Your USI is an individual reference number for your education journey in Australia.
On this page:
USI numbers must be verified | Getting a USI | Providing your USI to UTS | Consequences for not providing a USI | Consequences if your USI can’t be verified | Common reasons your USI can't be verified | Name order for International Students | Exemptions | More questions
A USI is your individual education number for life. All students studying at UTS should supply their USI via My Student Admin as soon as possible.
All higher education students (including research students) need to have a verified USI in order to graduate and receive your award.
If you are studying in a Commonwealth Supported Place or applying for a HELP loan, you will need to have a verified USI before the census date of the session.
USI numbers must be verified
When you provide your USI to UTS via My Student Admin, it will be verified against the USI registry. For your USI to be verified, we must be able to match the following details against the USI registry (also shown in bold in the table below): First Given Name, Family Name and Date of Birth.
UTS | USI | Australian |
|---|---|---|
| First Given Name | First/Given Name | First Given Name |
| Other Given Name | Middle Name | Other Given Name |
| Family Name | Family/Last Name | Family Name |
| Date of Birth | Date of Birth | Date of Birth |
If you have supplied your USI, and your details can be matched against the USI registry, then your USI can be verified. If you have also provided your Tax File Number, those same details will be used to verify against the Australian Taxation Office.
Getting a USI
You can create your own USI at usi.gov.au. You can only do this if you are in Australia, so if you are currently offshore will not be able to create a USI until you arrive in Australia.
Domestic Students: When you create your USI, it’s very important that you enter your ‘First Given Name’ and ‘Family Name’ in exactly the same way as you see it in My Student Admin, and also the same as the Australian Taxation Office.
International students: It’s very important that your name is entered the same way in My Student Admin, on your visa, and when you create your USI. You can read more about name order (especially for single names) further down on this page.
Providing your USI to UTS
Commencing students can provide their USI during the offer acceptance process in My Student Admin.
If you are a Commonwealth Supported Student you will need to provide your USI when you submit your government form. You won’t be able to submit the form without supplying your USI, and you won’t be able to enrol until you have submitted the form.
If you are applying for a FEE-HELP loan you will need to provide your USI when you submit your government form.
All students can provide their USI at any time by going into My Student Admin.
Consequences for not providing a USI
If you are a Commonwealth Supported Student you will not be able to submit your government form without supplying a USI, which means you won’t be able to enrol.
If you are applying for a FEE-HELP loan you will not be able to submit your government form without supplying a USI. This means you won’t be able to access FEE-HELP until you have supplied your USI.
All other students will receive a USP sanction if you don’t supply your USI. Your results and academic record will be withheld. You will not be able to have your award conferred at the end of your studies until you provide a verified USI.
To check for active sanctions on your account, go to 'Sanction Details' under the 'Personal' tab in My Student Admin.
Consequences if your USI can’t be verified
UTS will attempt to re-verify your USI before census date, before results release, and at the end of each month.
If you are a Commonwealth Supported Student, you will receive a USV sanction if we are unable to verify your USI. Your exam results and academic records are withheld, study plan amendment may be blocked until your USI is provided or verified. Your USI must be verified by the census date otherwise you will not be able to defer your fees to your HELP loan (even if your HELP loan is approved) and you may be withdrawn from your subjects.
If you are applying for a FEE-HELP loan you will receive a USV sanction if we are unable to verify your USI. Your USI must be verified by the census date. If your USI can’t be verified by the census date, you will not be able to defer your fees to your HELP loan, and therefore will be liable for the full tuition fees for your enrolled subjects.
All other students will receive a UNP sanction if we are unable to verify your USI. Your results and academic record will be withheld. You will not be able to have your award conferred at the end of your studies until we can verify your USI.
To check for active sanctions on your account, go to 'Sanction Details' under the 'Personal' tab in My Student Admin.
You have a preferred or shortened version of your name listed instead of your formal name. For example, Alex vs Alexandra.
You have entered your names differently into the ‘First Given Name’ and ‘Other Given Name’ fields so that all of your given names in the ‘First Given Name’ field in one portal, but have split your names across the ‘First Given Name’ and ‘Other Given Name’ fields in the other. For example, ‘Jane Louise’ as your First Given Name with UTS, and only ‘Jane’ as your First Given Name with USI.
There is an error in your Date of Birth.
Your name has differences in spacing or punctuation. For example, O’Brien vs Obrien, or Da Silva vs Dasilva.
If your name includes special characters (for example, å, Æ, or Ø), these will not be accepted by the USI registry. To ensure your USI can be verified, the spelling of your name will not be able to include these characters. You can submit a Change of Student Details application to have your name updated to reflect the spelling in the 'machine readable' zone of your passport.
You have changed your family name due to marriage but it is not updated everywhere.
You have chosen a new name that reflects your identity but it is not updated everywhere.
Your name is entered as a single name in one portal, but as a First Given Name and ‘Family Name’ in another. For example, UTS has ‘First Name’ Xiao, ‘Family Name’ Chen, but USI has single name ‘Xiao Chen’. You can confirm whether you should use a single name by checking the 'machine readable' zone of your passport.
The 'machine readable' zone of your passport will clarify which name is considered your Family Name, and how to spell names that contain special characters.
You will find your name written in capital letters at the bottom of the photo page of your passport (after your country code). Your names will be divided by '>>' to indicate your family name, and '>' to indicate all other names. Here are some examples, using the country code of Australia (AUS):
If you have a family name, it will appear like this: 'AUSFAMILYNAME>>FIRSTNAME>OTHERNAMES>>>>>>>'.
If you have one single name, it will appear like this: 'AUSNAME>>>>>>>'.
If you have multiple names which count as a single name, it will appear like this: 'AUSNAME>NAME>NAME>>>>>>>'.
For some international students, the name order used in your home country and found on your passport may not match the standard Australian name order. This means that if you enter your name differently when filling out forms in Australia (for instance, when applying to UTS, when applying for your visa, and when applying for your USI) you may end up with mismatched names.
The name order on your visa should match the name order in your passport. You should use the same name order every time you fill out a form in Australia, including UTS, and when applying for your USI. When you apply for your USI, you will need to supply your passport and your visa. If your name order is not correct on your visa, then your name in the USI registry may not be correct.
How do I know if I have a Single Name, or a Family Name and Given Names?
Most passports around the world clearly indicate at least one ‘Family Name’ and the rest as ‘Given Names’. (If you have multiple given names, you may get to choose which names are your ‘First Given Names’ and which names are your ‘Other Given Names’).
If your passport does not indicate that you have a 'Family Name', then all of your names can be counted as a ‘Single Name’.
Some common issues include:
You have a first name and last name, but your visa shows all your names as one ‘Single Name’
You have a single name, but your visa has the same name entered twice under ‘First Name’ and ‘Given Name’.
You have a single name, but your visa has split your name into ‘First Name’ and ‘Last Name’.
If your visa does not display your name correctly, you will need to:
Correct your visa name by contacting the Department of Home Affairs. Make sure you let them know that you are updating your name to accurately reflect the name shown in your passport.
When you have your corrected visa, you can update your name through the USI Registry by clicking the “Update” button to the right of the detail you wish to change. If you need to change to or from a single name, you may need to contact the USI Registry.
When your name in the USI registry is corrected, you can wait until the next time that UTS submit to re-verify your USI, or you can contact AskUTS to request re-verification of your USI.
If you are unable to resolve the mismatch between your names, please contact AskUTS to explain your situation and we will help you to resolve it.
Exemptions
All students who complete all their study outside of Australia do not need to supply a USI.
International students may also be exempt if:
You studied with an Australian education or training provider in Australia
You did not access Commonwealth financial assistance for their studies
You commenced your studies before 1 January 2023
You are currently offshore and will not return to Australia.
Domestic students can apply for an exemption from having a USI. However, this will impact your study options. Higher education students who do not have a USI will not be able to apply for Commonwealth financial assistance or a Commonwealth supported place. Students wishing to apply for an exemption must provide reasons for doing so and accept the listed consequences of not having a USI.
If you believe you are eligible to be exempt but have received a sanction, please submit an Ask UTS enquiry to explain your situation, and attach a copy of your International Movement Records as evidence that you have not completed any of your studies within Australia.
More questions
If your question isn't answered here, please contact AskUTS.
My USI can’t be verified. How can I find out why?
If we are unable to verify your USI, we will send you an email letting you know which details aren’t matching (First Name, Last Name, Date Of Birth, or the USI itself).
You can then correct the details in whichever portal is not correct.
How to check your details at UTS and in the USI Registry:
Log in to both portals.
Log in to USI Registry Student Portal and navigate to the “Update Personal Details” page.
Log in to My Student Admin and go to the “My Details” tab.
Carefully crosscheck the details you have recorded against your “First Given name/Given name”, “Last/Family Name” and “Date of Birth” under both the USI registry and My Student Admin. When checking these details, you must ensure that they are an exact match, including spelling, special characters and spacing.
To correct your information you need to:
Update your USI registry details by clicking the “Update” button to the right of the detail you wish to change and/or
Complete the UTS Change of Student Details application
If you believe the details are already identical in the USI Registry and My Student Admin, please send screenshots from both systems showing your USI, First Name, Last Name and Date of Birth via an Ask UTS enquiry.
I am currently studying outside of Australia, but I might complete some of my studies in Australia later on. Will I need a USI?
Yes, you will need to provide a verified USI if you complete part of your studies in Australia.
When you arrive in Australia, you can create a USI and enter it into My Student Admin. You should also update your 'session address' in My Student Admin to reflect your new Australia residential address while you are studying.
I completed some of my studies in Australia but I have now left and I don’t have a USI
If you commenced your studies before 1 January 2023 and you are not in Australia to receive your award, you will be automatically exempt from needing to have a USI and do not need to apply for a USI exemption. If you plan to return to Australia before you complete your degree, you must create a USI and provide it to the University at that time.
If you commenced your studies after 1 January 2023 and you did not get a USI whilst in Australia, you will need to apply for a USI exemption using the USI exemption form in order to be eligible for the conferral of your award. Please provide email receipt or a screenshot of your exemption outcome letter by submitting an Ask UTS enquiry.
What if I already have a USI and I have forgotten it?
If you have undertaken any education training in Australia since 2015, you probably already have a USI. If you are unsure, or if you have forgotten, please go to the Find your USI page to check.
Can someone help me apply for a USI?
Someone can create a USI on your behalf, as long as they have your permission and meet one of the roles or relationships outlined by the Office of the Student Identifiers Registrar.