The Australian Government is committed to helping higher education students succeed in their studies.
Support for Students Policy
The Australian Government is committed to helping higher education students succeed in their studies.
Higher education providers approved under the Higher Education Support Act 2003 (HESA) must have a Support for Students Policy ensuring supports are available and students are aware of them. This will assist students to succeed in their studies.
The purpose of a Support for Students Policy is to outline and explain the academic and non-academic supports available to assist students progress in and complete their studies.
Information for students about these requirements is available on the Study Assist website.
Legislation
The requirement for higher education providers to have a Support for Students Policy is set out in section 19-43 of HESA. Providers are required to meet three requirements:
- providers must have a Support for Students Policy that details the support made available to the provider’s students to assist them to successfully complete the units of study in which they are enrolled;
- the provider’s Support for Students Policy must include information on:
- the provider’s processes for identifying students that are at risk of not successfully completing their units of study; and
- the supports available to assist students to successfully complete the units of study in which they are enrolled;
- the provider must comply with its Support for Students Policy.
The detailed requirements of the Support for Students Policy are set out in Chapter 10A of the Higher Education Provider Guidelines 2023 (the Guidelines). The Guidelines set out the minimum content that must be included in a higher education provider’s support for students policy, the higher education provider review the policy annually and make the contents of the policy publicly available.
The Guidelines also set out detailed requirements for the annual report that higher education providers must provide about a provider’s compliance with its support for student policy.
The annual report for the Support for Students Policy is due on or before 1 March of each year.
Reporting on the Support for Students Policy from 1 March 2025
The first annual report for the Support for Students Policy is due on or before 1 March 2025. The reporting period is from 1 April to 31 December 2024.
The department has sent a Reporting Pack to higher education providers to assist with submitting the annual report for the Support for Students Policy. The Reporting Pack includes a Reporting Template to simplify and standardise the reporting process.
Further information
The department has developed a Policy Implementation Intent document to provide guidance on the initial approach to implementing the Support for Students Policy. This document was developed in consultation with a sector working group. The department will provide updates as it implements the Support for Students Policy.
Higher education providers can contact the department at supportforstudents@education.gov.au if they have any further questions.