Quality at UC

Quality and improvement are the mechanisms by which the University of Canberra assures the quality of education, research and administration are provided and the process by which standards are both maintained and enhanced.

The national body responsible for the oversight of quality in higher education is the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA).

TEQSA regulates and assures the quality of higher education in Australia using the Higher Education Standards Framework (Threshold Standards) 2021 (hereafter referred to as the Threshold Standards), a legislative instrument created under the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) Act 2011.

The Threshold Standards are designed to encompass the monitoring, reporting, governance and risk management activities that a higher education provider is expected to apply throughout the normal course of its operations, rather than imposing an additional regulatory burden.

The Threshold Standards inform the University's quality processes. Periodically, TEQSA carries out a review of a higher education provider’s ability to maintain standards and manage the quality of its operations.

In 2015, TEQSA advised that UC had received renewal of registration for the maximum period of seven years, without conditions. If TEQSA is not satisfied that a higher education provider is meeting the requirements of the Threshold Standards, it may impose conditions on the provider and/or shorten the period of registration. The University of Canberra re-registration is due in 2025.

Internally, the University’s Quality and Standards Framework (QSF) is used to identify and monitor activities that support our compliance with the Threshold Standards. The QSF is designed to match the student life-cycle approach of the Threshold Standards, with a clear focus on the core characteristics of higher education provision.

The University’s QSF highlights the activities, benchmarking, policies, procedures and measures that demonstrate the effectiveness of quality assurance mechanisms that both satisfy Threshold Standards, for TEQSA regulatory purposes, and support the University in delivering on its mission. Our approaches to improvement, and identified gaps, are also captured in the QSF.

To contact the Quality and Standards area please email: quality@canberra.edu.au