Does the CIMEA Comparability Statement replace the Declaration of Value?
Numerous clients who approach us for assistance in recognising their foreign academic or professional qualifications often ask: “Can the CIMEA Comparability Statement replace the Declaration of Value?” Based on our extensive experience in the field of credential recognition, we can confidently state that both the CIMEA Comparability Statement and the Consular Declaration of Value are essential and complementary documents for a thorough evaluation by the competent authorities. In fact, most Italian universities require both documents for a complete assessment. The CIMEA Comparability Statement and the Consular Declaration of Value are two fundamental pillars in the process of recognising foreign qualifications in Italy. This complementarity is crucial to ensure an accurate and comprehensive evaluation, allowing academic authorities and employers to fully understand the value and authenticity of a given qualification.
For international students, preparing both the CIMEA Comparability Statement and the Declaration of Value adequately is a key step towards academic and professional success in Italy. Therefore, adopting a proactive and well-informed approach to the recognition process is crucial to securing a stable and promising future in academic and professional spheres. In the context of the internationalisation of higher education and increasing student mobility, the recognition of foreign qualifications in Italy plays a vital role. The CIMEA Comparability Statement and the Declaration of Value are key documents in this process. Although they may appear similar, they serve distinct yet complementary functions. Their combined use allows for a thorough assessment of foreign qualifications, helping to guarantee the validity and equivalence of the educational path undertaken abroad in line with Italian standards.
Understanding the importance of both the Comparability Statement and the Declaration of Value allows individuals to strategically and proactively plan their future, avoiding delays or complications during the evaluation process. Therefore, adopting an effective strategy in preparing these documents is essential for anyone aiming to pursue an academic or professional career in Italy.
The Function of the CIMEA Comparability Statement
The CIMEA Comparability Statement, issued by the “Centro Informazioni Mobilità Equivalenze Accademiche” information Centre on Academic Mobility and Equivalence(CIMEA), which is part of the NARIC network, provides a detailed analysis of a foreign qualification, highlighting its level, duration, and disciplinary scope. The primary purpose of this certification is to establish a correlation between the foreign qualification and those within the Italian educational system, thereby facilitating an understanding of its academic value within the national context. This statement is particularly useful for Italian universities and employers, as it provides an objective basis for evaluating the presented qualification.
In the broader context of the evolving processes for recognising academic qualifications in Italy, the introduction by CIMEA of an innovative digital system for the automatic and free issuance of Comparability Statements marks a significant advancement. This tool, designed for qualifications from the 55 countries that are signatories to the Lisbon Convention, helps to streamline and accelerate the recognition process, making it more efficient. This initiative is part of a larger set of policies aimed at promoting international academic integration and mobility, in line with European strategies for the “automatic recognition” of academic qualifications. These policies are supported by the European Commission Recommendation of 26 November 2018, which encourages the mutual automatic recognition of higher and upper secondary education qualifications, as well as study periods abroad, within the European Higher Education Area (EHEA). The Diplome project, managed by CIMEA using blockchain technology, serves as a concrete example of the organisation’s commitment to making the recognition process for academic qualifications more transparent, certified, and accessible, while also promoting the use of advanced digital tools in higher education.
Through the Comparability service, it is possible to request an evaluation from CIMEA for foreign qualifications, whether from higher education or final qualifications from secondary school that allow access to further studies. If the evaluation is positive, CIMEA experts issue a Comparability Statement for the qualification in question. Comparability involves determining the level of the foreign qualification in relation to the cycles of the Bologna Process and the levels of the European Qualifications Framework (EQF). However, it is important to note that such comparability does not constitute formal recognition of the qualification within a national system; rather, it serves as a useful reference for institutions assessing the qualification during various recognition procedures. Moreover, the Comparability Statement does not bind academic institutions or authorities in their own evaluation and recognition processes.
What is the ARDI Correspondence Statement issued by CIMEA?
In its efforts to support the recognition of foreign qualifications, CIMEA has recently introduced the ARDI service on its portal, making it completely free and readily accessible to any user seeking a Correspondence Statement for their foreign qualification. ARDI, which stands for Automatic Recognition Database Italy, is a tool developed by CIMEA experts in line with the principles of “automatic recognition” as required at the European level.
ARDI provides a detailed description of the main types of academic qualifications and final upper secondary school diplomas from countries that are signatories to the Lisbon Convention. It offers a comparative assessment of the correspondence between foreign qualifications and their Italian counterparts. In addition, it includes specific evaluative notes for each type of qualification, taking into account the unique characteristics of the foreign education system. This helps Italian institutions responsible for the recognition of qualifications to determine whether there are any “substantial differences,” in accordance with both national and European evaluation practices.
ARDI not only allows users to view online information related to foreign qualifications included in the database but also generates an ARDI Correspondence Statement for each qualification, which is immediately available for free download. This statement provides a non-binding comparative assessment, determining whether two qualifications can be considered equivalent in terms of educational level, nature (academic, professional, or research-based), and field of study (school, academic, or vocational). It is essential to emphasise that such correspondence can only be established when both qualifications are “official,” meaning they are issued by recognised institutions that are part of the respective national education system.
However, the correspondence between two qualifications does not constitute formal recognition nor does it have any legal effect, as it remains a comparative assessment only. The evaluation provided by ARDI is based on an analysis of general qualifications from each foreign system, comparing them to those in the Italian system using methodologies developed by CIMEA. This analysis does not consider individual cases but focuses instead on an overall evaluation of the qualifications.
ARDI includes the majority of qualifications from the 55 countries that are signatories to the Lisbon Convention, covering both academic and school sectors. The absence of a specific qualification in the database does not necessarily mean that it does not exist or cannot be evaluated in the future. Furthermore, each Correspondence Statement includes the date on which it was issued online, as the information contained in ARDI may be subject to changes, updates, or modifications, including the addition of new qualifications. This dynamic approach ensures that the information remains as up-to-date as possible with the ongoing changes in international education systems.
Therefore, the ARDI service is an important tool for anyone in need of a comparative evaluation of their academic qualifications. It facilitates the evaluation process and provides concrete support both to users and to Italian institutions involved in the recognition of foreign qualifications.
What is the DIPLOME Comparability Service?
The DIPLOME service is the renewed CIMEA platform for the comparability and verification of academic qualifications, developed using blockchain technology. This innovative platform allows users to digitally submit their foreign credentials and request their evaluation or verification through a few simple steps. By leveraging blockchain technology, DIPLOME ensures that every stage of the process is transparent, secure, and certified, thereby guaranteeing data integrity and authenticity.
By registering on the DIPLOME platform, users can directly manage their requests, monitor the progress of the evaluation, and receive notifications once their Statement has been issued. Once released, the CIMEA Comparability or Verification Statement is saved on the blockchain, allowing users to access, download, and share it from anywhere directly through the platform with academic institutions and employers, in a simple, secure, and certified manner.
The platform not only securely stores educational documents but also enables users to use Comparability and/or Verification Statements as a basis for submitting applications to higher education programmes. In this way, DIPLOME facilitates the evaluation of foreign qualifications while also providing crucial support to those seeking to continue their academic path in Italy or abroad.
For more information and to access the service, please visit the webpage dedicated to the DIPLOME project.
What is the CIMEA Verification Service?
The CIMEA Verification Service allows for the confirmation of the authenticity of a foreign qualification, whether it pertains to higher education or secondary school. The goal of this service is to verify that the qualification in question has been genuinely issued to its holder by an officially recognised institution within the relevant national education system. In the case of a positive outcome, CIMEA issues a Verification Statement that certifies the authenticity of the qualification.
The verification process involves several steps through which CIMEA gathers information regarding the issuance of the qualification by the awarding institution. It is important to clarify that the issuance of a Verification Statement does not equate to formal recognition of the qualification within the Italian national system and therefore does not confer any legal value upon the qualification. Instead, the statement serves as supporting documentation for institutions and bodies assessing the qualification during the recognition process, but it does not bind these entities to formally accept the qualification.
To carry out the verification process, CIMEA utilises various tools. These include accessing national databases and institutional records, directly requesting confirmations from the awarding institution, and consulting official certifications from the competent authorities of the country of origin. Additional procedures may involve sending the original qualification to CIMEA offices, verifying the presence of any legalisations and official stamps, as well as checking the format of the qualification and associated signatures. The aim of these procedures is to ensure that the qualification was issued in compliance with the standards of the national education system of the relevant country.
It should be noted that the verification service cannot be guaranteed for all foreign education systems. Its availability is limited to certain countries and specific types of qualifications. More detailed information regarding the countries and qualifications for which the service is available can be found on the CIMEA-Diplome platform.
In summary, the CIMEA Verification Service provides a valuable confirmation of the authenticity of a foreign qualification, but it does not constitute formal recognition. It serves as essential support for those seeking to demonstrate the validity of their qualification in the Italian academic and professional context, thereby facilitating the evaluation and integration processes within educational institutions or companies.
Differences and Convergences Between the Declaration of Value and the CIMEA Comparability Statement
While both the Declaration of Value and the CIMEA Comparability Statement are crucial in evaluating foreign qualifications, their roles are distinctly different. The CIMEA Comparability Statement primarily provides an academic evaluation of the qualification, focusing on its educational level, duration, and disciplinary field, whereas the Declaration of Value is concerned with validating the authenticity and legal standing of the qualification within the foreign educational system. This distinction is particularly important for Italian universities, which often require both documents to ensure a thorough assessment of a foreign qualification, thereby enabling a more complete recognition process.
The uniqueness of each document lies not only in its specific purpose but also in its contribution to the broader context of recognising foreign qualifications in Italy. The Comparability Statement paves the way for academic integration, offering an analytical comparison that helps institutions understand the equivalence of a foreign qualification within the Italian educational context. On the other hand, the Declaration of Value ensures that the recognition is supported by verified legal authenticity, establishing a reliable foundation for any subsequent formal acknowledgment.
Together, the Declaration of Value and the Comparability Statement play a complementary role in facilitating the recognition of foreign qualifications. They act as a bridge connecting international education systems to the Italian context, supporting academic mobility and acknowledging the intrinsic value of global education. By working in tandem, they help to ensure that foreign qualifications are assessed fairly, both academically and legally, thus easing the integration process for international students and professionals wishing to pursue their academic or career goals in Italy.
Nature and Purpose: The Comparability Statement, provided by CIMEA, offers a detailed analysis of how a foreign qualification compares with the Italian education system. It focuses on academic equivalence, evaluating the level, duration, and disciplinary scope of the foreign qualification in relation to its Italian counterparts. In contrast, the Declaration of Value (DV), issued by Italian diplomatic and consular authorities abroad, certifies the authenticity of the qualification and confirms its legal status in the country of origin. The DV provides a legal and institutional overview of the qualification, including details about the awarding institution and its equivalence within the Italian educational framework.
Role in the Recognition Process: The Comparability Statement aids in the academic interpretation of a qualification, helping Italian institutions understand its value and standing within the national educational context. Conversely, the Declaration of Value acts as a legal bridge, confirming the legitimacy of the foreign qualification—an essential component for procedures that extend beyond academia, such as participating in public competitions or registering with professional bodies.
Despite their differences, both documents are complementary in the process of evaluating foreign qualifications. Their complementarity lies in offering a complete picture of the foreign qualification: the Declaration of Value ensures the authenticity and legal recognition, while the Comparability Statement highlights the academic equivalence within the Italian education system.
Italian universities often require both documents to ensure a thorough and accurate assessment. This dual approach helps to overcome bureaucratic barriers and facilitates the integration of international students, ensuring that the foreign qualification is not only authentic and legally recognised but also academically comparable to Italian standards.
Practical Implications for International Students
For international students aspiring to continue their studies or work in Italy, understanding the role and importance of these documents is crucial. The preparation and submission of both the Comparability Statement and the Declaration of Value can significantly simplify and expedite the recognition process for their qualifications, thus avoiding potential bureaucratic hurdles. Furthermore, a clear understanding of the differences between the Comparability Statement and the Declaration of Value can help students navigate the Italian educational system more effectively, thereby facilitating their academic and professional integration.