Comparability Service

This service includes the CIMEA Statement of Comparability

This service includes the evaluation of foreign credentials from countries where the verification procedure is (almost) impossible due to the current particular geopolitical situation within the relevant country. This service does not therefore include the release of a Statement of Verification.

Comparability Service
 

 

For which qualifications can you apply for this service?

The service is available exclusively for official university and final qualifications of secondary school, officially part of the national education system, issued by official institutions, that is to say those recognized/accredited in the national education system. The Statements of Comparability are available exclusively in Italian for qualifications issued by other education systems, different from the Italian one. Comparability requests are referred to the qualification as a whole (e.g. Bachelor of Arts), and not to the single documents issued for that particular qualification (e.g.: diploma certificate, Diploma Supplement, Transcript of Records, etc.). They are therefore never considered separately, but rather as documents providing relevant information regarding the qualification itself, which is always the central focus of the service.

 

 
 
 

What is a Statement of Comparability?

The Statement of Comparability is a document containing the information relating to the qualification, such as the recognition/accreditation of the institution that issued it in the national education system and the level of the qualification according to the Bologna Process and the European Qualifications Framework, in addition to the specifications of the comparability of your degree with an Italian qualification, the nature of the course (academic or professionally-oriented) and any other useful element to let it be evaluated by the competent bodies. Through a Comparability request you apply for a Statement of Comparability with the evaluation of a final qualification of the higher education system or upper secondary school granting access to Higher Education.

This comparison does not establish nor guarantee in any way the formal recognition of your qualification, but it is a useful indication for those institutions that evaluate qualifications during different recognition procedures: the Statement of Comparability fulfills the function of a non-binding opinion and it does therefore not bind the institutions in any way during their assessment and recognition procedures. The Statement of Comparability neither verifies nor certifies the authenticity of the qualification on which the assessment is based.

 
 
 

How is a Comparability request processed?

In its procedures for the evaluation of foreign qualifications, CIMEA applies a methodology in line with the criteria established by the Lisbon Recognition Convention and with the practices shared at international level by the centres linked to the ENIC and NARIC networks. During the evaluation procedures, CIMEA takes into account the characteristics of the qualification and the features of the foreign system to which it belongs, comparing them to Italian qualifications and the Italian system of higher education, not least to verify whether there are cases of "substantial difference”.

Therefore, during a Comparability request, CIMEA experts review your qualification by checking on its official status in the national system of reference, the recognition/accreditation status of the awarding institution and of the teaching institution (if different from the former) in their respective national education systems. On top of that, an analysis of the elements of the single qualification is performed, i.e.: nature, level, duration, number of credits, academic and professional rights granted in the education system of reference, study curriculum and any other elements specific to the single qualification. This has the aim to suggest, when possible, a comparability with an Italian qualification and the academic rights that the foreign qualification could grant in Italy according to CIMEA's non-legally binding opinion.

In the case of a positive evaluation, a Statement of Comparability will be produced in relation to the qualification evaluated.

In cases where it is impossible to produce the Statement of Comparability, CIMEA will issue a Statement of Denial for one or more of the following reasons:

1) non-official status of the institution, the degree course or the qualification in the system of reference;
2) lack of certification of the quality of the institution and of the course of studies by the competent national authorities, including reference to the place where the studies were performed;
3) cases of substantial difference with reference to the Lisbon Convention;
4) counterfeiting or alteration of documents;
5) documentary insufficiency linked to the request that prevented an evaluation/verification.

Learn more about the evaluation methodology carried out by CIMEA experts in the drafting of their statements.

The CIMEA Statement of Comparability will be uploaded to the digital "Wallet" of qualifications in your DiploMe account through the use of blockchain, thereby making this digital document, transparent, transferable, certified and unchangeable.

 

 



 

Comparability Service Plan

TIMELINES - PRICES

STATEMENT OF COMPARABILITY

Ordinary procedure: 60 working days
(Monday to Friday) from the delivery of all the required documentation and from the payment of the related costs.

Urgent procedure: 30 working days
(Monday to Friday) from the delivery of all the required documentation, from the payment of the related costs.

Ordinary procedure:

€ 150,00

(€ 122,95 + VAT: € 27,05) for each individual qualification and the related documents.

Additional fee for the urgent procedure (Comparability): € 100,00
(€ 81,97 + VAT: € 18,03)) for each individual qualification and the related documents.

Apply*

* Please note that a maximum number of 800 requests can be received by the system each week. Once this threshold has been reached the system will not accept any new requests until the beginning of the following week.

FAQs

Any questions?
Check our FAQs

Please note that CIMEA provides evaluation on final, already achieved qualifications. If you have finished your upper secondary school or higher education study path and you only have a provisional certificate, you can apply for CIMEA's services. Please note, however, that CIMEA reserves the right to assess whether the provided documents are authentic and sufficient for the processing of your request and/or to request additional documentation.

If you do not possess an official document attesting the completion of your study path and the achievement of the respective final qualification (e.g. a provisional certificate), please restrain from applying for our services until you receive such official document(s).

The Comparability service includes the evaluation of foreign credentials which cannot be formally verified. It is currently limited to those few countries where the verification of authenticity cannot be properly performed under current circumstances. This service does not therefore include the release of a Statement of Verification.

Education History is a section of the application procedure in which you are invited to provide us with the relevant information regarding your study path prior/subsequent to the qualification you are submitting for evaluation. This additional information about your previous studies will help our Credential Evaluators to analyze and assess your qualification more effectively and precisely.

The Statement of Comparability is a document containing the information relating to the qualification, such as the recognition/accreditation of the institution that issued it in the national education system and the level of the qualification according to the Bologna Process and the European Qualifications Framework, in addition to the specifications of the comparability of your degree with an Italian qualification, the nature of the course (academic or professionally-oriented) and any other useful element that allows it to be evaluated by the relevant bodies.

Through a Comparability request you apply for a Statement of Comparability with the evaluation of a final qualification of the higher education system or upper secondary school granting access to Higher Education.
This comparison does not establish nor guarantee in any way the formal recognition of your qualification in Italy, but it is a useful indication for those institutions that evaluate qualifications during different recognition procedures: the Statement of Comparability fulfills the function of a non-binding opinion and it does therefore not bind the institutions in any way during their assessment and recognition procedures.

The Statement of Comparability neither verifies nor certifies the authenticity of the qualification on which the assessment is based, as this function is performed by the Statement of Verification.

No. The Statement of Comparability issued by CIMEA is a tool to help and support individual holders of qualifications and administrations and bodies that have to evaluate a qualification, but has no mandatory nature and does not cancel the authority/duty of individual administrations, institutions or bodies in their own and independent assessment of qualifications during their recognition procedures. It is a good idea to check that the institution tasked with recognition needs and/or accepts this document before requesting it from CIMEA. For more information please refer to the section How can you understand if you need CIMEA services? at this webpage.

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