Guidelines for the Recognition of Institution and/or Programme
The Barbados Accreditation Council (BAC) was established under the authority of the Barbados Accreditation Council Act 2004–11. Under the Act, the Council has been mandated to “advise on the recognition of foreign based institutions and their awards” and to “ determine the equivalency of programmes and qualifications”.
It is recommended that persons seeking to undertake a programme of study ensure that the provider of the programme and/or the programme itself is recognised and/or accredited. This facilitates acceptance of the qualification by employers and other post–secondary/tertiary educational providers.
Making an application
- an application form, fully completed and legible
- a complete set of required documentation in hard copy (see overleaf)
- Identification (ID) – valid national ID, passport or driver’s licence
- Payment or proof of payment
Statement on Recognition
The Statement on Recognition issued by the Barbados Accreditation Council is for guidance purposes only and is non–binding. Post–secondary/tertiary education and training providers in Barbados, professional bodies, and employers retain the right to make their own decisions on admission, having regard to a variety of factors, of which qualifications are only one.
Fees and Other Charges
- A non-refundable application processing fee of BDS$10.00 is payable upon application for a Request for Recognition of Institution and/or Programme.
- The correct amounts should be paid for the service required.
- Refer to Fees for Services booklet for fees for the recognition of institution and/or programme service.
- The BAC reserves the right to charge a cancellation fee of $75.00 in all cases where the cancellation of service was not as a result of an oversight by the BAC.
Processing
Processing time starts on the date that all information is received by the BAC from the applicant. There may be occasions where the results may be made available before the stipulated deadline for each priority category. Applicants should be aware that timely service delivery is only possible when all the required information is readily available.
The BAC will make every effort to make results available within the shortest possible time. Processing time can, however, be impacted upon by various factors outside the control of the BAC. Applicants should therefore be mindful of the possibility of delay.
The processing time for applications is a minimum of 40 working days.
In the event of an extraordinary circumstance causing undue delay, applicants will be informed by the BAC by telephone, email, or letter.
Factors Causing Delay
- Considerably more research and/or consultation than usually required for determining the recognition status for the institution or programme.
- Lack of information needed to complete the evaluation resulting in the need to contact the country of origin of the institution or programme. Completion of an evaluation will be dependent upon a reply from the source as well as the quality from the source in these instances. Processing will commence immediately upon receipt of a reply.
- A marked imbalance between available human and other resources in the BAC and service demand.
- Service demand/volume of applications exceeds available human resource capacity.
- Factors related to the applicant which applicants can avoid by
- making the necessary enquiries before making the application
- following carefully the guidelines and procedures set out in this document when preparing applications
- making sure the application form is completed in its entirety and legible, and all necessary information are included
- making ample provision for meeting personal deadlines e.g. commencement of studies or employment
- giving clear instruction on the handling of recognition results, whether they are to be posted and to whom or whether they will be collected
- ensuring that all addresses are correct
- hand-delivering applications – do not fax or email applications
- allowing time for postage after the expected date of completion as this is not included in the timelines of the BAC
- waiting to be contacted for collection of results, if results are to be prepared for collection.