FAQ on Policy and Criteria
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Qualifications Assessment is guided by the HKCAAVQ’s outcome-based assessment policy and guidelines which are developed and maintained with reference to international QA practices and developments.
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The factors to be considered in the assessment include but are not limited to:
(i) the accreditation/recognition status of the awarding institution(s) at the time when the applicant was admitted to the educational programme(s);
(ii) the accreditation/recognition status of the educational programme(s) leading to the qualification(s) being assessed at the time the applicant was admitted to the educational programme(s);
(iii) the entry requirements, exemption/advanced standing practice, curriculum, assessment and graduation requirements of the educational programme(s);
(iv) the accreditation/recognition status/details of credits relating to the qualification(s) under assessment which has/have a bearing on the learning outcome of the qualification;
(v) the location of study of the educational programme(s) leading to credits relating to the qualification(s) being assessed;
(vi) the accreditation status of the operator when the programme leading to the qualification being assessed is offered outside the place where the awarding institution operates;
(vii) the education regulatory framework in the place where the qualification being assessed is offered.
(viii) the Hong Kong education system and the Hong Kong Qualifications Framework
The above is listed in Guidance Notes for Applications as well.
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Each qualifications must be recognised by its home country's national educational authority as part of the country's national education system. For more information, you may consult the qualification register or the relevant education authority website of that country for more information. For the recognition status of local/non-local qualifications in Hong Kong, please consult the Hong Kong Qualifications Register
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Possibly. Work experience leading to advanced standing in a qualification is assessed on case-by-case basis. However, the assessment does not consider work experience/ professional qualification/unrecognized prior study/studies on its own.
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No. We could not assess qualifications of less than one-year full-time in duration.
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Please note that we are only able to assess whether the totality of an applicant’s qualification(s) could meet the standard of at least Level 2 or above in five subjects in HKDSE, and in which only Level 2 English Language and/or Chinese Language would be recommended (if possible). We are unable to assess qualification against any other Level or subject(s) in HKDSE, nor give recommendation on a single HKDSE subject. If you would still like us to assess your qualification(s) against HKDSE, please make such request in ‘Remarks’ under ‘Any Other Information’ of Step 4: Declaration.
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When the HKCAAVQ determines that an application cannot be assessed either due to insufficient information or for a legitimate reason, the application would be returned to the applicant and an administrative fee of one-third of assessment fee will be deducted.
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No. Every assessment is conducted in accordance with the prevailing policy and guidelines at the time.
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Should applicants for qualifications assessment wish to enquire about their own assessment outcomes, they may raise their questions in writing preferably within one week after the receipt of the Report for Qualifications Assessment so that a response from the HKCAAVQ can be obtained well in advance of the stipulated timeline (30-days) for applicants to submit an application for formal review of the assessment outcome. For details of the applications for review, please refer to Application Form for Review of Qualifications Assessment
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No. For qualifications assessment for General Purpose, the assessment will only assess whether the totality of applicants’ educational qualifications meets the standard of one particular level of qualification in Hong Kong. For example, if you submitted a Master Degree and a Bachelor Degree, even if both qualifications are assessable, the Report for Qualifications Assessment would only show if the totality of your educational qualifications meets the standard of local Master Degree. It will not comment on whether your Bachelor Degree meets the standard of local Bachelor Degree. However, if your application is for Teacher Registration/Teacher Appointment Purpose, the assessment will also assess whether your teacher training qualification can make reference to Hong Kong’s teacher training qualification and also comment on whether your Bachelor Degree meets the standard of local Bachelor Degree.
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Our qualifications assessment assess qualifications awarded by granting bodies outside Hong Kong. Given Hong Kong’s Qualifications Register (www.hkqr.gov.hk) has listed all qualifications quality assured, recognised under Hong Kong Qualifications Framework (HKQF), Qualifications Assessment service will not assess these qualifications against the HKQF.
Qualifications awarded by granting bodies in Hong Kong but not listed in Hong Kong’s Qualifications Register are not considered as recognised under HKQF. As stated in Process of Assessment page, we cannot assess qualifications that are not recognised in home country/area's education system.
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Qualifications listed in Hong Kong’s Qualifications Register are quality assured, recognised under Hong Kong Qualifications Framework (HKQF) and thus considered as locally recognised qualifications. Students holding non-local qualifications that appear on HKQR are recognised as meeting the standard of the same level of particular qualifications obtained in Hong Kong. Hence, the Qualifications Assessment service will not assess these qualifications against the HKQF.