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ASQA Marketing Guidelines: What RTOs Can and Cannot Say

Learn what ASQA marketing guidelines mean for RTOs, what changed under the 2025 Standards, common marketing claims to avoid, and practical compliance tips.

Published On

September 7, 2026

ASQA Marketing Guidelines: What RTOs Can and Can’t Say

The Standards for RTOs changed in 2025, and with them came updated expectations around how RTOs approach marketing and advertising. The shift puts more emphasis on transparency, accurate information and demonstrating that your marketing practices meet the requirements.

That does not mean changing everything you already do. It means understanding the new expectations and using them to make your marketing clearer, more credible and easier to support.

This guide looks at what changed under the 2025 Standards, the key ASQA marketing guidelines RTOs need to know, and how your marketing team can use them to build effective and compliant campaigns.

What Are the ASQA Marketing Guidelines for RTOs?

ASQA marketing guidelines are the requirements RTOs must follow when advertising their training, assessment and other services. They are designed to ensure prospective students receive information that is accurate, transparent and not misleading.

The requirements apply to marketing published by the RTO as well as material published by a third party or expert engaged by the RTO. ASQA expects RTOs to be able to demonstrate that their marketing is quality-assured, factual and accurate before it is published. RTOs should also retain evidence of their marketing materials and regularly review them to make sure they remain current.

Non-compliant marketing can also create risks under Australian Consumer Law, particularly where an RTO makes claims that are untrue, cannot be substantiated or are not based on reasonable grounds.

9 Key ASQA Marketing Guidelines Your RTO Marketing Team Should Check

Your marketing team should check the following requirements before publishing or updating course advertising.

Include your RTO registration details

Marketing must include the RTO's registration code or a link to the relevant part of the National Register where the registration code appears.

Use the correct training product code and title

When advertising a training product, use the code and title exactly as published on the National Register. Your marketing should also accurately represent the training products on your scope of registration.

Clearly identify nationally recognised training

If your RTO also delivers non-accredited training, your marketing must clearly distinguish it from training and assessment that results in nationally recognised qualifications or statements of attainment.

This helps prospective students understand exactly what type of training they are considering.

Keep course information current

You can only refer to a training product that is no longer current while it remains on your scope and new enrolments are still permitted.

Marketing should also be reviewed when a training product is superseded, removed or deleted, or when your scope, training and assessment strategy, delivery mode or location changes.

Be accurate about funding and financial support

Marketing must provide accurate information about financial support arrangements connected to the services being advertised.

If government funding applies, explain the relevant funding conditions, including eligibility requirements and any additional costs. Funding claims may also need to meet requirements in the relevant funding contract.

Do not guarantee student outcomes

RTOs must not guarantee that a student will successfully complete a training product or obtain an employment outcome that is outside the RTO's control.

Claims about course outcomes should therefore describe what the training provides rather than promise an outcome the RTO cannot guarantee.

Be careful with licensing claims

An RTO should only state that completing a training product will lead to a licensed or regulated outcome when this has been confirmed by the relevant industry regulator.

For marketing teams, this means confirming the claim before using phrases such as "get your licence" or "qualifies you for a licence."

Get consent for partnerships and associations

Marketing must not refer to or imply a connection with another person or organisation without their consent.

This can apply to claims such as partnerships, endorsements or other associations that could make prospective students believe an organisation supports or is connected with the RTO.

Be clear about third-party services

Where a third party or expert delivers services for the RTO, marketing must clearly identify which services are delivered by the RTO and which are delivered by the third party.

RTOs should also monitor third-party marketing and ensure outdated material is removed when information changes.

Marketing is one part of the wider compliance framework. See our RTO compliance guide for ASQA requirements for an overview of other areas RTOs need to manage.

What Changed Under the 2025 Marketing Standards?

The Standards for RTOs 2025 took full effect on 1 July 2025, replacing the Standards for RTOs 2015.

For marketing teams, the core principles remain familiar. The 2025 Standards reinforce the need for RTOs to provide accurate and transparent information, while placing greater emphasis on how these requirements are managed and demonstrated in practice.

Area	2015 Standards	2025 Standards
Marketing	RTO marketing should follow prescribed requirements and avoid misleading information.	RTOs must ensure marketing is accurate, transparent and quality-assured before publication.
Course information	Include required course information in marketing.	Use the exact training product code and title and accurately represent the RTO's current scope.
Keeping content current	Keep marketing compliant with the requirements.	Regularly review marketing when training products, scope, delivery or locations change.
Evidence	Have policies and processes for marketing compliance.	Keep evidence of marketing materials, quality assurance and regular reviews.
Third parties	Manage marketing where third parties are involved.	Clearly identify third-party services and monitor marketing published on the RTO's behalf.

For RTO marketing plan, this means reviewing existing marketing processes against the current Standards rather than relying on older checklists or approved content.

Common RTO Marketing Claims: What to Say Instead

Some marketing claims can create compliance risks because they promise an outcome the RTO cannot control. Use wording that describes what the course provides instead.

Avoid unsupported claims	Better approach
"Guaranteed to get a job after graduation"	"Develop skills for roles in [industry]."
"Guaranteed pass"	"Receive support throughout your training."
"Get your licence with this course"	"Completion may support licensing requirements. Check with the relevant regulator."
"Government-funded course"	Clearly explain the funding provider, eligibility requirements and any additional costs.
"In partnership with [organisation]"	Use the claim only when the organisation has provided consent.
"Study in our state-of-the-art facilities"	Make sure images and descriptions accurately represent the facilities students will use.
"Fast-track your qualification"	Make the claim only when the delivery arrangement supports it and complies with applicable requirements.

Not every marketing claim is automatically non-compliant. Context matters. However, ASQA expects RTOs to be able to prove the claims they make and ensure those claims are true, accurate and based on reasonable grounds.

This also applies to course images and other promotional material. Using photographs of facilities, equipment or resources that do not accurately represent what students will actually use can create misleading expectations.

6 Tips for Compliant RTO Marketing

The 2025 requirements do not mean you need to stop your marketing or start from scratch. You can keep using the channels, campaigns and strategies that work for your RTO marketing plan.

The key is to make a few compliance checks part of your existing marketing process. These tips can help your team keep the benefits of good marketing while reducing compliance risks.

1. Check marketing before it goes live

Have someone check new marketing materials before publication. Confirm the RTO registration details, training product code and title, scope, funding information and any claims about course outcomes.

2. Review marketing when things change

You do not need to review every advertisement every week. Review relevant marketing when something changes, such as a training product being superseded, your scope changing, or a course moving to a different delivery mode or location.

3. Keep a record of what you publish

Keep copies of your marketing materials and evidence of their approval or review. This makes it easier to identify what was published and demonstrate your processes if ASQA asks for evidence.

4. Check what third parties are saying

If an agency, consultant or other third party markets your courses, make sure its content follows the same requirements as your own marketing. Clearly identify which services are delivered by your RTO and which are delivered by the third party.

5. Make claims you can support

Strong marketing does not require guaranteed outcomes. Make claims that are true, accurate and based on reasonable grounds, and keep evidence to support them.

6. Check whether marketing matches the student experience

Your marketing should give students a realistic picture of the training they will receive. Use student feedback to identify where your advertising may be creating expectations that do not match the actual experience.

Use ASQA's Self-Assurance Questions to Check Your Marketing

ASQA's Information and Transparency Practice Guide includes self-assurance questions to help RTOs check whether their marketing practices are working in practice.

Use these questions as a quick review with your marketing and compliance teams:

Quality assurance: How do you check marketing materials against the Compliance Requirements before publication?
Evidence: Can you provide copies of your marketing materials and evidence of their review if ASQA requests them?
Currency: How often do you review marketing, and how do you remove outdated content when courses, scope or delivery arrangements change?
Third parties and claims: How do you monitor marketing produced by agencies or other third parties and prevent guaranteed or unsupported claims?
Student expectations: How do you collect student and industry feedback to check whether your marketing accurately reflects the training experience?

Keep Your RTO Compliance Records Organised with RTOPilot

ASQA expects RTOs to be able to demonstrate how they quality-assure their marketing and maintain evidence of their processes.

RTOPilot helps RTOs keep their training and compliance information organised in one place, so your team can spend less time chasing records and more time managing the day-to-day work of your RTO.

Book a demo today and see how RTOPilot can simplify RTO management,

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Frequently Asked Questions

What Happens If You Don’t Follow ASQA Marketing Guidelines?

Non-compliant marketing can create regulatory and legal risks for an RTO. ASQA identifies false or misleading advertising as a compliance risk, and RTOs may need to rectify non-compliance identified through an audit or other regulatory activity. Depending on the issue, ASQA can take further regulatory action.

The practical response is to identify the problem, correct or remove the affected marketing and address the process that allowed it to occur. RTOs should also retain evidence of their marketing reviews and quality-assurance processes.

Do ASQA Marketing Requirements Apply to Social Media?

Yes. Social media is a marketing channel, so the same requirements apply to promotional content published on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and other channels.

The RTO should ensure social media content includes the required registration information, accurately represents its training and services, uses correct training product information and does not make misleading claims. This also applies when an external agency or third party publishes marketing on the RTO's behalf. ASQA's Practice Guide specifically expects RTOs to remain aware of all marketing material in circulation and to ensure third-party marketing remains accurate and current.

Can an RTO Use Testimonials or Images From Other Organisations?

RTOs should obtain prior consent before featuring another person or organisation in advertising or marketing where the material refers to or implies a connection with them.

RTOs should also ensure that images accurately represent their actual facilities and resources. ASQA identifies using images that do not accurately depict the facilities or resources students will use as a known compliance risk.

Can a marketing agency use an RTO's branding in its advertising?

RTOs need to manage third-party marketing carefully. Marketing must clearly identify which services are delivered by the RTO and which are delivered by the third party or expert. RTOs should also ensure their third parties follow the same marketing requirements and remove outdated content when information changes.