More detail about how we collect and use your information

Read the TEC’s Privacy Notice for full information about our collection, use, disclosure and management of your personal information.

  1. We ask for your National Student Number (NSN) to help us determine whether you meet the eligibility criteria for Fees Free tertiary education.
  2. When you enter your NSN, we check if your NSN is already in our eligibility database.
  3. We collect each NSN you enter and the timestamp of that entry and store it in a log file.
  4. If you are eligible for Fees Free tertiary education, we record the date at which you became eligible.
  5. If you don’t have an NSN, or you do have an NSN but we don’t hold enough information to determine your eligibility, we’ll ask you some questions to help us determine whether you are eligible. We’ll ask you about:
    - your citizenship, residency or refugee or protected person status
    - any study or training you have previously undertaken.
  6. If we’ve asked you these questions and you meet the eligibility criteria, we’ll ask for and record your:
    - name
    - address
    - email address
    - date of birth
    - occupation (if applicable)
    - mobile phone number.
  7. If you meet the eligibility criteria, you may need to complete a statutory declaration and return it to us. A completed statutory declaration states that you satisfy the eligibility criteria before you access Fees Free tertiary education. Find out more about statutory declarations.
  8. If your answers indicate that you are eligible, a log associated with your name will be generated that records your answers to the relevant eligibility criteria.
  9. When you return a completed statutory declaration, we will store it securely in our document management system, along with any other information relating to your eligibility.
  10. We may collect and store information relating to your eligibility from a tertiary education organisation with which you are or have been enrolled.
  11. If you appeal a decision we make regarding your eligibility, we may ask for more information to support your appeal case.