Quality and Accreditation

College Registration and Course Accreditation
Commonwealth Assistance
Professional Registration and Recognition of ACAP Qualifications
Qualification Pathways
Industry Association Membership
Tuition Assurance
International Exchange and International Exchange Partner Institutions
Regulatory Compliance
Ethical Standards
Quality Assurance

College Registration and Course Accreditation

The Australian College of Applied Psychology, established in 1983, is an Australian government registered training organisation and higher education provider delivering accredited vocational education and training and higher education courses.

All ACAP courses that lead to a vocational education and training (VET) or higher education qualification issued by ACAP are recognised in the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF). AQF qualifications are recognised all around Australia and by other countries. Further information about AQF qualifications is available at http://www.aqf.edu.au/.

Registration Information

Nationally registered training organisation (RTO) with the Australian Government’s, Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA). RTO number 0500.
Registered higher education provider (HEP) and provider of higher education courses to overseas students with the Australian Government’s Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA). CRICOS Provider codes: 01328A (NSW), 02565B (QLD), 02829E (VIC).

Commonwealth Assistance

FEE-HELP Assistance

As an Australian government registered higher education provider offering accredited courses, local students enrolled in the College’s higher education courses, or one of the College’s vocational education and training courses that articulates into a higher education course, may be eligible to access the Commonwealth Government’s FEE-HELP Assistance Scheme to pay part or all of their tuition fees.

Further information on FEE-HELP Assistance is available at http://www.acap.edu.au/Costs.html.

Centrelink Student Income Support

Local students (i.e. not on a temporary entry visa) may be eligible for student income support from Centrelink. Further information on Centrelink student income support is available at http://www.acap.edu.au/Costs.html.

Professional Registration and Recognition of ACAP Qualifications

ACAP seeks accreditation of its programs with relevant professional bodies for quality assurance purposes and to ensure ACAP courses meet the relevant educational and training standards that allow graduates to seek recognition and to practise as a professional.

Counselling Courses

ACAP's Master of Applied Social Science (Counselling), Graduate Diploma of Counselling and Bachelor of Applied Social Science (Counselling) courses have been accredited by the Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia (PACFA). PACFA is a peak body for Member Associations which meet the standards developed by consensus as appropriate for professional practitioners within the disciplines of Counselling and Psychotherapy in the Australian community. For students, this provides certainty that these courses meet the national counselling and psychotherapy training standards.

Psychology Courses

ACAP's Bachelor of Psychological Science, Bachelor of Psychological Science (Honours), Graduate Diploma of Psychological Science, Graduate Diploma of Psychology, Graduate Diploma of Professional Psychology and Master of Psychology (Clinical) courses have been conditionally accredited by the Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC). APAC is the body that sets the standards for psychology training and accredits courses of study and the Academic Organisational Unit delivering them. APAC accredits all new courses with 'conditional accreditation'. For students, this provides certainty that these courses meet the national psychology training standards.

Qualifications Pathways

ACAP supports the goals of lifelong learning by providing the basis for individuals to progress through education and training and gain course credit for recognition of prior learning and experiences. ACAP also develops and maintains internal and external course articulation pathways. These pathways assist individuals to move easily and readily between ACAP course qualifications and other course qualifications in the education and training sector and between the sector and the labour market.

Further information about these qualification pathways is available in ACAP’s Credit and Articulation Arrangements Policy.

Industry Association Membership

ACAP is a Member of the Australian Council for Private Education and Training (ACPET). ACPET is the national industry association for independent providers of post-compulsory education and training, for Australian and international students.

Tuition Assurance

ACAP is a member of ACPET’s Tuition Assurance Schemes for Australian and Overseas Students. Tuition assurance protects the interests of current and intending students of ACAP courses that lead to an accredited award by ensuring students are given a suitable alternative course or have their course money refunded if the provider cannot provide the course for which the student has paid. Further information about ACAP’s Tuition Assurance arrangements is available at http://www.acap.edu.au/Costs.html.

International Exchange and International Exchange Partner Institutions

ACAP is committed to expanding the educational horizons of students and staff through international exchange. Further information on international exchange at ACAP and a list of ACAP’s international exchange partner institutions is available here.

Regulatory Compliance

As an Australian Government registered training organisation (RTO) and higher education provider (HEP) students, staff, clients and associates are assured that ACAP's policies and practices meet the requirements of Commonwealth and State/Territory legislation relevant to ACAP's operations. These include:

The Higher Education Support Act 2003 (HESA)
The ESOS Act (2000) (as amended in 2011), ESOS Regulations (2001) and National Code of Practice for Registration Authorities and Providers of Education and Training to Overseas Students (2007)
The National Vocational Education and Training (VET) Regulator Act (2011)
The Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency Act (2011)
The Tuition Assurance requirements under the HESA (2003), and
Various other Commonwealth and State legislation including:
Information Privacy, Personal Privacy, Occupational Health and Safety, Access and Equity, Workplace Harassment, Victimisation and Bullying, Anti-discrimination, Equal Opportunity, and Human Rights.

Students are provided with information about legislation that affects their participation in their studies through College policy, the Student Handbook, at orientation, on administrative forms, and via information published on ACAP’s current students website and my.acap student web portal.

College staff and educators are provided with information about legislation that affects their duties, through College policy, guidelines, briefing sessions, and via information published on the my.acap faculty resources web portal.

ACAP is an equal opportunity employer and expects staff to have an understanding of workplace diversity, workplace participation, a safe working environment and access and equity principles. Staff promote these principles in their interactions with fellow staff, students and clients and through the development and implementation of policies, procedures and practices.

Ethical Standards

ACAP undertakes to act at all times in a professional and ethical manner. Staff of the College must abide by the professional standards expected of education and training providers communicated in ACPET's Code of Ethics. Staff are also expected to abide by the ethical standards relevant for their profession. These include:

The Ethical and Professional Guidelines established by the Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia (PACFA)
The Code of Ethics of the Australian Psychological Society (APS)
The Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct of the American Psychological Association (APA), and
The Ethical Guidelines for educators of counsellors and psychotherapists of the Society of Counselling and Psychotherapy Educators (SCAPE).

Staff and students of the College planning to undertake human research must obtain research approval through the College’s Human Research Ethics Committee before commencing the research. Further information on Research at ACAP is available at http://acap.edu.au/research.html.

Quality Assurance

ACAP has established a Quality Framework, which sets out the common principles, criteria and processes for quality assurance at ACAP. This framework is reflective of Australian Government regulatory and quality standards for sustainable and responsible tertiary education. The framework blends the provision of consistent, quality, learning and pedagogy with the need for continuous improvement. For further information on ACAP’s Quality Framework contact ACAP’s Quality and Accreditation services at accred@acap.edu.au