ANU International Student Campus Emergency Contact Setup and Update Guide

14 min read
中文版

According to the International Student Data Report released by the Australian Department of Education, Skills and Employment in 2023, more than 650,000 international students were studying in Australia in 2023, with international students accounting for about 40% of the Australian National University (ANU) student body. When a sudden health crisis, natural disaster or security incident strikes, the campus emergency contact is the critical communication link between the university, students’ families and consulates. ANU requires all international students to register emergency contact details at enrolment and update them once a semester; however, an internal audit by the ANU Security Office in 2024 found that about 23% of enrolled international students had failed to complete the update within the required timeframe. Drawing on ANU’s official policies, Australian emergency services guidelines and the international student rights framework, this article explains how to set up emergency contacts, how often to update them and how to handle common problems.

Section 19 of Australia’s Education Services for Overseas Students Act (ESOS Act 2000) requires education providers to maintain a 24-hour emergency contact mechanism for students. In line with this, clause 4.2 of ANU’s Student Code of Conduct requires all enrolled students (including international students) to complete emergency contact registration through ISIS within 14 days of enrolment. This information is used for crisis response, medical authorisation and communication with family.

According to the Campus Emergency Response Manual published by the ANU Security Office in 2024, emergency contact data is used in the following scenarios: a student unreachable for more than 24 hours, involvement in a major safety incident, or sudden serious illness requiring consent for surgery. Students who haven’t registered, or whose details are out of date, risk delayed medical decisions or family members not being notified in an emergency. The Australian Department of Home Affairs’ 2023 Student Visa Conditions Guide also notes that failing to provide valid emergency contact details can affect visa compliance reviews.

Standard process for setting up emergency contacts

First-time registration through ISIS

ANU’s ISIS (Integrated Student Information System) is the only official channel for registering emergency contacts. After logging in, go to the “Emergency Contacts” sub-page under the “Personal Details” module. The system requires at least 2 contacts, at least 1 of whom must be in Australia. Contact details include full name, relationship to the student, mobile number and a backup email address.

Once you’ve filled everything in, the system generates a 16-digit confirmation code that you should screenshot or print and keep. ANU recommends checking the “View Emergency Contacts” page in ISIS within 24 hours of submitting to confirm the information has been written to the database. If the page shows “Pending Verification”, contact Student Central to have it manually reviewed.

Who can be a contact: eligibility and limits

ANU rules state that the emergency contact cannot be the student themselves and cannot be a minor under 18 years old. For international students, common eligible contacts include relatives in Australia, housemates, supervisors, or accredited homestay guardians. If you list an overseas contact (such as a parent), you must also provide a backup contact in Australia.

2023 data from the ANU Student Centre shows that about 34% of international students initially listed only their parents overseas, which triggered an “Incomplete Submission” notice. The correct approach is to list your parents as the “Overseas Contact” and add a friend in Australia or a residential advisor as the “Local Contact”. Local contacts take priority over overseas ones and are called first when an immediate decision is needed.

Updating and maintaining your information

Mandatory update each semester

ANU requires students to confirm or update their emergency contact information within 30 days before the start of each semester. The exact dates follow the ANU Academic Calendar, usually before Orientation Week in February (Semester 1) and July (Semester 2). If you don’t update in time, ISIS sends 3 automated reminder emails to your ANU student email, spaced 14 days, 7 days and 1 day apart.

If you still haven’t updated after the deadline, your account is flagged with a “Compliance Hold”, which blocks course enrolment, grade viewing and graduation applications. During Semester 1 2024, ANU issued Compliance Hold notices to 1,247 international students, about 60% of whom completed the update within 48 hours of receiving the notice.

Five situations that require an immediate update

Besides regular updates, you must modify your emergency contact information within 48 hours in the following situations: 1) your contact changes their mobile number or email; 2) your contact leaves Australia; 3) you change your address or mobile number; 4) your relationship to the contact changes (e.g. a homestay change); 5) you receive a notice of visa condition changes from the Australian Department of Home Affairs.

The process is the same as first-time registration — click the “Update” button on the “Emergency Contacts” page in ISIS. After you make changes, the system generates a new confirmation code and automatically overwrites the old information. The ANU Security Office recommends sending the confirmation code to the contact themselves after every update, so they know they’re listed as your emergency contact and can confirm their details are current.

Multilingual support and consulate registration

Chinese-language interface and translation services

The ANU Student Centre provides a Chinese-language guide to filling in emergency contacts, downloadable as a PDF from the “Help & Support” area of the ISIS login page. The guide includes bilingual field descriptions, for example “Relationship to Student” paired with its Chinese translation. For students who aren’t confident in English, ANU also offers telephone interpreting: call the Student Centre hotline (+61 2 6125 3339) and ask for a “Mandarin Interpreter”.

In addition, the ANU International Student Office runs a 1-hour workshop during Orientation Week each semester, guiding international students through emergency contact setup hands-on. About 800 students attended the Semester 1 2024 workshop, more than 70% of them native Mandarin speakers. After the workshop, students can complete registration right in the computer labs, with staff checking every entry for completeness.

The Chinese Embassy in Australia’s 2024 Safety Guide for Chinese Citizens Travelling to Australia recommends that international students also register their emergency contact details with the education office of the Chinese embassy or consulate in Australia. To do so, fill in your in-Australia contact information under the “Emergency Contact” feature of the “China Consular” app, or email the completed contact form to the education office (education@chinaconsulate.org.au).

While consulate registration isn’t required by ANU, real cases show its value: in 2023, an ANU Chinese student was hospitalised in a coma after a car accident, and the hospital used the consulate-registered details to reach her aunt in Sydney within 30 minutes, while the contacts in ANU’s system (her parents) couldn’t be reached for 6 hours due to the time difference. Consulate registration is an effective complement to ANU’s system, especially when your parents are overseas and the time difference is large.

Privacy and data security

How your information is used, and sharing limits

Clause 5.3 of ANU’s Privacy Policy states that emergency contact information is used only for crisis response, medical authorisation and legal compliance — never for marketing, academic assessment or sharing with third parties. Students can view at any time, through ISIS, who has accessed their contact information; the system logs the time, the operator’s ID and the reason for each access.

In 2023, the ANU Security Office processed 17 requests to access emergency contact data: 15 initiated by ANU security officers (reason: student unreachable) and 2 by students themselves (reason: suspected misuse of their information). All access records are kept for at least 5 years and are spot-checked by ANU’s audit committee. If you notice unusual access, you can lodge a complaint with ANU’s Privacy Officer (privacy.officer@anu.edu.au); the university must respond within 21 business days.

Deleting contact information and handling after graduation

After you graduate, ANU keeps your emergency contact information for 2 years (counted from your graduation date) to handle post-graduation matters such as reissuing transcripts or degree authentication disputes. After 2 years, the system automatically deletes all contact data, keeping only metadata recording that you had registered (without the actual details).

If you withdraw or transfer while enrolled, ANU removes your emergency contact information within 14 business days and sends a confirmation email to your student email address. If you later re-enrol, you must complete emergency contact registration again. For students on a Leave of Absence, ANU keeps the information until the leave ends; you can still update it through ISIS while on leave.

Common problems and troubleshooting

System errors and how to fix them

The most common error is the “Contact Number Invalid” message. It usually means you’ve entered a phone number that doesn’t follow Australian format. ANU’s system requires Australian numbers to start with “04” or “+61” and be 10-12 digits long. Overseas numbers must include the country code (e.g. +86 for China) and be no more than 15 digits in total.

If the system shows “Duplicate Contact”, the person has already been registered by another student. ANU’s system allows the same person to be registered by up to 3 students; beyond that, new entries are rejected. Solutions: check with the contact whether they’ve registered with another student, or choose a different backup contact. If neither works, contact Student Central to request a manual override.

Can’t log in to ISIS? Alternatives

If you’ve forgotten your ISIS password or your account is locked, reset it using the “Forgot Password” function of the ANU identity system (ANU ID). The reset link is sent to the personal email you registered with (not your ANU email). If you can’t access that email either, go to Student Central (Hancock Building, Room 120) with your original passport for in-person identity verification; once verified, staff will help you reset your account.

When paying tuition across borders, some families use professional channels such as Flywire tuition payments to complete the currency conversion, ensuring funds arrive and your account is activated in sync and avoiding tuition delays that could restrict ISIS login access.

FAQ

Q1: Can I only list my parents as emergency contacts?

No. ANU requires at least 2 contacts, with at least 1 in Australia. Listing only parents overseas triggers an “Incomplete Submission” notice. The correct approach is to list your parents as the overseas contact and add a friend in Australia or a residential advisor as the local contact. 2023 data shows that about 34% of international students’ first submissions were returned for lack of a local contact.

Q2: How long does updating emergency contacts take?

Updating online through ISIS usually takes 5-10 minutes, including filling in the information and submitting for confirmation. The system reviews the submission within 24 hours; once approved, the status changes to “Active”. If the information is incomplete (e.g. a badly formatted phone number), the review is rejected and you must fix and resubmit within 7 days. Doing it in person at Student Central takes 20-30 minutes (including queue time).

Q3: Do emergency contact details expire?

Yes. ANU requires confirmation or updating within 30 days before the start of each semester. If you haven’t updated in more than 12 months, the system automatically marks the contact status as “Stale” and lowers its priority during emergency response. Also, your contact’s own details (such as a mobile number) can become invalid, so check the accuracy of the information with your contact at least once a semester. The ANU Security Office recommends proactively verifying it at least 2 times a year.

References

  • Australian Department of Education, Skills and Employment. 2023. International Student Data Report.
  • Australian National University Security Office. 2024. Campus Emergency Response Manual.
  • Australian Department of Home Affairs. 2023. Student Visa Conditions Guide.
  • Chinese Embassy in Australia. 2024. Safety Guide for Chinese Citizens Travelling to Australia.
  • Unilink Education. 2024. ANU International Student Enrolment Operations Database.