Australia cancels graduate diploma course

Australia’s government has cancelled international-student access to one vocational course that ministers said had become a vehicle for visa-linked enrolments rather than genuine study. In a September 4 statement, Assistant Minister for International Education Julian Hill said new enrolments by overseas students in the Graduate Diploma of Management (Learning), or GDML, would be blocked under new powers in the Education Services for Overseas Students Act. The course is not a broad category of graduate diplomas. The measure applies specifically to BSB80120 Graduate Diploma of Management (Learning), a vocational education and training course listed on Australia’s overseas-student register. Hill said the government’s decision followed “significant evidence” that the course had been used to facilitate onshore transfers by “non-genuine students” and was associated with high visa-refusal and course non-completion rates. (ministers.education.gov.au) ### Which course did Australia actually cancel? The course named in the government action is BSB80120 Graduate Diploma of Management (Learning). The September 4 ministerial release said providers that deliver that course will have their CRICOS registration for the GDML automatically suspended or cancelled for overseas-student purposes. CRICOS is the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students. (ministers.education.gov.au) The legislative basis is the Education Services for Overseas Students (Specified Classes of Courses for Automatic Suspension and Cancellation) Instrument 2026. The explanatory statement says the instrument was made under subsection 96B(1) of the ESOS Act. ### When does the ban take effect for students and providers? October 5, 2026 is the operative date in the government’s student fact sheet. From that date, all providers delivering the GDML must stop offering the course to new overseas students at all locations, and confirmations of enrolment issued for future commencement after that date are cancelled, the fact sheet says. (ministers.education.gov.au) (legislation.gov.au) Students already enrolled and who started the GDML before October 5 can continue their studies if they choose, according to the Education Department’s student guidance. The provider fact sheet says a provider’s CRICOS registration will be suspended, rather than cancelled, if overseas students are already enrolled in and have commenced the course. (education.gov.au) ### Was this aimed at Indian and South Asian students? The government release reviewed here does not identify Indian or South Asian students as the target group. The official statements describe the problem in terms of “non-genuine students,” onshore transfers, visa refusals and non-completion, but do not single out a nationality. The social-media post that circulated the claim added that the course was heavily used by Indian and South Asian students, but that characterization was not stated in the ministerial release or the Education Department fact sheets reviewed for this article. (education.gov.au) ### How does this connect to Australia’s visa rules? Australia’s Temporary Graduate visa, subclass 485, allows eligible international students to live, study and work in Australia after finishing their studies. (ministers.education.gov.au) Home Affairs says applicants must meet an Australian study requirement based on completed study in Australia. The ministerial release did not say the GDML was cancelled because it qualified students for a particular visa outcome. (ministers.education.gov.au) It said the course had been used to facilitate onshore transfers, a reference to students moving between providers or courses while already in Australia. ### Where can students check what happens next? The Department of Education has published separate fact sheets for students and providers explaining the GDML cancellation. (immi.homeaffairs.gov.au) The official CRICOS website also lists providers and courses approved for overseas students, and students with future GDML commencements after October 5, 2026 can use those materials to confirm their status and options. (education.gov.au) (ministers.education.gov.au)