COE Cancellation

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Project Introduction

COE stands for Confirmation of Enrolment and is the official and valid certification for international students to prove to the Department of Home Affairs that they are studying in Australia.

Each CoE has its unique number and is linked to the Provider Registration and International Student Management System (PRISMS), a computer system developed by the Department in association with the Department of Home Affairs for the purpose of receiving and storing information about accepted overseas students. PRISMS system will immediately notify the Department of Home Affairs once there are any changes to the CoE. A valid CoE is an essential document for international students to apply for a student visa, without which they cannot apply for a student visa.

International students must always have a valid CoE during their study to ensure their visa condition is met. A valid CoE represents a student’s genuine intention to study in Australia, and the student must complete the relevant school requirements, including attendance, course pass rate, etc. If students fail to meet the requirements, they will be at risk of having their CoE cancelled, which may consequently cause their student visa to be cancelled by the Department of Home Affairs.

Reasons for CoE Cancellation

Generally speaking, there is only one reason for the cancellation of CoE: the school considers the student “incapable” of continuing his or her studies.

1. low attendance rate: generally speaking, the attendance rate should be no less than 70%, and some schools with strict policies require 80% attendance.

2. repeated failures in core subjects twice or even three times (double fail or triple fail).

3. failing more than 50% of the subjects for two consecutive semesters.

4. having a grade average below the passing mark for two consecutive semesters.

5. cannot complete the course within the time limit

6. academic misconduct and other problems

Process for Cancellation of CoE

Schools generally go through the following stages before Cancelling a student’s CoE and will not cancel the student’s CoE outright.

1. Warning：

The school will first send a warning letter to the student, reminding the student that his or her performance is a concern and that he or she needs to be vigilant about his or her attitude and approach to learning. After receiving the warning letter, students need to communicate with the course adviser to explain their problems and situation, and then, with the help of the adviser, develop a new study plan that is more in line with the student’s current situation to better complete their studies.

2. On-campus explanation (Show Cause).

If the student’s performance and academic situation has not improved after the first stage, the school will send a show cause letter to the student’s email address, which means the student will enter the stage of in-school explanation. After receiving the show cause letter, the student will be asked to provide an explanation within a specified time frame. The student will be required to prepare the letter and submit supporting documents to support the reasons, and other points raised in the letter.

3. In-school hearing (Hearing).

The school receives the student’s letter of explanation and decides whether to hold a hearing. The purpose of the hearing is to hear the student’s explanation and to examine whether the student has a compelling reason and a real purpose for studying.

4. Cancellation of CoE.

The school may decide not to hold a hearing after the Show Cause and make a decision of expulsion. The school notifies the student of the decision to cancel the student’s CoE and the student has 20 working days to appeal.

5. Internal/External Appeal.

Once an appeal has been made, the student must find new evidence to refute the school’s decision to dismiss. If the appeal is successful, the student will be allowed to remain in school. If the appeal is unsuccessful or if the student chooses not to appeal, the school will officially cancel the student’s CoE after a specified period of time.

How we should explain to Department of Home Affairs that the CoE has been cancelled

Obtain a new CoE

Explain any previous study problems

Provide your study and learning outcomes in Australia to show that you have studied hard to meet the 500 student visa requirements

Explain your academic plans, future plans, etc.

Other useful documents include letters of support from parents, teachers and friends, proof of assets, etc.

All in all, the reasons for the cancellation of COE are different for each student, and you need to provide a reasonable explanation to the Department of Home Affairs.