Quick Answer
From 2 October 2026, three rules decide whether you can change course in Australia. (1) Changing course on your current visa: condition 8202 still applies. Moving to a course at the same or a higher AQF level is generally fine, but moving to a lower level needs a new visa. (2) Changing provider: you now need to complete 12 months of your principal course (up from 6) before another provider can enrol you, unless you are released or another exception applies. This lasts until 30 June 2027. (3) Needing a new student visa: you can only apply onshore if you have completed your course and are moving up to one higher-AQF-level course, are finishing your current course, or fall into another exempt group. Otherwise you must apply from outside Australia.
Changing course has always carried some visa risk for international students in Australia. From 2 October 2026 the risk is much higher. A sideways or downward move can now mean you have to leave Australia to apply for your next visa. This guide explains the new course change and provider transfer rules, using the legislation registered on 1 October 2026, with worked examples for the most common situations.
Thinking about changing course or college? Talk to us before you accept an offer or pay a deposit. Umar Ashraf (MARA #2619222) can check the visa side and our education team can check the course side, in English, Urdu, Punjabi and Hindi. Book a free consultation →
The Three Rules That Now Apply to Changing Course
Many students mix these three rules up. They are separate, and each one is applied on its own:
| Rule | Where it comes from | When it applies |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Visa condition 8202 | Your current student visa | Any time you change course without getting a new visa |
| 2. Provider transfer restriction | National Code Standard 7 (amended 1 Oct 2026) | When you move to a different provider |
| 3. Onshore application rules | Migration Regulations, item 1222 (amended from 2 Oct 2026) | When you need a new student visa |
Rule 1: Changing Course on Your Current Visa (Condition 8202)
This rule has not changed. Condition 8202 requires you to stay enrolled in a registered course at the same AQF level or higher than the course your visa was granted for, and to keep up satisfactory attendance and course progress.
- Same level or higher (for example, from one bachelor’s degree to another, or from a diploma to an advanced diploma): generally allowed on your current visa, as long as you hold a valid CoE.
- Lower level (for example, from a master’s to a graduate diploma, or from a bachelor’s to a VET diploma): you need a new student visa, even if you stay with the same provider. From 2 October 2026, that new visa will usually have to be lodged from outside Australia (see Rule 3).
Changing to a lower level without getting a new visa can put you in breach of condition 8202, which can lead to visa cancellation. If you are facing that, see our guide on section 116 visa cancellation.
Rule 2: Changing Provider — the New 12-Month Restriction
The National Code of Practice Amendment (Overseas Student Transfers) Instrument 2026 was registered on 1 October 2026 and replaces Standard 7.1. A new provider must not knowingly enrol you as a transferring student unless:
- From 2 October 2026 to 30 June 2027: you have completed at least 12 months of your principal course with your current provider
- From 1 July 2027: back to at least 6 months
- School students: unchanged (the first 6 months of the first school course)
Exceptions: When You Can Transfer Earlier
Under the new Standard 7.1A, a provider may enrol you before 12 months if:
- Your current provider, or your course, has ceased to be registered (for example, the course is cancelled, like the GDML (BSB80120) CRICOS cancellation)
- The regulator has sanctioned your provider in a way that stops you continuing there
- Your current provider has released you and recorded the release in PRISMS under its transfer policy
- Your government sponsor supports the change in writing
Why 12 Months, and What Comes Next
The Department of Education’s explanatory statement says the extension is temporary. Its purpose is to prevent “rushed or non-genuine transfers” after the 17 September 2026 announcements. It also confirms that a further reform is “intended to take effect in mid-2027”. Under that reform, students would need to be granted a new student visa before transferring to another provider. That later reform has not been made law yet, but it shows the direction of policy. Students should expect changing provider to need its own visa application from mid-2027.
Rule 3: When You Need a New Visa — the “Qualification Scale” Rule
This is the “only move up the qualification scale” rule Tony Burke announced. The Regulations now say that a current student visa holder applying for another student visa must be outside Australia, unless they are in an exempt group. The most important exemption for course changes is course progression, set out in LIN 26/087. To use it, you must:
- Hold a student visa as the primary applicant when you apply
- Have completed your principal course (or an approved alternative principal course that was consistent with your visa conditions)
- Be enrolled in no more than one further course
- Make sure that course has a higher AQF level than the one you completed
- If the completed course was higher education, make sure the new course is also higher education, delivered by a higher education provider
If your completed course had no AQF level (for example ELICOS), the next course must have an AQF level, unless you were a school student.
Other onshore exemptions: finishing your current course within 12 months of your CoE end date, doctoral students, provider default (apply within 12 months), school students, and Defence or Foreign Affairs students. All of these are explained in our full guide to the 2 October 2026 student visa changes.
Worked Examples: Can I Change Course Onshore?
These assume you hold a student visa as the primary applicant and apply on or after 2 October 2026. They are general guidance only.
| Your situation | New visa needed? | Can you apply onshore? |
|---|---|---|
| Completed a bachelor’s (AQF 7), moving to a master’s (AQF 9) at a university | Yes, usually | Generally yes (course progression) |
| Completed a bachelor’s (AQF 7), moving to a graduate diploma (AQF 8) at a higher education provider | Yes, usually | Generally yes (higher AQF level and higher education) |
| Completed a master’s (AQF 9), starting a second master’s | Yes | No, same AQF level, so apply from outside Australia |
| Completed a bachelor’s, moving to a VET diploma or advanced diploma | Yes | No, lower level and not higher education |
| Completed a VET diploma (AQF 5), moving to an advanced diploma (AQF 6) | Yes, usually | Generally yes (higher AQF level; the higher-education rule only applies if the completed course was higher education) |
| Completed ELICOS, moving to a diploma or degree | Yes, usually | Generally yes (the next course has an AQF level) |
| Completed a bachelor’s, packaged graduate diploma + master’s | Yes | Risky, because the rule allows “no more than one further course”. Get advice before enrolling. |
| Partway through a master’s, switching to a graduate diploma (lower level) without finishing | Yes (condition 8202) | No, you have not completed the course and you are moving down |
| Partway through a course, need an extra semester to finish | Yes, if your visa expires | Generally yes (completion of studies, within 12 months of CoE end date) |
| Partway through a bachelor’s, switching to another bachelor’s at a different university after 4 months | Not necessarily (same level) | Visa may be fine, but the 12-month transfer rule blocks it unless you are released |
| Your college’s course was cancelled or the college closed | Often | Generally yes (provider default, within 12 months) |
| You are in Australia as a dependant on your partner’s student visa and want your own student visa | Yes | No, secondary visa holders must apply from outside Australia |
Before You Change Course: A Checklist
- Check AQF levels. Compare the AQF level of your current course with the new one. Same or higher is fine on your current visa. Lower needs a new visa.
- Check whether you are changing provider. If so, have you completed 12 months? If not, will your current provider release you?
- Check whether you will need a new visa. If you will, are you in an onshore exempt group? If not, plan to apply offshore, and budget for flights and time away.
- Check your family. If you need a new visa and your partner or children are with you, check whether they can be included. Most new dependants are no longer allowed (see our full guide).
- Check your PR plan. Changing field can affect skills assessments and your 485 eligibility and timing. See also choosing the right course for PR.
- Get the CoE and visa plan checked together before you pay a non-refundable deposit.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I change my course on a student visa in Australia?
Yes, but it depends on the direction. Moving to a course at the same or a higher AQF level is generally allowed on your current visa. Moving to a lower AQF level needs a new student visa. From 2 October 2026, that new visa generally has to be lodged from outside Australia unless you are in an exempt group.
How long do I have to study before changing provider in Australia?
From 2 October 2026 to 30 June 2027, 12 months of your principal course, unless your provider releases you, your provider or course is deregistered or sanctioned, or your government sponsor supports the change in writing. From 1 July 2027 it returns to 6 months.
What is the “qualification scale” rule for student visas?
It is the course progression exemption in LIN 26/087. A current student visa holder can apply for a new student visa onshore if they have completed their principal course and are enrolled in no more than one further course at a higher AQF level. If the completed course was higher education, the new course must also be higher education at a higher education provider.
Can I do a second master’s degree onshore?
Generally not onshore if it needs a new visa. A second master’s is the same AQF level, so it does not meet the course progression exemption. From 2 October 2026 you would generally need to apply from outside Australia.
Can I move from university to a TAFE or VET course?
Moving from higher education to VET is usually a move to a lower AQF level, so you need a new visa. It also does not meet the course progression exemption, so from 2 October 2026 you would generally need to apply from outside Australia.
Do the new rules affect a student visa application I lodged before 2 October 2026?
No. The amendments apply only to applications made on or after 2 October 2026.
Get Your Course Change Checked First
The order you do things in now matters a lot. If you accept an offer, change provider and only then discover you must apply offshore, it can be expensive. Magpie Consultants is both a migration agency and an education consultancy, so Umar Ashraf (MARA #2619222) can check the visa rules and the course choice together. See our education consultancy services.
Disclaimer: This article is based on the Migration Amendment (Student Visa Reform) Regulations 2026, LIN 26/087 and the National Code of Practice Amendment (Overseas Student Transfers) Instrument 2026, all registered on 1 October 2026, and their explanatory statements. It is general information, not legal advice. Individual cases, especially packaged courses, non-AQF courses and courses changed under an existing visa, need individual assessment.
Call Umar directly: 0424 260 655
Email: info@magpieconsultants.com.au
Office: Office #3, 8/10 Childs Road, Epping VIC 3076
Consultations in: English | اردو Urdu | ਪੰਜਾਬੀ Punjabi | हिन्दी Hindi
Umar Ashraf
MARA Registered Migration Agent & Education Consultant | MARA #2619222 | Epping, Melbourne VIC
Umar Ashraf is a MARA-registered migration agent specialising in complex cases, visa cancellations, ART tribunal appeals, and employer sponsorship. He provides consultations in English, Urdu, Punjabi and Hindi.
