This service includes the CIMEA Statement of Comparability
This service includes the evaluation of foreign credentials from countries where the verification procedure is (almost) impossible due to the current particular geopolitical situation within the relevant country. This service does not therefore include the release of a Statement of Verification.
The service is available exclusively for official university and final qualifications of secondary school, officially part of the national education system, issued by official institutions, that is to say those recognized/accredited in the national education system. The Statements of Comparability are available exclusively in Italian for qualifications issued by other education systems, different from the Italian one. Comparability requests are referred to the qualification as a whole (e.g. Bachelor of Arts), and not to the single documents issued for that particular qualification (e.g.: diploma certificate, Diploma Supplement, Transcript of Records, etc.). They are therefore never considered separately, but rather as documents providing relevant information regarding the qualification itself, which is always the central focus of the service.
The Statement of Comparability is a document containing the information relating to the qualification, such as the recognition/accreditation of the institution that issued it in the national education system and the level of the qualification according to the Bologna Process and the European Qualifications Framework, in addition to the specifications of the comparability of your degree with an Italian qualification, the nature of the course (academic or professionally-oriented) and any other useful element to let it be evaluated by the competent bodies. Through a Comparability request you apply for a Statement of Comparability with the evaluation of a final qualification of the higher education system or upper secondary school granting access to Higher Education.
This comparison does not establish nor guarantee in any way the formal recognition of your qualification, but it is a useful indication for those institutions that evaluate qualifications during different recognition procedures: the Statement of Comparability fulfills the function of a non-binding opinion and it does therefore not bind the institutions in any way during their assessment and recognition procedures. The Statement of Comparability neither verifies nor certifies the authenticity of the qualification on which the assessment is based.
In its procedures for the evaluation of foreign qualifications, CIMEA applies a methodology in line with the criteria established by the Lisbon Recognition Convention and with the practices shared at international level by the centres linked to the ENIC and NARIC networks. During the evaluation procedures, CIMEA takes into account the characteristics of the qualification and the features of the foreign system to which it belongs, comparing them to Italian qualifications and the Italian system of higher education, not least to verify whether there are cases of "substantial difference”.
Therefore, during a Comparability request, CIMEA experts review your qualification by checking on its official status in the national system of reference, the recognition/accreditation status of the awarding institution and of the teaching institution (if different from the former) in their respective national education systems. On top of that, an analysis of the elements of the single qualification is performed, i.e.: nature, level, duration, number of credits, academic and professional rights granted in the education system of reference, study curriculum and any other elements specific to the single qualification. This has the aim to suggest, when possible, a comparability with an Italian qualification and the academic rights that the foreign qualification could grant in Italy according to CIMEA's non-legally binding opinion.
In the case of a positive evaluation, a Statement of Comparability will be produced in relation to the qualification evaluated.
In cases where it is impossible to produce the Statement of Comparability, CIMEA will issue a Statement of Denial for one or more of the following reasons:
1) non-official status of the institution, the degree course or the qualification in the system of reference;
2) lack of certification of the quality of the institution and of the course of studies by the competent national authorities, including reference to the place where the studies were performed;
3) cases of substantial difference with reference to the Lisbon Convention;
4) counterfeiting or alteration of documents;
5) documentary insufficiency linked to the request that prevented an evaluation/verification.
Learn more about the evaluation methodology carried out by CIMEA experts in the drafting of their statements.
The CIMEA Statement of Comparability will be uploaded to the digital "Wallet" of qualifications in your DiploMe account through the use of blockchain, thereby making this digital document, transparent, transferable, certified and unchangeable.
TIMELINES - PRICES
STATEMENT OF COMPARABILITY
Ordinary procedure: 60 working days
(Monday to Friday) from the delivery of all the required documentation and from the payment of the related costs.
Urgent procedure: 30 working days
(Monday to Friday) from the delivery of all the required documentation, from the payment of the related costs.
Ordinary procedure:
(€ 122,95 + VAT: € 27,05) for each individual qualification and the related documents.
Additional fee for the urgent procedure (Comparability): € 100,00
(€ 81,97 + VAT: € 18,03) for each individual qualification and the related documents.
The basic timeline for the processing of all CIMEA Statements is 60 working days (from Monday to Friday).
In case of Comparability requests, the processing time can be reduced to 30 working days by applying for the urgent procedure for an additional fee of € 100.
Although three different services are available on the DiploMe platform, your foreign qualification can be related to only one of them. Since each service has its own cost, we invite you to identify the service available for your qualification through the dedicated tool. There you will also find additional details regarding costs and processing timelines. Alternatively you can this webpage for comprehensive information.
The urgent procedure is available for the Comparability procedure only and it reduces the processing time to 30 working days (Monday to Friday). To apply the urgent procedure an additional €100 fee is required on top of the basic cost of the service.
The Comparability service includes the evaluation of foreign credentials which cannot be formally verified. It is currently limited to those few countries where the verification of authenticity cannot be properly performed under current circumstances. This service does not therefore include the release of a Statement of Verification.
No. CIMEA is not in charge of any formal recognition procedure of foreign qualifications in Italy and it cannot therefore make any formal recognition decision. Hence, CIMEA's Statements do not establish nor guarantee in any way the formal recognition of your qualification, but they are a useful indication for the authorities and the bodies designated by law during their different recognition procedures. The Statements fulfill the function of a non-binding authoritative opinion and they do not bind the institutions in any way during their assessment and recognition procedures.
