As EQA Designation is a voluntary process, institutions will submit an application to BCCIE in order to indicate interest in using the Designation and confirm that they meet eligibility requirements and are in good standing with their applicable quality assurance body(ies) and the Ministry. Eligible institutions are welcome to apply for EQA Designation at any time.

All institutions interested in seeking EQA Designation must submit an EQA application to BCCIE. Applications for EQA Designation are available directly online or as a printable PDF document:

• To apply online, click on the link below:
  Online EQA Application
• To print a PDF version of the EQA Application, click on the applicable link below:
  EQA (PDF) Application for Private Institutions
  EQA (PDF) Application for Public Institutions

The Application Form Package consists of 3 parts:

• Application for EQA Designation
• Application for Brand Use
• Institutional Profile Form

Application Procedures

1. Institutions submit a fully completed EQA Application Form with required EQA Fees (see Fees section) directly to EQA staff at BCCIE in order to be considered for EQA Designation.
2. On receipt of an institution’s EQA Application Form and Fees, EQA staff will confirm in writing with applicant institutions that their EQA Application has been received.

   If the Application is complete, signed and application fees have been received, institutions will be advised that their application will proceed to the eligibility review stage.

   If the Application is incomplete, EQA staff will return the submission to the institution with a written explanation of what information or fees are required before the application can proceed to the eligibility review stage.

3. EQA staff will contact the recognized quality assurance body(ies) (DQAB, PCTIA, Languages Canada) and the Ministry to ensure eligibility requirements have been met and the institution is in good standing, before determining if EQA is granted to an institution.
4. The EQA Manager assesses and reviews all verification paperwork and makes EQA Designation determination and advises the applicant in writing about the decision on their EQA application.

   EQA staff send a copy of confirmation/denial letter to the institution by email (with cc to appropriate quality assurance bodies) and retain a copy of the correspondence in the institution’s file.

The following chart illustrates the application procedure for EQA Designation and what steps institutions can expect their application to go through before EQA Designation is granted:

EQA applications will be processed in the order received. If an institution’s application is complete and the Application Fee has been submitted, an institution can expect to wait up to 4 weeks for confirmation of EQA Designation. These time frames are approximate and may fluctuate depending on how many applications BCCIE receives, and the good standing status of an institution with its applicable quality assurance body(ies) and the Ministry.

Incomplete Applications

If the submission is missing required information, EQA staff will return the submission to the institution with a written explanation of what was missing or incomplete. Institutions have the option of re-submitting their application at any time. If the incomplete application is completed and re-submitted within 30 days, no additional application fees will be required.

Institutions may submit an electronic application directly on line here or paper applications can be sent by mail or fax to EQA staff at BCCIE:

Please send your application attention to:

EQA
BC Council for International Education
Address: Suite 603 – 409 Granville Street, Vancouver, BC V6C 1T2
Phone: 1.604.637.6756
Fax: 1.604.637.6765
Email: bceqa@bccie.bc.ca