About TEFL Accreditation

We do not list all accreditation claims made by course providers.

We only list accreditation in the areas of Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL, TEFL or TESL); teacher training; online education, or a closely related field.

We only list the claims that we can verify through a government agency.

Accreditation agencies we list:

  1. Professional bodies operating as private organizations which, at minimum:
    • are listed in a government directory of registered businesses or charities, and
    • provide a list of the courses or course providers that they have accredited on a publicly accessible page on their website.
  2. Government bodies which oversee accreditation.
  3. Accreditors which are recognized by government bodies such as by Ofqual in the UK or the US Department of Education.
  4. Accreditors which are recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), a non-governmental national body in the US.

Legitimate claims that we cannot verify (and therefore do not list) include, for example, a licence granted by the Ministry of Education in a country whose language we don’t speak.

You can read more about accreditation in the TCR Blog.

Accrediting Organizations

AccreditorFull NameCountryAccreditor's Membership DirectoryRegulationGovernment Directory
ACCETAccrediting Council for Continuing Education and TrainingUSAACCET Member Institution DirectoryACCET is recognized by the US Department of Education.USDE List of Institutional Accrediting Agencies
ACTDECAccreditation Council for TESOL Distance Education CoursesUKACTDEC MembersACTDEC is a UK registered private limited company.UK Companies House Register
BACBritish Accreditation Council for Independent Further and Higher EducationUKBAC DirectoryBAC is a UK registered charity.UK Charity Commission Register
British CouncilUKBritish Council Accredited CentresThe British Council is a UK registered charity and non-departmental public body.UK Charity Commission Register
Cambridge Assessment EnglishA division of Cambridge Assessment / University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate (UCLES).UKCambridge Teaching CentresCambridge Assessment is a UK awarding organisation recognized by Ofqual.Ofqual Register
DEACDistance Education Accrediting CommissionUSADEAC Approved ProvidersDEAC is an American national career-related accrediting organization recognized by CHEA and by the US Department of Education.USDE List of Institutional Accrediting Agencies

CHEA Directory of Accreditors
IATQuOInternational Accreditation of TESOL Qualifying OrganisationsUKIATQUO Accredited CentresIATQuO is a UK registered private limited company.UK Companies House Register
ODLQCOpen & Distance Learning Quality CouncilUKODLQC Accredited ProvidersODLQC is a UK registered charity.UK Charity Commission Register
QualifiQualifi LtdUKQualifi QualificationsQualifi is a UK awarding organisation recognized by Ofqual.Ofqual Register
SQAScottish Qualifications AuthorityUKSQA's TESOL page does not list accredited centres. Contact SQA directly.SQA is sponsored by the Scottish Government’s Learning Directorate and recognized by Ofqual.Ofqual Register
TESL CanadaTESL Canadian Educational FoundationCanadaTESL Canada Recognized ProgramsThe TESL Canadian Educational Foundation is a charity registered in Canada.Canada Revenue Agency's List of Charities
TQUKTraining Qualifications UK LtdUKTQUK Approved Training CentresTQUK is a UK awarding organisation recognized by Ofqual.Ofqual Register
Trinity College LondonUKTrinity-Validated Course ProvidersTrinity College London is a UK awarding organisation recognized by Ofqual.Ofqual Register
Please visit the TCR Blog to read more about TEFL accreditation.