Identify the position of the academic credential in the issuing country

Read and assimilate the details contained in all documents submitted in their original language, with the support of translation if needed, to identify the position of the academic credential in the education system of the issuing country.

  • Work with documents in their original language if possible. When using translations, consider that:
    • the quality and reliability of translations, including those meeting your organization’s requirements, may vary;
    • the ability to identify important features of the documents in their original language, such as key terminology, may prove helpful;
    • the terminology used in the translation may be different from the terminology commonly used by your organization;
    • some information relevant to interpreting and assessing the documents may have been omitted.
  • Read all the documents, such as degree or diploma certificates, academic transcripts, and diploma supplements, to ensure that:
    • they represent a type of recognized academic credential in the issuing country;
    • any inconsistencies with the general pattern of the academic credential are accounted for, such as reduced workload from transfer credits.
  • Examine the five key elements of the academic credential:
    • the level in the hierarchy of academic credentials, or on the educational ladder, of the issuing country, based on the credential's:
      • position in the qualifications framework or other official standards;
      • admission requirements and further education pathways;
    • the workload as a quantitative measure of learning activities, such as instruction, laboratory work, and internship (e.g., in hours, credits, years);
    • the quality of the educational institution and/or program, typically indicated by its recognition status granted by competent authorities, and of student performance (if applicable);
    • the profile of the academic program, including:
      • its content, whether multi-, inter-, or mono-disciplinary, and whether general or specialized;
      • its purpose, whether to give access to further education, employment, or licensure to practise a regulated occupation;
    • learning outcomes, including the expected knowledge, skills, and competencies of the academic credential holder, which may be:
      • specified in program descriptions, qualifications frameworks, or other official standards; or
      • inferred on the basis of the other four key elements above, if formal statements of learning outcomes are not available.
  • Identify the position of the academic credential in the education system of the issuing country by:
    • using your organization’s information system or external sources to place the academic credential on the educational ladder of the issuing country;
    • finding a comparable academic credential in the current system if the academic credential being assessed has been phased out.

In the process, maintain and update your organization’s information system about major academic credentials from the issuing country.

  • Document the structure of the education system, including qualifications frameworks (if available).
  • Delineate an educational ladder showing the common and alternative pathways leading to academic credentials of different types and levels.
  • Identify the key elements of academic credentials defined in qualifications frameworks or other official standards.

Use the competent authorities of the issuing country as primary sources for this information. Other reliable sources include those published by national information centres and established assessing organizations.

Comply with the Pan-Canadian Quality Assurance Framework for the Assessment of International Academic Credentials (QAF)
  • This step complies with guiding principles 5, 14, 21, 25–27, and 43–49 of QAF.
  • Consult QAF to get more information.

 

Comply with the Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications concerning Higher Education in the European Region, also known as the Lisbon Recognition Convention (LRC)
  • This step complies with article III.2; article III.3, clause 1; and articles V.1 and V.3 of LRC.
  • Consult LRC to get more information.

 

Consult additional resources. You may find useful information in resources such as:

    1. UNESCO and the Council of Europe. (2010). Revised Recommendation on Criteria and Procedures for the Assessment of Foreign Qualifications, section IV,paragraphs 23 and 24; and section V, paragraph 39.
    2. UNESCO and the Council of Europe. (2013). Recommendation on the Use of Qualifications Frameworks in the Recognition of Foreign Qualifications.
    3. NUFFIC. (2023). European Area of Recognition (EAR) Manual, 2nd ed., part 1, item 2; part 2, items 9 and 10; part 4, items 20 and 21.
    4. ENIC-NARIC:
      1. Diploma Supplement;
      2. Grading Scale Systems;
      3. Qualifications Frameworks: Level of Qualifications; and
      4. Quality in Higher Education: Accreditation, Recognition and Quality Assurance.