Certification FAQs

ICEQC certification is independent third-party certification of conformity with published ICEQC Education Quality Standards for one defined certification object and confirmed scope. ICEQC verifies evidence against every applicable Foundation Conformity Requirement, records a conclusion for each requirement and grants certification only when every applicable requirement conforms and every required remediation has been verified as complete. It is not a comparative rating, a general declaration of excellence or an expert endorsement.

ICEQC certifies one of three defined objects: an Education Organization, an Education Technology Service or an Educational Product. The certificate applies only to the legal holder and the activities, sites, services, platforms, products, versions, users, delivery modes, jurisdictions and exclusions expressly included in the approved scope. Certification of one object does not certify another object associated with the same legal entity.

Yes. Every Foundation Conformity Requirement applicable to the confirmed object and scope must be recorded as Conforming before a positive certification decision can be made. ICEQC does not average, weight or offset results. A strength in one area cannot compensate for a nonconformity in another, and an open nonconformity cannot be bypassed by professional judgement, reputation, payment or an overall favourable impression.

No. ICEQC records Conforming, Nonconforming or objectively justified Not Applicable at requirement level. It does not calculate a score, percentage, composite index, rank, star rating, grade, tier or certification level. Certification communicates that every applicable published requirement has been met for the stated scope; it does not compare the certificate holder with other applicants or certificate holders.

No. ICEQC is an independent, nonprofit and nongovernmental organization. ICEQC certification is voluntary third-party certification against ICEQC requirements. It is not a government licence, statutory institutional or programme accreditation, market authorization, degree recognition or exercise of public regulatory power. Applicants and certificate holders remain responsible for all licences, registrations, permissions and legal duties in every jurisdiction where they operate.

No. Certification confirms that verified evidence established conformity for the holder, object, scope, requirements, editions, dates and status stated in the public record. It does not guarantee every future act, outcome, learner result, service release, product unit, safety condition or absence of incidents. Continuing conformity is addressed through holder obligations, change reporting, surveillance and certificate-status controls.

All matters governed by applicable law remain subject to the competent authorities and legal requirements of the relevant jurisdiction. These may include authorization to operate, education licensing, programme approval, child protection, employment, immigration, privacy, cybersecurity, product safety, accessibility, consumer protection, tax and professional requirements. ICEQC verifies the applicable ICEQC requirements but does not replace a regulator or determine legal rights outside its mandate.

No. A required licence, permission, authorization or registration must be obtained and maintained independently. ICEQC may verify evidence of the applicant's legal identity and required authority because these facts affect eligibility and conformity, but an ICEQC certificate cannot create, renew or replace legal permission. Loss or restriction of a material authorization must be reported and may affect the certificate scope or status.

The applicant must be the identifiable legal entity accountable for the proposed certification object and scope. It must hold the authority and legal permissions required for its activities, control the material operations and third parties included in the scope, have implemented arrangements capable of being verified and be able to provide the necessary people, records, systems, sites, services or products for verification.

Yes, if it meets the same eligibility and evidence rules as any other applicant. Age, size and reputation are not decision criteria. A newly established applicant must nevertheless provide current documents and enough corresponding implementation records to establish conformity across the proposed scope. If activities have not operated long enough to produce evidence required by an applicable requirement, a plan or blank template cannot substitute for that evidence.

An applicant may review the standards, create an account and prepare information before full operation, but certification can be granted only when sufficient current evidence establishes every applicable requirement. Requirements concerning implementation, monitoring, learner or user experience, incidents, reviews or outcomes generally require operating records. ICEQC may decline or return an application where only future plans, draft documents or blank templates are available.

Select the object whose education quality is presented for certification. An Education Organization is the accountable provider of education. An Education Technology Service delivers or supports defined educational content or learning functions. An Educational Product contains defined educational content or learning functions. Certification of a service does not certify its general technical quality, and certification of a product does not certify its general manufacturing, hardware or technical quality. ICEQC confirms the selection and scope during application review.

Yes, but each certification object requires a separate application, confirmed scope, applicability record, evidence record, decision and certificate. For example, certification of an Education Organization does not certify a learning platform it uses, and certification of an Education Technology Service does not certify the organization operating it as an Education Organization. Related applications may share a legal entity and some evidence, but their conclusions remain separate.

The certificate holder is one accountable legal entity. Multiple sites may be included where their activities, control, evidence and applicability can be defined and verified within one scope. A separate legal entity is not certified merely because it belongs to the same group, uses the same brand or follows common policies. If more than one legal entity is to be certified, ICEQC determines whether separate applications and records are required.

The application identifies the accountable legal entity and, as applicable, included sites, education activities, services, platforms, products, models, versions, learner or user groups, delivery modes, jurisdictions, third-party arrangements and exclusions. ICEQC checks whether the boundary is clear, controllable and verifiable. The approved scope is then used consistently in the plan, findings, decision, certificate and Public Certificate Register.

Before a decision, a material scope change requires revised applicability, evidence and planning and may revise fees or timeframes. After certification, the holder must report the change before representing the new activity as certified. ICEQC determines whether the public record can be updated, additional verification is required, a new decision is necessary or the existing scope must be reduced, suspended or otherwise changed.

The certification basis includes the common certification rules, the standard governing the selected object, applicable sector or specialist modules, the Foundation Conformity Requirements and the evidence and decision procedures relevant to the confirmed scope. The Standards Register shows the current edition and status. ICEQC confirms applicability; an applicant cannot select only preferred clauses or use a superseded edition unless an applicable transition rule permits it.

Foundation Conformity Requirements are the public requirement-level units used to determine conformity. Each states its applicability, conformity criteria, minimum and acceptable evidence, evidence not sufficient by itself, verification approach, nonconformity conditions and remediation-complete criteria, with links to its source standard clauses. They make the decision basis visible before an application begins.

The published Foundation framework contains 30 requirements for an Education Organization, 24 for an Education Technology Service and 21 for an Educational Product. These are object-specific sets within the 75-requirement public catalogue. Applicability within the relevant set still depends on the confirmed scope and the published applicability condition for each requirement.

Not Applicable is recorded only when objective facts show that the complete requirement does not apply to the confirmed object and scope. ICEQC verifies and records that basis. A lack of evidence, incomplete implementation, commercial inconvenience, an intended future change or a preference not to include a control is not a basis for Not Applicable. If part of the requirement applies, the applicable part must be met.

The 39 Application Packages organize the evidence to be submitted: 15 for Education Organizations, 12 for Education Technology Services and 12 for Educational Products. Each package identifies the subject, submission category, submission condition, timing and linked requirements. A package does not add or replace a conformity requirement; it provides a controlled route for presenting the evidence used to verify requirements.

Required materials are necessary for the selected object and scope under the relevant package. Conditional materials become necessary when a published trigger applies, such as a particular delivery mode, technology, learner group, market, partner, legal duty, incident history or product function. The applicant must disclose the facts needed to determine the condition; it cannot avoid a conditional package by omitting the triggering activity from its description while retaining it in scope.

Yes. A file is uploaded once and may be linked to every evidence package and Foundation Conformity Requirement it genuinely supports. The applicant must identify the relevant part of the file, its date and version, owner or issuer and the part of the scope covered. Reuse does not mean that a general policy automatically establishes every linked requirement; ICEQC evaluates the specific evidence and corresponding implementation records for each conclusion.

English is the authoritative application language. An original document issued in another language must be submitted as a complete set with the original-language record, a qualified English translation and the required notarization record. The translation must preserve the complete meaning and identifiers. ICEQC may verify the original, translator or source where authenticity or accuracy is material. An incomplete translated set is not accepted as evidence.

The applicant prepares the required legal, object, scope and operating information, uploads each evidence file once, links it to the relevant evidence packages and requirements, completes the declaration and submits through the Online Application Centre. The Portal maintains the formal application record and provides the controlled route for subsequent information and evidence exchanges.

No. Applications, evidence and personal records must be submitted through the Online Application Centre. Ordinary email and the registered office are not application channels. General correspondence may identify an application reference, but it must not be used to transmit evidence or sensitive records. This protects the integrity, access control and traceability of the formal application record.

The application identifies the legal entity, registration and authorized contacts; the selected certification object; the proposed scope and exclusions; sites, services, platforms, products, versions, delivery modes, jurisdictions and material third parties; operating history and responsible personnel; applicable requirements and packages; evidence-file metadata; and declarations concerning accuracy, authority, access and publication of the certificate record if granted.

The Online Application Centre is the controlled place to prepare the application and retain the current submission state. Only the applicant's authorized users should use the account and review the complete record before submission. A saved draft is not a submitted application, does not start an application timeframe and is not reviewed for conformity or certification.

Submit it only through the Online Application Centre. Remove personal information that is not necessary for verification, while preserving the source information needed to authenticate and interpret the record. Identify legal, contractual or security restrictions before verification planning. If redaction prevents a material fact from being verified, ICEQC may request controlled source access or another reliable evidence route.

ICEQC records the submission and checks the applicant's legal identity, selected object, proposed scope, required application information, apparent completeness and whether the application can be considered within the published programme. ICEQC may request specified information, return the submission as incomplete, accept it for planning, refuse it with reasons or close it under the applicable rules. No conformity conclusion is made merely because the form was submitted.

ICEQC identifies the information required for the completeness or eligibility check and returns or holds the submission under the applicable rule. The applicant must provide accurate and complete information within the stated period. A returned submission is not treated as conforming, and the overall certification target does not run through periods excluded under the published timeframe rules.

No. Acceptance means that ICEQC has determined that the application can proceed to agreement and verification planning. Certification is granted only after scope and applicability are confirmed, sufficient evidence has been verified for every applicable requirement, every nonconformity has been remediated and closed, the complete record has passed independent technical review and an authorized positive certification decision has been made.

ICEQC links each evidence item to the object, scope and requirement it supports and evaluates relevance, authenticity, reliability, completeness, currency and traceability. Verification may include document and source-record review, data reconciliation, interviews, demonstrations, observation, remote tours, sampling and independent specialist evidence. The method and depth must support a recorded conclusion for every applicable requirement.

No. Remote verification changes the means of obtaining and testing evidence, not the requirement or conformity threshold. ICEQC must still establish identity, source integrity, scope coverage and sufficient reliable facts. Where a physical, technical, legal, safeguarding, security or safety condition cannot be established remotely, ICEQC requires another reliable evidence route, limits the scope or records the resulting evidence limitation or nonconformity.

No. ICEQC uses the method or combination of methods capable of establishing the applicable condition with sufficient confidence. Many records, systems, interviews and demonstrations can be verified securely through remote methods. A condition is not assumed to conform merely because an on-site visit is not planned; ICEQC may require independent physical or specialist evidence, additional access or a scope limitation where remote evidence is insufficient.

Yes, where the method is relevant, lawful and included in verification planning. ICEQC may interview accountable or responsible people, observe a process or remote tour, and request a live demonstration of a system, service, control or product function. These activities test implementation and corroborate records; they do not replace documentary or source evidence where the requirement calls for it.

ICEQC selects samples relevant to the requirement and representative of the population, period and scope being tested. Selection may address variation by site, programme, service, product, version, user group, provider or time. ICEQC may expand or replace a sample when evidence is inconsistent or not representative. Sampling cannot waive an applicable requirement or offset a nonconformity elsewhere.

Yes. ICEQC may request the source record, underlying data, another sample, identity or version information, corroborating evidence or a live demonstration when submitted material is incomplete, inconsistent, unusually uniform, unauthenticated or insufficient for the requirement. The request must relate to the confirmed scope and published certification basis; it cannot be used to create an unpublished requirement.

Specialist evidence may be required where a technical, physical, legal, safety, security, accessibility or other condition needs competence or direct access outside ICEQC's planned verification capability. ICEQC considers the specialist's identity, competence, independence, method, scope, date and limitations and relates the evidence to the applicable requirement. A specialist opinion is not automatically accepted and cannot replace the certification decision.

No. Automated tools may support controlled administrative or analytical tasks, but an automated output cannot amend a requirement, determine applicability, replace verified evidence or make the certification decision. An authorized person reviews the complete certification record and makes the decision independently of the evidence-verification work. The decision and reasons remain attributable to the authorized ICEQC decision function.

Conforming means verified evidence establishes the complete applicable requirement for the relevant scope. Nonconforming means the requirement is not met or sufficient reliable evidence has not established it. Not Applicable means ICEQC has verified an objective basis showing that the complete requirement does not apply to the confirmed object and scope. The three conclusions are not scores and are not averaged.

ICEQC records a nonconformity identifying the published requirement, verified facts, affected scope and unmet condition. The applicant must correct the condition and provide updated evidence. ICEQC verifies the response against the original requirement. The finding remains open unless the remediation-complete criteria are met, and certification cannot be granted while it remains open.

The response should address the cause and extent of the condition, complete the correction, establish or revise the necessary control, implement it across the affected scope and provide current evidence that the change operates effectively. The exact evidence depends on the original requirement and finding. ICEQC verifies the result but does not prescribe or design the applicant's solution.

No. A proposed action, future date, verbal assurance or document drafted for future use does not establish that the nonconforming condition has been corrected and the control implemented. Closure requires updated evidence that satisfies the remediation-complete criteria for the original requirement. Administrative closure, expiry of a deadline or deletion of a record also cannot establish conformity.

The published standard route includes one remediation round within the stated overall target. If the first response does not establish closure, the finding remains open. Further work may require an amended plan, fee or timeframe under the published terms, or the application may be unable to proceed. No additional round changes the original requirement or permits certification with an open finding.

Technical review checks whether the confirmed scope, applicability, evidence, conclusions and remediation record are complete and technically supported. The certification decision is the authorized determination to grant, refuse or otherwise resolve certification for the confirmed scope. Both are separate from evidence verification, and the decision maker must not have performed the evidence verification for the same application.

ICEQC may grant certification for an approved scope, refuse certification or make another outcome permitted by the applicable certification rules. The decision record identifies the scope, basis, effective date and reasons. A positive decision requires every applicable requirement to conform. An adverse decision notice identifies the applicable basis and the available appeal route; it is not replaced by informal correspondence.

A complaint concerns conduct, service, process or another matter within the published complaints route. An appeal asks ICEQC to reconsider an eligible certification decision under the appeals procedure. The routes have different admissibility, independence and outcome rules. Submitting a complaint does not convert it into an appeal or suspend a decision unless the applicable published rule states otherwise.

The Fees and Timeframes page publishes the standard profiles for an Education Organization, International School, Education Technology Service and Educational Product. International School is a fee profile within the Education Organization certification object, not a fourth object. The written proposal confirms the profile and any published additional charge required by the confirmed scope or verification conditions before the relevant work proceeds.

An international school remains an Education Organization for certification purposes. The separate published fee profile reflects the standard scope and verification work associated with an international school serving learners under 18. It does not create a separate certification object, standard, level or status. The certificate and Public Certificate Register identify Education Organization as the object and state the approved school scope.

The initial certification fee includes a separately identified application and scope review component at the amount published on the Fees and Timeframes page. This work covers the review activities necessary to determine whether the application can proceed and to confirm the basis for planning. It is payment for work performed, not payment for acceptance or certification, and it does not alter the requirements, evidence threshold or independent decision.

Yes. The month 12 and month 24 surveillance fees are published separately from the initial certification fee and are invoiced at the applicable point in the standard three-year cycle. Surveillance is substantive continuing-conformity work. Payment does not guarantee that certification will remain active; the status outcome depends on verified continuing conformity and completion of any required action.

Additional charges apply only where a published item is triggered by the confirmed scope or a later event requiring work beyond the selected standard profile. Examples may include additional sites, legal entities, languages, specialist work, major scope changes or additional remediation work where listed in the current schedule. ICEQC identifies the basis before undertaking chargeable additional work; a charge cannot purchase or influence conformity.

Refunds depend on the point reached and work already performed. The published refund table identifies the circumstance, refundable portion and applicable notes. The application and scope review component and completed work are treated according to those terms. A refusal, withdrawal or nonconformity does not by itself create a right to a refund outside the published rule.

The Fees and Timeframes page publishes the current overall target for the standard route and the target for a route that includes one remediation round, together with the start event and excluded periods. These are planning targets for the stated stages, not guarantees of completion, certification or a positive decision. The current figures are maintained only on that controlled page so that readers always use one authoritative source.

The timeframe starts only at the event stated in the published table, after the required application and payment conditions are met. Periods awaiting applicant information, evidence, access, remediation or another excluded event do not count where the table so provides. A material scope change, additional work or external condition may require a revised target. The proposal and Portal record provide the case-specific dates.

The certificate record states the effective and expiry dates, normally within a 36-month certification cycle. Validity remains subject to continuing conformity, surveillance, material-change review and status action. A certificate is not valid outside its stated dates or approved scope, and renewal is not automatic. The Public Certificate Register is the authoritative source for current status.

The record identifies the certificate holder's legal name, certificate number, certification object, approved scope and exclusions, applicable ICEQC standards and editions, issue and expiry dates and current status. It may also identify the effective date of a status or scope change. Readers must interpret the certificate through these fields and must not extend it to another entity, activity or version.

Search the Public Certificate Register by the certificate number or certificate holder's legal name. Confirm the holder, certification object, exact scope and exclusions, applicable standards and editions, issue and expiry dates and current status. A logo, QR image, promotional page or certificate copy should be treated as a pointer to the register, not as independent proof of current certification.

Use the current Public Certificate Register record. A saved or printed copy may pre-date a scope reduction, suspension, withdrawal, correction, renewal or expiry. Check the certificate number and holder and report a suspected alteration or misleading claim through the public misuse route. ICEQC may confirm the authoritative record but does not validate an altered private copy as current.

Active permits authorized claims for the current published scope. Suspended means certification is temporarily not in active standing and claims are restricted. Reduced means only the current narrower scope remains certified. Withdrawn means certification has ended by status action. Expired means the stated period ended without an effective renewed certificate. The register states the current status and effective date.

ICEQC conducts scheduled surveillance to verify continuing conformity during the standard 36-month cycle. The holder provides current evidence and access addressing implementation, changes, complaints, incidents, prior findings, monitoring and public claims as relevant. ICEQC records the surveillance conclusion and any required remediation or status action. Surveillance is not automatic confirmation and does not renew the certificate.

Report changes that may affect the legal holder, accountable control, certified scope, applicable requirements or continuing conformity. This includes material changes to sites, activities, services, products, versions, technology, delivery, user groups, jurisdictions, third parties, responsible personnel, licences and serious incidents or external findings. The holder must not wait for scheduled surveillance when the change may affect certification.

An extension requires confirmation of the revised scope and applicability, additional evidence verification and an authorized decision before the new activity is claimed as certified. Renewal requires a complete decision before expiry and is not automatic. If certification expires, is suspended, reduced or withdrawn, the holder must immediately align every claim, certificate display and mark use with the current Public Certificate Register record.