Earning a higher-education qualification is a significant achievement and an important investment in your future. As with all long-term investments, prospective students should take the time to investigate the details before selecting an institution and enrolling in a programme of study.

What if the programme is not accredited?
A programme that is not accredited is not necessarily a programme that is inferior or without educational value. Some programmes, for  example, are new, and have not yet had a graduating cohort. They are, therefore, not ready to be considered for accreditation. In these cases, the registration status and overall reputation of the institution, as well as feedback from the institution and current students, will be critical.

What happens if you graduate prior to the effective date of accreditation of a programme?
Accreditation by the UCJ is not retroactive. This means that students who graduate prior to the effective date of accreditation of a programme of study will not automatically benefit from the accreditation status granted.

However, students who graduate within one-two years prior to the effective date of accreditation may apply to the UCJ for an equivalence of their qualification to the accredited programme. If it can be determined through content analysis that the programme completed is equivalent to the accredited programme, the UCJ will issue a statement of equivalence.

Where the programme completed by the graduate is not considered to be equivalent to the accredited programme, the  institution may implement measures to have the affected graduates complete additional courses in order to satisfy the requirements for the accredited programme.