English-language courses (ELICOS)

ELICOS is the common abbreviation for English Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students.

‘Overseas students’ are people who hold a student visa issued by the Australian Government.

Overseas students choose ELICOS courses for a variety of reasons. For example, some students may want to improve their academic English skills to prepare for further studies. Others may want to focus on general English-language skills to expand their social and networking opportunities in Australia.

To deliver ELICOS courses, you must:

be registered on the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students (CRICOS)
have those ELICOS courses listed on your CRICOS scope of registration.

You do not need to be a registered training organisation (RTO) to deliver ELICOS.

English language programs delivered offshore are not ‘ELICOS courses’, as they are not delivered to overseas students studying in Australia on a student visa. ASQA has no regulatory jurisdiction for non-award courses delivered overseas.

Become an ELICOS provider

If you are not already on CRICOS:

Apply for initial CRICOS registration
In your application for initial CRICOS registration, include the ELICOS course (or courses) you want to add to your scope of registration.

If you are already on CRICOS:

Complete an application to change scope of CRICOS registration to add an ELICOS course.

Do not apply to ASQA if you intend to deliver ELICOS:

under an ‘entry arrangement’ with one or more higher education providers—in this case, you should apply to the Tertiary Education Quality Standards Agency (TEQSA)
as a higher education provider—in this case, you should apply to TEQSA
as a school—in this case, you should apply to 'the relevant state regulatory body'.

ELICOS fees

Fees and charges relief

ASQA is waiving some fees and charges for:

VET providers and accredited course owners until 1 July 2022
ELICOS providers until 31 December 2022.

The introduction of ASQA’s full cost recovery will be deferred a further 6 months to 1 July 2022.

ELICOS providers are subject to:

ASQA fees and charges associated with CRICOS registration—see the Guide to ASQA fees and charges (PDF)
Department of Education, Skills and Employment fees and charges—see the Department website for details.

How we process your application

ASQA will review your application to deliver ELICOS courses to make sure you can comply with:

ELICOS providers are not required to hold National English Language Teaching Accreditation Scheme (NEAS) accreditation. However, ASQA recognises NEAS accreditation as one potential indicator of quality for ELICOS providers.

Help with your application

For help or more information on any topic, contact the ASQA Info Line.