FAQs

Registration is a mandatory process whereby post-secondary and tertiary education and training institutions demonstrate they have the capacity to offer quality education in Guyana.

All institutions offering education and training in Guyana that lead to the award of postsecondary and tertiary level qualifications. These institutions must be registered before they begin to offer these qualifications.

Registration provides a legal framework for protecting the interests of students, parents and other stakeholders in the tertiary education sector. Institutions that fail to register with NAC are guilty of an offence.

The criteria for registration focus on the evaluation of the institution in seven (7) key areas:

1. Legal, Policy and Regulatory Requirements
2. Governance and Administration
3. Quality Management System
4. Resource Management
5. Teaching-Learning Process
6. Review
7. Continuous Improvement

The registration process starts with the institution submitting a Letter of Intent, which states the name of the institution to be registered, the types and levels of qualifications offered and the number of sites or campuses that the institution wishes to have registered. This letter must be signed and dated by the Head of the Institution and addressed to NAC’s Executive Director. NAC will then communicate with the institution on the next steps in the process.

A gap analysis of the completed Application for Registration is conducted to determine if the minimum requirements for registration have been met. If the institution has met these minimum requirements, a site visit is conducted by an evaluation team comprising trained professionals appointed by NAC to assess the institution’s operations. The evaluation team prepares a report and makes a recommendation on the status to be granted. The Board of NAC makes the final decision on the status to be awarded. If the Board makes a decision to register the institution, NAC issues a Certificate of Registration to the institution. If the institution has not met the requirements for registration, the institution may obtain additional support from NAC.

NAC-G Website

Recognition is the formal approval by a competent and authorised agency, affirming the quality and acceptability of a legitimate educational institution and the qualifications it grants.

Before enrolling in a post-secondary or tertiary institution, it is important to verify that the institution you plan to attend has been quality assured by the relevant authority in the country of origin. Further, most employers and other public or private authorities (such as those awarding scholarships) require that the institution and program are recognised.

Equivalence means that a foreign qualification is considered comparable to a specific qualification officially issued in another country, in this case, Guyana.

Obtaining an equivalence assessment may enable you to pursue further studies in Guyana and could potentially allow you to earn credit transfers for existing qualifications. However, the institution receiving the credits will make the final decision on their acceptability and how they apply toward the completion of its qualifications. Other benefits of an assessment include access to employment opportunities and professional certification.

Statements on Recognition: NAC-G issues official Statements regarding the Accreditation and/or Recognition status of both foreign and local institutions, as well as the qualifications awarded by these institutions.

Equivalency Assessment: NAC-G issues official Statements on the Equivalency of foreign qualifications in comparison to national qualifications.

A statement may be obtained by filing an application to NAC-G, which include submission of relevant supporting documents (e.g degrees/diplomas, transcripts and identification) and a processing fee.

The National Qualifications Framework (NQF) is a system that defines the levels at which qualifications can be awarded within a particular country. It helps standardize qualifications by outlining titles, expected outcomes for each level, the rules for credit accumulation and transfer, and the relationships between different qualifications.

A diploma mill is an organization or institution that offers illegitimate academic degrees and diplomas for a fee, without requiring proper academic coursework or meeting established educational standards. These degrees are often awarded based on little or no actual learning or performance and may even be sold outright, making them fraudulent.

Diploma mills typically exploit loopholes in accreditation systems or operate without proper oversight, giving the illusion of legitimacy. Individuals who use degrees from diploma mills may face legal consequences or harm their professional reputation, especially if the degrees are used for job applications or advancement.

Here are some signs that can help identify a diploma mill:

• No Accreditation or Fake Accreditation: Lacks accreditation from recognised authorities or claims accreditation from unrecognized agencies.
• Quick Degree Completion: Offers degrees in an unusually short period, sometimes in a matter of weeks or months.
• Minimal Coursework or Requirements: Requires little to no actual coursework, assignments, or exams.
• Payment-Based Degrees: Degrees are awarded primarily based on the payment of fees rather than academic performance or learning.
• Lack of Physical Address: No verifiable campus or physical location; often operates entirely online.
• Overly Generic Names: Uses a name similar to a legitimate, well-known university to create confusion.
• Aggressive Marketing Tactics: Uses high-pressure sales tactics or unsolicited emails to attract students.
• Promises of Guaranteed Degrees: Assures a degree regardless of the student’s qualifications or academic history (Open or no admission requirements).
• No Interaction with Professors: Little to no faculty engagement or personalized academic support.
• Degree Based on Life Experience: Offers degrees solely or primarily based on “life experience” without any formal evaluation.
• Unrealistically Low Tuition: Charges unusually low fees or offers “degrees for sale” compared to legitimate universities.

These characteristics can help spot fraudulent institutions posing as legitimate educational providers.

1. Accreditation is the status granted to an institution that has been found, through self-study and
   peer review, to meet or exceed established standards for educational quality. This is determined
   through the process of evaluating the institution against established quality standards.

1. The NAC-G’s quality assurance process involves two steps: registration of institutions and
   institutional accreditation.
   Registration is a mandatory process for any institution that offers qualifications at the post-secondary and tertiary level in Guyana.
   While
   Accreditation is a voluntary process but is a status that is granted to an institution through its
   self-evaluation.

1. Institutional Accreditation (IA) examines the entire institution within the context of its mission,
   vision, and educational goals and objectives and accredits it as a whole.

1. There are several criteria/standards against which institutions are evaluated.
   These include:
   1. Mission and Objectives
   2. Governance and Administration
   3. Teaching and Learning
   4. Readiness for Change
   5. Quality Enhancement