Eligibility Criteria

General Principle

A school is eligible to apply for accreditation if, and only if, it satisfies each of the eligibility criteria set out in this page. Satisfaction of some but not all criteria does not create eligibility.

Eligibility is assessed as at the date of application. A school that ceases to satisfy any criterion between application and the effective date of accreditation must notify WEQSC within seven days.

Legal and Regulatory Standing

• The school must be legally constituted under the law of the jurisdiction in which it operates. It must be able to produce a certificate of incorporation, registration, or equivalent instrument of legal existence;
• The school must be authorised under the law of its jurisdiction to operate as a school. Where the jurisdiction requires a licence, permit, or recognition to operate, the school must hold one that is current;
• The school must not be the subject of any regulatory sanction by the local education authority that restricts its operation;
• The school must not be insolvent, in administration, in liquidation, or subject to any analogous proceeding.

Physical Infrastructure

• The school must occupy premises that are, at the date of application, in active educational use, and that it is lawfully entitled to occupy either as owner or under a lease of not less than three years' remaining term;
• Where the school seeks accreditation at qualification levels requiring laboratory provision, the premises must include fully equipped Physics, Chemistry, and Biology laboratories meeting the specifications set out in the Standards and Compliance section of this portal. A school without such laboratories may apply for accreditation at lower levels only;
• The premises must satisfy the fire safety, structural safety, and public health requirements of the local education authority.

Teaching Staff

• The school must employ, or have firm written commitments to employ by the effective date, teaching staff sufficient in number and qualification to deliver the WISE Curriculum Framework at each qualification level for which accreditation is sought;
• Each teacher must hold, at minimum, a bachelor's degree in the subject or subjects they are to teach, or in a closely related discipline;
• No teacher may be employed who has been disqualified from teaching by any regulatory authority, or who is the subject of an unresolved finding of professional misconduct;
• The school must demonstrate an average student-to-teacher ratio no greater than 45:1 across the classes proposed for accreditation.

Financial Viability

• The school must provide audited financial statements for the two most recent completed financial years, prepared by an auditor independent of the school;
• The financial statements must show the school to be a going concern. A qualified opinion, adverse opinion, or disclaimer of opinion in either year will ordinarily disqualify the application;
• The school must have no history of default, in the preceding three years, on any financial obligation owed to employees, suppliers, or public authorities, exceeding thirty days beyond the due date;
• The school must demonstrate that its fee revenue, existing reserves, or committed funding are sufficient to meet its operating costs and its accreditation fees for the first accreditation cycle.

Governance

• The school must have a clearly identified senior officer — Principal, Director, Head, or equivalent — with authority to bind the school in respect of its accreditation obligations;
• Where the school is governed by a board of directors, trustees, or equivalent body, the composition of that body must be documented, and the body must include at least one member with responsibility for academic matters;
• The school must have written policies governing admission, discipline, grievance, and fee structure;
• The school must have a designated senior officer responsible for data protection, or must commit in writing to designate one within ninety days of the effective date.

Digital Readiness

• The school must have, at the date of application, a functioning internet connection sufficient to operate the Institution Management Portal, with a minimum sustained downstream speed of two megabits per second;
• The school must have at least one computing device capable of running a current browser, and at least one designated member of staff competent to operate the Portal;
• The school must have a functioning institutional email address and a telephone line that receives calls during business hours;
• The school must not have experienced, in the preceding two years, a data breach that it failed to disclose to the affected persons or to the competent authority.

Disqualifying Factors

A school is ineligible to apply if any of the following applies, regardless of satisfaction of the criteria above:

• Prior Termination for Fraud — The school, or any person holding a controlling interest in it, has previously been accredited with WEQSC and had that accreditation terminated on grounds of fraud, credential falsification, or material misrepresentation;
• Outstanding Obligations — The school, or any person holding a controlling interest in it, owes WEQSC any amount that is overdue, or has failed to comply with any order of the Accreditation Committee;
• Pending Investigation — The school, or any person holding a controlling interest in it, is the subject of a current investigation by WEQSC or by a regulatory authority in any jurisdiction, in respect of an allegation of examination malpractice, credential fraud, or harm to students;
• Sanctioned Persons — The school, or any person holding a controlling interest in it, is the subject of sanctions imposed by the Swiss Confederation, the United Nations, or any jurisdiction with which WEQSC operates.

Conclusion

The eligibility criteria set out in this page are the foundation of the accreditation process. All eligibility determinations not expressly set out in this portal must follow the Secretariat's official bylaws.