Changing School While Studying in Australia: ESOS Rules

Can international students change providers?

Yes — but not entirely freely. An international student’s ability to transfer between providers is governed by the ESOS Act (Education Services for Overseas Students) and the rules set by the Department of Home Affairs (DHA).

Changing providers the wrong way can breach your subclass 500 visa conditions and lead to visa cancellation. Understand the process before you act.

What does ESOS say about transfers?

The ESOS Act protects international students — but it also places obligations on both the provider and the student during a transfer.

The core principle: You are allowed to transfer, but your current provider may refuse to release you in certain circumstances — particularly if you have not yet completed a minimum period of study.

The “first six months” rule: Under the general ESOS arrangements, a provider may refuse a transfer if the student has not completed the first six months of their principal course. This rule exists to prevent the “selling” of visas through low-cost providers.

There are exceptions: if the provider breaches its obligations to the student, or there is another genuine reason, the student can still transfer — but the correct process must be followed.

The right way to change providers

Step 1: Confirm your reason and timing

Check whether you are still within the first six months. If you are, prepare documentation for your reason to transfer (provider breach, special circumstances, and so on).

Step 2: Request a Letter of Release from your current provider

Your current provider needs to issue a Letter of Release so the new provider and DHA know the transfer has been approved. Without this letter, the new provider cannot enrol you under ESOS compliance.

If the provider refuses to issue the letter, you can appeal through the provider’s internal complaints mechanism or take it to an external body (typically the Overseas Students Ombudsman for private providers, or the relevant state regulator for public providers).

Step 3: Get acceptance from the new provider

Apply to the new provider as you normally would. The new provider must also be a CRICOS registered provider.

Step 4: Notify DHA through the new CoE

The new provider will issue a new CoE (Confirmation of Enrolment). DHA will be informed of the transfer through the PRISMS system. You do not need a new visa if your subclass 500 is still valid and the new provider is also CRICOS registered — but your visa conditions must still be met with the new provider.

Step 5: Update your OSHC if needed

Some OSHC policies are tied to the provider — check and update your cover if necessary.

When you can transfer before six months

ESOS allows a transfer before six months if:

• Your current provider no longer offers the course you are studying
• Your current provider breaches its obligations to you
• There are special circumstances (family, health) that can be documented
• Your current provider agrees to issue a Letter of Release

Each case needs supporting documentation — a verbal claim is not enough.

Does changing providers affect your PR plans?

This is an important question if you are studying with permanent residency in mind:

Moving to a less reputable provider: This may affect a later skills assessment if the provider is not recognised as equivalent by the assessing authority. Check with the assessing authority for your field (ACS, Engineers Australia, VETASSESS, and so on) before transferring.

Changing fields: Treat this as starting over for PR purposes — both in study time and in skills assessment.

Moving to a different campus of the same provider: This is not a provider transfer, so no ESOS process is required. But you still need to notify DHA if your study address moves to a different state (which may affect state-nominated streams).

Moving from university to TAFE or vice versa: This is allowed if you follow the correct process, but it clearly affects your PR pathway. Consider it carefully before deciding.

Common mistakes when transferring

• Leaving your current provider before you have a Letter of Release: The provider will report you as “non-compliant” to DHA, which can lead to visa cancellation.
• Not checking whether the new provider is CRICOS registered: Studying at a non-CRICOS provider breaches your subclass 500 visa.
• Not updating your CoE with DHA: DHA needs to know where you are studying — failing to update is a breach of your visa conditions.
• Forgetting to update your OSHC: You could end up with a gap in your health cover.