Will I be reported if my attendance falls below 80% on an Australian student visa in 2026?

Plain-language guide · general information, not immigration advice

No — dropping below 80% attendance is not an automatic report, but it does start a defined process that can end in one. Under the National Code of Practice for Providers of Education and Training to Overseas Students 2018 (National Code 2018), Standard 8 "Overseas student visa requirements", as published on the Australian Government Federal Register of Legislation and checked as of September 2026, a provider must give you written notice of its intention to report you, explain why, and tell you about your right to access its complaints and appeals process within 20 working days. A report to PRISMS can only follow after that process plays out in one of the ways Standard 8.14 sets out.

What does the 80% attendance rule actually measure?

It measures scheduled contact hours, not enrolment weeks or semesters. Standard 8.6.1 requires a provider's satisfactory attendance requirement to be at least 80 per cent of the scheduled contact hours for the course — or higher if state or territory legislation or other regulatory requirements say so. Standard 8.6.2 separately requires the provider to document the method used to work out minimum attendance, so the arithmetic should be written down in the policy you were given.

That distinction matters more than it looks. "80 per cent" is a floor set by the National Code, not the number your provider necessarily uses; your own policy can set a higher bar, and the state or territory rule can override the floor.

Does the 80% rule apply to every course type?

No. Whether attendance is monitored at all depends on your sector, and for some sectors it depends on a registration condition.

Course type	Attendance monitored?	Basis in Standard 8
School, ELICOS, Foundation Program	Yes — provider must have a documented attendance policy and process	8.6, minimum 80% at 8.6.1
VET	Yes, but only where an ESOS agency makes it a condition of the provider's registration	8.10, minimum 80% at 8.11, process at 8.12
Higher education	Course progress is the required standard (8.8); attendance applies where an ESOS agency sets it as a condition of registration	8.8, 8.10

For higher education courses, Standard 8.8 requires a documented course progress policy covering academic integrity, misconduct processes, identifying at-risk students, and intervention. A student in that sector can still be reported — but on course progress grounds, not on an 80% attendance count, unless an ESOS agency has imposed attendance monitoring on that provider.

When must the provider step in before your attendance hits 80%?

Earlier than most students expect. Standard 8.6.4 (and 8.12.3 for VET providers that monitor attendance) requires the intervention strategy to identify, notify and assist students who have been absent for more than five consecutive days without approval, or who are at risk of not meeting attendance requirements before attendance drops below 80 per cent.

So the trigger is not the 80% line alone: being absent for more than five consecutive days without approval is a separate, earlier trigger, and the risk-of-failing trigger bites while you are still above 80%. By the time the number itself crosses the threshold, the provider's policy should already have put you into an intervention process.

What has to happen before a report reaches PRISMS?

Three things, in order.

First, the provider assesses you as not meeting the attendance requirement. Second, under Standard 8.13 it must give you written notice as soon as practicable, stating that it intends to report you (8.13.1), the reasons for that intention (8.13.2), and your right to access its complaints and appeals process under Standard 10 within 20 working days (8.13.3). Third, under Standard 8.14, the provider may only report you in PRISMS in accordance with section 19(2) of the ESOS Act if one of these is true:

the internal and external complaints processes have been completed and the decision or recommendation supports the provider (8.14.1);
you chose not to access the internal complaints and appeals process within the 20 working day period (8.14.2);
you chose not to access the external complaints and appeals process (8.14.3);
you withdrew from the internal or external appeals process by notifying the provider in writing (8.14.4).

Letting the 20 working day window close without lodging anything is itself one of the four routes to a report — silence is treated as a decision, not as a pause.

Can you stay below 80% and still avoid being reported?

Yes, in a narrow band, and the decision belongs to the provider. Standard 8.15 says the provider may decide not to report you for breaching the attendance requirement if you are still attending at least 70 per cent of the scheduled course contact hours and:

for school, ELICOS and Foundation Program courses, you provide genuine evidence demonstrating that compassionate or compelling circumstances apply (8.15.1);
for VET courses, you are maintaining satisfactory course progress (8.15.2).

Two limits are worth reading carefully. The word is "may", not "must" — even at 75% with strong evidence, the provider retains discretion. And below 70%, this pathway is not available at all.

What kind of evidence is the provider allowed to rely on?

The National Code uses two related phrases rather than a checklist. For the 70% exception in school, ELICOS and Foundation contexts, Standard 8.15.1 asks for "genuine evidence demonstrating that compassionate or compelling circumstances apply". Where a provider is deciding whether to extend the duration of your enrolment because you cannot finish within the expected duration on your CoE, Standard 8.16.1 requires the assessment to be made "on the basis of demonstrable evidence".

The Code does not publish a list of what qualifies, so the content of that evidence is set by your provider's documented policy and assessed case by case; this article is general information about how the rules are framed and is not a substitute for advice on your own situation.

Does online or distance study count toward contact hours?

Generally no, and there are caps on how much of a course can be delivered that way. The note to Standard 8 defines online learning as study where teacher and student communicate primarily through digital media and technology-based tools and IT networks, and which does not require the student to attend scheduled classes or maintain contact hours; it excludes online lectures, tuition or resources that supplement scheduled classes or contact hours. Distance learning is defined as learning undertaken off campus that does not require the student to physically attend regular on-campus tuition.

On top of that: a provider must not deliver a course exclusively by online or distance learning to an overseas student (8.18); it must not deliver more than one-third of the units of a higher education or VET course that way (8.19); and in each compulsory study period you must be studying at least one unit that is not by distance or online learning, unless you are completing the last unit of your course (8.20). For school, ELICOS or foundation programs, any online or distance learning must be additional to the minimum face-to-face teaching requirements approved by the relevant designated State authority or ESOS agency (8.21).

What happens after a report is made?

Standard 9 governs what follows on the enrolment side. A breach of attendance requirements is one of the listed grounds on which a provider may suspend or cancel your enrolment (9.3.3), and it must occur in accordance with Standard 8. Before imposing a suspension or cancellation, the provider must inform you in writing of its intention and the reasons (9.4.1) and advise you of your right to appeal through its internal process within 20 working days (9.4.2).

Under Standard 9.5, the provider must then inform you of the need to seek advice from Immigration on the potential impact on your student visa (9.5.1) and report the change to your enrolment under section 19 of the ESOS Act (9.5.2). Importantly, a suspension or cancellation under Standard 9.3 cannot take effect until the internal appeals process is completed, unless your health or wellbeing, or the wellbeing of others, is likely to be at risk (9.6).

How does the appeals process itself work?

Standard 10 sets the minimums. Providers must have a documented internal complaints and appeals process and give you comprehensive, free and easily accessible information about it (10.1). The process must allow a formal complaint or appeal where a matter cannot be resolved informally (10.2.1), commence assessment within 10 working days of the complaint or appeal being made and finalise the outcome as soon as practicable (10.2.3), let you present your case at minimal or no cost with a support person present (10.2.4), and give you a written statement of the outcome with detailed reasons (10.2.6).

If you are unsuccessful internally, the provider must advise you within 10 working days of concluding the internal review of your right to access an external complaints handling and appeals process at minimal or no cost, and must give you the contact details of the appropriate body (10.3). Where the internal or external process finds in your favour, the provider must immediately implement the decision or take the required corrective action (10.4).

Frequently Asked Questions

Is falling below 80% attendance an automatic PRISMS report?

No. Standard 8.13 requires written notice of intent to report with reasons and advice about your appeal rights, and Standard 8.14 allows reporting only after the complaints and appeals process concludes in the provider's favour, or where you do not access it within 20 working days, skip the external stage, or withdraw in writing.

How is my attendance percentage calculated?

It is calculated against the scheduled contact hours for the course, with a minimum satisfactory attendance requirement of 80 per cent — or higher if state or territory legislation or other regulatory requirements specify it (Standard 8.6.1). Your provider must document the method used to work out minimum attendance under Standard 8.6.2.

Do university students have to meet an 80% attendance rule?

Higher education providers must monitor course progress under Standard 8.8, and attendance monitoring applies where an ESOS agency sets it as a condition of the provider's registration (Standard 8.10). A university student is far more likely to be reported on course progress grounds than on an attendance percentage.

What counts as compassionate or compelling circumstances?

The National Code does not list them. Standard 8.15.1 requires "genuine evidence demonstrating that compassionate or compelling circumstances apply", and Standard 8.16.1 refers to assessment "on the basis of demonstrable evidence", so the substance is defined by your provider's documented policy and assessed case by case.

How long do I have to appeal an intention to report?

Twenty working days to access the provider's internal complaints and appeals process from the written notice under Standard 8.13.3. The provider must start assessing your appeal within 10 working days and finalise the outcome as soon as practicable (Standard 10.2.3), and give you a written statement of the outcome with detailed reasons (10.2.6).

Can my enrolment be cancelled for low attendance, and when does it take effect?

Yes — a breach of attendance requirements is a ground for suspension or cancellation under Standard 9.3.3. It cannot take effect until the internal appeals process is completed, unless your health or wellbeing, or the wellbeing of others, is likely to be at risk (Standard 9.6).