TEQSA fees in 2026 run from $14,700 for the preliminary assessment of an initial registration to $112,100 for the substantive assessment, with course accreditation, renewal, self-accrediting authority, CRICOS and category change each carrying their own charge. All fees exclude GST, none are refundable, and providers with fewer than 5,000 equivalent full-time student load may qualify for discounts of up to 70 per cent.
This article walks through the whole schedule as TEQSA publishes it, explains how the pieces combine for a typical provider, and sets out what the structure means for planning. I have advised private providers on TEQSA registration for fifteen years, and the fee schedule has changed enough in that time that boards should read the current version rather than rely on memory.
Where the TEQSA fees come from
TEQSA operates on a cost recovery basis. Its fees are set to recover the cost of assessing applications and are published on its application-based fees page. They are revised periodically, and TEQSA consults on changes before making them. The figures below are the schedule as it stands in September 2026; our companion article on changes to TEQSA fees tracks how it has moved.
Two structural points matter before the numbers. Most applications are charged in two parts, a preliminary assessment fee payable at lodgement and a substantive assessment fee payable when the application proceeds. And a fee is for an assessment, not for an outcome. A refused application costs the same as an approved one, and a withdrawn application does not earn a refund.
Initial registration
The preliminary assessment fee for initial registration is $14,700. The substantive assessment fee is $112,100. Together they make $126,800 for the registration component of a new provider's application before any course is counted.
Courses accredited with initial registration carry a separate fee for prospective providers: $6,000 per course for the preliminary assessment and $44,700 per course for the substantive assessment, with nested related courses charged at $40,000 each at the substantive stage. An undergraduate certificate is $300 and $1,300 respectively. A prospective provider seeking registration with one bachelor degree and a nested associate degree should therefore expect TEQSA fees of the order of $220,000 across both stages, before GST and before any discount.
Course accreditation for registered providers
Once registered, a provider pays considerably less to accredit additional courses. The preliminary assessment fee is $5,200 per course, with nested related courses at $1,300, and the substantive assessment fee is $19,100 per course, with nested related courses at $4,800. A registered provider adding a master's degree with a nested graduate certificate and graduate diploma would pay $5,200 plus two lots of $1,300 at the preliminary stage and $19,100 plus two lots of $4,800 at the substantive stage.
Renewal of course accreditation is $24,500 per course, with nested related courses at $5,900 each. A teach-out application is $3,100. The difference between the prospective-provider rate and the registered-provider rate is one reason I advise new providers to register with the smallest coherent set of courses and add to it afterwards.
Renewal of registration
Renewal of registration is charged within a range rather than at a fixed figure, reflecting the risk-based assessment TEQSA now applies. For a provider without self-accrediting authority the range is $66,000 to $113,000. For a provider with self-accrediting authority it is $75,000 to $129,200. TEQSA's renewal of registration guide explains the risk-based approach that determines where in the range an individual provider falls.
Renewal must be lodged at least 180 calendar days before registration ends. In my experience boards that budget for renewal at the top of the range and eighteen months out are rarely surprised, and boards that discover the fee in the year it falls due tend to discover the evidence requirements at the same time.
Self-accrediting authority and change of category
An application for self-accrediting authority from a provider that does not hold it is $51,800. An application to extend existing authority to further fields or levels is $36,800. There is no fixed threshold of years or courses for self-accrediting authority, but the application must demonstrate compliance with Standards 5.1, 5.3, 6.1, 6.2 and 6.3 and Part B2, including at least one completed cycle of review and improvement, so the fee is rarely the largest cost of the exercise.
A change of provider category under section 38 of the TEQSA Act, for example from Institute of Higher Education to University College, is $51,800. An application to become an authorised offshore provider is $36,800.
CRICOS
CRICOS registration is a separate application made after higher education registration, with its own fees. Initial CRICOS registration is $24,500. Renewal ranges from $13,600 to $27,500. Adding locations costs between $1,900 and $9,600 depending on the number, and adding courses between $600 and $5,200. TEQSA's guide to applying for CRICOS registration explains the sequence, and I have written separately on the timing.
For a provider that intends to recruit international students, the CRICOS fee is small relative to the delay. TEQSA's own estimate places first delivery to international students at least 35 months after a prospective provider first engages with it, and the fee is the least of the reasons for that.
Conditions, reviews and smaller fees
Applications to vary or revoke conditions on registration or accreditation are charged between $3,100 and $3,900. An application for internal review of a decision is $1,100. These are modest figures, but they are worth noting because a provider that carries conditions from initial registration will pay to have them removed, and will need to evidence the change that justifies removal.
Discounts, GST and refunds
TEQSA offers discounts of up to 70 per cent on application fees to providers with fewer than 5,000 EFTSL. Most private providers fall well inside that threshold, and the discount can bring the substantive assessment fee for initial registration down substantially. The discount is applied according to TEQSA's published rules, and a provider should confirm its eligibility against the current schedule rather than assume it.
All fees exclude GST. None are refundable. That last point is the one boards most often overlook. A provider that lodges an application it is not ready to support, receives a request for further information it cannot answer, and withdraws, has spent the preliminary fee and possibly the substantive fee for nothing. The fees are an argument for lodging once, when the application is complete, specific and true.
What the schedule means for planning
The fee schedule is a fixed cost that a board can budget with precision, and it is rarely the largest cost of registration. In my experience the internal cost of building governance, recruiting academic leadership, designing courses and running the provider for the eighteen to twenty-four months before revenue arrives is several multiples of anything paid to TEQSA. Our article on how much TEQSA registration costs puts the fees in that wider context.
Three planning rules follow. Budget the fees at full rate and treat any discount as a saving rather than a plan. Sequence applications so that expensive prospective-provider course fees are limited to the courses that must be accredited at registration. And build the application well enough that each fee is paid exactly once.
My view of the fee schedule
TEQSA fees are high by the standards of most regulators and low by the standards of what a registration is worth. The provider that treats them as the cost of a well-run assessment, and prepares accordingly, gets value from them. The provider that treats them as a toll to be paid on the way past tends to pay them twice.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does TEQSA charge for initial registration?
The preliminary assessment fee is $14,700 and the substantive assessment fee is $112,100, excluding GST. Courses accredited with initial registration are charged separately at $6,000 and $44,700 per course for prospective providers.
Are TEQSA fees refundable if the application is withdrawn or refused?
No. TEQSA fees are charged for the assessment, not the outcome, and are not refunded on withdrawal or refusal. A provider that withdraws and resubmits pays again.
Do small providers get a discount on TEQSA fees?
Providers with fewer than 5,000 EFTSL may qualify for discounts of up to 70 per cent on application fees. Eligibility should be confirmed against TEQSA's current fees and charges pages.
How much does CRICOS registration cost?
Initial CRICOS registration is $24,500, renewal is $13,600 to $27,500, and adding locations or courses costs between $600 and $9,600 depending on the change. CRICOS is applied for separately after higher education registration.
Dr Brendan Moloney is CEO of Darlo Higher Education, Australia's largest specialist TEQSA consultancy. He holds a PhD from the University of Melbourne, is a Cambridge University Press author on governance in higher education, and has advised private providers on registration and course accreditation for more than fifteen years.