NSO e-kit
Students should be provided with accessible information about complaint, grievance, and appeal processes.
Under TEQSA’s Statement of Regulatory Expectations: Student grievance and complaint mechanisms, students should have clear information on how to access the National Student Ombudsman and other available external avenues of complaint resolution.
The content in this kit can also be used in official decision letters and during student meetings or hearings.
Website information
Please add this copy to your website where you have information about external complaint information and avenues for complaint resolution.
About the National Student Ombudsman
The National Student Ombudsman (NSO) is a free and independent service for students to escalate complaints about the actions of their higher education provider. Students can contact the NSO:
- online at nso.gov.au
- by phone 1300 395 775
- in person at the Commonwealth Ombudsman office locations
- About us - view our new video explainer.
NSO Logo and Tagline
This logo is for use on your website and in publications to link directly to the NSO website. The logo with our name can be added to Newsletter EDM/websites that require a link to the site and brand awareness of NSO.
NSO logo
NSO Logo - Dark (PNG | 3071 x 1063 pixels | 108.2 KB)
NSO logo and tagline
NSO Logo - Tagline combined dark (PNG | 12796 x 4430 pixels | 675 KB)
If you require a logo asset with different specifications, please contact us at nsooutreach@ombudsman.gov.au
Contact details
For regular updates on the National Student Ombudsman (NSO), you can:
- Subscribe to keep up to date with news, events, publications, and resources.
- Follow our social media:
Instagram
FacebookEmail the Education and Outreach team with your enquiry.
Please note, the NSO cannot progress complaints sent directly to the Education and Outreach mailbox. All complaints must be lodged via online form, phone, or in–person.
The NSO attends sector conferences, career expos, and provider events to stay connected and raise awareness. To arrange for someone from the NSO to attend or participate an event or be a guest speaker, please complete the request form.
Publication Copy
The following articles have been drafted for providers to use in internal and external communications to staff and students about the NSO.
Short copy
The National Student Ombudsman (NSO) works with students and higher education providers to resolve student complaints. The NSO can consider complaints from all higher education students, including current and former students, or those in the process of enrolling.
The NSO is a free, independent, and impartial service with powers to consider a broad range of issues. For example, the NSO can consider complaints related to:
- Student safety and welfare, including situations involving gender-based violence, discrimination, and all forms of racism.
- Course administration, such as special considerations, deferment, withdrawals, and course availability.
- Teaching provision and facilities, including assessments, placements, and quality of teaching.
- The fairness and effectiveness of student complaints processes.
- Reasonable adjustments for students with disabilities or experiencing special circumstances.
The NSO has many resolution pathways. These are informed by the complexity of the complaint and the preferences of the student. The NSO will always ensure the student understands the recommended pathway and seek consent before proceeding with a course of action.
The NSO encourages students to explore their provider’s complaint pathways before coming to the NSO, as this may be the quickest way to resolve an issue. However, this is not a requirement, particularly if students do not feel safe or comfortable doing so.
You can read about our complaint process here.
To learn more about the NSO, head to nso.gov.au
Long copy
The National Student Ombudsman (NSO) is a free, independent, and impartial service. The NSO works with students and higher education providers to resolve student complaints. The NSO accepts complaints from prospective, current, and former students studying at any TEQSA registered higher education provider. This includes undergraduate, postgraduate, and higher degree research students.
The NSO can consider complaints about a range of issues, such as the actions a provider takes in relation to a student’s experience of gender-based violence, racism, racial vilification, discrimination, special considerations, and administrative issues, including the timeliness and accuracy of information provided to students about their courses. The NSO also accepts historical complaints without any time limits.
The NSO cannot consider complaints relating to a vocational education and training (VET) course, complaints related to an individuals’ employment with a provider, and complaints related to the appointment of a person to an office of a provider.
Additionally, the NSO cannot consider complaints about academic decisions, such as complaints about grades. However, administrative complaints related to grades, such as complaints about the appeals process, may be considered by the NSO. Students studying a VET course with a public provider should continue to raise their complaints with the
NSO Resources
The NSO is developing a suite of resources for both students and providers.
We will update this page as resources become available.
Please contact nsooutreach@ombudsman.gov.au for information about resources.
Tips for making a complaint to your provider
When there are no barriers to doing so, the NSO encourages students to approach their provider first about their complaint. This is often the quickest way to resolve a complaint. Students can read more about tips for making a complaint to their provider in this tip sheet.