International Qualifications Assessment Service (IQAS)

IQAS provides certificates of comparison between degrees, diplomas and certificates received in another country with Canadian degrees, diplomas and certificates. The assessment process is based on the following key principles:

Official documentation

IQAS generally requires original and/or officially certified documents to conduct assessments. IQAS will accept photocopies, but it will be clearly indicated on assessment certificates that the evaluation was based on photocopied documents.

Document Review

All documents are reviewed for consistency and any evidence of tampering or alteration. If there are any inconsistencies, IQAS seeks verification on the suspicious documents directly from the issuing institutions. An evaluation will not be conducted on documentation determined to be altered or fraudulent.

Translation Review

IQAS conducts educational assessments using original language documents and their English translations. Translations are spot checked for accuracy.

Recognition Status of Institutions

IQAS only conducts assessments of education obtained at an accredited or recognized institution in the home country. A recognized institution is one which has been formally approved by the proper educational authorities with the country and which is widely accepted by other institutions and agencies inside and outside the country. IQAS does not evaluate education offered by private unaccredited or unrecognized institutions.

Description of Educational Program

IQAS conducts extensive research and provides a description of the educational program that includes a review of: the level of education; the duration of study; the general content of study; and the function of the program (i.e., what the program allows access to in the home country).

General Statement of Comparability

IQAS strives to ensure standardized and consistent assessment results. To determine how a foreign educational credential compares to educational standards in Canada, IQAS utilizes numerous resources within Alberta, Canada and across the world. IQAS follows national and international guidelines for good practice in the assessment of foreign credentials.

Does IQAS state what my education is equivalent to in Canada?

IQAS does not use the term ‘equivalent’ on assessment certificates because the term implies that there is an ‘exact match’ between a credential issued from one institution and a credential from another institution. No credential will be ‘exactly the same’ from one institution to another. For this reason, IQAS always uses the term ‘generally compares’ because it is a more accurate reflection of the fact that there will always be some measure of differences in courses and curriculums from one program to another.

Professional licensing bodies and post-secondary institutions that need to make decisions based on specific course content can, in addition to the IQAS assessment, review course descriptions and outlines to determine whether a course covers a subject area in the breadth and scope that they require. Only experts in a field of study are able to make these types of ‘content’ assessments. IQAS is able to facilitate this type of analysis by establishing the general credibility and level of the credential.

In addition to a general statement of comparability, individuals, professional licensing bodies and post-secondary institutions can request a ‘Description of Course Work’ from IQAS. A ‘Description of Course Work’ provides a listing of the course titles taken within an educational program from another country. Where appropriate, IQAS will convert credits earned in another country to comparable Canadian credits. The ‘Description of Course Work’ is designed to facilitate an understanding of courses taken and credits earned in an out-of-country program. The ‘Description of Course Work’ does not indicate a content match between courses taken in an out-of-country educational program to courses within a Canadian program. Subject matter experts can use the ‘Description of Course Work’, along with course descriptions and outlines to examine the subject content under each course title to make their determination of equivalency to Canadian courses.

Revision date: Friday, May 10, 2002