ABET Accreditation Outside the United States

 

In general, ABET does not accredit programs outside the United States. However, ABET does receive many requests from institutions outside the U.S. to evaluate their programs to determine if they are “substantially equivalent” to ABET-accredited programs and to make recommendations for program improvement. “Substantial equivalency” means the program is comparable in educational outcomes, but may differ in format or method of delivery. Substantial equivalency is not accreditation.

In addition, ABET has signed a number of mutual recognition agreements  with accrediting organizations in other countries. These agreements recognize the substantial equivalency of accreditation systems with respect to the preparation of graduates to begin professional practice at the entry level. Signatories agree to recommend that graduates from recognized programs be afforded the same rights and privileges as those graduates in the home country. These agreements are not binding on colleges, universities, employers or licensing agencies. Programs recognized by agreement or through substantial equivalency evaluations are also listed on the ABET web site.

Engineering Credentials Evaluation International (ECEI), a division of ABET, evaluates the academic credentials of individuals who have completed an engineering or computer science degree outside the United States. ECEI evaluates credentials using the ABET criteria in effect at the time the applicant graduated. This is not intended as an evaluation of the program, but only of the educational credentials presented by a graduate. An ECEI evaluation may be useful to employers, graduate schools and licensing or registration bodies. However, the evaluations are advisory in nature, and ABET cannot guarantee acceptance by any of these entities. Additional information about this service may be found on the ECEI website.