The Unique Student Identifier (USI) used to be just for vocational education and training (VET).
But now, if you want to go to university, you’ll need a USI.
What is a USI?
A USI is a Unique Student Identifier. The Australian Government call it your “individual education number for life”.
The USI is a number that you can use to keep track of your education across university and VET/TAFE. It’s a bit like the Learner Unique Identifier (LUI) that you might have had a high school, but the USI works in more than just one place.
Why do I need a USI?
If you don’t have a USI, you won’t be able to access:
- A Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP) at university
- HELP loans, like HECS-HELP, FEE-HELP, VET Student Loans, OS-HELP or SA-HELP
The Australian Government now require that any and all uni students, who are graduating in 2023 or later, have a USI.
Where do I get a USI?
You can create a USI in about five minutes on the “Get a USI” part of the USI website.
Before you start, make sure you have one form of ID with you.
Here are the ID that are currently accepted to create a USI:
- Australian passport
- non-Australian passport (with Australian Visa)
- Australian birth certificate (but not a birth certificate extract or commemorative birth certificate)
- Australian driver’s licence
- Medicare card
- Certificate of Registration by Descent
- Centrelink Concession Card
- Citizenship certificate
- ImmiCard
Wait, I might already have a USI – how do I check?
You can use the “Find my USI” tool to check and see if you already have one.
If you’ve ever done First Aid training, you probably have a USI. If you’ve done any VET training (certificates or diplomas) in the last few years, you also probably have a USI.
Where can I learn more?
The USI For Students website has a lot of great info about the USI, including a bunch of new videos including how to generate your VET transcript.
You got this!
Tom
graphic from the USI website
