Enrolment systems / Guide 14
Course page anatomy: what a learner needs before they enquire.
The short answer
A useful course page helps a learner decide if the qualification fits their goals, schedule, and budget. Put entry requirements, placement, and fees where they can find them before they enquire. Then make it easy to speak with your admissions team.
A prospective learner may be weighing study against a job, caring responsibilities, and household costs. Your course page needs to help them make that decision. A description of the qualification alone leaves too much for the admissions call.
This course page anatomy guide gives your team a practical editing checklist. For the wider enrolment plan, see the education marketing guide and how to increase course enrolments online.
Start with the questions admissions keeps answering
Ask your admissions team which missing details delay a decision and why people decide against enrolling. Use those answers to set the order of your page edits.
I would start with fees, placement, and entry requirements. These help a learner work out if the course is possible for them. This is a recommended starting point; check the effect against your own enquiries and enrolments.
Make the qualification easy to identify
Show the full qualification title and code near the top of the page. A learner may have been given the code by an employer or careers adviser and needs to confirm they have found the right course.
Check the details against training.gov.au, the National Register. Keep one approved record for your website, downloadable guide, and advertising so changes reach all three.
Describe the skills the learner will practise
Explain the work the course prepares someone to do in words they can understand. Ask a trainer to check the description against what is taught and assessed.
A list of unit titles belongs further down the page. Near the top, a learner needs a clear account of the skills they will develop and where those skills are used.
Explain what a learner needs before they apply
Give entry requirements a visible section before the enquiry form. Include relevant prior study or experience, equipment, and any checks needed for placement. Separate course entry requirements from a placement host's conditions.
Explain the support available and what happens if a learner is unsure they meet a requirement. A contact option beside this section lets them ask a useful question before they begin an application.
Put study time beside the course duration
A duration such as “12 months” tells the learner little about the weekly commitment. Add the expected study hours, attendance requirements, and any maximum completion period that applies.
Use a range only when it reflects how your course is delivered, and explain what changes the timing. Have the training team approve the figures before they appear in an ad.
Describe a normal study week
“Online” could mean scheduled live classes or study completed in the learner's own time. Explain which applies, how assessments work, and how students contact a trainer.
If attendance is required, give the days, times, and location when available. If you offer recordings, explain what they cover and which sessions still require attendance.
Make placement arrangements clear before enquiry
Placement can affect a learner's work hours and income. State the required hours, when placement occurs, and who arranges the host.
Explain any checks, travel, or other costs the learner needs to plan for. If an existing workplace can be considered, describe the approval process. Ask admissions to flag recurring placement questions for the page owner.
Show the total cost and payment terms together
Publish the total fee and make any extra charges clear. If you offer instalments, show the schedule beside the total amount payable so a learner can judge both affordability and overall cost.
Where funding affects the price, explain eligibility and how the learner confirms it. Keep the fee shown in advertising consistent with the course page and the information admissions uses.
Give refund and withdrawal terms a clear link. Those details affect the decision before a learner is ready to enrol.
Explain what the qualification is recognised for
Identify the RTO that delivers the course and issues the qualification. If a partner delivers part of the training, explain its role.
Claims about professional recognition need to name the relevant body and accurately describe the relationship. Ask your compliance lead to check the wording, especially where a licence or registration is involved.
Describe career options without promising a job
Use relevant job titles and work settings to help learners understand their options. Explain any further requirements between completing the course and applying for a role.
Include salary data only when it helps the decision and matches the role and location. Cite its source and date. A national average that covers experienced workers can give a new entrant the wrong expectation.
Let readers open the unit list when they need it
Keep the full unit list on the page, with codes and a distinction between core and elective units. An expandable section gives interested readers the detail without making everyone read it first.
Explain who chooses the electives. Add a contact route for questions about credit for earlier study or assessment of existing skills and experience.
Use graduate experiences relevant to this course
A graduate's account of balancing study with work can answer a concern that the course description leaves open. Use approved quotes with enough context to explain which course and experience they describe.
Keep their words accurate and obtain permission for the intended use. Avoid presenting one graduate's result as a promise to everyone who enrols.
Make the next conversation easy to start
Keep the enquiry form focused on what admissions needs to respond. Review each field with the people who use the information. Details needed for enrolment can be collected at that stage.
Say who will reply and give a response time your team can meet. Check that the form works on a phone and offer a visible contact number for learners who would rather call.
Keep the next start date current
Show the next intake and application deadline. For rolling enrolments, explain what happens after acceptance and when study can begin.
Assign someone to update dates as each intake closes. Include downloadable guides and automated enquiry emails in the same check.
Have the course information reviewed before publication
The 2025 Outcome Standards require clear, current information before enrolment, including course delivery, fees, support, and student obligations. Your course page should work with the rest of that information. Outcome Standard 2.1.
Have your compliance lead review the page against your circumstances. The ASQA marketing rules guide gives your marketing team a starting checklist for that discussion.
Choose edits that answer a real learner question
Open your busiest course page with someone from admissions. Find the information a learner needs to judge eligibility, time, placement, and cost. If it is missing or hard to find, record the specific answer the page needs.
Assign each edit to someone who can confirm the facts. After publication, ask admissions if the same questions still arise and review how many enquiries become enrolments. Keep a note of other campaign changes so you can interpret the result.
Multiply's conversion rate optimisation service can help identify where a course page loses prospective learners and test changes against the results you already receive.
Frequently asked questions
What should an RTO course page include?
The qualification name and code, skills taught, entry requirements, duration, delivery details, placement, fees, and next intake. Include the unit list, relevant graduate experiences, and a clear way to contact admissions.
Why does our course page get enquiries but no enrolments?
Ask admissions why people decide against the course. Missing fee, placement, or entry information could be part of the problem. Check those reasons alongside response times and the audience your advertising reaches before changing the page.
Should we publish fees on the course page?
Yes. Show the total fee, what it includes, and the payment terms. If the fee depends on eligibility or other circumstances, explain the difference and how a learner can confirm their price.
How many fields should a course enquiry form have?
Ask for the information your team needs to respond usefully. Start with contact details and the course of interest, then justify each additional field. A full enrolment application belongs at a later step.
Should the unit list be on the page or in a downloadable guide?
Make it available on the page. An expandable section can keep the page readable while giving learners and employers access to the detail.
How often should a course page be reviewed?
Review it whenever fees, delivery arrangements, intake dates, or qualification details change. Give each page an owner and a scheduled check so expired dates and old information are caught.