Notifying students of a default

You are required to notify every affected student as soon as practicable after the default.

At a minimum, the notice of default to students must:

be provided in writing
be given to every affected overseas student
specify the relevant course at the location which has ceased being provided.

Your notice should:

be in plain English and easy to understand
clearly identify the particular course or courses affected
clearly identify the provider sending the communication.

You must have a process in place to ensure student contact details are updated at a minimum of every six months, and that important information can be communicated to each overseas student.

Student notification and record-keeping processes are requirements under sections 46D(4) and 21 of the ESOS Act, respectively.

You are not required to advise of how you intend to meet your obligations—alternative placements or refunds— in your initial default communication to students.

Demonstrating reporting compliance—default notification obligations

You may be required to demonstrate your compliance default notification obligations under the ESOS Act.

To demonstrate this compliance, you must:

ensure all necessary information has been entered in PRISMS against each individual CoE of an overseas student affected by the default
ensure all information entered in PRISMS is complete, accurate and entered within three business days of the default date—PRISMS will automatically record the date the information was entered
retain copies of any written communication sent to students, and the date the communication was given
ensure all written notices are clear, easily understood, and identify the relevant course or courses and defaulting provider
have a clear procedure, under section 21 of the ESOS Act, to make sure student records are updated at a minimum of every six months.