Decide the scope
Which qualifications, and can you deliver and assess every unit? Scope drives trainers, resources, facilities and cost.
- Check each qualification is current on training.gov.au
- Delivery modes, sites and work placements
Mapped to the 2025 Standards for RTOs
Build an RTO that ASQA can register.
Scope, financial viability, people, systems and evidence, in the order to build them. ASQA assesses what you can evidence, not what you intend. We help you get there.
No sign-up. The check runs in your browser and sends nothing unless you choose to email it to us.
Your readiness
Not started- Scope decidedNot started
- Financial viabilityNot started
- Trainers and assessorsNot started
- Policies and systemsNot started
- Evidence of practiceNot started
- Lodge and respondNot started
Answer the free readiness check below to see where you stand.
ASQA fees and timeframes
The numbers, straight from ASQA.
$7,350ASQA fees to apply for RTO registration: a $2,350 application fee plus a $5,000 assessment fee, from 1 July 2026 [1]
$1,800+A year in Annual Registration Charge once registered. 2026-27 amounts range from $1,800 to $32,400 [4]
55%Of applicants were notified of an outcome within 90 calendar days, July to December 2025. ASQA's target is 60% [2]
87 of 192Initial applications finalised July to December 2025 were rejected (34) or withdrawn (53). 105 were approved [2]
What ASQA charges a new RTO
| Initial registration application fee | $2,350 |
|---|---|
| Initial registration assessment fee | $5,000 |
| To apply and be assessed | $7,350 |
| Annual Registration Charge, smallest RTO (0 to 4 qualifications, 0 to 99 students) | $1,800 a year |
| Application, assessment and one full year of the charge, smallest RTO | $9,150 |
In your first year the Annual Registration Charge is pro-rated: ASQA uses the 0 to 99 student band and charges for the full months left to 30 June after you are registered [4]. These are ASQA's charges only, not your own set-up costs or any consulting.
Annual Registration Charge, first year band
| Qualifications on scope | RTO only | RTO + CRICOS |
|---|---|---|
| 0 to 4 | $1,800 | $2,000 |
| 5 to 10 | $5,400 | $6,100 |
| 11 to 25 | $9,500 | $10,700 |
| 26 to 50 | $13,600 | $15,300 |
| 51 or more | $19,200 | $21,600 |
Annual amounts for 2026-27 at 0 to 99 students. The charge rises with student numbers in later years. Providers with only units of competency count every 10 units (or part) as one qualification [4].
International students need a separate CRICOS application: $2,400 application fee and $3,950 assessment fee [1]. The Department of Education may also charge CRICOS providers separately [4]. Fees are set by ASQA and can change.
The six steps
Registration is a build, not a form.
Each step depends on the one before it. Skip ahead and the gaps show up at assessment.
Prove financial viability
A financial viability risk assessment, realistic projections and working capital to run before revenue arrives.
- Projections an assessor can test
- Funds for fees, people, resources and premises
Assemble the people
Trainers and assessors with the right credentials and current industry skills, evidenced rather than asserted.
- Trainer matrix against every unit
- Industry currency evidence on file
Build the system
Policies, procedures, a student management system and a training and assessment strategy for every qualification.
- Mapped to the four Quality Areas
- USI and AVETMISS reporting ready
Evidence the practice
Records that show the system working: policy, form, record, review. ASQA assesses what you do, not what you wrote.
- Registers and completed forms
- Owners who can explain the system
Lodge and respond
Missing items get 2 calendar days at pre-assessment and assessor requests get 5. Every applicant is interviewed, and ASQA may visit your site. [3]
- Lodged through ASQAnet
- ASQA's target: an outcome within 90 calendar days for 60% of applicants
Free readiness check
Where do you stand today?
Pick your situation, answer each question honestly, and get a prioritised roadmap mapped to the 2025 Standards. It runs in your browser and takes about three minutes.
How we help
People, resources and a system, from one group.
CAQA Consulting
Consultants review your scope, viability and documents against the Standards, then support you through assessor requests and interviews.
Visit CAQA ConsultingCAQA Resources
Training and assessment resources for the qualifications on your scope, so your strategy points to real materials.
Visit CAQA ResourcesRTO OS
One platform for admissions, student records, learning (LMS), LLND, quality management and AVETMISS reporting preparation.
Visit RTO OS- Gap report against the 2025 Standards
- Policies and procedures for your scope
- Training and assessment strategies
- Financial viability preparation support
- Trainer matrix and evidence pack
- ASQAnet lodgement and assessor request support
Pricing
Start with a review. Then choose how much we carry.
Application packages are quoted after your readiness review, because scope sets the work. Monthly retainers are fixed. ASQA fees are separate and paid to ASQA.
Application package
Fixed quoteScope and viability review, gap report, policies, strategies, trainer matrix and lodgement support, priced for your scope.
Book a review10 hours a month
$1,750 + GST- Compliance and operations support
- Validation of units of competency
- Forms, policies and templates help
16 hours a month
$2,640 + GST- Everything in 10 hours
- Priority scheduling
- Audit-season headroom
24 hours a month
$3,720 + GST- Everything in 16 hours
- Named lead consultant
- Best value per hour
Casual consulting $185 an hour + GST. Retainers are invoiced monthly, as published at caqa.com.au pricing.
FAQ
Questions founders ask first
What does ASQA charge to register a new RTO?
From 1 July 2026: a $2,350 application fee and a $5,000 assessment fee, $7,350 in total. Once registered you also pay the Annual Registration Charge, from $1,800 a year for the smallest RTO, pro-rated in your first year. So application, assessment and one full year of the charge come to at least $9,150. CRICOS applications are a further $2,400 and $3,950. [1] [4]
How long does ASQA take?
ASQA's service standard target is for 60% of applicants to be notified of an outcome within 90 calendar days. From July to December 2025 it achieved 55%. Your build time before lodging depends on your scope. [2]
Which Standards apply?
The 2025 Standards for RTOs, in effect since 1 July 2025. They have three parts: the Outcome Standards (four Quality Areas: training and assessment, VET student support, VET workforce, and governance), the Compliance Standards, and the Credential Policy. [5]
Do I need a consultant?
Not legally. ASQA expects the organisation to be managed by people with sufficient knowledge of the 2025 Standards, and where owners do not have it, to engage people who do, on an ongoing basis. [3]
Can I teach international students straight away?
Only with a separate ESOS application for CRICOS registration, alongside RTO registration, with its own fees and requirements under the National Code 2018. [1]
Why do applications fail?
Mostly on evidence: scope that cannot be resourced, weak financial viability, trainer currency gaps, or policies with no working practice behind them. ASQA has also reported a higher rejection rate linked to integrity concerns. [2]
Not sure where to start?
Tell us your situation. We will tell you what is urgent and what can wait. That first conversation costs nothing.
Sources
- ASQA: current fees and charges
- ASQA Regulation Report, Q1 to Q2 2025-26 (PDF)
- ASQA: how we assess registration
- ASQA: Annual Registration Charge
- ASQA: about the 2025 Standards
ASQA and training.gov.au are referenced as sources, not endorsements. Checked 5 November 2026.