Non-Bahamian Post-Secondary Institutions that hold accreditation status from international or regional accreditation bodies recognized by NAECOB that seek to offer their academic programmes in The Bahamas are eligible to apply for Institutional Recognition. This pathway of recognition is based on The Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications concerning Higher Education that was developed by the Council of Europe and UNESCO (Lisbon on 8 – 11 April 1997) and have since been adopted by several accreditation bodies internationally.

“Among the main points of the Council of Europe/UNESCO Convention are the following:

• Each country shall recognize qualifications – whether for access to higher education, for periods of study or for higher education degrees – as similar to the corresponding qualifications in its own system unless it can show that there are substantial differences between its own qualifications and the qualifications for which recognition is sought.

• Recognition of a higher education qualification issued in another country shall have one or more of the following consequences:

– access to further higher education studies, including relevant examinations and preparations for the doctorate, on the same conditions as candidates from the country in which recognition is sought;

– The use of an academic title, subject to the laws and regulations of the country in which recognition is sought;

– In addition, recognition may facilitate access to the labour market” (1997)

• The terms ‘Registration’, ‘Accreditation’, and ‘Recognition’ are often [and incorrectly] used interchangeable at times, however, they differ in the following ways: Registration – “Registration” certifies that a local institution/provider offering/proposing to offer an educational service in The Bahamas has met the criteria for the provision of such services stated in the Education Act. The criteria for registration are designed to provide registered institutions with a foundation for logical development towards accreditation. Please review more information here: https://www.naecob.org/registration Accreditation – “Accreditation” is a multi-tier quality assurance process that evaluates and certifies the credibility, quality, and relevance of a particular service(s), educational programme(s), product(s) and/or activity (ies) provided by locally registered institutions to the general public. Please review more information here: https://www.naecob.org/accreditation Recognition – “Recognition” is a quality assurance review process for Non-Bahamian Post-Secondary Institutions that already hold [full] accreditation status from international or regional accreditation bodies [recognized by The Bahamas] and seek to offer their academic programmes in The Bahamas. Please review more information here: https://www.naecob.org/recognition.

• The formal evaluation of credentials assists the applicant in verifying the merit of one’s academic achievements to current employers, potential employers, college/university admissions officers, and licensing or certification agencies, among others.

• As a trusted quality assurance body, having your credential evaluated by NAECOB creates added value to prior educational experiences and academic qualifications obtained by the application.

Please note that the following criteria for Recognition of Post-Secondary Institutions must be read in conjunction with NAECOB’s Distance Education Programmes Evaluation Guidelines:

• The institution should currently hold full accreditation status from international or regional accreditation bodies recognized by The Bahamas.
• The institution should have the legal authorization by the respective licensing agency in their jurisdiction to operate; they must be in operation for at least one (1) year.
• The institution must have been under the same ownership, at the same location (main campus) for at least one year of continuous operation.
• The institution must offer Post-Secondary education programmes where the student will graduate with at least a one-year technical diploma in an economically viable discipline.
• The institution must have fair admissions policies and procedures that are aligned with best practices and benchmarks in higher education.
• The institution should have completed at least one graduation exercise from a cohort with the longest offered programme major at the time of application.
• The institution should have at least twenty-five (25%) of the student population attending in full-time (FT) status; related documents with this data must be submitted.
• The institution must have full time (FT) on-site administrative and support staff in the respective department/unit with the requisite qualifications and experience. They must have been employed with the institution for at least six (6) months prior to submitting an application.
• The institution must have sufficient qualified and experienced faculty assigned accordingly to support the delivery of educational programmes.
• The institution must have the appropriate administrative systems, technologies, processes, and capabilities in support of the educational programmes offered.
• The institution must have the necessary learning resources in support of instructional staff, administrative staff, students and other related stakeholders in the teaching and learning environment.
• The institution must have the physical space and demonstrate efficient management of their facilities in support of the teaching and learning environment.
• The institution must have the necessary student services in place to support educational programmes and co-curricular activities of its student population.
• The institution must have sufficient financial resources in support of its academic and administrative operations. Externally audited financial statements of at least one-year must be submitted.
• The institution must have a clearly defined structure of governance which is the final authority with respect to the formulation and implementation of basic policies that govern the institution.
• The institution must have a developed strategic plan for the continued educational, physical, and financial growth of the institution; the plan should map at least three (3) years of activities.

If an institution believes that it meets the Criteria for Recognition of Post-Secondary Institutions and wishes to be considered for recognition status, its Chief Executive Officer should submit the following:

1. Letter Of Intent (LOI)-Recognition stating that the governing board has authorized the institution to seek affiliation with NAECOB
2. Application for Recognition – Completed and accompanied by outlined exhibits.
3. Associated Fees

• The Registration application is available for download at: https://www.naecob.org/forms-resources

• All the costs associated with the recognition process can be found in the recognition manual which can be accessed at: www.naecob.org/publications

• Institutions that meet all standards throughout the candidate institution phase will be granted Initial Institutional Recognition for a period of five (5) years before seeking reaffirmation. During the reaffirmation process, institution will submit the Compliance Certification twelve (12) months prior and Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) at least twelve (12) weeks prior to schedule reviews, off-site, and on-site visits by NAECOB
• Recognized Institutions must also submit a comprehensive annual report outlining evidence-based data and information concerning programme and institutional data, organizational activities, and financial performance from the preceding year. This report is due JUNE of each year.

• An institution granted Institutional Recognition Status must only use the following statement whenever it makes reference to its affiliation with NAECOB:
• [Institution’s Name] has been granted Institutional Recognition status by The National Accreditation & Equivalency Council of The Bahamas (NAECOB). The Institutional Recognition status does not suggest that [Institution’s Name] now has accreditation with NAECOB.
• Institutional Recognition status indicates that the institution currently holds full accreditation status from international or regional accreditation bodies recognized by NAECOB. NAECOB’s Institutional Recognition permits the institution to recruit for and offer educational programmes in The Bahamas.
• Please direct all inquiries regarding the status of [Institution’s Name] Institutional Recognition to a representative of NAECOB. Their contact information is outlined below:
  • The National Accreditation and Equivalency Council of The Bahamas (NAECOB)
  • Tonique Williams-Darling Hwy & Knowles Drive
  • P.O. BOX N-3913
  • NASSAU, THE BAHAMAS
  • TELEPHONE: 328-8872/3
  • Email: info@naecob.org