Accreditation Outside the U.S.

ABET is engaged globally through four primary means: 1) accreditation of academic programs; 2) mutual recognition of accreditation organizations; 3) Memoranda of Understanding with accreditation/quality assurance organizations; and 4) engagement in global STEM education organizations.

We take an active role in the global quality assurance process for technical education programs through numerous agreements with organizations worldwide. These include Mutual Recognition Agreements (MRAs) and Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs). A list of our MRA global partners can be found here and here. A list of our MOU global partners can be found here.

We respect the autonomy of each nation’s higher education quality assurance organization. While ABET accredits programs outside of the U.S., we also encourage academic programs located in these countries and regions to pursue accreditation by the appropriate MRA or MOU partner. If a program located outside the U.S. falls within the jurisdiction of one of our MRA/MOU partners, a complete Request for Acknowledgement (RFA) form signed by the applicable MRA/MOU partner should be submitted along with a formal Request for Evaluation (RFE).

In addition, programs located outside of the U.S. must submit a complete RFA form from each appropriate education authority, recognition body, or accreditation agency along with the formal RFE. We will consider conducting an accreditation review outside the U.S. only with explicit acknowledgement from all applicable education authorities, recognition bodies, or accreditation agencies in that program’s country or region.

ABET reserves the right to consider a formal RFE, waive the requirement for RFA submission, and conduct an accreditation visit outside the U.S. Also note that mutual recognition through MRAs may not extend to programs physically located outside of the U.S. This recognition is dependent upon the specific MRA.

The ABET accreditation process for programs located outside of the U.S. is identical to the accreditation process for programs within the U.S.

For detail on accreditation costs, see the Fee Schedule for programs outside the U.S.

We encourage you to pay close attention to these fees in particular:

• Reimbursement of the ABET team’s actual travel expenses – Travel expenses include but are not limited to roundtrip airfare, lodging, transportation, meals, international calls, visa costs and travel insurance (both medical and security). Please note that ABET permits its volunteers to travel business class when international flights are equal to or greater than seven hours in total (layovers included).
• Additional support for ensuring safety and security of the ABET team – This may include but is not limited to airport pick-up, escort and daily ground transportation between each of the visit locations (i.e. campuses, hotel and airport).

Expect to be invoiced for reimbursement of actual travel expenses generated by the ABET team after conclusion of the scheduled on-site visit.

Institutions that submit official Requests for Evaluation (RFEs) are responsible for complying with the ABET payment requirements.

• A program seeking accreditation in a country where English is not the native language must provide its program name both in English and in the native language. English translation of a program name should be based on the technical content, not the literal translation of the program name, so that ABET can designate the appropriate accreditation commission(s) and determine the applicable criteria.
• Official transcripts must be provided in English or come with a certified/official English translation.
• The self-study report and other documents provided to the review team must be in English.
• Programs must be able to prepare for and receive a visiting review team conducting activities in English. All visit activities will be conducted in English.

As a global quality assurance organization, ABET is dedicated to improving the quality of STEM education worldwide.

ABET is strongly committed to protecting the safety and security of our volunteer and staff experts and sustaining the excellent quality of the services we provide. As a U.S.-based organization, we must also comply with applicable trade regulations and restrictions.

If local conditions potentially affect the safety, security or health of ABET’s representatives, compromise the quality of the services requested, and/or conflict with current trade regulations and restrictions, ABET reserves the right to decline, postpone, or cancel in-person services or reconfigure them to a virtual format. The decision to decline, postpone, cancel, or reconfigure services is made by ABET Headquarters staff.

Please refer to the Accreditation Policy and Procedure Manual (APPM) Sections I.E.2.c. through I.E.2.c.(5) for details.

Learn More

If you have questions about accreditation for programs outside the U.S., please contact our Accreditation Department.