Value of IEAC and EduQual?

Greetings,

UK engineering studies provider/"college" www.ilearnengineering.com uses its association with IEAC (ieac.org.uk) and EduQual (eduqual.org.uk [note the el]) to help support its contention that it is a legit institution. I'd like to ask about "iLearn Engineering" [sic], but this doesn't seem to be the place to do it. (Indeed, there doesn't seem a section suitable for engineering education question.) Instead I'll ask about IEAC and EduQual:

a. To what extent do they add value to a course/diploma/whatever?

b. How would IEAC/EduQual regulated/accredited/whatever'ed courses/diplomas/whatever be received by America's failed and failing system of higher education and despicable foreign degree evaluators?


Thanks in advance.

Aside: When I discovered the existence of SWAYAM/NPTEL, I decided to test every foreign degree evaluator accepted by TESU to see how they'd respond. Truly, they make used car salesmen seem like saints. During my investigations, I discovered that one of them would take money to evaluate German bachelors degrees, even though they always found German degrees wanting. Apparently the number of years of study between birth to the completion of a bachelor's degree in Germany is one year less than it is in America, hence to the particular evaluator a senior in a German bachelor's degree program is actually only a junior and no one in Germany has actually attained the equivalent of an American bachelor's degree (unless, presumably, they have attained a post grad degree).

 

This is a false premise. Higher education in the U.S. is routinely ranked as the best in the world. I'll pass on the rest.

 

Greetings,

I apologize for my aside. I was afraid when I wrote it that it might distract from my questions, and it did. I also apologize for taking the bait and would not be offended if this thread were edited (appropriately).

Mr. Foerster: Yes, my questions were genuine. I haven't been here in years; are questions about IEAC and EduQual usually not real?

Dr. Douglas: Thank you for your extensively researched and referenced rebuttal on behalf of our failed and failing educational system. I can't argue with any of the facts you presented, literally. I might -- but probably shouldn't -- add that your sentiments likely aren't shared by those who have been trapped in life-long destitution by the obscene costs of US higher ed, or those whose aspirations have been thwarted before they began by the costs and dysfunctional, bloated bureaucracy of US higher ed, or those who have been crippled or died because would be engineers, doctors, etc. couldn't pursue their calling, but who really cares about them. America's failed and failing educational system takes care of those who matter: members of America's failed and failing educational system. I'm glad you and Mr. Foerster seem so pleased.


Cordially,
Richard Kanarek
Subject Matter Expert on America's Failed and Failing System of Higher Education,
who lost twenty-five years of life and money at that failed diploma mill Charter Oak State College without ever getting his degree.

P.S. No pressure, but I still haven't received any info on IEAC, EduQual, or iLearnEngineering.

 

This organization is an approved awarding body recognized by the Scottish Qualifications Authority;

https://eduqual.org.uk/?doing_wp_cron=1752608762.2031669616699218750000

I see no potential controversy here.

As for IEAC (https://www.ieac.org.uk/institutions_accredited.php), it’s clear that their list includes nationally recognized/accredited universities as well as those that do not enjoy such status in their countries of operation. Therefore, you would need to examine each “IEAC-accredited” institution on an individual basis instead of relying on IEAC as a marker of quality or the lack thereof.

Personally, I stopped caring whether an institution has one of the alphabet soup of “alternative accreditations” (IEAC, ASIC, QAHE, etc.). If the institution has national degree-awarding recognition/accreditation in some specific country, the alternative accreditation that they have added (wisely or unwisely) will be inconsequential for international degree evaluations. No one will care whether a school is also a member of some alternative accrediting body in addition to their national accreditation/country recognition. On the other hand, the alternative accreditation won’t help to get a degree recognized if that’s the only accreditation that a school possesses. That would be true even if it were proven that the alternative accreditation was on par with regional accreditation in the U.S. in terms of rigor of quality assurance standards. So, it probably makes little sense to discuss the virtues or shortcomings of ASIC, IEAC, QAHE and so on. Is the institution and its qualification recognized within a higher education system of a certain country or not? That's the more important question.

 

Because you make childish assertions like COSC being a diploma mill. If you failed to earn a degree there in 25 years, that's on you. They issued many.

 

Greetings,

tadj: Thank you for addressing my questions!

While I’m inclined to agree with your sentiments, one is judged by the company one keeps. Being accredited/whatever’ed by an organization that also does likewise for somewhat less creditable (pun) institutions, which is how I interpret your review of IEAC, isn’t a feather in its cap.

I’m also rather confused and troubled by iLearnEngineering’s association with EduQual, which, thanks to you, I now know to be a Scottish accreditor. On the one had, iLearnEngineering describes its highest offering as follows:

“International Graduate Diploma is a graduate-level qualification with credits and academic level equivalent to a full three-year Bachelor’s degree programme.” (https://www.ilearnengineering.com/qualifications/international-graduate-diploma)

It also states that the diploma consists of 360 credits.

None of the above seems consistent with SCQF, as far as I can fathom, but instead suggests FHEQ. Why the commingling? This, and the avoidance of the use of the term “bachelor’s degree” all seem like warning signs. Of course, I just asked for info on IEAC and EduQual, and you supplied it. Now I need to find somewhere to ask more detailed questions on iLearnEngineering.


Dustin: Thank you for calling my assertions childish in your first sentence, and driving home the point by supplying me with an example of a childish assertion in your second sentence. As far as your third sentence, yes, of course, the fact that COSC issues many diplomas is certainly proof that they aren’t a failed diploma mill.

 

According to Merriam-Webster, the definition of trolling is to antagonize (others) online by deliberately posting inflammatory, irrelevant, or offensive comments or other disruptive content.

Pass.

 

Dear Rich,

In no particular order:

a. You reply to this thread with a terse off-topic statement as to your unasked opinion, then write "pass," and then, for some reason come back and do it again. I realize we should be grateful that you and your ilk deign to favor us with your input, even if it be input on unasked topics, but grateful I am not.

b. I happen to be a subscriber to the Merriam-Webster dictionary and I think I have a paper copy of their unabridged dictionary, but thank you just the same for appropriating one of their definitions for me. For anyone else who might be interested in Rich's definition, its MLA citation follows:
“Troll.” Merriam-Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/unabridged/troll. Accessed 16 Jul. 2025.
While the definition is nice, perhaps on your next "pass" you'll be kind enough to tell me which one of us is the troll?

c. Being an American, having been done incredible harm by America's failed and failing educational system, and being aware of the harm it has done to others, I feel completely entitled, if not compelled, to mention its failures. I had not fully appreciated that my comment might have affected some like a negative comment about Nazism might have former concentration camp guards. Perhaps, if you didn't get your degrees back when it was cheaper, America's failed and failing educational system wasn't as much, and if you didn't have Dr. Bear and the DOD's bank account to help you -- luxuries uncommon to most -- you might be a bit more compassionate.

d. On your next pass, please feel free to again ignore all the factual comments I've made and simply make another snide remark or pronouncement.
“Snide.” Merriam-Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/unabridged/snide. Accessed 16 Jul. 2025.

 

This is true and might be a good idea for further board development. I would have some questions as well as testimonials for this topic!

 

Nobody was making that claim. I looked at your earlier contributions (from a decade-plus ago) and they aren't full of this kind of negativity. What changed?

 

I shall.

 

IEAC is a private limited company operating out of the second floor of College House, 17 King Edwards Road, Ruislip, London, along with approximately 800 other companies. IEAC was incorporated on 17 January 2024, the nature of business is "educational support services".

There are two directors at present, one of those used to be a school inspector for ASIC, Accreditation Service for International Schools, Colleges and Universities. There was a third IEAC director at the start, appointed on 17 January 2024, but he resigned after two weeks on 1 February. The name given in the company records is Maurice Dimmock, and I think it's reasonable to assume that this is the same Maurice Dimmock who started ASIC almost 20 years ago.

The list of accredited institutions makes for interesting reading (Warnborough! Oh, the memories...), but there are a few that are new to me so I decided to take a closer look. East Bridge University in particular is enlightening. All three directors, past and present, of IAEC are on what is referred to as the "dynamic team", see https://www.ebu.ac/our-team.php

In addition to this prestigious self-accreditation, IEAC is also accredited by QAHE (where you'll find seasoned veterans from schools like St Clements University), EQAC (catering to the accreditation needs of Bircham International University), EDU.INT, an organisation generally considered to be a rather benign accreditation mill, and something called the American Accreditation Association which is new to me, but according to East Bridge University it's prestigious.

 

It would be nice to have a separate category for the humanities as well.

 

Ilearn Engineering has developed a set of new qualifications, see https://www.ilearnengineering.com/qualifications - the Higher International Certificate, the Higher International Diploma and the International Graduate Diploma.

Here's the info on the International Graduate Diploma, https://www.ilearnengineering.com/qualifications/international-graduate-diploma

According to Ilearn Engineering, the International Graduate Diploma combines all three into one 360 credit qualification, equivalent to a [UK] Bachelor's degree in terms of level and credits.

According to the contact info on Ilearn Engineering's website, the address is Initial Business Centre, Wilson Park, Manchester. So, a UK-based company, whose parent company may be something called ILearn Group, offering International Graduate Diplomas they say are equivalent in level and number of credits to a UK Bachelor's degree.

 

Greetings,

AsianStew: Thanks for your reply. Checking for the transferability of their IGD into a top-program was something I hadn’t thought of. Indeed, until Shenzi drew my attention back to the IGD’s credit rating, and that it was in CATS points and not ECTSs, I wouldn’t have even thought along those lines.

As far as IEAC is concerned, I’m just not sure how to “accredit” IEAC’s accreditation. For some reason, I associate IEAC with a dim memory from very long ago regarding a negative investigative TV report. (Perhaps the report was on ASIC? Or maybe I’m completely wrong?) I am likely doing them an injustice, but what if I’m not. Then there’s Tadj’s earlier post on IEAC, which seems rational but hardly complimentary.

Also, thank you for reminding me that only ILE’s level 4 & 5 qualifications are EduQual accredited.

Aside: I’ve e-mailed EduQual for verifications and information, however I’ve yet to receive a reply. How many days long is tea time in the UK? Bunch of layabouts! ;-)

Shenzi: Thanks for the summary on ILE’s offerings. Regarding your mention of ILE’s (ersatz) UK bachelor’s degree, thanks for drawing my attention to its credit rating. Per ILE, their award is worth 360 CATS points, which, per https://sc.edu/about/offices_and_divisions/registrar/transfer_credits/international_credit_converstion_guide.php may equal 90 Freedom credits. ;-)

Perhaps someday I’ll contact the UK’s equivalent of NCEES and see how they look upon ILE – unless someone beats me to it (hint).


Kind regards,

Richard Kanarek

 

• The U.S. has more world-class universities than any other country.
  
  • In the 2025 QS World University Rankings, the U.S. has 28 universities in the top 100, more than any other nation.
    
  • Harvard, MIT, Stanford, and UC Berkeley consistently rank in the global top 10.
    
• The Times Higher Education (THE) 2025 rankings list 7 of the top 10 universities worldwide as American.
  
• Over 40% of Nobel Prize winners since 1950 have been affiliated with U.S. institutions.
  
• A “failed” system doesn’t consistently produce most of the world’s top universities, cutting-edge research, and Nobel laureates.

2. Research & Innovation Output

• The U.S. leads the world in academic research output and impact, especially in STEM, medicine, and technology.
  
• According to the National Science Foundation (NSF), the U.S. produces the largest share of highly cited research papers worldwide.
  
• Many technological revolutions—semiconductors, the internet, CRISPR gene editing, AI breakthroughs—came out of U.S. universities.
  

No other education system has contributed more to global scientific and technological advancement.

Recognition of Degrees

• U.S. degrees are universally recognized for employment and further education.
  
• American bachelor’s and master’s degrees are considered gold standards by credential evaluators worldwide (WES, ECE, NACES members).
  
• By contrast, unregulated providers like “iLearn Engineering” (using EduQual/IEAC) are not recognized in the U.S. because they lack established accreditation comparable to U.S. regional or national accreditation.
  

The irony: the critic dismisses the U.S. system, yet the programs they cite (EduQual/IEAC) would not even or barely in some cases qualify for U.S. recognition, while accredited U.S. degrees enjoy global prestige.

The German Example Misrepresented

• German bachelor’s degrees are absolutely recognized in the U.S.—but often evaluated as equivalent to a 3-year bachelor’s, vs. the U.S. 4-year model.
  
• That’s not “fraud” by evaluators—it’s structural difference:
  
  • Germany: 3 years bachelor + 2 years master.
    
  • U.S.: 4 years bachelor + 2 years master.
    
• Both pathways result in the same total length of higher education.
  

Evaluators don’t “despise” German degrees—they just compare year-count and curriculum breadth. It’s a system difference, not a U.S. failure.

Yes, the U.S. system has areas to improve—high tuition, student debt, and uneven K–12 preparation. But “failed” is false:

• The U.S. excels in research, innovation, global influence, and institutional prestige.
  
• Weaknesses exist, but outcomes show the system is anything but failing.

UK has leading and descent universities as well, but it is also one of the credential tourism destination, due to professional and vocational qualification (frameworks) providers.

 

Germany’s system from what I read is very structured and relies heavily on formal accreditation bodies.
I understand that for business programs specifically, AACSB, EQUIS, or AMBA are considered the “gold standard” accreditors worldwide.

But that doesn’t mean Germany rejects all U.S. business degrees without AACSB. What I mean is:

• If someone wants to enter a German university master’s or doctoral program, or have a degree officially recognized for professional licensing, the evaluators in Germany often prefer or require a program accredited by AACSB/EQUIS/AMBA.
  
  
• Here in the U.S., though, a business degree from a regionally accredited university (the main U.S. standard) is a valid and respected degree domestically, even if the business school doesn’t carry AACSB.
  
  
• So the optics of “non-acceptance” isn’t really Germany saying U.S. business degrees are inferior; it’s them setting a higher bar for professional/business equivalence based on specialized accreditation.

In fact, many U.S. universities without AACSB still rank globally in other disciplines, and their graduates succeed in industry. It’s just that in the German framework, specialized accreditation is a gatekeeper for certain academic or professional tracks. For German elite and highly competitive programs, the preference for applicants from AACSB/EQUIS/AMBA accredited schools is notably strong. German universities, especially the top public ones like TUM, KIT, and LMU, tend to have very strict admission requirements for master's programs, including for business studies. While AACSB, EQUIS, and AMBA accreditations are highly respected and often preferred, they are not an absolute mandatory condition for admission in every case.

As to US standard - most U.S. evaluators that I’ve encountered—whether personally or through relatives and friends—don’t try to “downgrade” foreign degrees; rather, they issue an equivalency statement against the U.S. system. That’s their mandate.

The reports typically say something like “Comparable to a U.S. bachelor’s degree” or “Comparable to a U.S. master’s degree.” From Regionally Accredited University etc. In other words, they’re translating it into the U.S. educational framework so employers, schools, and licensing boards have a clear reference point.

I can be wrong, do but its just my undersatnding.