International Accreditation Explained: How Parents Can Verify a School Open any international school website in Hanoi and you will see a row of logos. Some represent international accreditation, earned through years of rigorous external review. Others are memberships, partnerships or exam-board registrations, yet they all look the same on a homepage. Here is how to read those logos, which bodies matter for which pathway, and how to verify any school in about ten minutes. What Is International Accreditation? International accreditation is a formal quality review of an entire school by an independent organisation. Trained evaluators compare the school against published standards, visit in person and decide whether it meets them. Accreditation is granted for a fixed period. After that, the school must be reviewed again. While a standard campus tour highlights classrooms and physical facilities, external accreditation evaluates institutional operations behind the scenes—including governance, financial stability, curriculum alignment, and child safeguarding policies. What accreditors actually evaluate Most recognised accrediting bodies review five broad areas: Teaching and learning: how the curriculum is planned, taught and assessed Student wellbeing and safeguarding: how the school keeps children safe and supported Leadership and governance: who makes decisions and how they are held accountable Resources and finances: whether the school is stable and invests in learning Continuous improvement: whether the school acts on evidence and feedback The process usually starts with a self-study. This is a detailed internal review that the school writes about itself. A visiting team of experienced educators then tests those claims on site and publishes recommendations. Why "accredited once" is not the same as "accredited now" Accreditation is not a lifetime award. Most bodies run a review cycle of roughly five to seven years. Between full visits, schools often submit progress reports. A school that was accredited a decade ago may no longer hold that status. Always check two dates: when the last review took place and when the next one is due. A confident school will answer both without hesitation. Accreditation, Authorisation and Membership: Three Labels Parents Often Confuse credentials displayed on school websites generally fall into three distinct categories: Label Who grants it What it covers Examples Institutional Accreditation An independent accrediting body The school’s overall operations and management CIS, WASC, NEASC, Cognia Programme Authorisation A curriculum provider or educational body One specific programme IB PYP, MYP, DP Network Membership A school group or association Professional association and collaboration International Schools Partnership (ISP), FOBISSA School-Wide Accreditation (CIS, WASC, NEASC, Cognia) Accreditation looks at the school as an organisation. It covers every year group, every department and the systems that hold them together. This is the broadest form of external review a school can receive. Programme Authorisation and "Candidate" Status Programme authorisation is narrower. It confirms that a school meets the standards to deliver one specific curriculum. The International Baccalaureate (IB) is the best-known example. A school becomes an IB World School only after the IB authorises it for a programme. Before that, it may be a candidate school. This means it is formally working towards authorisation but cannot yet claim it. The IB itself states that candidate status gives no guarantee that authorisation will be granted. Authorisation is also programme-specific. A school can be authorised for the Primary Years Programme (PYP) but still be a candidate for the Diploma Programme (DP). Always check each programme separately. Memberships and Educational Networks indicates that a school belongs to a broader professional association or global educational group. Westlink, for example, is a member of the International Schools Partnership, a global group of schools. Membership can bring shared standards, training and opportunities for students. However, it is not the same as an independent accreditation review. Treat it as useful context rather than proof of quality on its own. Diagram comparing school accreditation, IB programme authorisation and school network membership Major Accrediting Bodies and University Pathways No single body is "the best". The right signal depends on the curriculum your child follows and where they may study later. Many schools hold more than one accreditation or authorisation. Body Main focus Target Academic Pathway Official website CIS (Council of International Schools) International schools worldwide, any curriculum Families who move between countries cois.org WASC (ACS WASC) US regional accreditor with international schools American curriculum, US university pathway acswasc.org NEASC US regional accreditor with an international commission North American pathway neasc.org Cognia US-based accreditor working globally American or mixed curricula cognia.org COBIS (Council of British International Schools) British international schools British curriculum, UK universities cobis.org.uk IB (International Baccalaureate) Programme authorisation, not whole-school accreditation IB pathway recognised by universities worldwide ibo.org Accreditation does not guarantee university admission. What it does is give admissions officers confidence that a school's grades and transcripts follow recognised standards. For students applying abroad, that confidence matters. How to Verify a School's Credentials Accreditation in 10 Minutes A logo on a website is a claim. The accrediting body's own records are the evidence. Here is how to move from one to the other. Check the official directories, not the logo Note the exact name of each body the school lists. Spell out every acronym. Go to that body's official website directly. Do not rely on a link provided by the school. Search for the school by name in the body's directory of accredited or member schools. Confirm the status and dates. Check whether the school is fully accredited, in progress or simply a member. For IB schools, use the official Find an IB World School search. Filter by country, find the school and look at the PYP, MYP and DP columns. A tick shows an authorised programme. Programmes still at candidate stage are not shown as authorised. Official IB World School profile of Westlink International School on ibo.org, showing MYP authorised in December 2025 and PYP authorised in May 2024 Six questions to ask on a school tour Which programmes are fully authorised, and since when? Are any programmes still at candidate stage? What is the expected timeline? Is the whole school accredited by an independent body? If not, is it working towards it? When was your last external review, and when is the next one due? What were the main recommendations from your last review, and what has changed since? Can I see your safeguarding policy and your most recent review report? A well-run school will welcome these questions. Clear, specific answers are a good sign in themselves. Red flags to watch for An acronym that sounds similar to a known body but is not listed on its website A logo you cannot find in the body's official directory Vague wording such as "internationally recognised" with no named organisation Several programmes grouped into one claim, such as "fully IB", without programme-level detail Is a School Without Full Accreditation Still Worth Considering? Yes, as long as the school is transparent about where it stands. Whole-school accreditation takes several years of preparation, self-study and review. Newer schools often begin with programme authorisation and work towards broader accreditation over time. In that situation, look for other signals of quality: Programmes that are already authorised by a recognised organisation A published safeguarding and child protection policy Backing from an established education network with shared standards Honest, specific answers about timelines for further authorisation or accreditation Feedback from current parents with children in the same year group The more useful question is not "Does this school have every badge?" Ask instead: "Is this school honest about its status, and does it have a credible plan?" A Transparent Example: Westlink's Current Status Westlink International School Hanoi opened in 2022. Its development is a good example of how a newer school builds external recognition step by step. 2022: The school opens as an IB candidate school. May 2024: Authorised by the IB as an IB World School for the Primary Years Programme (PYP). December 2025: Authorised by the IB for the Middle Years Programme (MYP). Diploma Programme (DP): Candidate School, pursuing IB authorisation, with the programme planned to launch in August 2027, pending authorisation. Westlink is also part of the International Schools Partnership (ISP) and holds LOTUS Green Building certification from the Vietnam Green Building Council (VGBC). At the time of publication, Westlink publicly identifies its IB programme authorisations and LOTUS Green Building certification. Any additional whole-school accreditation status, such as CIS or WASC, should be confirmed directly with the school before publication. Westlink International School Hanoi is a Candidate School for the IB Diploma Programme. This school is pursuing authorisation as an IB World School for this programme. Only schools authorised by the IB can offer IB programmes. Candidate status gives no guarantee that authorisation will be granted. Frequently Asked Questions Is an IB World School the same as an accredited school? Not exactly. IB authorisation confirms that a school meets the IB's standards for a specific programme. Whole-school accreditation, from bodies such as CIS or WASC, reviews the entire organisation. A school can hold one without the other, and many strong schools hold both. Does accreditation affect university admission? Indirectly. Universities do not admit students because their school is accredited. However, accreditation gives admissions teams confidence that grades and transcripts meet recognised standards. This matters most for students applying to universities outside their home country. How often are international schools re-accredited? Most accrediting bodies run a full review cycle of around five to seven years, with progress reports in between. The IB also evaluates authorised programmes on a regular cycle. Ask any school when its last review took place and when the next one is due. What is the difference between a Vietnamese operating licence and international accreditation? A licence from Vietnamese education authorities permits a school to operate legally. International accreditation is a separate, voluntary quality review by an independent body. Both matter, but they answer different questions: whether a school may operate, and how well it performs. Is Westlink MYP authorised or a candidate school? Westlink is authorised for the IB Middle Years Programme (MYP) as of December 2025. It is also authorised for the Primary Years Programme (PYP) since May 2024. The school is a candidate for the IB Diploma Programme (DP) and is pursuing authorisation. International accreditation will not tell you everything about a school. It does tell you who has checked it, and when. Combine official records with what you see in person, and bring the six questions above to every school you visit, including ours. Book a campus tour and ask our academic team about each IB programme, from PYP through to the Diploma Programme.
