USD · standard three-year cycle
Standard certification fees
The initial fee includes USD 500 for application and scope review. Surveillance at months 12 and 24 is invoiced separately. Renewal is a separate assessment and decision before expiry and is not included in the three-year total. International School is not a separate certification object: a school is certified as an Education Organization, and the separately published International School fee profile applies where the confirmed school scope meets that profile.
| Fee profile | Typical scope | Initial certification | Month 12 surveillance | Month 24 surveillance | Three-year total | Renewal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Education Organization | School, early childhood, higher education, training, language, tutoring, vocational, adult or remote education organization | USD 5,250 | USD 1,350 | USD 1,350 | USD 7,950 | USD 3,950 |
| International School (Education Organization profile) | Confirmed international school profile serving learners under 18 | USD 6,500 | USD 2,000 | USD 2,000 | USD 10,500 | USD 4,900 |
| Education Technology Service | Educational content or learning functions delivered through a defined platform, application, digital assessment service or AI-enabled education service | USD 4,750 | USD 1,200 | USD 1,200 | USD 7,150 | USD 3,550 |
| Educational Product | Educational content or learning functions contained in a defined product or product family | USD 4,250 | USD 1,000 | USD 1,000 | USD 6,250 | USD 3,150 |
The fee profile identifies the standard work for the confirmed object and scope. Renewal requires a timely application, current-scope confirmation, updated applicability, evidence verification, closure of any nonconformity, independent review and a new decision. Additional charges may apply only where the published conditions in the next table are met. A fee profile does not create a certification level, preferred route or different conformity threshold.
Additional charges
These charges apply only when the confirmed scope or a later event requires work beyond the selected standard profile.
| Additional scope or service | Fee | When it applies |
|---|---|---|
| Additional location or campus beyond the base scope | USD 350 each | The location or campus has operations, management or risks that require separate verification. |
| Additional legal entity requiring separate verification within the confirmed group scope | USD 1,200 each | A legal entity other than the certificate holder requires separate verification within the confirmed group scope. |
| Franchise, partner or subcontracted delivery network | USD 1,000 | The network requires separate confirmation of responsibilities and implementation. |
| Additional independent platform or application family | USD 750 each | The platform or application differs substantially in functions, data or operating responsibility. |
| Additional substantially different product family | USD 800 each | The product family differs substantially in design, risks, testing or supply chain. |
| Material AI function requiring an additional control route | USD 750 | The AI function has a material effect on education outcomes, user rights or data processing. |
| Additional verification language | USD 500 per language | Verification personnel with the required language competence must be assigned separately. |
| Second and later remediation verification rounds | USD 650 per round | A nonconformity remains after the first remediation round, or a new remediation scope arises. |
| Certification scope extension | USD 900 plus applicable scope fees | A location, service, platform or product is added during the certification period. |
| Event-driven special review | USD 750–2,000 | Set according to the actual scope of the special review. |
Payment schedule
| Payment point | Amount | When payable | What happens next |
|---|---|---|---|
| Account and draft application | USD 0 | No payment | Save, resume or revise the draft application. |
| Initial certification invoice | Applicable initial fee plus confirmed additional charges | After accepting the scope, quotation and agreement | ICEQC schedules the verification work. |
| Month 12 surveillance | Applicable surveillance fee | Before month 12 surveillance | Month 12 surveillance begins. |
| Month 24 surveillance | Applicable surveillance fee | Before month 24 surveillance | Month 24 surveillance begins. |
| Renewal | Quoted separately under the current renewal schedule | Before the three-year cycle expires | A new certification cycle begins. |
Refunds
| Circumstance | Refund | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Withdrawal before verification begins | 85% of the verification component | The USD 500 application and scope review component is retained. |
| Withdrawal after verification is scheduled but before substantive evidence review | 60% of the verification component | Completed work and the application and scope review component are retained. |
| Proposed object is outside an available ICEQC scheme | Unperformed verification component | The USD 500 application and scope review component is retained. |
| Substantive evidence review has started | No ordinary refund | A nonconformity, adverse decision or incomplete action does not create a refund entitlement. |
| Duplicate payment or confirmed payment-system error | Full refund of the affected amount | ICEQC confirms the affected payment before issuing the refund. |
| ICEQC cancels the activity | Unperformed component | Completed work remains chargeable unless an ICEQC payment-system error caused the cancellation. |
Application timeframes
The overall target covers the complete certification process, not only evidence review. It includes the applicable application, scope, planning, verification, findings, review and decision work identified in the table.
| Application route | Overall target | Target starts when | What the target includes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard application | 120 working days | The next working day after ICEQC confirms that the application is complete and the applicable initial fee has been received. | Scope confirmation, evidence review, verification, technical review and the certification decision. |
| Application requiring one remediation round | 180 working days | The original 120-working-day clock start remains unchanged. | One remediation plan, the applicant's corrections, updated evidence, verification and the revised review. |
Time excluded from the target
The target includes applicant responses made within the deadline stated in the application record. The clock pauses only for days after that deadline while a required answer or document remains incomplete.
Revised timeframe
ICEQC will confirm a revised target if the application needs a second or later remediation round, a major scope change, a licensing or safeguarding investigation, an evidence-integrity investigation, or implementation records that cannot yet exist.
The 36-month certificate period is the validity period after certification. It is not the application processing time. A target date does not guarantee certification.