Identify the status of the issuing educational institution — whether it meets sufficient quality standards and is linked to the education system of the issuing country — by checking information provided by competent authorities of the issuing country and other reliable sources. Use primary sources, whenever possible, and reliable secondary sources, if necessary.
- Identify the exact name of the issuing educational institution, as written on the document, with the support of translation if needed. Consider that:
- the name of the institution may have changed;
- the institution may have closed down or merged into another institution;
- the translated name of the institution may vary.
- Confirm the recognition status of the educational institution — such as recognized, unrecognized but legitimate, or diploma mill — during the applicant’s period of study, by checking:
- your organization’s information system;
- competent authorities of the issuing country, as primary sources of information;
- any reciprocal agreement between your organization (e.g., university, professional regulatory bodies) and other entities (e.g., some educational institutions in Canada may have negotiated international transfer or cooperation agreements, some professional regulatory bodies or associations in Canada may have negotiated mutual recognition agreements or MRA);
- any reciprocal agreement negociated and/or decisions by governements in Canada (e.g., labour mobility provisions under the Canada-European Union Comprehensive and Economic Trade Agreement);
- other reliable primary or secondary sources (e.g., national information centres and established assessing organizations).
- Consult the website of the educational institution, and/or other resources, if necessary, for information such as the institution’s
- legal status;
- history (e.g., name change, institutional merger);
- study program offerings;
- affiliations with other organizations.
- Update your organization’s information system with the name(s) of the institution and its recognition status (if applicable).
In the process, maintain and update your organization’s information system about competent authorities in the issuing country and the types of educational institutions and programs they are responsible for.
- Identify the competent authorities overseeing educational institutions and programs according to the country’s legal framework and quality-assurance procedures, with responsibilities such as:
- registering educational institutions (and their academic programs, if applicable) according to domestic laws;
- reviewing the performance of educational institutions to ensure that acceptable quality standards are met;
- ensuring consumer protection.
- Identify types of educational institutions and programs under different competent authorities and/or review and approval processes (if applicable), such as:
- universities, colleges, and other academic institutions;
- institutions providing technical and vocational education and training (TVET);
- programs leading to entry-to-practice credentials for regulated occupations.
- Identify, for any academic credentials that are non–country specific or are issued by self-declared countries with limited recognition, the supranational, inter-governmental, or sectoral organizations your organization accepts in lieu of a country’s official competent authorities for information on recognition (if applicable).
When collecting such information, recognize the diversity of education systems and sectors worldwide, such as:
- different types of competent authorities (e.g., government ministries/departments responsible for education, quality-assurance/accrediting agencies, professional licensing bodies for regulated occupations, national information centres);
- different names of competent authorities (e.g., Ministry of Education, Ministry of Higher Education, University Grants Commission, National Qualifications Authority);
- different terminology to indicate a form or level of recognition (e.g., accredited, recognized, validated, registered, chartered, approved);
- the difference between “recognized” and “legitimate” (i.e., the latter is able to operate but does not meet quality standards for recognition);
- different levels of recognition status (e.g., institutional, programmatic);
- different types of issuing bodies, including third-party services authorized to issue academic credentials on behalf of educational institutions;
- different time limits of recognition status (e.g., one-time approval, cyclical accreditation processes).
Use CICIC’s Directory of Offshore Schools and International Education Resources as a starting point to locate the names of competent authorities for specific countries.