Changing Course or Provider on an Australian Student Visa

Changing course or provider on an Australian student visa is generally allowed, but since 2 October 2026 a new provider cannot knowingly enrol you until you have completed 12 months of your main (principal) course, unless your current provider releases you or another exception applies. The old rule was six months; the 12-month rule runs until 30 June 2027. Moving to a lower-level course generally needs a new Student visa, which most students can no longer apply for inside Australia.

Last checked: 19 October 2026. Some official guidance pages still say “six months”; the law changed on 2 October 2026.

Changing course or provider on an Australian student visa: key facts

The provider transfer restriction: 12 months, not six

Transfers between providers are controlled by Standard 7 of the ESOS National Code 2018. For years, the rule was that a receiving provider could not knowingly enrol you until you had completed six months of your principal course.

The National Code amendment (Overseas Student Transfers) Instrument 2026 replaced that. It was registered on 1 October 2026 and commenced the next day. The new Standard 7.1 says that, for receiving providers other than those taking students from school providers, “on or before 30 June 2027” you must have “completed at least twelve months” of your principal course with your current provider. From 1 July 2027, it returns to six months.

The Minister for Home Affairs’ media release of 2 October 2026 calls this an interim measure. The test is whether you have completed 12 months at the time the new provider enrols you. So if you passed six months in September 2026 but have not reached 12, the new rule still applies to you.

“Principal course” means your main course: in a package (for example, ELICOS then a bachelor’s), it is the final, highest course.

Exceptions and the release letter

New Standard 7.1A lets a receiving provider enrol you before the 12 months if:

• your current provider, or your course, is no longer registered;
• your current provider has a sanction that stops you continuing;
• your current provider has agreed to your release and recorded the date and reason in PRISMS (this is the “release letter”); or
• your government sponsor, if you have one, supports the change in writing as being in your best interests.

Under Standard 7 of the National Code, each provider must have a written transfer policy. Examples of when a transfer is in your best interests include where you would otherwise be reported for unsatisfactory course progress, where compassionate circumstances exist, or where you were misled about the course. If a release is granted, it must be at no cost to you, and the provider must tell you to contact Home Affairs about whether you need a new visa.

If the provider refuses, it must give you written reasons and tell you that you have 20 working days to use its complaints and appeals process. It cannot finalise the refusal in PRISMS until that process ends.

How to change provider, step by step

1. Count your months in your principal course. Under 12 months (until 30 June 2027)? You need a release or another exception.
2. Get a valid written offer from the new provider. You need it to request a release.
3. Apply in writing to your current provider under its transfer policy, with evidence for your reason.
4. Check the AQF level. Same or higher is generally fine on your current visa; lower level needs a new visa.
5. Accept the new offer and get a new CoE. The provider reports the change to Home Affairs through PRISMS.
6. Keep OSHC and your address current, and check your visa conditions in VEVO.
7. Check your visa end date. If your new course runs past it, you will need a new visa, and from 2 October 2026 most students cannot apply onshore unless an exemption applies.

If you have not yet arrived and your CoE changes while your visa is still being processed, Study Australia says to attach the new CoE in ImmiAccount as soon as possible. See CoE explained.

When you need a new Student visa

Study Australia’s changing your course or provider page says a condition of your visa is that you stay enrolled in a course at the same or higher level. In practice:

• Same or higher AQF level: generally no new visa, unless your current visa will expire before you finish.
• Lower AQF level, or ELICOS as your main course: you must apply for a new Student visa. Study Australia notes an exception for moving from an AQF 10 doctorate to an AQF 9 master’s.
• Higher education to VET: the Minister’s 2 October 2026 release says students “will no longer be able to come to Australia to study Higher Education and transfer onshore to VET”.

This is where the October 2026 onshore rules bite. Home Affairs’ Student visa changes factsheet says Student visa holders generally cannot apply for another Student visa in Australia unless an exemption applies, such as needing up to 12 more months with the same provider for the same main course, progressing to a higher AQF level course, or provider default. Moving down a level is not on that list. If you cannot apply onshore, you must be outside Australia when you apply and when the visa is granted.

Coming next: the Student visa transfer stream (mid-2027)

The Minister’s 2 October 2026 release says a new Student visa transfer stream will begin in mid-2027 for students who change providers after arriving. From 1 July 2027, students will need to get this visa before starting with a new provider, the end date of their visa will stay the same, and transfers will be limited to the same or a higher AQF level. Study Australia says details are still being developed. Do not pay anyone claiming to process this stream yet.

Concurrent study and agent commissions

Concurrent enrolment. On 8 September 2023, Study Australia announced that international students could no longer be enrolled in two courses at the same time during the first six months of their principal course, with immediate effect. Students who already held concurrent enrolments were not affected. We could not find an official 2024 change to this rule, or confirmation that this window has moved to 12 months; ask your provider in writing before enrolling anywhere else.

Agent commissions. Study Australia says providers are banned from paying agents a commission for onshore student transfers that occur after 31 March 2026. If someone in Australia is pushing you hard to switch colleges, ask yourself who benefits. Our consultancy red flag test can help.

For Nepali students and families

• Choose carefully before you leave. With a 12-month lock-in, the provider on your first CoE is the one you are likely to stay with for at least a year. Check CRICOS, fees and refund terms.
• Your GS story follows you. A switch to a cheaper, lower-level course can look like the study was never the purpose, and it needs a new visa anyway.
• Fees already paid. Read your written agreement on refunds before requesting a release; the release itself is free, but tuition refunds depend on the provider’s policy.
• Remittances. Before sending fees to a new provider from Nepal, check whether you need a new NOC. See NOC for study abroad.

Common mistakes

• Relying on an old blog or page that still says six months.
• Enrolling with a new college without a release, then losing the original CoE.
• Dropping to a diploma after starting a bachelor’s without applying for a new visa.
• Assuming you can lodge a new Student visa in Australia after 2 October 2026.
• Leaving a gap with no valid CoE, which can put your visa at risk.

What to do next

Read your provider’s transfer policy, talk to its international student office, and get independent advice from a registered migration agent before you withdraw from anything. If you are still choosing, start with our step-by-step subclass 500 guide and see whether regional study suits you.

Frequently asked questions

Can I change college in Australia before 6 months?
Generally no, and the period is now 12 months for non-school students until 30 June 2027. You need a release recorded in PRISMS by your current provider, or another exception.

Do I need a new visa if I change university in Australia?
Not if the new course is at the same or higher AQF level and your visa covers it. A lower-level course needs a new Student visa. From mid-2027 a new transfer stream is planned for provider changes.

Does a release letter cost money?
No. Under Standard 7 of the National Code, a release must be at no cost to the student. Tuition refunds are a separate matter.

Can I switch from a bachelor’s to a diploma on my student visa?
That is a move to a lower AQF level, so you must apply for a new Student visa. Most students cannot lodge it from inside Australia since 2 October 2026.

What if my provider refuses to release me?
It must give you written reasons and tell you that you have 20 working days to use its complaints and appeals process. It cannot finalise the refusal until that process ends.

Related guides

• Studying in Regional Australia: What You Actually Gain
• Australia Visa Health Examination in Nepal: HAP ID and Clinics
• Australian Student Visa From Nepal: How to Apply (Subclass 500)
• What Is a CoE for Australia? Confirmation of Enrolment Explained
• OSHC for Australia: Cost and Rules for Nepali Students

Sources

• National Code Amendment (Overseas Student Transfers) Instrument 2026, F2026L01351 – Federal Register of Legislation
• National Code of Practice 2018 (compilation 21 Jan 2026), Standard 7 – Federal Register of Legislation
• Student visa integrity reforms take effect today – Minister for Home Affairs, 2 October 2026
• Changes to Student visa applications factsheet – Department of Home Affairs
• Student visa application changes: October 2026 update – Study Australia
• Changing your course or provider – Study Australia
• Student visa (subclass 500): lower AQF level – Study Australia
• Concurrent enrolment changes – Study Australia, 8 September 2023
• New rules on agent commissions for onshore student transfers – Study Australia

Last checked: 19 October 2026. This is general information, not legal or migration advice. Speak to a registered migration agent about your own case.