The Koala understands that updated institutional risk ratings have been implemented and communicated to institutions today.
The Koala wants to make clear the list is not publicly available however can be worked out by feeding data into a tool the Department of Home Affairs messages to understand visa requirements.
Ravi Lochan Singh, CEO of Subcontinent Agency Global Reach, explains, “There is a notion that the risk levels of universities are meant to be secret when that is just not possible. Home Affairs may not be putting it out publicly but they have given the tool for anyone to find out and Universities that are on level 1 will actively educate their agents. The Home Affairs provides a document checking tool and if one checks for a Level 3 high risk country (say India or Pakistan or Nepal) and if the financials are still required as per the tool, the University is not streamlined and hence either Risk level 2 or 3. And if one checks for a Level 2 moderate risk country (say Bhutan) and the financials are still required, then the University is a high risk level 3 country. That is it. Similarly one can check for all TAFEs and private providers too.”
This tool can be found here.
There has been a debate within the sector as to the impact of the assessment-level system. It potentially encourages future students to look at the ease of application and sends a message for those institutions who may be lower in the system than others that they are somehow of less quality than others. When the assessment level merely indicates their past cohort’s performance against the stipulated visa regime.
In speaking with Lochan Singh on the changes, he says “I strongly believe that students should be encouraged to choose the University based on their academic delivery and suitability to the student. The current system forces the students to choose the Universities based on ease in securing the visa. This is unfair to Universities whose skills are not with choosing or managing student’s visas and the various Government decisions over the years facilitated the non-compliance (such as allowing students with full time work rights just to fill the country’s short term workforce needs). There were several loop holes in the regulations too that have been actively exploited (such as concurrent COEs and also not enforcing the various conditions on the visa). The scapegoats have been Universities and their agents. And also genuine students who want to join these Universities and are now faced with stricter requirements as the Universities may have slipped in risk level. Ministerial direction issued in December will now ensure that the level 1 universities will be fast-tracked.”
He makes a valid point. Since Ministerial Direction 107 was implemented in mid-December, higher assessment-level institutions are potentially disadvantaged in processing time. Adding to a student’s potential inclination to change providers based on visa efficiency, not educational quality or best outcome educationally.
The Koala has seen an informal list circulated among sector representatives, but it chooses not to publish it.
Rather it can inform members of the Koala colony, if the list is correct there would appear to be movement as follows:
16 universities are assessment level 1
23 universities are assessment level 2
There are now 3 universities in assessment level 3, up from 1 previously. These institutions will find it extremely difficult in market over the next SSVF period.
