If you are applying for an Australian student visa, one document decides whether the application can move at all: the Confirmation of Enrolment, or CoE. This guide explains what a CoE actually is, how it differs from your offer letter, who issues it and when, what happens if it is cancelled, and the new Student visa rules that started on 2 October 2026. Everything here was checked against Department of Home Affairs and Study Australia pages on 14 October 2026.
Key facts at a glance
| What it is | A document from your education provider confirming you are enrolled in a specific course |
|---|---|
| Who issues it | Your education provider, through the PRISMS system |
| When you get it | After you accept your Letter of Offer and pay your deposit |
| Government charge | None — the CoE comes from your provider. Providers normally ask for a deposit first; check the deposit and refund terms in your Letter of Offer |
| Why it matters | You must hold a valid CoE when the Department of Home Affairs decides your Student visa (subclass 500) |
| Student visa cost | From AUD 2,500.00 |
| Stay on the visa | Up to 6 years, in line with your enrolment |
| Recent change | New rules for Student (subclass 500) and Student Guardian (subclass 590) visas from 2 October 2026 |
| Last verified | 14 October 2026 |
What a Confirmation of Enrolment actually is
The Department of Home Affairs defines it plainly: a CoE is a document issued by the education provider to verify the applicant’s enrolment in a specified course. That is the whole point of it. It is not a marketing document and it is not a letter of acceptance. It is your provider telling the Australian Government that you are enrolled in one specific course, at one specific institution, for a defined period.
Two details matter in practice:
- The CoE carries a CoE code. When you lodge your visa application you enter that code for every course you intend to study.
- The CoE is created inside PRISMS — the Provider Registration and International Student Management System. PRISMS is the system Australian education providers use to issue Confirmation of Enrolment documents and to meet their obligations under the Education Services for Overseas Students (ESOS) legislation. You do not log into PRISMS yourself; your provider does.
Because the CoE is generated by the provider rather than by Home Affairs, it is not a visa and it does not give you any right to enter Australia. It is an input into your visa application.
CoE vs offer letter vs visa grant notice
People mix these three up constantly, and mixing them up causes real delays. They are different documents, issued at different times, by different organisations.
| Document | Who issues it | When | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| Letter of Offer (offer letter) | Your education provider | After your course application is accepted | Sets out your course details, enrolment conditions and the fees you must pay if you accept. Read it before you accept it. |
| Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE) | Your education provider, via PRISMS | After you accept the offer and pay the deposit | Verifies your enrolment in a specific course so the Government has proof you are registered in your declared course |
| Visa grant notice | Department of Home Affairs | After your visa is granted | Confirms your visa, its conditions and its expiry date |
The practical order is: apply to study, receive the Letter of Offer, accept it and pay the deposit, receive the CoE, then lodge your visa application using the CoE code. If you have only an offer letter, you cannot lodge a valid student visa application yet.
CRICOS: why the course code on your CoE matters
CRICOS is the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students — the official Australian Government register of providers and courses that can enrol international students. You can search it yourself at cricos.education.gov.au.
Only courses registered on CRICOS can take students who hold a student visa. Your CoE will show the CRICOS code for your course. It is worth checking that code against the register before you pay a deposit, particularly if you are dealing with an agent you have not used before. If a course is not on CRICOS, it cannot support a student visa.
Note too that Study Australia states that concurrent CoEs will no longer be issued. If you were expecting to hold enrolments in two courses at once, that is no longer how it works.
Changing your course or provider: when you actually need a new CoE
This is where most people guess wrong. Many assume that any change of course means a new CoE and a new visa. The official guidance is more specific than that.
First, the underlying rule: a condition of your student visa is that you must stay enrolled in a course at the same or higher level as the course your visa was granted for.
Changing course with the same provider. If the new course is at the same or a higher level of qualification — or you are moving from a doctoral to a master’s degree — you can arrange the change with your provider and you do not need to apply for a new student visa. If your current visa is expiring and you need more time to finish the new course, you do need a new student visa. You must apply for another student visa if the new course is a lower-level qualification (for example, moving from a bachelor’s degree down to a Diploma) or if you are transferring into an ELICOS course.
Changing provider after less than six months of your main course. You can only change providers in some circumstances, and your current provider has to consider and approve your request first. If they let you transfer, they notify the Department of Home Affairs. You do not send a new CoE and you do not update ImmiAccount.
Changing provider after six months or more of your main course. Tell your provider and they will inform the Department. You do not need to send a new CoE or update ImmiAccount, and you do not need a new student visa if the new course is at the same or higher level. You do need a new student visa to move to a lower-level course or into ELICOS.
Conditions can vary depending on your visa subclass and your circumstances, so check the Department’s Change in your situation pages and confirm your visa conditions in VEVO before you change anything.
What a cancelled CoE means for your visa
Home Affairs states it directly: a CoE is no longer valid if it is cancelled or the course is complete.
Because your visa application and your visa are built on the enrolment recorded in that CoE, a cancellation is not a paperwork nuisance — it is a change to the basis of your visa. Your provider reports enrolment status changes through PRISMS, and the Department can see them. If your enrolment ends because you withdrew, your provider cancelled it, or you did not meet your provider’s requirements, treat it as something to resolve and to check with the Department rather than something to ignore.
You can check what your visa currently says about you using VEVO, Home Affairs’ online visa entitlement verification service. That is the authoritative record, not anything you remember being told at the airport.
CoE duration versus your visa grant length
These are two different clocks, and they do not have to match.
Your CoE covers your course — it has a start date and an expected end date. Your visa is a separate grant with its own expiry date, shown on your visa grant notice. Home Affairs describes the student visa stay as “up to 6 years and in line with your enrolment”, which is a description of the pattern, not a promise that your visa expiry equals your CoE end date.
Three practical consequences:
- Do not assume your visa expires when your CoE ends. Check your visa grant notice or VEVO.
- If your course finishes early, your visa does not extend itself to compensate.
- If you need longer to complete your studies, you may need a new CoE and, in many cases, a further student visa. Apply well before your current visa expires, and remember you must generally be outside Australia to lodge a further Student visa unless an exemption applies (see below).
The 2 October 2026 changes to Student and Student Guardian visas
This is the part most guides have not caught up with. From 2 October 2026 there are new rules for Student visas (subclass 500) and Student Guardian visas (subclass 590). They change who can apply for and be granted a visa while in Australia, and whether family members can be included in a Student visa application.
Applying while you are in Australia. Most temporary visa holders in Australia can no longer lodge a Student or Student Guardian visa application while in Australia. If you already hold a Student visa and you apply for another Student visa, you will generally need to be outside Australia both when you lodge the application and when the visa is granted, unless an exemption applies. This includes people who currently hold a Student visa as a dependant and want to apply as the primary applicant. Current Student Guardian visa holders can still lodge a further Student Guardian visa application while in Australia.
The exemptions for applying for another Student visa in Australia include, where you:
- need up to 12 more months after your original course end date to complete your studies, continuing with the same education provider (if you have a package of courses, the course you need more time for must be your main course)
- are sponsored by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade or Defence
- are applying to study for a PhD
- are applying to do primary or secondary school studies
- have completed your main course at an Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) level and are progressing to a course at a higher AQF level — if you completed a higher education course, your next course must also be a higher education course delivered by a higher education provider
- have completed your school studies and are progressing to a course that does not have an AQF level
- have completed a course that does not have an AQF level and are progressing to a course that does have an AQF level
- cannot continue your course because your education provider has defaulted
Family members. Student visa applicants can no longer include family members (a partner and/or dependent children) in their Student visa application unless an exemption applies. This also applies to people lodging an application for a further Student visa. Current Student visa holders can no longer add family members as subsequent entrants after their Student visa has been granted — and there are no exemptions to that particular rule.
The exemptions for including family members at the time of application cover applicants who are studying a PhD, are sponsored by DFAT or Defence, are receiving a foreign government scholarship, or are from a Pacific country or an ASEAN member country. There is also a pathway if you already have family members included in your current Student visa and are applying in Australia — you may be able to include them in your next Student visa application. The primary applicant and all family members must be in the same location when the application is lodged.
Applications already lodged. Student visa applications lodged before 2 October 2026, including ones that included family members, continue to be assessed under the rules that were in place when they were lodged.
Read the official changes page and the fact sheet before you make visa, study, travel or relocation plans. The rules are new and the details matter.
Step-by-step: how to apply
- Apply for your course directly with a CRICOS-registered provider, or through an agent. Check the provider and course on the CRICOS register.
- Read the Letter of Offer carefully. It sets out your course details, enrolment conditions and fees, and it determines your refund rights if you do not start or finish the course. Do not accept terms you are not happy with.
- Accept the offer and pay the deposit the provider requires.
- Receive your CoE and check that the course, provider and dates are correct. Note your CoE code.
- Create an ImmiAccount and lodge your Student visa (subclass 500) application online, entering the CoE code for each intended course.
- Attach your supporting evidence — English test results if required, financial capacity evidence, Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC), and health and character documents as requested.
- Pay the visa application charge and any card or PayPal surcharge.
- Wait for the decision. Remember you must hold a valid CoE when the Department decides your visa, and that most applications must now be lodged from outside Australia.
Two things usually come next. If you are finishing your studies rather than starting them, the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) is the usual next step, and it also depends on holding a qualification from a CRICOS-registered course. And once you land, you will need somewhere to keep your money — see our guide to opening a bank account in Australia.
Common mistakes
- Treating the offer letter as a CoE. They are different documents issued at different stages. You cannot lodge a valid student visa application on an offer letter alone.
- Paying a deposit to a provider you have not checked. Search the CRICOS register first — only registered courses can support a student visa.
- Assuming a CoE equals a visa. The CoE is evidence of enrolment. The visa is a separate decision by Home Affairs.
- Assuming you always need a new CoE when you change course. In many same-level and post-six-month situations you do not send a new CoE at all. Check the official guidance rather than acting on rumour.
- Missing the 2 October 2026 changes. If you are already in Australia and planning to lodge another Student visa, the default is now that you must be offshore. Confirm whether an exemption applies before you book anything.
- Ignoring a cancelled CoE. A cancelled CoE is no longer valid, and your visa is tied to the enrolment it recorded. Deal with it promptly.
FAQ
Is a CoE the same as an offer letter?
No. The offer letter is your provider’s proposal — it sets out your course, conditions and fees. The CoE comes later, after you accept the offer and pay your deposit, and it verifies your enrolment in a specific course. Only the CoE supports a student visa application.
Does a CoE cost anything?
There is no government charge for the CoE itself. It is issued by your education provider as part of the enrolment process, and providers normally require a deposit before they issue it. The deposit is a provider requirement, not a government fee — check the deposit amount and the refund terms in your Letter of Offer.
Can I get a CoE before I pay the deposit?
No. Study Australia’s guidance is that the CoE is sent to you after you have accepted your Letter of Offer and paid your deposit. Some providers may have their own arrangements, but the standard sequence is accept, pay, then receive the CoE.
Can I hold two CoEs at the same time?
Study Australia states that concurrent CoEs will no longer be issued. If you want to change course, follow the change-of-course rules for your situation rather than trying to hold two enrolments.
What happens if my provider cancels my CoE?
The CoE is no longer valid once it is cancelled or the course is complete. Because your visa rests on that enrolment, treat a cancellation as a change to your visa position, check your conditions in VEVO, and confirm the current rules with the Department of Home Affairs.
Does my visa last as long as my CoE?
Not necessarily. Your CoE covers your course dates; your visa is a separate grant with its own expiry, shown on your visa grant notice. Home Affairs describes the stay as up to 6 years and in line with your enrolment — always check your own grant notice or VEVO rather than assuming.
Official sources
- Subclass 500 Student visa — Department of Home Affairs
- Changes to Student visa application rules (subclasses 500 & 590) — Department of Home Affairs
- Changes to Student visa application rules — fact sheet (PDF) — Department of Home Affairs
- Confirmation of enrolment — Department of Home Affairs
- How to apply for your visa — Study Australia
- Changing your course or provider — Study Australia
- Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students (CRICOS) — Department of Education
- Provider Registration and International Student Management System (PRISMS) — Department of Education
- Visa Pricing Estimator — Department of Home Affairs
Visa fees are indexed on 1 July each year. The figures here were verified on 14 October 2026 — always confirm the current amount with the Visa Pricing Estimator before you lodge.
AU0061 publishes general information, not personal migration advice. Visa rules and fees change, and eligibility depends on your individual circumstances. Always confirm the current requirements with the Department of Home Affairs or a MARA-registered migration agent before you act on anything in this guide.