General Questions

Kaplan Professional offers both higher education courses (tertiary courses above a bachelor-level degree) and vocational education courses (work-related courses teaching industry-specific skills and knowledge).

Vocational education courses don’t have set start dates, meaning you can begin studying at any time. However, specific study periods apply to higher education courses, where there are six intakes per year and the subjects run for 12 weeks each.

View the current study period dates for higher education courses.

Having the freedom to study at any of these six designated times throughout the year allows you to plan ahead and choose study periods that suit you to help you balance your work and personal commitments. With a new intake commencing every two months, you have the option of accelerating or slowing down the pace of your study, depending on your circumstances.

Study period dates apply to higher education courses and subjects only. Click here to view our higher education study dates and deadlines for the upcoming year.

If you’re completing a vocational education course or qualification, you can commence your studies at any time on enrolment. Courses, qualifications or subjects will need to be completed within the duration period stated on the individual course web page. The course duration commences the day you enrol and activate a vocational education course or subject. You’ll be notified of your course end date on enrolment. You can also find this information in your KapLearn subject room.

Census date relates to higher education courses and subjects. It’s the date enrolments close for a study period. After census date, you’re unable to enrol into that specific study period. You can enrol into the next available study period, provided enrolments are open.

If you’re already enrolled in a study period and can’t continue with your studies, you’ll need to withdraw from, or defer, your studies before census date to avoid financial or academic penalties. You must advise Kaplan Professional why you’re withdrawing from a subject enrolment. For subject withdrawals made on or before census date, you’re entitled to a full refund.

Subject enrolment fees won’t be refunded if you withdraw from the subject after the census date for the study period, except under the following circumstances:

• Your application for enrolment is declined by Kaplan Professional
• By reason or reasons beyond your control, including acts of government authorities, civil strikes and riots, where you’re prevented from studying a module or subject
• Kaplan Professional cancels a subject which you’ve enrolled in, or where the commencement of the subject or module is postponed for more than four weeks

Please view our Deferral of Studies, Subject Withdrawal and Refund forms and policies for further information.

Our experienced and knowledgeable Course Advice team are available to answer all your questions, whether they’re about subject content, enrolment dates, assessments or just general study advice.

To get in touch, simply call or email the team using the options below:
Higher education: courseadvice@kaplan.edu.au or 1300 135 798 (option 1)
Vocational education:  courseadvice@kaplan.edu.au or 1300 662 203 (option 1)

Fees are available on all individual course and qualification web pages under the ‘Fees’ tab.

You can also find information on additional fees here:
Higher education fees and allowances
Vocational education fees and allowances

If you’re enrolling with us for the first time, the quickest and easiest way to get started is to go to this link and set up an account with us. The enrolment process is the same whether you’re planning to study a higher education or vocational education course, and all you need to create an account is a valid email address.

A handy checklist to follow before enrolling in a higher education course or subject includes the following:

• Check the entry requirements
  Our higher education courses have minimum entry requirements such as education levels, proficiency in English, and industry experience. You’ll also be required to have certain technology skills such as the ability to use email, Microsoft Office, Word, PowerPoint and Excel; browse the web; configure and run applications; and make audio recordings on a phone, tablet or PC.
• Check for advanced standing
  If you have prior work experience, previous study with another institution, or membership of a relevant professional organisation, you may be able to obtain advanced standing for one or more subjects you plan to study. You’ll need to show you’ve previously covered at least 80% of the subject content for advanced standing to be granted.
• Choose a subject
  If you have a preferred subject you want to study, make sure you meet the prerequisites for the subject you’re selecting. Also check the hours of study and the assessment timetable to ensure you’re capable of successfully completing the subject.
• Check for assistance eligibility
  Check if you or your employer will be funding the course. FEE-HELP is available for those who are funding their own studies.

If you need help or aren’t sure about any aspect of the enrolment process, feel free to contact one of our Course Advisers on 1300 135 798 (option 2).

For a vocational education enrolment, the entry requirements may vary. It is recommended you review the detailed information on our website thoroughly. Alternatively, please contact one of our Course Advisers on 1300 662 203 (option 2) or studentadvice@kaplan.edu.au.

Higher education
If you’re studying a higher education course or qualification, you’ll select a specific study period to enrol in. To help you get off to the best possible start each study period, early access is offered four weeks before the official commencement date for finalised enrolments. You’ll be able to view your assessments two weeks prior to commencement. You can find information about study period early access and commencement dates here.

Vocational education
If you enrol in a vocational education course or qualification, you can commence your studies at any time on confirmation of enrolment and payment. Courses and qualifications usually become active within a few hours of payment.

You will need to provide all required enrolment information including your Unique Student Identifier before you may access your subject.

Our experienced and knowledgeable Student Advice team are available to answer all your questions, whether they’re about available courses, enrolment dates, completion pathways or just general study advice.

For higher education, simply send them an email at studentadvice@kaplan.edu.au or give them a call on 1300 135 798 (option 1).

For vocational education, please feel free to contact 1300 662 203 or send an email to mail@kaplan.edu.au.

Once you’ve enrolled with us, our Student Advice team will be in regular contact with you throughout your time of study. They’ll keep you up to date with important information and will be ready to help you with advice whenever they can.

There are no available loans for vocational education courses.

However, if you’re planning to study an applied finance or financial planning higher education course with us, one payment assistance option that may be available to you is FEE-HELP.

FEE-HELP is a government loan where you don’t pay any course fees upfront. There are some provisions to apply. Check the StudyAssist website to learn more.

This loan allows you to study now and pay later. This can help make furthering your education much more affordable and can take some of the financial pressure off if you have other financial commitments such as a family or a mortgage.

FEE-HELP can be used to pay off all or part of your tuition fees, but it doesn’t cover other costs such as laptops or textbooks. To apply for FEE-HELP, you’ll need your tax file number. You’ll also need a ‘Request for FEE-HELP assistance’ form, which we can provide you with when you apply for enrolment. This form will need to be lodged with the government and approved before the census date expires for each Kaplan Professional study period.

For more information about FEE-HELP, feel free to get in touch with one of our Course Advisers on 1300 135 798 (option 2) or visit www.studyassist.gov.au.

Yes. All Kaplan Professional qualifications are accredited Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) qualifications within the Vocational Education and Training (VET) and the higher education sectors (with the exception of specialist programs and non-accredited short courses). Nationally recognised qualifications are verified and quality assured to ensure compliance with national standards and the AQF framework.

Vocational education short courses and skill sets are also nationally recognised.

Kaplan Professional’s higher education and vocational education qualifications are delivered entirely online, providing you the flexibility to study from anywhere at any time. Our corporate short courses have a flexible delivery approach with in-house or off-site training available for organisations.

For some VE courses there are live tutor sessions and online tutor forums, and there may be mandatory skills requirements in oral assessment by audio recording or Zoom, depending on the subject.

Our corporate short courses can be delivered face-to-face with in-house or off-site training available to organisations.

All subject learning materials are accessible online via KapLearn’s ‘Learning’ tab. KapLearn is a dedicated online learning space where you can access your subject materials, assessments, support resources and connect with fellow students in an online forum. Resources can also be downloaded to access offline.

Kaplan Professional recognises you may be eligible for recognition of prior learning (RPL) as a result of prior studies and industry experience.

Higher education
If you’ve completed a qualification elsewhere, you can apply for RPL and may be awarded advanced standing (also known as ‘credit’) for a portion of your qualification with Kaplan Professional.

For more information on RPL for higher education qualifications, please click here.

Vocational education:
If you’ve previously undertaken study, training or have work experience, Kaplan Professional recognises you may have experience equivalent to units of competency in our qualifications. For more information on credit transfer and RPL for our vocational education qualifications, please click here.

Applying for RPL differs between higher education and vocational education qualifications. Please see the following information:

Higher education:
If you’re enrolling in a higher education qualification and wish to apply for RPL, please complete and submit the application form applicable to you. The RPL application form can be found here. Details on how to submit an RPL application is included on the form.

Vocational education:
If you’re enrolling in a vocational education qualification and wish to apply for credit transfer (CT) or RPL, please contact Kaplan Professional on 1300 662 203 or rpl@kaplan.edu.au and request the relevant RPL kit for your course. Alternatively, you can complete the Credit and Recognition of Prior Learning Application Form. Details on how to submit your application are on the form.

No, you don’t need to be an Australian citizen. As all of our qualifications are delivered online, you also don’t need to be in Australia to study with Kaplan Professional. Course fees are the same for all students.

Individuals who are in Australia on a student visa are unable to enrol in Kaplan Professional courses. If you are in Australia on a visa and wish to enrol, you need to ensure you are enrolling in accordance with the study conditions of your visa. 

If English is your second language, you’re still eligible to study with Kaplan Professional. It’s recommended you have competent language, literacy and numeracy skills (contained in the entry requirements on a specific course page) as the delivery mode of our courses rely on extensive use of written and verbal communication.

If you wish to study a higher education qualification and you’ve previously completed an undergraduate qualification in a language other than English, you must meet the English Language Proficiency requirements.

To discuss your learning needs, simply call or email the Course Advice team using the options below:
Higher education:courseadvice@kaplan.edu.au or 1300 135 798 (option 1)
Vocational education:  courseadvice@kaplan.edu.au or 1300 662 203 (option 1)

Kaplan Professional is a registered Institute of Higher Education regulated by the Tertiary Education Quality Standards Agency (TEQSA). Our higher education qualifications receive the same recognition as university qualifications. The main difference between Kaplan Professional and university is our qualifications are completed entirely online instead of face-to-face, providing you more flexibility to complete your studies. Kaplan Professional is also a Registered Training Organisation (RTO) regulated by the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) to deliver vocation education courses. All Kaplan Professional qualifications are accredited Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) qualifications within the Vocational Education and Training (VET) and the higher education sectors (unless otherwise stated). In addition, we’re highly specialised because we only offer two postgraduate specialisations – financial planning, financial services and applied finance. As a result, we have deep understanding of the industries we operate in and the widest network of industry practitioners.

Individuals are required to be aged 18 years or older to enrol in Kaplan Professional courses. The only exception is the Tier 2 Compliance Solution course.

The Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) specifies the standards for educational qualifications in Australia. It’s administered by the government and ranges from vocational education to higher education. There are 10 levels of AQF, commonly known as degrees, diplomas and certificates.

AQF ensures national recognition and consistency, as well as a common understanding of what defines each qualification.

Each of the 10 levels are defined by a set of learning outcomes that should be attained by a graduate of a qualification at that level. Similar to a university, Kaplan Professional is a registered Institute of Higher Education regulated by the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA). Kaplan Professional is also a Registered Training Organisation (RTO) regulated by the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA). AQF levels for VET are specified by the skills and knowledge requirements in the units of competency. This means we’re able to offer AQF qualification levels 1-10, as well as short courses addressing specific training needs that don’t result in an AQF qualification.

Kaplan Professional offers a variety of non-accredited courses, also referred to as specialist programs, for workforce and career development.

Non-accredited courses do not result in issuing units of competency or AQF qualifications. Some of the non-accredited courses include licensing requirements for industry regulators such as ASIC. 

A Unique Student Identifier (USI) is a reference number of a secure online record of your Australian recognised training and qualifications. This online record can be accessed at any time and you’ll be able to see your training record and transcripts. As a condition of your Kaplan Professional enrolment, you’re required to provide a valid USI.
Once you’ve created your USI, it’s important you provide this information to Kaplan Professional. Following your enrolment, you’ll receive an email from us requesting your USI. Simply select the ‘submit’ option in the email to notify us of your USI. You’ll receive a confirmation email once you’ve submitted your information.

Kaplan Professional verifies the USI you provide through the Australian government’s USI portal. Verification requires the following information:

• The student’s USI number
• The student’s date of birth
• The student’s name exactly as it was provided to obtain the USI

If the name provided doesn’t exactly match the information in the USI register, the USI system will return an invalid status. If this occurs, Kaplan Professional will contact you and ask you to provide the correct information.

If you need more information or have any questions about your USI, vocational education students should contact our Student Services team on 1300 662 203 (option 1) or mail@kaplan.edu.au

If you are a higher education student, please contact our Student Experience team on 1300 135 798 (option 1) or studentadvice@kaplan.edu.au

Higher education
If you’ve successfully completed a higher education qualification, you’ll receive an invitation to our graduation ceremony. Graduation is usually held at the end of October to mid-November each year in CBD locations across Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney. Invitations are generally sent via email six weeks prior to the first ceremony.

Individuals who successfully complete their qualification in Study Period 1, 2 and 3 will be invited to the ceremony in October or November the same year. Individuals who successfully completed their qualification in Study Period 4, 5 and 6 will be invited to the graduation ceremony in October or November the following year. Testamurs are sent to all eligible graduates by mail approximately six weeks after a qualification is completed. This means you’ll receive your testamur before graduation. Please ensure you keep your postal address details up-to-date in your Student Portal. You can find more graduation information here.

Higher education automatically become a lifelong member of our alumni community, consisting of over 30,000 industry professionals and business leaders worldwide. You also have the opportunity to progress your qualification as there are several pathways for each individual course. For example, if you’ve completed a graduate certificate, you can upgrade to a graduate diploma. Continuing Professional Development (CPD) may also be available, depending on what course, qualification or subject you’ve completed.

More information on education pathways is available on each course or qualification web page and under the ‘Lifelong Learning’ section of our alumni web page. Alternatively, you can discuss your pathways and progression with our Course Advice team on 1300 135 798 (option 2) or courseadvice@kaplan.edu.au.

Vocational education
For vocational education students, the qualification certificate, statement of attainment or skill set will be sent to the email address we have on file. More information can be found in the ‘Certificate’ section of the Student Handbook.’  More information can be found in the ‘Certificate’ section of the Student Handbook.