The Australian Government has taken the significant step of removing the BSB80120 Graduate Diploma of Management (Learning) from future use by overseas students.
The Education Services for Overseas Students (Specified Classes of Courses for Automatic Suspension and Cancellation) Instrument 2026 commenced on 5 September 2026. It triggers the automatic suspension and eventual cancellation of providers’ CRICOS registration for this particular course under the Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000 (ESOS Act).
The change does not mean that every student currently undertaking the course must stop studying immediately. However, it creates a firm cut-off date for new commencements and may have important consequences for students who hold a Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE) but have not yet started the course, including those whose study package includes the Graduate Diploma as a later or principal course.
What is changing?
From 5 October 2026, registered providers will no longer be able to enrol or commence new overseas students in the BSB80120 Graduate Diploma of Management (Learning), issue new CoEs for the course, or accept payments from prospective or non-commencing overseas students for it.
If a provider still has overseas students enrolled in and undertaking the course on 5 October 2026, its CRICOS registration for the course will be automatically suspended. That suspension allows those continuing students to remain with the provider and complete the course if they choose to do so, but prevents the provider from accepting or commencing new overseas students.
Once all continuing overseas students have completed or withdrawn, the provider’s CRICOS registration for the course will be automatically cancelled. Where a provider has no overseas students enrolled in and undertaking the course on 5 October 2026, cancellation will occur at that time.
The measure relates specifically to the delivery of this course to overseas students. It does not prevent a provider from delivering the qualification to domestic students.
Why has the Government taken this action?
In the Statement of Reasons accompanying the Instrument, the Assistant Minister for International Education stated that the measure was considered necessary to protect the integrity of Australia’s international education sector and student visa program.
Government data identified a combination of unusual enrolment, commencement, transfer and completion patterns. Overseas student enrolments in the course increased from 3,690 in 2020 to 23,680 in 2025, while the number of active providers delivering it grew from 117 in 2020 to 438 by 1 May 2026. Overseas students also accounted for approximately 90 per cent of enrolments in the course between 2020 and 2024, compared with 27 to 32 per cent across VET Business Services courses more broadly.
The non-commencement rate was another central concern. The number of students who obtained enrolment approval but did not commence the course rose from 750 in 2020 to 18,340 in 2025. This represented a non-commencement rate of 47.4 per cent in 2025, compared with approximately 22 to 27 per cent for other VET courses.
The Government also considered the course’s comparatively low completion rates, the rapid increase in onshore transfers into and out of the qualification, and its extensive use as the principal course in packaged arrangements. In 2025, transfers into the course reached 4,000, while transfers out reached 3,360. Of the student visa applications for the course that remained undecided as at 30 April 2026, 58 per cent involved a packaged arrangement in which the Graduate Diploma was the principal course.
Visa refusal rates associated with the course had also risen substantially. According to the Statement of Reasons, the refusal rate for finalised onshore student visa applications involving the course increased to 65 per cent between 1 July 2025 and 30 April 2026. For offshore applications, the refusal rate reached 77 per cent during the same period.
The Government acknowledged that course transfers, non-commencement and visa refusals can each occur for legitimate reasons. However, it considered that the scale and combined pattern of these indicators raised systemic concerns about whether enrolment in the course was consistently directed towards genuine study, educational progression and completion.
What does this mean for students who have already commenced?
An overseas student who is enrolled in and has commenced the Graduate Diploma of Management (Learning) before 5 October 2026 may continue studying the course with their current provider. The provider must continue meeting its obligations under the ESOS framework while delivering the course to those students.
Students who have already commenced should nevertheless confirm their enrolment status with their provider and ensure their contact details and student records are current. If the provider later stops delivering the course before a student completes it, provider-default and tuition-protection arrangements may become relevant.
What if a student has a CoE but has not commenced?
Students who have not commenced the course before 5 October 2026 will not be permitted to begin it on or after that date. Any CoE issued for a future commencement in the Graduate Diploma will be cancelled on 5 October 2026.
This includes students who have accepted an offer or paid tuition fees but have not yet started, as well as students enrolled in another course within a package where the Graduate Diploma is scheduled to commence later. A student may be able to continue another unaffected course in the package, but the Graduate Diploma component cannot commence after the cut-off.
Affected students should contact their provider immediately to discuss whether an alternative course is available and whether they are entitled to a refund of unspent tuition fees. If a provider default occurs, the provider is generally required to offer a suitable alternative course that the student chooses to accept in writing or refund the student’s unspent tuition fees within the applicable timeframe. If the provider does not meet its obligations, the Tuition Protection Service may be able to assist.
Could changing courses affect a student visa?
The suspension or cancellation of the course does not, by itself, mean that every affected student visa is automatically cancelled. However, the cancellation of a CoE, a change to a packaged study plan, a provider default or a proposed transfer to another qualification may affect a student’s visa position and ongoing compliance obligations.
Students considering a replacement course should not assume that any alternative will be suitable for their visa. Matters such as the Australian Qualifications Framework level of the new course, the student’s existing visa conditions, study history, current CoE arrangements and the reasons for changing courses may all be relevant.
The appropriate response will depend on the individual student’s circumstances. Before withdrawing, accepting a replacement course or making changes to an existing study package, affected students should obtain advice about how the proposed change may interact with their current visa and future migration plans.
What should affected students do now?
Students who are enrolled in, planning to commence, or holding a packaged offer involving the BSB80120 Graduate Diploma of Management (Learning) should:
- confirm with their provider whether they are recorded as having commenced the course before 5 October 2026;
- request written information about any CoE cancellation, alternative course, refund or provider-default arrangements;
- avoid changing or withdrawing from a course without first understanding the possible visa implications; and
- obtain individual migration advice if their CoE, study plan or enrolment status will change.
How NB Migration Law can assist
Course and CoE changes can have different consequences depending on a student’s visa conditions, enrolment history and future plans. NB Migration Law can advise affected students on how the new measure may apply to their circumstances, assess the migration implications of changing courses or study packages, and help identify appropriate next steps.
This article provides general information only and does not constitute legal or migration advice. The law and policy may change, and the appropriate course of action will depend on your individual circumstances.