Terms and Conditions

All applicants applying for an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) provided by University of Toronto’s School of Continuing Studies (U of T) through its Comparative Education Service (CES), are required to accept the following terms and conditions at the time that they create an account with us. The following are our current Terms and Conditions. 

Privacy Terms

1. U of T collects personal information provided by you, through your registration and application, under the authority of Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act RSO. 1990, c.F.31. Please refer to our Private Policy (https://learn.utoronto.ca/privacy-policy) for more information.
2. Personal information provided by you will be used to assess and evaluate the education earned outside of Canada against the accepted credentialed standards within Canada. If you are applying for or updating an existing ECA for Canadian Immigration programs, then your ECA report and the personal information contained within will be disclosed to Federal Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and, if applicable, provincial and/or territorial nominee program officials in support of that purpose.  
3. No personal information that you provide will be released to a third party without your prior consent, except if U of T determines that you have submitted false/falsified/forged/misrepresented/altered documents, in which case, U of T may notify government and non-government agencies and disclose your personal information to government and non-government agencies and associations where U of T determines that you have submitted false/falsified/forged/misrepresented/altered documents.  
4. By submitting your signed application for an ECA, you hereby release the U of T, its agents, vendors and any person or entity that provides information in accordance with your consent, from any and all actions, claims and demands for damages, loss, expense, or injury, howsoever arising, which may hereafter be sustained by you as a result of the provision, collection, use or disclosure of information as set out herein.
5. U of T may retain personal non-financial information which will include name and date of birth for at least ten years from the date of your application, and that it may retain this information indefinitely if CES determines that your documents are not authentic.
6. U of T will use your date of birth (DOB) for identification purposes on an ECA report.

GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS

1. CES ECA reports are advisory in nature and do not supersede the admission policies of any particular educational institution or the established requirements of any professional association, regulatory body, or government agency.
2. CES ECA reports include only educational credentials received through formal education completed at academic institutions. Non-formal and/or non-academic qualifications will not be assessed or included in the ECA report.
3. ECA reports will not be released to applicants until all applicable fees are paid in full.
4. No refunds are offered for canceled or incomplete ECA applications.
5. In cases where the credential is found not to be recognized by the competent educational authorities of its country of origin, or if there are substantial differences between it and an otherwise similar Canadian credential, CES reserves the right to provide an assessment with a negative outcome. Such applications will not be cancelled or refunded.
6. All formal communications on ECA applications are conducted in writing.
7. Applications that are incomplete for more than 180 days will be terminated and all information provided in the application and documents received by U of T will be disposed of according to the records retention and disposal policy of U of T. No refunds are offered for cancelled or terminated applications. A new application may be commenced and will be subject to all applicable fees.
8. An Immigration ECA report will be valid for a period of five years from the date it is issued, in accordance with IRCC requirements. 
9. Measures will be taken in the event that documents submitted are determined to be false/falsified/forged/misrepresented/altered, including the nullification of any ECA reports already issued and notification of IRCC and other assessment agencies, which will include the applicant’s name and date of birth.
10. U of T will refuse to issue an assessment if any submitted documents are suspected or confirmed to having been falsified, forged, misrepresented, or altered in any way. The application will be terminated and no refund will be provided. 
11. U of T reserves the right to verify educational credentials with the issuing institution/authority including, but not limited to, sending copies of transcripts to the institution/authority for verification and/or authentication. The applicant is responsible for covering any fees that may be associated with these verification processes.
12. Processing times may vary. Any estimates of time for completion are calculated from the day the required documents are supplied to U of T and not calculated from the day the application is commenced. If U of T deems it necessary to contact the appropriate authorities to obtain information about the program of study and/or to require verification of the documents, processing time may be longer. No refund will be offered based on the processing times or if you decide you no longer require the assessment. 
13. U of T does not guarantee the issuance of an ECA report if U of T is not satisfied with the official documents received and/or cannot obtain information or verification from the applicable institution(s). Such an application is deemed as incomplete and subject to termination.
14. U of T is not responsible for lost or misdirected mail.
15. U of T uses DocuSign to issue and securely dispatch verifiable, electronic ECA Reports in addition to, or in temporary lieu of, official hard copies. By submitting your application to CES, you authorize U of T to transmit your credential assessment report to you, your authorized third parties and IRCC (if applicable) via DocuSign.
16. U of T, its agents, vendors and any person or entity that provides information in accordance with the applicant’s consent, is hereby released from any and all actions, claims, and demands for damages, loss, expense, or injury, howsoever arising, which may hereafter be sustained by the applicant as a result of the provision, collection, use, or disclosure of information described herein.
17. All of the following documents are required and will not be returned:

• A scanned colour copy (both sides) of government-issued identification showing date of birth, with official English or French translation (if applicable).
• A scanned colour copy (both sides) of proof of name change document (e.g. Marriage Certificate) with official English or French translation (if applicable).
• A scanned colour copy (both sides) of the award for each completed degree, diploma, or certificate in its original language with official English or French translation (if applicable).
• A scanned colour copy (both sides) of academic records (transcripts, statements of marks) for each completed program of study in their original language with official English or French translation (if applicable).
• Institutional academic records mailed directly to CES in a sealed envelope. Even when the received documents are deemed unacceptable or unofficial, such documents received by CES become the property of CES and will not be returned or released to you or your authorized third party.
• For detailed information, please consult Required Documents by Country of Education. All documents not issued in English or French must be translated into English or French by a professional translation service.
   

THIRD PARTY REPRESENTATION

If you wish to have a Third Party represent you (e.g. Lawyer, Immigration Consultant), please complete the Designate or Withdraw Representation Third-Party-Release-Information form. Please note that you must still provide your original signature on the application documents; no one else may sign on your behalf.

REVIEW AND APPEAL PROCESSES

1. Error/Omission
   Upon receipt of your ECA report, please contact CES within 30 days of its date of issue to report an error.
2. Disagreement with Outcome 
   ECAs are based upon established and current CES policies approved by the University of Toronto’s School of Continuing Studies Comparative Education Service Management Committee. They comply with the procedural and substantive standards set out in the Pan-Canadian Quality Assurance Framework for the Assessment of International Academic Credentials.
   If you have questions or concerns about any aspect of your assessment outcome, you may initiate a progressive review process:
   a. Please notify CES of your concern by contacting us by e-mail within 30 days of your date of issue. The Credentials Assessor who provided the assessment and/or Peer Reviewers will respond to you electronically within 5 business days. If a change in outcome is warranted, the report will be revised. Otherwise, an explanation of the rationale used in attaining the listed outcome will be provided.
   b. If you remain unsatisfied with the review process, you may submit an Official Appeal in writing within 90 days of the date on your report. A $199 fee is applicable. Your ECA decision appeal request must state your reasons for disagreeing with the outcome and provide documentation that supports your claims. The Appeal Panel, comprised of the Senior Credentials Assessor and Comparative Education Service Management Committee, will conduct the review and notify you of the outcome and its rationale within 20 business days of the receipt of your appeal request, supporting documentation, and payment.

Please note that this review process is exhaustive, and its decisions are final. If your appeal is successful, CES will issue a revised ECA report and your appeal fee will be refunded.