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Certificates & qualifications

Application notes for requesting an equivalency of non-Queensland school qualifications

Under section 162 of the Education (Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority) Regulation 2014, the QCAA is required to decide on the equivalent level of school education qualifications obtained outside of Queensland.

We provide Education Statements for completed levels of school qualifications that have been awarded by recognised and accredited interstate or overseas educational institutions.

The statements give an indication of the general Queensland primary- and/or secondary-school level equivalent of the submitted qualifications. The statements are not a new certificate or diploma. The service is provided for employment and recruitment purposes in Queensland.

The QCAA can assess completed levels of school qualifications awarded by recognised and accredited educational institutions from interstate or overseas. Our assessments are based on your final school certificate or diploma issued to you by the educational institution in the state or country where you studied.

The QCAA can only assess school qualifications from the documents you provide. We cannot obtain documents on your behalf from any issuing educational institution. Your Education Statement will only be issued to you, not directly to your recruiter or employer.

  • Qualifications not recognised or accredited by the education department in their state or country of origin, including those gained through home schooling and private institutions.
  • Qualifications not listed in the resources we use to make our equivalency decisions.
  • Individual subjects and grades from your school qualifications.
  • Studies that did not result in a final school qualification (e.g. provisional, preliminary or progress reports cannot be used), irrespective of the length or extensiveness of the studies completed.
  • Qualifications from tertiary studies at universities or higher education institutions, including certificates of adult preparation.
  • Vocational qualifications such as apprenticeships or trades.
  • Certificates of achievement in individual subjects such as Mathematics or English or Science.
  • Certificates in English/other language proficiency.
  • Professional qualifications/memberships gained on passing a professional body’s examinations.

The Overseas Qualification Unit, Department of Employment, Small Business and Training, provides recognition of overseas tertiary qualifications, paraprofessional qualification recognition and information for overseas qualified professionals.

Email: oqu@dete.qld.gov.au
Phone: 1300 369 935

The Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre (QTAC) processes applications for admission to:

  • the majority of undergraduate courses offered by universities in Queensland, Bond University, the Australian Maritime College in Tasmania, and to some university courses in northern New South Wales
  • full-time diploma and advanced diploma courses in Queensland institutes of Technical and Further Education (TAFE) and some private providers of post-secondary courses.

Phone: 1300 GO QTAC (1300 467 822)

An equivalency:

  • does not represent a new certificate or diploma
  • does not imply that the applicant holds the target qualification
  • does not guarantee or endorse the authenticity of the submitted qualifications
  • does not give any claim to a position or trade
  • does not guarantee admission to an educational institution
  • does not indicate that an applicant has satisfied the requirement of ‘passing’ the target qualification or certain subject prerequisites.

The QCAA bases its equivalency decisions on:

  • its own expertise in the Queensland system of education
  • the use of Access CEP (Country Education Profiles), an Australian database providing information and guidelines on comparing qualifications from over 115 countries (internationaleducation.gov.au/services-and resources/pages/qualifications-recognition.aspx)
  • the use of International Comparisons, a United Kingdom database providing information and guidelines on comparing qualifications from over 180 countries.

We will not be able to assess your qualifications if they are not listed in the above resources.

Interstate qualifications $37.10 (flat rate)

Overseas qualifications $64.91 (flat rate)

Allow 10 working days from QCAA’s receipt of all required documents and payment.

  • The one flat rate applies regardless of the number of qualifications you submit.
  • If you submit both interstate and overseas qualifications, the overseas rate will apply.
  • Refunds will be issued only if we cannot provide this service due to missing or incomplete documentation. Refunds are by electronic funds transfer (EFT) directly into your bank account or back into the credit card account you used for payment.

As noted in the application checklist, the following documents are required:

  • qualification/s
  • proof of identity — one of:
    • current Australian driver licence OR
    • current passport OR
    • birth certificate
  • proof of name change (if applicable) e.g. Marriage or Change of Name certificate
  • English translations of any non-English documents above
  • QLD JP certified copies of all documents above.

The QCAA reserves the right to ask for further documentation and/or clarification before making its decision. We cannot process your application until all of our requirements are met.

All document copies must be certified as true and correct copies of the original document by a Queensland Justice of the Peace (JP) or Commissioner of Declarations (Cdecs).

The registration number and full name of the certifier must be included and be legible.

Find your nearest Justice of the Peace (JP) or Commissioner for Declarations (Cdec), or call 1300 301 147.

You can also find JPs at shopping centres, police stations, court houses, banks and post offices.

If you are outside Queensland when lodging your application, please contact us about other options for certifying your documents.

We require professional-level translations accredited by the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI). Contact NAATI’s Queensland office on +61 7 3393 1358.

If you are outside of Queensland when lodging your application, please contact us about other translation options

Online form: Application for Equivalency Education Statement

We do not hold face-to-face interviews for this service.

You are considered to have withdrawn your original application and will forfeit the cost if you have not provided us with the required documentation within two calendar months of the date we received your application.

If you still require this service, you will need to reapply, pay and provide all documentation again.

If you wish to apply for a review of a decision we have made, you must do so in writing within seven days of receiving the letter outlining our decision. You must state fully the grounds for the review application and provide additional supporting evidence.

Further information about internal and external reviews can be found:

  • in Part 5 Review of decisions in the Education (Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority) Act 2014
  • on our website
  • by phoning us on +61 7 3864 0299 or emailing equivalency@qcaa.qld.edu.au.

More information

For more information, please equivalency@qcaa.qld.edu for application enquiries or finance@qcaa.qld.edu.au for all payment enquiries.

Last updated:
29 June 2023

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

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