All international education providers will be aware that the Australian Government has released the 2027 National Planning Level (NPL) and set it at 295,000, unchanged from 2026.
The Department of Education and the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations are hosting two webinars to outline the implementation arrangements for the 2027 NPL, as well as to provide information on upcoming Education Agent Commission Data Collection mechanisms.
2027 National Planning Level
Providers delivering higher education and skills training courses to international students will receive their 2027 allocations in line with the 2027 level, with allocation arrangements to differ across and within sectors. Allocations for providers are expected to be finalised and published toward the end of July 2026.
The information sessions on 16 and 20 July will explain the NPL announcement and how allocations will be determined across the skills training sector, non-university higher education providers, as well as for public universities.
Education Agent Commission Data Collection
Changes to the ESOS Act in late 2025 enable the Secretary of the Department of Education to collect data on education agent commissions. The aim of this legislative change is to enhance transparency in the area of commission payments with the ultimate goal of improving overall sector integrity.
Providers will be required to report details such as accepted student numbers, commission payments, and any non-monetary benefits provided to agents. Providers will be required to report on these issues through new reporting mechanism in PRISMS, with the first period covering 1 January to 30 June 2026. The details for this will be outlined in the Webinars below:
Webinar sessions
• Thursday 16 July, 2:30 pm AEST
• Monday 20 July, 2:30 pm AEST
All interested providers must register for a session, with
each session covering the same content. To register, please go to either link
below:
Further Information —
If you have any questions regarding the above, please contact the ITECA team at [email protected].