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Your guide to the Unique Student Identifier (USI)

The USI is a lifelong reference number issued by the Australian Government for your education journey. It is made up of a combination of ten numbers and letters.

Who needs a USI?

All higher education students must have a USI to graduate unless they are eligible for an exemption.

Learn more

Who is exempt from providing a USI?

You may be eligible for an automatic USI exemption or you may request for a USI exemption letter. Please visit USI website for further information.

Frequently asked questions

Go to the Australian Government’s USI website.

Applying for a USI is a free and easy process. You will need to provide documentation to prove your identity. Below are samples of acceptable forms of identity to obtain your USI.

You will need at least one of the following:

  • Australian passport
  • Australian birth certificate
  • Australian driver license
  • Medicare card
  • International passport plus a valid Australian visa
  • Centrelink concession cards
  • Citizenship certificate.

For more information, see how to get a USI.

If you have received USI exemption, you can submit your exemption letter via AskMQ. We will process your request within 5 business days. You can find more information on the exemption process via USI website.

If you already have a USI,

  1. Log into eStudent and select the Forms tile.
  2. Provide or confirm your USI via the ‘Update/Enter Unique Student Identifier (USI)’ form

If you are not sure, or you have forgotten your USI, find your USI on the Government website.

You can provide your USI during the acceptance and enrolment process via the ‘Forms’ tab in eStudent.

This is required to be completed by the Census Date of the study period of your first unit of study.

Your first, middle and last names, date of birth and USI details must match exactly between all of the following:

  • the Australian Taxation Office (ATO)
  • Macquarie University
  • your USI Registry records.

If these do not match, your USI cannot be verified. You will need to check your details across all three areas and ensure they match.

Domestic students

Your personal details must match exactly between eStudent and the ATO otherwise, we may not be able to verify your Tax File Number (TFN). You can check your personal details recorded with the ATO through MyGov (if you have your ATO online account linked to it) or by calling them on 13 28 61.

International students

You must ensure your personal details on eStudent and the USI Portal, are matching exactly with your records with the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) according to your visa. You can self-check your personal details recorded with the DHA through VEVO/your ImmiAccount or through your Confirmation of Enrolment (COE).

If your personal details are not correct on:

More common reasons why a USI may not be able to be verified can be found below in the Common issues and possible solutions to getting your USI verified section.

If you don’t provide your verified USI by the relevant census date, your iLearn may be sanctioned and/or your enrolment cancelled.

If your enrolment has been cancelled for all units in a study period, the University will also load a leave of absence status against your current course, if you have studied with us for more than one session.

If your enrolment is cancelled from all units in your first study period of a course, your offer will lapse and you will need to reapply when you wish to return to your studies.

If you have a sanction due to not providing your USI and you have now provided this, your sanction will be automatically lifted overnight.

If you have a sanction because your USI records could not be verified, check you have provided your USI in eStudent and all your personal details match between the University, ATO and USI registry. If all these match you can then submit an AskMQ enquiry to have the sanction removed. (Note: it may take three to five working days for your enquiry to be actioned and possibly take longer in peak periods.)

  • A middle name appears in a different field to what is in the USI Registry, such as the middle name appearing with the first name. The issue often lies with what appears on the student’s identity documents. Sometimes it is the identity documents that have recorded the name incorrectly.
  • Students who have married and changed their surname, or chosen a new name that reflects their gender identity, since creating their USI.
  • Students putting preferred names rather than the name as it appears on their identity documents (eg Stan instead of Stanley).
  • Students who have a native language name and chosen English name. It’s common for students to use their English names on many forms, but the USI will have their name as it appears in their native language on their identity documents, such as their passport.
  • Date of birth errors in either the University, ATO or USI system.
  • Names with extended characters, eg O’Connor vs Oconnor. The USI Registry typically supports the extended characters, but some systems do not.
  • Students who have one name only will need to record  their name against the student surname field in the system to avoid USI errors.
  • Other minor typographical errors such as extra spaces or additional punctuation such as period characters eg ‘J C Doe’ vs ‘J.C. Doe’.

In all of the above situations, students should resolve the issue with the relevant agency.

Other issues include:

  • if your USI has been revoked, you need to supply your current USI.
  • if your USI is displaying as invalid, check if you have provided your CHESSN instead of a USI.
  • if your USI account is suspended, you should contact the Office of the Student Identifiers Registrar (OSIR) to resolve any issues with your account, and advise the provider of the outcome so that the USI can be reverified or other appropriate action taken.

Where can I get further information and assistance?

If you need additional assistance with the USI collection form in eStudent:

You can also find more information on the Government’s USI website.