We help students and their caregivers form a realistic and unbiased assessment about the type of experience and provision on offer at an institution. Just like in-country and world ranking tables can tell you about the reputation of an institution, EEQA accreditation demonstrates that an institution:
Follows international best-practice
Cares about continually improving their students' experience
Offers adequate student support and facilities
Employs professionally qualified teachers and staff
Cares about international students and their welfare
Has voluntarily undertaken external assessment by unbiased inspectors
Is committed to upholding EEQA Standards over the 5-year accreditation period
Abides by the EEQA Code of Ethics in their operation
Please note: Once the certification of an educational institution exceeds the validity period of the certification, the institution will not be recognized by EEQA.
Accreditation means different things in different countries and contexts, and we understand that this can be confusing. Our accreditation is a quality standard for institutions, not their courses. We inspect institutions to determine whether they offer students a quality educational experience with professional teaching - in a safe and supportive environment.
Moreover, obtaining EEQA certification does not mean obtaining course certification. Because, EEQA distinguishes between institutional certification, program certification and course certification. Please check with your academic institution for details.
No, we are sorry that is not our role as a quality assurance body. We recommend that you approach the institution you are considering applying to and ask them who the awarding body is for your course/programme of study.
Any institution you consider studying at will either:
Be able to tell you the awarding body for the programme of study that you are considering
Or they will award their own courses (and be approved/allowed to do so by an in-country body/law)
In both cases, we advise that you check the level of study and its award fits the requirements you need to either: continue your studies; or gain employment. People who can help you include: careers advisors, teachers at your current institution, or educational advisory services for students in your country (or the country you are considering studying in).
You need to check the level of your qualification's award against the requirements of the institution/country you wish to study at/in. Institutions/countries are entitled to set their own conditions - and there is no international law or rule or standardisation.
Unfortunately, we cannot help you, as it is not within our role or power to decide on qualification requirements either in the USA or elsewhere. If you want to either embark on further study or work abroad, you will need to speak to the relevant body responsible for benchmarking international qualifications in the country you wish to study/work in. For example, in the USA, you would need to speak to USA ENIC.
All of our currently accredited institutions are listed on our directory here. Please note, we cannot comment on unaccredited institutions.
In the first instance, if a student or staff member contacts EEQA to make a complaint, they will be asked to resolve the matter according to the institution’s complaints procedure.
If the complainant has followed the procedure and the matter is not dealt with satisfactorily, they may contact EEQA for assistance:
The student/staff member must provide evidence that: they have a valid complaint or grievance; show that they have followed/or tried to comply with the complaints procedure.
If the evidence supplied requires further investigation, EEQA will contact the institution directly to try and resolve the matter.
EEQA's involvement is to ensure the institution is complying with its own internal procedures and upholding our standards. In an extreme or serious situation, the EEQA Accreditation Committee may become involved, and accreditation withdrawn.
More information is in the EEQA Handbook.
If something affects the running of your institution either in academic or administrative terms, we need to be informed. The reason for this is to ensure that you continue to be compliant with current legislation/our standards. Examples include changes in premises, ownership, management/key staff, courses or awarding bodies - or gaining/losing licenses to operate.
See the full responsibilities for maintaining accreditation in the EEQA Handbook.
According to the certification process: institutional certification lasts about 6 months, program certification lasts about 12 months, and course certification only takes 3 months; personal certification such as: professional qualification certification cycle is about 1 month, credit transfer takes 45 days, etc. The validity period for degree certification is approximately 2 months.
However, depending on the documents and procedures submitted by the certification applicant, there may be a possibility of delay.