Student Identifiers Act 2014

Privacy Protections

Your identifier and related information (called "protected information") is tightly controlled:

• Organisations cannot collect, use, or share your identifier without your consent — unless the law specifically allows it.
• Exceptions exist for law enforcement, detecting fraud, and approved research.
• Breaches of these rules are treated as privacy violations under the Privacy Act 1988, meaning the Information Commissioner (the government's privacy watchdog) can investigate and act.
• If someone collects personal information just to apply for your identifier, they must destroy that information as soon as it's no longer needed.

Penalties

You can face financial penalties (up to 60 penalty units, currently around $18,780) if you:

• Apply for a second identifier when you already have one
• Apply for someone else's identifier without their permission
• Tamper with or forge an official VET transcript

Why It Matters to You

• Students doing VET/TAFE: You need a USI to receive any qualification. Your entire training history is stored in one place and you can share it with employers or other institutions.
• University students: You need a student identifier to graduate with a recognised degree.
• School students: You may be assigned a schools identifier automatically through your school — this helps manage your educational records from early on.
• Employers/training providers: You are legally prohibited from accessing a student's transcript without their permission.