Standards & Accreditation

ACAP University College is a nationally registered training organisation, institute of higher education, and provider of higher education courses to domestic and international students, delivering accredited vocational education and training and higher education courses. Since 1983, ACAP has been teaching applied psychology and helping to prepare our students to change lives – to make a difference.

All courses delivered by ACAP that lead to a vocational education and training (VET) or higher education award issued by ACAP are recognised in the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF). AQF qualifications are recognised all around Australia and by other countries. Further information about AQF qualifications is available at www.aqf.edu.au.

Registration Information

ACAP is a Nationally registered training organisation (RTO) with the Australian Government’s Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA), the national regulator for Australia’s vocational education and training sector. RTO code 0500.

ACAP is an institute of higher education and provider of higher education courses to overseas students with the Australian Government’s Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA), Australia’s independent national regulator of the higher education sector.  National CRICOS Provider code: 01328A. ACAP’s TEQSA HE provider registration code is PRV12009.

Course assurance

ACAP is a member of an approved Tuition Assurance Scheme for Australian domestic students and conforms to the requirements of the Tuition Protection Service (TPS) established by the Australian Government for overseas students. This assures current and intending students of ACAP courses that lead to an ACAP issued AQF award that they will be offered a suitable alternative course or have unspent pre-paid tuition fees refunded if ACAP cannot provide the course for which the student has paid. Further information about ACAP’s tuition assurance arrangements is available here.

Compliance with Commonwealth, State or Territory legislation and regulatory requirements

ACAP ensures that its policies and procedures meet the requirements of Commonwealth or State and Territory legislation which are relevant to our operations, including:

• Higher Education Support Act 2003 (HESA)
• Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) Act 2011
• Higher Education Standards Framework (Threshold Standards) 2021, established under the TEQSA Act 2011
• Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000 (ESOS Act)
• National Code of Practice for Providers of Education and Training to Overseas Students 2018 (National Code 2018)
• Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF)
• National Vocational Education and Training Regulator Act 2011
• Standards for Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) 2015
• National Vocational Education and Training Regulator Act 2011
• VET Quality Framework established under the National Vocational Education and Training Regulator Act 2011
• Various other Commonwealth and State legislation, including that concerning Privacy and Personal Information, Health and Safety, Access and Equity, Workplace Harassment, Victimisation and Bullying, Anti-discrimination, Equal Opportunity, and Human Rights.

College staff are provided with information about legislation that affects their duties through College policy, guidelines, briefing sessions, and through the Navitas Professional web portal. Students are provided with information about legislation that affects their participation in their studies through College policy, the student resources, course guides, at orientation, on administrative forms, and through our website at www.acap.edu.au.

Note that additional legislation may be in effect though not listed above.

Industry association membership

ACAP is a Member of Independent Higher Education Australia (IHEA). IHEA is the peak body representing independent higher education providers in Australia.

Professional registration and recognition of courses

ACAP seeks accreditation of its programs with relevant professional bodies for quality assurance purposes and to ensure our courses meet the relevant educational and training standards that allow graduates to seek recognition and to practise as a professional.

See the disciplines listed below to find out courses accreditation and the respective governing bodies.

Coaching

Our Graduate Certificate of Applied Coaching is accredited with the International Coaching Federation (ICF). Issued in 2021, the ICF accreditation is a result of a rigorous review process and demonstrates that ACAP’s coaching curriculum aligns with the ICF definition of coaching, Core Competencies and Code of Ethics.

Counselling

To ensure we deliver the most up-to-date material, we regularly accredit our courses with relevant governing industry bodies. To find out more about accreditation in relation to ACAP’s Counselling courses, please click here.

Psychology

Our Psychology courses are professionally accredited with conditions by the Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC). APAC is the body that develops the accreditation standards for the education and training of psychologists for approval by the Psychology Board of Australia and accredits the higher education providers and the programs of study they offer to determine whether they meet the approved accreditation standards. For graduates of these courses, this provides certainty that their course meets the national psychology training standards.

Social Work

Our Bachelor of Social Work, Bachelor of Social Work (Honours) and Master of Social Work (Qualifying) have been accredited by the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW), the body that sets the benchmarks for professional education and practice in social work.

For graduates of these courses, this provides certainty that their course meets the principles, standards and graduate attributes for social work education in Australia set-out in the Australian Social Work Education and Accreditation Standards (ASWEAS).

LAW

ACAP’s Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice is an approved Practical Legal Training (PLT) course and is accredited by the Victorian Legal Admissions Board (VLAB) which governs admission to legal practice in Victoria.

Ethical standards

ACAP undertakes to act at all times in a professional and ethical manner. Staff and agents of the College must abide by the professional standards expected of education and training providers communicated in IHEA’s Code of Ethics. Staff are also expected to abide by the ethical standards relevant for their profession. Staff and students of the College planning to undertake human research must obtain research approval through the NPI’s Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) before commencing the research. NPI’s HREC is registered with the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC). For further information refer to the ACAP Research page.

Articulation pathways

ACAP is dedicated to providing a range of recognised and rewarding educational pathways from other educational providers into, between and from our VET and higher education programs. This provides enjoyment of quality educational experiences with maximum credit recognition (advanced standing) for previous studies, helping you complete your qualification sooner. It also provides clarity of access to an education continuum to further degree studies. For further information refer to the College’s Credit Arrangements Policy, including Formalised Articulations Schedule and Credit Limitations, which can be downloaded from www.acap.edu.au/pages/policies-procedures/

Student Safety

The quality of the student experience is central to the educational purpose of ACAP and the College recognises that the provision of a safe environment for study and learning and living free from the risk of harassment, intimidation, robbery and assault are preconditions to enhanced feelings of safety, positive and beneficial to overall student welfare and enhanced student experience.

ACAP supports good practices for enhancing Student Safety, including those communicated in University Australia’s Good Practice Guidelines for Enhancing Student Safety (2011). The College’s governance and management  arrangements include student representation on a number of committees enabling partnership with our  students and the community to assess the levels of risk and responsibilities, and implement preventive measures. ACAP acknowledges that international students and students from country and outback regions in Australia may be especially vulnerable by being away from  their own home support networks and can face higher safety and security hazards than their local domestic student peers due to different knowledge sets, particular living and travel arrangements and some community attitudes. ACAP proactively reinforces strategies for the integration of students of all nationalities and backgrounds on our campuses and in our communities, and which promote a greater understanding of international cultures and languages in Australia. The College also works to sustain and expand its current provision of information on student security and safety from pre-departure programs, arrival and orientation through to graduation; and encourages students themselves to act on this information by taking safety precautions whenever possible.

Quality assurance

ACAP has established a Quality Framework, which sets out the common principles, criteria and processes for quality assurance at ACAP. This framework is reflective of Australian Government regulatory and quality standards for sustainable and responsible tertiary education. The framework blends the provision of consistent, quality, learning and pedagogy with the need for continuous improvement. For more information on this framework, please click here.

Admissions Transparency

To find out more information on the number of students enrolled by ACAP course in the most recent Trimester 1 intake, please click here.