TCSI May Newsletter 2026

Providers reporting data to TCSI via the TCSI Data Entry portal are reminded to take care when updating records.

File uploads to the TCSI Data Entry portal allow providers to create, modify, and delete multiple records at once.

File uploads for the University and TEQSA staff data collection

The higher education full time staff files do not require the full history of work classifications to be reported each time the file is uploaded. Instead, providers can provide the full information for each staff member and work classification information for the current E415: Reporting Year in your file.

For example, a staff member working two roles each year will require three rows in the file upload each year. The “full-time staff” information type (row one) and “work classification” information type (rows two and three). One row for each role they perform. The following year, the staff member will also have three rows in the file, with the “full-time staff” information type (row one) and “work classification” information type (rows two and three). One row for each role they perform, but with a later E415: Reporting Year value for the following year. Providers are encouraged to reach out to TCSI Support if they experience any issues uploading staff data to TCSI.

Please note that leaving a staff member out of your full-time staff file will not remove that staff member or their work classifications from the database. If you incorrectly reported a staff member in 2025, please contact TCSISupport@education.gov.au for advice on deleting the incorrect record.

File uploads for VET, HEP and PIR student collections

It is important for providers to remember that you must include all information types for all existing records. Leaving out an information type row in a “Student”, “Course”, “Course Admission”, or “Unit Enrolment (AOU)” file will cause that information to be deleted from the TCSI database.

For example, a student may have three rows of citizenship history, and two rows of disability information stored in TCSI. A user attempting to upload a file to update the student’s address, must also include the three rows of citizenship and two rows of disability information even though nothing has changed for those rows. Failing to submit those rows will trigger the deletion of the student’s disability and citizenship information.

File upload behaviour is detailed in the file template user guide available at the top of the file templates webpage for each provider type:

• Higher education file templates
• VET Student Loans file templates
• Provider information Request (PIR) file templates

All providers are invited to attend upcoming webinars and drop-in sessions.

These sessions are an excellent opportunity to get up-to-date information and to ask any questions you might have about TCSI.

A list of upcoming TCSI webinars can be found below:

To attend the scheduled 2026 monthly TCSI webinars live, please register via the TCSI News Centre webpage.

Recordings of previous webinars can be found at the following locations:

• For monthly provider webinars, please see the ‘Published Newsletters, Webinars and other media’ section of the News Centre webpage. 

Important updates to TCSI PRODA attributes!

Updates to TCSI PRODA attributes will introduce additional access permissions and prompt organisations to review access levels as soon as possible. The update is expected to be released in early June 2026.

Key Changes to user access

Under the new framework, Higher Education users will require a new attribute to access staff reports.

Some users may lose access to reports if the appropriate attributes are not assigned prior to the release.

Updated Attributes

The changes introduce clearer distinctions between what users can access based on specific PRODA attributes:

Users assigned “TCSI Analytics - Verify” and “TCSI Analytics - Signoff” roles will experience the following key changes:

• Before the update: Users can access all reports across the TCSI Analytics portal.
• After the update: Users will lose report access unless they are also assigned:
  • “TCSI Analytics - Read” (for student reports) and/or
  • “TCSI Analytics - Staff” (for staff reports)

Despite this change, both “Verify” and “Signoff” roles will retain their functional responsibilities within collections, including:
 

Access Errors 

Users who attempt to view reports without the correct TCSI attributes will trigger an “access restricted” error message in TCSI Analytics.

Organisations are advised to:

• Review current user accesses 
• Assign the required attributes before the release
• Contact their PRODA Director or delegate to assign relevant accesses

These changes are reflected in the Accessing TCSI services (PRODA) guide, and more information can be found by viewing the ‘PRODA attributes update’ slide from the TCSI Provider April 2026 webinar.

All Vocational Education and Training (VET) users will continue to require the “TCSI Analytics - Read” attribute to access student related reports. 

The 2026 staff data collection is now available in TCSI Analytics!

All higher education providers are required to submit and verify staff data by Friday 26 June 2026. When you verify your organisation's data, you are declaring that your staff data is accurate.

For Universities, staff data submission and verification are part of providers’ reporting requirements under the Higher Education Support Act 2023 (HESA). In scope staff need to be reported and verified as part of the staff data verification process.

For all other higher education providers, staff data submission and verification are part of providers’ reporting requirements under the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency Act 2011 (TEQSA) and form part of the TEQSA provider information request. In scope academic staff need to be reported and verified as part of the staff data verification process.

Please visit the following resources to support you in completing your providers 2026 Staff data verification:

• 2026 Staff data verification announcement 
• Targeted 2026 Staff data submission and verification webinar 
• the Data Verification webpage for comprehensive information and instructions regarding verification, including what to submit, how to submit, how to verify and other useful tips. It is tailored to each provider type, so please use the table on the Data Verification page to select the information that matches your organisation type.

Higher education providers will no longer be able to review the TFN supplied in their TCSI Data Entry file upload.

TCSI Support is collaborating with our IT colleagues to mask TFNs in the TCSI Data Entry portal for higher education providers. These changes are scheduled for release in June 2026. The purpose of this TFN masking feature is to enhance the protection of student information in TCSI.

When higher education providers view 'Original' and 'Response' files in the TCSI Data Entry 'History' tab, the E416: Tax file number information will either:

• be obfuscated with 'VVVVVVVVV' to show that a TFN was supplied for verification 

  OR

• return an empty cell to indicate a TFN was not supplied.

Information for providers regarding changes to charging a Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF)

From 1 January 2025, higher education providers approved under the Higher Education Support Act 2003 (HESA) that charge a SSAF must allocate a minimum of 40 per cent of their SSAF revenue for the calendar year to one or more student-led organisations and ensure that the student-led organisations have appropriate governance arrangements in place.

If a provider is unable to allocate a minimum of 40 per cent of SSAF revenue to student-led organisations while maintaining key services at the expected level and/or needs to support their student-led organisations to meet the governance requirements, the provider must seek approval from the Department of Education for an agreed transition arrangement.

Providers seeking a 3‑year transition arrangement must submit their Transition Plan for 2027 using the Transition Plan template to SSAF@education.gov.au by 30 June 2026. Providers must also include an overview of, or updates on, progress against any milestones or commitments set out in their agreed 2026 Transition Plan in the relevant section of the template.

Any queries relating to the SSAF transition arrangement can be directed to SSAF@education.gov.au.

Get more from TCSI Analytics — explore the new support videos now!

Providers can take advantage of helpful support videos available within the TCSI Analytics Portal.

These resources are designed to support the use of the Critical Student Loan Error and Higher Education Student Enrolment Trends dashboards, making it easier for users to navigate key features and gain valuable insights used to strengthen loan reporting and data quality.  

Providers are encouraged to make use of these resources to support ongoing monitoring, validation, and resolution of critical reporting issues.

For feedback or enquiries, please contact TCSIRenewal@education.gov.au.