Established under the Universities Accord (Australian Tertiary Education Commission) Act 2026 (ATEC Act), which came into effect on 29 April 2026, the Australian Tertiary Education Commission (ATEC) provides independent stewardship of the higher education system by working with universities, students, governments, and communities to ensure the system is delivering for the nation, now and into the future.
A key priority for ATEC is supporting the Australian Government to reach its goal for 80% of working aged Australians to complete a tertiary education qualification by 2050 and to improve equity in who participates and succeeds.
Our key functions are to:
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Enter into mission based compacts
ATEC will enter into mission based compacts with higher education providers, including managing the allocation of Commonwealth supported places (CSPs) at higher education providers.
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Provide advice to Government
ATEC will provide independent advice to Government on the tertiary education system.
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Report on the state of the system
ATEC will report annually on the state of the tertiary education system.