What Is CRICOS? A Complete Guide for RTOs

Key Takeaways

1. CRICOS (Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students) is the official register listing all courses and providers authorised to deliver training to international students in Australia.

2. A CRICOS RTO must meet strict standards around student support, quality assurance, and government reporting.

3. Your CRICOS code proves you're authorised to deliver training to overseas learners on student visas.

4. CRICOS is a strategic growth path, but it comes with serious compliance obligations.

Australia is one of the world’s most popular destinations for international students, offering pathways to careers, skills development, and opportunities that support the nation’s economy. For RTOs, being able to deliver courses to these students is not only a chance to grow your reach but also a responsibility. Only providers with CRICOS approval can enrol international students, and that approval comes with strict compliance requirements.

Too often, RTOs either underestimate what’s involved or overcomplicate the process with outdated systems. In this article, we break it down in plain English: what CRICOS is, what it means for your RTO, how to get approved, and how smart tools like RTOPilot help you stay compliant efficiently and effectively.

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What Is CRICOS?

CRICOS stands for the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students. It is the official Australian Government register that lists education providers authorised to deliver courses to international students on student visas. It also indicates the programs each institution can offer to international students.

CRICOS was established under the Education Services for Overseas Students (ESOS) Act 2000, forming part of a national framework designed to protect international students and maintain the quality and reputation of Australia’s education system.

In simple terms, CRICOS determines who can legally deliver education to overseas students in Australia. If your organisation is not listed on CRICOS, you cannot legally enrol international students on student visas.

To get listed, your organisation must:

• Be a registered RTO (or higher education provider)
• Apply through ASQA or TEQSA
• Prove that your systems, support, and training quality meet the ESOS Act and National Code requirements 

Once approved, you’ll be issued a CRICOS code, which must appear on all marketing materials and is used in official visa and compliance systems.

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What Does a CRICOS Code Actually Mean?

CRICOS code is a Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students registration number. It's essentially a unique identifier that proves your RTO is approved to enroll international students on student visas.

How it works:

• For your RTO (Provider CRICOS code): You get one code that identifies your entire organization (format: 00000A - 5 digits + letter) e.g Your provider CRICOS code might be: 03241G
• For each course (Course CRICOS code): Each individual course you offer to international students gets its own code (format: 000000A - 6 digits + letter) e.g. Your Certificate IV in Business course might have code: 095847J

Why it matters:

International students need these codes to:

• Apply for their student visa (they must list the course CRICOS code)
• Verify your RTO is legitimate and government-approved
• Ensure their qualification will be recognized

You can search any CRICOS code at cricos.education.gov.au to verify registrations. Your codes would be issued by ASQA (or your state regulator) when you get approval to offer courses to international students.

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CRICOS RTO vs Standard RTO: What's the Difference?

Every CRICOS RTO is an RTO, but not every RTO is CRICOS-approved.

Here's the difference:

Becoming a CRICOS provider means more compliance, but it also unlocks a massive global market.

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CRICOS Standards: What You Need to Comply With

CRICOS providers must meet additional regulations beyond standard RTO compliance. This includes:

• Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000 (ESOS Act)
• Education Services for Overseas Students Regulations 2019.
• National Code of Practice for Providers of Education and Training to Overseas Students 2018.
• Standard RTO compliance: Provider must comply with the VET Quality Framework.

Key obligations:

• Accurate marketing (no misleading claims)
• Support services (orientation, wellbeing, accommodation advice)
• Monitoring attendance and academic progress
• Timely reporting to regulators (enrolments, course changes, visa breaches)

Failure to comply can result in cancellation of the CRICOS registration.

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How to Become a CRICOS RTO

Entry Requirements: What You Must Do to Become CRICOS Approved

To register as a CRICOS provider, you must meet strict legal, quality and operational requirements under the ESOS Act 2000 and the National Code of Practice 2018. Providers can only recruit and enrol overseas students on a student visa once they are listed on CRICOS.

To satisfy those requirements:

• You must already be a legitimately registered training organisation (RTO) or relevant education provider with the appropriate accreditation or regulatory authority (e.g., ASQA).
• You must demonstrate you are a “fit and proper” provider – meaning your governance structures, financial situation, governance and agents meet legal integrity standards. The definition of “fit and proper” now explicitly includes closer scrutiny of ownership/control relationships with education agents and investigations into wrongdoing.
• From early 2026, most new VET providers (except TAFE) must have delivered training to domestic students over at least two consecutive years before they can even apply for CRICOS registration.
• You must apply to the designated authority in each state you intend to operate in (e.g., ASQA for VET) and demonstrate compliance with course quality, facilities, student support and National Code standards.

These requirements ensure that providers enrolling international students are running credible, academically sound and financially stable programs before being allowed on CRICOS.

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Recent Policy Changes (2025–2026) Affecting RTO CRICOS Registration

In response to concerns about quality and integrity, there have been significant policy reforms affecting CRICOS providers. Some key changes that started rolling out around 2025–2026 include:

Domestic Delivery Pre‑Condition

The most significant recent change is that most new private VET RTOs must demonstrate two years of domestic delivery before applying for CRICOS registration for VET courses. This rule aims to prevent “pop‑up” providers entering solely for international students.

New Ministerial Powers

New legislative instruments allow the Minister to suspend processing or even pause new CRICOS applications for periods of time — meaning that the government can temporarily stop accepting new applications or changes to registrations if there are systemic quality concerns or other policy priorities. 

Automatic Cancellation for Inactivity

If an RTO with CRICOS registration does not deliver any course to any overseas student at any registered location for 12 consecutive months, its CRICOS registration is automatically cancelled for all courses and locations (unless extension is granted for legitimate reasons).

Fit and Proper Enhancements

Fit and proper assessment now includes checking ownership and control links with education agents, as well as whether providers or related persons are under investigation for fraud, migration offences, or other relevant offences. ASQA must consider this before approving or continuing CRICOS registration.

Student caps are no longer set as simple fixed percentage caps per provider; instead, visas and commencements are managed through broader national planning levels and priorities, affecting how many international students IR can admit over time.

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Ongoing Compliance: Audit and Reporting Requirements for RTOs on CRICOS

Once registered on CRICOS, you must stay compliant with the ESOS Act, National Code, and reporting obligations to remain eligible to recruit international students.

Mandatory Reporting via PRISMS

All CRICOS RTOs must use the Provider Registration and International Student Management System (PRISMS) to report student enrolments, changes, and completion details. This includes:

• Issuing Confirmations of Enrolment (CoEs) for each enrolling overseas student
• Reporting non‑commencement within statutory timeframes
• Reporting withdrawals, suspensions, cancellations, course changes, and completion dates
• Updating CoEs when course duration or study load changes.

Failing to report these accurately and on time can lead to serious compliance breaches and regulatory action.

Notifications to ASQA

Providers must notify ASQA of significant changes that affect their CRICOS registration, including:

• Changes to course duration or delivery mode
• New locations or relocation of delivery sites
• Changes to the maximum number of students at a given location
  These notifications usually must be submitted at least 30 days before the changes take effect.

External Audits (When Required)

If your RTO has self‑accrediting authority for courses (e.g., certain higher education providers), you must arrange an independent external audit as part of CRICOS registration renewal at specified intervals. This audit must assess your compliance with the National Code and ESOS obligations and inform the renewal decision.

For most RTOs regulated by ASQA, regular audits under the Standards for RTOs (e.g., compliance audits) will also check adherence to CRICOS obligations as part of the ESOS regulatory framework.

Record Keeping and Evidence

RTOs must retain student assessment records securely and be able to produce them for audit if requested by an auditor. While the ESOS Act governs international student records, ASQA’s VET standards also require consistent and demonstrable evidence of training and assessment decisions. 

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Why CRICOS Is Beneficial for RTOs

CRICOS registration gives you access to:

• International markets and student demand
• Longer-duration courses (more revenue per enrolment)
• Enhanced credibility and global recognition as a quality education provider

But it also brings:

• Higher compliance expectations
• Greater reporting complexity
• Visa-related responsibilities

Providers who succeed with CRICOS have two things in common:

1. Clear student support systems
2. Smart technology that automates compliance and reduces admin overhead

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CRICOS Is a Commitment, Not Just a Code

Becoming a CRICOS provider signals that your RTO is ready to serve students from around the world, not just in content, but in care, systems, and integrity.

But compliance is not something you want to do manually.

RTOPilot gives CRICOS RTOs:

• End-to-end visibility of student journeys
• Real-time compliance tracking
• Reliable, scalable systems that grow with your enrolments

International students expect quality. Regulators expect compliance. Your team expects efficiency.

RTOPilot brings all three together, making CRICOS delivery easier than ever.