What is a Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE) for an Australian student visa? 2026
A Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE) is the record your Australian education provider issues once you are enrolled in a full-time course registered on the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students (CRICOS). For a Student visa (subclass 500), it is the evidence of enrolment the Australian Department of Home Affairs asks for: you must provide a CoE for every course you intend to study, and if none is included at the moment you lodge, the application is invalid and cannot be processed. This reflects the Department of Home Affairs Student visa (subclass 500) official page.
What does a CoE actually show?
It shows that a CRICOS-registered provider has enrolled you in a full-time registered course, and it carries the CoE code you enter in the visa application form. The Department also uses the CoE to work out the length of the visa: the visa period may only consider the duration of the course according to the CoE provided.
If your education provider arranged your Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC), the provider also records your health insurance information on the CoE. In that case you still need to enter the name of the health insurance provider and the dates your policy starts and finishes in the application form; where you or your agent arranged OSHC yourself, the policy number is also required.
A CoE is not a visa and does not decide the rest of the application. English language evidence, financial capacity, the Genuine Student requirement, health and character are assessed separately.
Do you have to lodge the application with a CoE already in hand?
Yes, unless you fall into one of the specific categories below. The official page states that you must provide a CoE for all intended courses when you apply, and that a student visa application will be invalid if you do not provide a CoE at the time of lodgement. An invalid application is not one that gets decided on its merits — it simply cannot be processed.
Who can apply without a CoE?
Four situations are listed on the official page. In each case you attach a different document instead of a CoE:
| Your situation | What you provide instead of a CoE |
|---|---|
| Enrolled in a full-time course of study or training under a scholarship scheme approved by the Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade | A letter of support |
| Sponsored by the Australian Department of Defence | A letter of support |
| A secondary exchange student | An Acceptance Advice of Secondary Exchange Student (AASES) form |
| A postgraduate research student who needs to stay in Australia while your thesis is marked | A letter from your education provider |
These substitutes do more than one job. A letter of support from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade or the Department of Defence also counts as evidence you have enough money for your stay, but if it does not say it will meet the living costs and expenses of each secondary applicant, evidence of sufficient funds is still required. A completed AASES form can serve the same purpose for secondary exchange students. Foreign Affairs or Defence sponsored students and secondary exchange students (AASES) are also listed among the categories exempt from providing an English test score, and students supported by either department, along with secondary exchange students, appear among the applicants not required to pay the visa application charge.
Which category fits your circumstances is a question about your own case, and this article is general information only rather than personalised advice; the current official wording is the reference point, and where you need help with your situation, only a registered migration agent, a legal practitioner or an exempt person is permitted to give immigration assistance.
Does the CoE have to stay valid after you apply?
Yes. Your CoE must be valid both at the time of lodgement and when the Department decides your application. A CoE is no longer valid if it is cancelled or if the course is complete.
Suppose an applicant lodges with a valid CoE and then finishes that course while the visa is still being decided. If they still require a student visa, a new CoE has to be attached to ImmiAccount. The underlying rule is that you must maintain enrolment in a course of study to remain eligible for a student visa.
What if you are applying for more than one course?
If your application covers a package of two or more courses where one course clearly leads to the next, you must include all CoE codes in the application form. If you leave one out, your visa may only cover the CoE you did provide. The last course in the package is treated as your main course of study, and that is what the Department uses to work out the financial and English language evidence you must give.
Course gaps in a package must be less than two calendar months, unless the first course finishes at the end of the standard academic year and the next one starts at the beginning of the standard academic year — the official example is an academic year ending in November and restarting in February, where a three to four month gap is acceptable.
What happens if your provider closes or is sanctioned?
Education provider default occurs when a registered provider in Australia closes, or cannot deliver your course because it has been sanctioned. If your provider defaults after you have lodged, you will need to provide a new CoE for a new education provider. If the provider is still operating but was unable to deliver the particular course you were enrolled in, that is not treated as provider default.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a CoE the same as an offer letter?
No. A CoE is issued once you are enrolled in a full-time CRICOS-registered course, and it is the enrolment evidence the Department names for a Student visa (subclass 500). The official page lists only a CoE or one of the four alternative documents as evidence of enrolment.
Can I submit my application first and attach the CoE afterwards?
No. If you do not provide a CoE at the time of lodgement, the student visa application is invalid. A separate rule covers the period after lodgement: you must hold a valid CoE when the application is decided, and you attach a new one to ImmiAccount if yours stops being valid.
What makes an existing CoE stop being valid?
A CoE is no longer valid if it is cancelled or if the course is complete. Completing your course does not end your need to hold enrolment — if you still require a student visa, a new CoE must be attached to ImmiAccount.
Do scholarship students always need a CoE?
Not always. If you are enrolled in a full-time course of study or training under a scholarship scheme approved by the Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, a letter of support replaces the CoE. A scholarship funded by your own home government, or a loan from your government, is a different matter and does not make you Commonwealth sponsored.
Do I need a separate CoE for each course in a package?
Yes. You must include all CoE codes in the application form, otherwise your visa may only cover the course you did include. The final course in the package is your main course of study for working out financial and English language evidence.
Does the CoE take care of my health insurance?
Not by itself. If your provider arranged your OSHC, the insurance information appears on your CoE, but you must still enter the insurer's name and the policy start and finish dates in the application form, and not providing OSHC in the application form means the visa will be refused.