As of January, commencing HE domestic students will need a unique identifier

This already has required a bunch of work but at least institutions benefit from VET having gone first.  The VET system’s unique student ID, “provides a viable model of a more robust identifier that could be allocated,” the feds said when work started (CMM January 25 2018). Since then there have been a bunch of updates.

Which is good – but given students will have to create their own USI, it may take time. The USI team suggests institutions tell students creating their USI “is super easy.”

Then again, there is a list of problems on the USI briefing page, which are anything but. For example, when student IDs differ from the USI Registry – “sometimes it is the identity documents that have recorded the name incorrectly and the student should resolve this with the relevant agency.” CMM suspects that will not strike students who are told their names are not what they think they are as easy at all.