for the course and the provider’s unique identifier allocated under paragraph 14A(4)(d), plus any other prescribed information. Failure to do so carries a penalty of imprisonment for 6 months.

How long can a provider be suspended from enrolling overseas students?

An Immigration Minister’s suspension certificate remains in effect for six months beginning on the day it says it takes effect, and may be revoked at any time by written notice (s 100). A further certificate may then be issued (s 102), so the six-month figure is a cap per certificate rather than a maximum total period.

Is the Register always updated to match the current position?

The Secretary must cause the Register to be altered appropriately once a certificate is given or revoked (s 103(1)), but s 103(2) states that a failure to do so does not affect the validity of the certificate or revocation. The certificate has effect whether or not the Register reflects it, so the published record should not be read as conclusive on its own.

Can a provider remain registered while under a suspension certificate?

Yes. Section 101(2) says the provider is still registered for all other purposes. The suspension affects offering courses to overseas students during the certificate period, which the Act makes an offence with a penalty of imprisonment for 2 years — it does not erase registration itself.

References

Sources

degree.help summarises published rules. It is not an accreditation body and does not provide immigration advice. Only the named regulator can assess your qualification.