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The National Code 2018, Explained in 7 Minutes
New to CRICOS, or just need the map? This is the plain-English overview of the whole rulebook — all eleven Standards, the five things you cannot get wrong, and what changes for providers in 2026. No clause numbers memorised required.
The short version
- The National Code 2018 is the rulebook every CRICOS provider is audited against — it sits under the ESOS Act 2000.
- It has eleven Standards, covering the full student journey from marketing to course completion.
- Five areas cause the majority of findings: marketing claims, the written agreement, agent management, course progress and PRISMS reporting.
- Two 2026 changes matter now — a 12-month suspension on new CRICOS applications from 19 May 2026, and full ASQA cost recovery from 1 July 2026.
If you have just taken on a CRICOS portfolio, the National Code can feel like a wall of clauses. It is not. Strip away the legal language, and it is simply a description of how to treat an overseas student fairly, from the first advertisement they see to the day they finish or leave. This guide gives you the map. Once you can see the whole shape of the Code, every individual Standard makes far more sense.
What the National Code actually is
The full name is the National Code of Practice for Providers of Education and Training to Overseas Students 2018. It is a legislative instrument made under the ESOS Act 2000, the law that governs education delivered to international students on a student visa. You can read the instrument in full on the National Code 2018 on the Federal Register of Legislation, but the plain-English version is this: if you enrol overseas students, the Code tells you the minimum standard of conduct the Australian Government expects, and ASQA audits you against it.
If you have just taken on a CRICOS portfolio, the National Code can feel like a wall of clauses. It is not. Strip away the legal language, and it is simply a description of how to treat an overseas student fairly, from the first advertisement they see to the day they finish or leave. This guide gives you the map. Once you can see the whole shape of the Code, every individual Standard makes far more sense.
📋 Who it applies to
Every provider on the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students (CRICOS). If you issue a Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE) to a student on a subclass 500 visa, you are inside the Code. There is no “too small to matter” threshold.
The eleven Standards, one sentence each
Here is the entire Code in a single screen. Each links to a full plain-English guide.
- Standard 1 — Marketing: everything you publish about your courses must be accurate and not misleading, including material your agents produce.
- Standard 2 — Recruitment: you only enrol students who genuinely intend to study, assessed against the Genuine Student (GS) framework.
- Standard 3 — Written agreement: before any money changes hands you sign a written agreement setting out fees, refunds and obligations.
- Standard 4 — Education agents: you have a written agreement with every agent, you monitor their conduct, and you act when they breach it.
- Standard 5 — Younger students: students under 18 must have approved accommodation and welfare arrangements, continuously.
- Standard 6 — Support services: students get orientation, support contacts and help to access services for the life of their enrolment.
- Standard 7 — Transfers: you have a documented policy on transfer requests and only refuse on grounds the regulator accepts.
- Standard 8 — Course progress and attendance: you monitor progress, intervene when a student is at risk, and report when required.
- Standard 9 — Deferring, suspending and cancelling: you follow a fair, documented process and report through PRISMS at the right time.
- Standard 10 — Complaints and appeals: students can complain and appeal through a fair internal process and an independent external one.
- Standard 11 — Additional obligations: you keep your records and PRISMS data accurate and tell the regulator about material changes.
The five things you absolutely cannot get wrong
Across hundreds of audits, the same five areas account for the bulk of serious findings. Get these right, and you have removed most of your regulatory risk.
- Marketing claims. Guarantees about jobs, permanent residency or fast-tracking are the fastest route to non-compliance.
- The written agreement. If it is missing a mandatory element or the refund terms are unfair, every enrolment under it is exposed.
- Agent management. You are responsible for what your agents do in your name — in any country.
- Course progress. An intervention strategy that exists on paper but has no evidence behind it is a classic Standard 8 finding.
- PRISMS reporting. Reporting late, early, or out of sequence creates problems that compound across the other Standards.
An auditor does not need to find eleven problems. One unfair refund clause or one undated GS assessment is enough to open the whole file.
What changes in 2026
Two developments should shape your planning this year. First, under the ESOS suspension arrangements, a 12-month suspension on new CRICOS provider and course applications takes effect from 19 May 2026. If you were planning to add scope or register a new entity, the window matters. Keep an eye on the Department of Education for the operating details.
Second, from 1 July 2026, ASQA moves to full cost recovery. Regulatory activities that were previously absorbed will be charged: a Performance Assessment is expected to range from roughly $900 to $11,700, and a Compliance Resolution from roughly $6,650 to $33,300, depending on scale and complexity. In plain terms, a compliance failure now carries a direct invoice on top of the remediation effort. Check the current schedule on the ASQA before you budget.
🎯 What this means for you
The cost of getting it wrong is rising in 2026. The cheapest compliance has always been the kind you do before the audit — and from July 2026 that is literally true.
Where to start
You do not have to read all eleven guides today. Use the diagnostic below to find the two or three Standards most likely to surface in your next audit, then work outward from there.
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Answer five quick questions. We’ll point you to the one to three Standards worth reading first.
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The Marketing Compliance Checklist
A ready-to-use Standard 1 checklist — claims accuracy, agent-produced material, channel sign-off and governance sign-off — so your marketing is reviewed before an auditor reviews it for you. Built from the same Standard 1 questions we ask in every engagement.
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Keep going — read these next
STANDARD 1 – MARKETING
The Marketing Claim That Quietly Gets CRICOS Providers Deregistered
New to CRICOS or just need the map? This is the plain-English overview of all eleven Standards, the five things you cannot get wrong, and what changes in 2026.
STANDARD 2 – GENUINE STUDENT
Why ASQA Is Now Reading Your Genuine Student Files Line by Line
The GS framework replaced GTE in 2024. Here’s what a defensible assessment actually contains.
STANDARD 3 – WRITTEN AGREEMENT
The Written Agreement Clause Most CRICOS Providers Get Wrong
Five mandatory elements, one refund clause that voids disputes, and the 50% pre-paid fee rule.
Not sure where you're exposed?
Book a 30-minute confidential compliance call. We walk your scope, your registration history, and the three Standards most likely to surface in your next audit.
About the author
Ben Thakkar
15+ yrs experienceCompliance, Training & Business Specialist · VET Advisory Group
Ben Thakkar is a Compliance, Training, and Business specialist in the education industry. He has held senior management roles, including General Manager, with leading Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) and Universities. With over 15 years of experience, Ben brings extensive expertise across audits, funding contracts, VET Student Loans, CRICOS, and the Standards for RTOs 2025.
