Institutional identity
The International Council for Education Quality Certification (ICEQC) is an independent, nonprofit and nongovernmental organization established in Switzerland. Its registered office is in Geneva and its Swiss enterprise identification number is CHE-196.137.617.
ICEQC develops and maintains an original education quality standards system and administers voluntary third-party certification against published ICEQC requirements. The institution is responsible for the integrity of its standards, certification schemes, conformity verification arrangements, certification decisions, certificate status controls and public registers.
Legal name
International Council for Education Quality Certification.
Official short name
ICEQC.
Institutional character
Independent, nonprofit and nongovernmental.
Registered identity
Swiss UID CHE-196.137.617; registered office in Geneva, Switzerland.
Purpose and public function
The ICEQC standards system exists to establish clear, public and auditable requirements for education quality and to provide a consistent basis for voluntary third-party conformity assessment. Its purpose is not to express a general opinion about an applicant. It is to determine, from objective evidence, whether a defined certification object and scope fulfil the requirements published before the application begins.
The system is governed for the reliability of education quality information and for the protection of persons who may reasonably rely on that information. Learners, families, educators, education providers, purchasers, public-interest organizations, researchers, regulators and other users of certification information are treated as materially affected interests.
The ICEQC certification system
ICEQC certifies one of three defined objects: an Education Organization, an Education Technology Service or an Educational Product. An application, evidence record, conformity determination, decision, certificate and public record are controlled for one confirmed object and scope. Certification of one object does not extend to another object, legal entity, site, service, product, version or partner unless it is expressly included in the Public Certificate Register.
The current certification framework comprises 35 controlled instruments: 19 standards, 4 certification schemes, 3 procedures, 7 controlled rules, 1 charter and 1 policy. The Foundation Conformity Requirements consolidate 75 object-specific requirements: 30 for Education Organizations, 24 for Education Technology Services and 21 for Educational Products. The Certification Application Materials Guide identifies 39 evidence packages: 15, 12 and 12 respectively.
Published basis
Standards, applicability conditions, conformity criteria, evidence requirements, verification methods, remediation conditions and decision rules are public before application.
Requirement-by-requirement determination
Every requirement applicable to the confirmed object and scope must be determined Conforming. A requirement may be recorded Not Applicable only where ICEQC confirms an objective basis.
Verified remediation
A positive decision cannot be made while an applicable requirement is Nonconforming or required remediation has not been verified as complete.
No scoring or ranking
ICEQC does not average, weight or offset results and does not issue scores, grades, rankings, stars, tiers or certification levels.
Separated authority and public accountability
Standards development, application administration, evidence verification, technical review, certification decision, fee administration and appeal determination are distinct functions. Access to a system, performance of administrative work or use of a title does not confer authority to verify conformity, make a certification decision or determine an appeal.
Certification personnel apply the published requirements to verified facts and evidence. They cannot create an unpublished condition for an individual applicant, waive or reduce an applicable requirement, offset a nonconformity, or substitute personal preference, reputation, commercial importance or an unsupported expert opinion for the published decision rules.
Governance and Accountability identifies the institutional bodies, decision authorities, impartiality controls, complaints and appeal routes. Reports and Disclosures provides the public records through which ICEQC explains its institutional controls and publication responsibilities.
Certification boundary
ICEQC certification constitutes a voluntary third-party attestation of conformity with the ICEQC standards, requirements and editions identified in the certificate and the Public Certificate Register. Its effect is confined to the stated certificate holder, certification object, scope, validity period and current status.
An ICEQC certification shall not be represented as recognition, authorization, accreditation, approval or endorsement of the certified subject by any other organization, public authority or national administration. It does not determine a legal entitlement to operate, confer degree recognition or academic equivalence, replace a licence or statutory approval, or guarantee a future educational, safety, employment or commercial outcome.
Official public resources
Standards Register
Current editions, status, responsible bodies, approval authorities and public text of the 35 ICEQC controlled instruments.
How ICEQC Certification Works
The published methodology from scope and applicability through evidence verification, remediation, independent decision and public status.
Public Certificate Register
The controlling public record of certificate holder, certified object, scope, applicable basis, dates and current status.
Governance and Accountability
Institutional structure, decision authority, impartiality, standards governance, complaints, appeals and public disclosures.