CRICOS, TEQSA and ESOS are three of the most-confused terms in Australian international education — and understanding how they fit together is the fastest way to make sense of what you actually need. The one-line version: ESOS is the law, TEQSA is the regulator, and CRICOS is the register. This guide untangles the three, explains what each does, and shows how they connect — a companion to our complete CRICOS registration guide.
ESOS: the law
The Education Services for Overseas Students (ESOS) Act 2000, together with the National Code of Practice 2018, is the legal framework governing how Australian providers recruit, enrol and support international students. Everything else — CRICOS, PRISMS, the Tuition Protection Service — sits inside this framework. The ESOS Act is the legislation; the National Code is the detailed standards that give it operational teeth. Together they are the “why” and the “what you must do” behind every rule.
TEQSA: the regulator
TEQSA (the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency) is the national regulator for higher education. It registers higher education providers, assesses and accredits their courses, and administers ESOS compliance for the higher education sector. For vocational education, the equivalent regulator is ASQA. TEQSA is the “who” — the body that grants your approvals, oversees your conduct, and can attach conditions or take action if standards slip. When people say they are “applying for CRICOS”, what they are really doing is applying to TEQSA to be added to CRICOS.
CRICOS: the register
CRICOS — the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students — is the public list of providers and courses approved to teach international students. It is the “what”: the concrete record that allows a student visa to be granted against a specific course with a CRICOS code. You do not deal with CRICOS as a standalone body; it is the register your regulator places you on once you meet the ESOS requirements.
How they fit together
Put simply: ESOS sets the rules, TEQSA enforces them and grants approval, and CRICOS is the register your approval places you on. A higher education provider wanting to teach international students must first be registered by TEQSA, then have its courses registered on CRICOS, and must then operate in ongoing compliance with the ESOS Act and National Code. Remove any one layer and the others cannot function — there is no CRICOS listing without a regulator's approval, and no lawful international enrolment without an ESOS-compliant operation behind it.
The National Code in practice
The National Code 2018 is where the day-to-day obligations live. It covers marketing and recruitment (including agents), formalising enrolment through written agreements, orientation and support services, monitoring course progress and attendance, and managing deferral, suspension and cancellation. For most providers it is the National Code — not the Act itself — that shapes daily operations, because it translates the ESOS principles into concrete standards you are audited against.
What happens if you breach ESOS
Because international students are treated as a vulnerable cohort far from home, regulators take breaches seriously. Consequences escalate from conditions on your registration, to suspension, to cancellation — and cancellation ends your ability to enrol international students immediately, with knock-on effects for existing students. This is why ESOS compliance belongs in your governance framework, monitored at board level, not left as an operational afterthought.
A note on VET: ASQA instead of TEQSA
Everything above applies to higher education under TEQSA. If you deliver vocational education and training, the regulator is ASQA rather than TEQSA, but the ESOS framework and CRICOS register are the same. Providers that straddle both sectors deal with both regulators under one ESOS umbrella — a complexity worth planning for early.
What this means for you
If international students are part of your plan, you are dealing with all three at once — and the smart move is to build for them together from the start rather than discovering each layer in sequence. For the full pathway, costs and timeline, see our complete CRICOS guide and the cost and timeline breakdown, or talk to us about your situation.
The CRICOS Registration Checklist
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Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between CRICOS and TEQSA?
TEQSA is the regulator that registers higher education providers and can register their courses on CRICOS. CRICOS is the register of providers and courses approved to teach international students. You are registered BY TEQSA; you are registered ON CRICOS.
What is ESOS?
The Education Services for Overseas Students (ESOS) Act 2000 is the law governing education of international students in Australia, supported by the National Code of Practice 2018. CRICOS registration is a mechanism within the ESOS framework.
Do I need TEQSA registration and CRICOS registration?
If you are a higher education provider wanting to teach international students, yes — TEQSA registration first, then CRICOS registration of your courses. They are separate approvals.
Who regulates CRICOS?
For higher education, TEQSA administers CRICOS and ESOS compliance; for vocational education it is ASQA. The same ESOS framework applies across both sectors.
Is ESOS the same as the National Code?
They work together: the ESOS Act is the legislation, and the National Code of Practice 2018 sets the detailed standards providers must meet under it.
What happens if you breach ESOS?
Consequences range from conditions on your registration to suspension or cancellation — which ends your ability to enrol international students. Because student welfare is involved, regulators treat breaches seriously.
Dr Brendan Moloney is the founder of Darlo Higher Education. Over more than fifteen years he has helped providers register with TEQSA, gain CRICOS approval and build the governance and compliance systems the ESOS framework demands.