It refers to an institution that recognizes that the competent authority of the country belongs to the higher education system and provides higher education, including education and research.
Documentation of all degrees, diplomas, certificates of completion, or, if applicable, pre-learning verification results that certify successful completion of higher education programs.
'Recognition' refers to the official recognition of the value of educational qualifications acquired by an authorized institution; 'accreditation' refers to an evaluation and review process proves that a higher educational institution or higher education program meets the appropriate conditions and criteria.
Higher Education Institutions > List of Recognised HEIs> Check Higher Education Institutions to see if they have been evaluated or certified.
The criteria for judging the legal status of higher education institutions are largely accreditation and recognition. Overseas educational institutions or institutions generally do not recognize degrees or curriculums obtained from institutions that are not officially accredited and certified.
In Korea, the institution or person who uses the qualification makes a final decision on the recognition of the qualification. For example, when a person who has obtained a qualification abroad wants to go to a domestic university, the subject of qualification is a university that has a specific qualification as an admission requirement. In addition, when a person who has obtained a qualification overseas wants to get a job at a domestic company, the subject of qualification is a company that has set a specific qualification as a requirement for employment.
KARIC stands for 'Korea Academic Recognition Information Center' and is the National Information Center in Korea. It is a center that identifies overseas education trends and provides domestic and international higher education information to provide certified information on higher education systems and degrees between countries and enhance equivalence due to increased mobility of cross-border higher education and higher education.
You can submit various certificates (certificate of completion, certificate of graduation, degree).
Since higher education institutions in the U.S. are governed by state education departments rather than the U.S. Department of Education, it is necessary to check the authorization status with the relevant state education department. Accreditation status can be verified on the websites of CHEA (Council for Higher Education Accreditation), the official U.S. higher education accreditation bodies and DAPIP (Database of Accredited Postsecondary Institutions and Programs).
In some European countries, such as Italy and Spain, art degrees in fields like fine arts and music are awarded outside the official national higher education systems or NQF. While these degrees are not considered equivalent to nationally recognized qualifications, they may still hold value in the labor market. As a result, competent recognition authorities such as universities and employers may take these qualifications into consideration at their discretion when making decisions about admissions or hiring.
Recognition of a degree obtained in Korea varies by country. Some countries centralize the evaluation and recognition of degrees, while others operate differently by state or region. In some cases, as in Korea, institutions or employers may assess the degree individually to make decisions about employment or education.
Korea Academic Recognition Information Center provides information on higher education qualifications but does not evaluate degree equivalency or issue certificates of equivalency.
Please refer to the following resources:
Study in Korea(https://www.studyinkorea.go.kr/)
Korea Immigration Service(https://www.immigration.go.kr/immigration_eng/index.do)
Academy Info(https://www.academyinfo.go.kr/index.do?lang=en)
The Korean University Accreditation Institute(KUAI) is responsible for institutional accreditation. However, to obtain a certificate confirming the accreditation of your university during a specific period, please kindly contact the university directly.
Korea Academic Recognition Information Center(KARIC) provides information on ‘academic qualifications’ awarded by domestic and overseas higher education institutions and does not deal with the recognition of professional licenses or professional(vocational) qualifications. For information on whether a professional qualification obtained overseas may be used to work in Korea, please contact the relevant government ministries, such as the Ministry of Health and Welfare. Whether a professional qualification obtained in Korea may be used for employment overseas is determined by the competent authorities, licensing bodies, or professional regulatory agencies in the destination country.
In Korea, the recognition of qualifications is ultimately determined by the institution or individual that uses the qualification (e.g. universities, employers). However, when considering the recognition of qualifications obtained through Transnational Education (TNE)—defined as education programmes and services delivered to learners in a country different from that in which the awarding institution is based—the following factors may be taken into account: 1) whether the awarding institution and the host institution are accredited and recognised in their respective countries, 2) whether the operation of the TNE programme and the authority to award degrees are legally recognised in both the awarding country and the host country; and 3) relevant laws and regulations on the recognition of TNE qualifications in the country where recognition is sought (in this case, Korea).
Lists of recognised higher education institutions by country are available on the KARIC website under “Overseas Higher Education” - “Overseas Higher Education Systems and Institutions” (e.g. United Kingdom - List of Recognised Higher Education Institutions). Please note that, at present, such information is primarily available for major study destination countries, and the related information is being continuously expanded and updated (available on the website of Korean-language version, only).
KARIC does not provide comparisons of grading scales or academic credits between domestic and overseas higher education institutions. In Korea, there is no official government-issued credit conversion table, and each higher education institution applies its own criteria when converting grades and credits. Therefore, for detailed inquiries regarding credit conversion, it is recommended that you contact the relevant university directly.
The time required to respond to inquiries related to higher education qualifications varies depending on the case. Depending on the nature of the inquiry, confirmation with overseas authorities (such as the relevant National Information Centre or Ministry of Education) may be required. In such cases, the response time may vary depending on country-specific administrative procedures and the response schedules of the relevant institutions,. For these reasons, it is difficult to provide a standard time-frame for responses. We appreciate your understanding.