No
two education systems are alike. This is why there are different structures, typology of
institutions, qualifications and recognition procedures in each country: one
element (i.e. qualification, institution, structure) that exists in an
educational system of one country may not exist in another. Furthermore, a
qualification or an institution may have similar names, but have a different
meaning and nature within different national higher education systems. As a
consequence, it is essential to know the unique elements of different
educational systems in order to be able to evaluate a foreign qualification or
to understand the level and the nature of a study programme abroad.
There are two main
typologies of information sources on higher education systems:
- official sources,
created by the authorities within a country to officially present their system
and
- international
sources, created by different organisations/institutions (at
national/sub-national or international levels) in order to collect information
on different higher education systems.
Official sources of information
In order to obtain verified and official
information on national higher education systems, the first source of
information is the national competent authority in charge of the higher education sector
(i.e. Ministry of Education, Council of HED, etc.).
ENIC-NARIC centres created and maintain their respective Country
Page (see the list of countries on the right column) up-to-date with official
information on:
- National
Information Centres
- National
education bodies- System of
education
- University
education
- Quality
Assurance in Higher Education
- Post-secondary
non-university education
- Recognised
higher education institutions
- Policies
and procedures for the recognition of qualifications
- Recognition of Qualifications held by Refugees
- Qualifications
Framework
- Diploma
Supplement Information
Under the UNESCO Regions section of
this website (Europe and North America; Asia and the Pacific; Africa;
Latin America and the Caribbean; Arab States and Mediterranean Region) the Country List section provides information on national competent authorities in charge of higher
education issues
for most countries.
International sources of information
Considering that some official information is available only
in respective national languages, which are often not accessible for the
general public, some international organisations, networks, credential
evaluation services and ENIC-NARIC centres have created different sources of
information (i.e. databases, country profiles, etc.) in order to present
different elements of national higher education systems. The majority of those
international sources are created to answer national needs, which sometimes includes
information influenced by the point of view of the national institution who
created it.
Non-exhaustive list of international information sources (available free of
charge)
EU Commission: Eurypedia - The European Encyclopedia on National Education Systems
EACEA - Overview of the Higher Education Systems in the Tempus Partner Countries
UNESCO - Portal to Recognised Higher Education Institutions
UNESCO - International Bureau of Education (Country Dossiers)
IAU - List of Universities in the World
IAU - Database on higher education systems worldwide
ANABIN Database (DE)
APARNET - The Asia Pacific Academic Recognition (Country Reports)
Alberta International Qualifications Assessment Service (IQAS) - Education Overview Guides
CICIC - Country Education Profiles (EN, FR)
CIMEA - Banca dati dei sistemi universitari (IT)
CIMEA - Worldwide database of University Grading Systems
NAFSA - Guide to Education Systems Around the World
Nordic National Recognition Information Centres (NORRIC) - Countries and regions (Study Visits) (SE, EN)
NUFFIC - Country modules (EN, NL)
Organisation de Estados Iberoamericanos (Sistemas Educativos Nacionales) (ES)
QQI – International Qualifications Database (EN)
Swedish NARIC Portal for Recognition of Foreign Qualifications
(SE)