Private colleges offer discounts to rush students into diploma set for deregistration

Private colleges across Australia are offering last-minute discounts to encourage students to enrol in a graduate diploma of management (learning) before the federal government deregisters the qualification in October.

The government announced in early September that it would strip accreditation from the course, citing concerns that it was being used by “non-genuine” students primarily to extend their stay in Australia rather than to pursue genuine study. The diploma is currently offered by close to 450 registered training providers.

More than 15,000 students are currently enrolled in the diploma, while over 40,000 additional students have registered to begin the course once they complete a related vocational qualification, according to figures cited by education officials.

Discounts before the deadline

With the October deregistration date approaching, some private colleges have begun advertising reduced fees and expedited enrolment in an apparent effort to secure new students before the course is formally shut down. Critics argue that offering discounts on a qualification the government has already flagged as being misused risks drawing in more students seeking a pathway to remain in the country rather than a genuine graduate qualification.

The move comes amid a broader push by the Australian government to tighten oversight of the international education sector and the student visa system, following years of scrutiny over providers accused of enrolling students with little intention of completing genuine study. Officials have flagged the graduate diploma of management (learning) as a case study of that risk, given its scale and rapid growth in enrolments in recent years.

The Department of Education has not detailed what transitional arrangements, if any, will be made for students currently enrolled in the diploma once it is deregistered, or how those partway through the course will be affected.