What the seal means, in writing.

1. What the certification attests

The Global Counsellor Certification attests that the professional guides high school students in applying to universities abroad with up-to-date knowledge of admission systems, responsible use of data, ethics and student protection, and that they applied that knowledge to the reality of their own school in a peer-assessed assignment.

It does not attest a commercial link with universities, nor does it replace the pedagogical qualifications required by the law of each country. It is a professional credential, voluntary and renewable.

2. Competencies

The certified counsellor demonstrates the eight competencies below. Each module of the programme is linked to one or more of them, and the final assignment requires at least four.

• Admission systems: describes how applications, deadlines, tests and selection criteria work in the main destinations (United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, continental Europe, Australia, Portugal and Spain) and knows where to confirm what changes every year.
• Real cost and funding: tells scholarships, discounts and financial aid apart; estimates the total cost of a degree abroad and presents realistic scenarios to the family.
• Data-informed advising: uses indicators of academic fit, retention and employability, and the platform data, to widen the student's options rather than narrow them.
• Ethics and student protection: acts in the student's interest, declares any conflict of interest, does not accept referral commissions without transparency and respects data privacy.
• Working with families: leads conversations about expectations, cost and risk with clarity and respect, and documents decisions taken together.
• The application in practice: guides transcripts, recommendation letters, essays, portfolios and interviews, without writing for the student.
• After the offer: follows visas, enrolment, health and the practical preparation for arrival, and knows when to refer to a specialist.
• Digital tools: uses advising platforms and artificial intelligence transparently, with the student informed and in control of their own process.

3. Assessment

Three stages, all inside University Access.

• Modules: ten online modules, each with a multiple-choice learning check. A 70% pass mark per module; two attempts, with reinforcement content in between.
• Webinars: participation in at least two live webinars with partner universities, or in the recordings, with a short response recorded on the platform.
• Final assignment: a text of 1,500 to 2,500 words applying the programme to the counsellor's school: a diagnosis of current advising, use of data, an action plan for the next twelve months and the ethical questions involved. Reviewed by two certified peers with a public rubric of four criteria (diagnosis, use of data, plan, ethics), each scored 1 to 5; a pass from 14 points, with no criterion below 3.

Approved assignments may be published in the directory, with the author's consent and without student data. When the two reviewers disagree, a third, from the advisory board, decides.

4. Code of conduct

On receiving the credential, the counsellor accepts the code below. A proven breach leads to suspension or revocation, recorded on the verification page.

• I put the student's interest above the interest of the school, the university and my own.
• I declare any financial relationship with universities, agencies or service providers to the school and the family.
• I do not receive payment for referring a student to a university without the family knowing.
• I present options, costs and risks fully and truthfully, including when the answer is "not now".
• I do not write essays, letters or applications for the student; I guide and review.
• I protect the data of students and families and share it only with authorisation.
• I respect the cultural, religious, gender and origin diversity of students and families.
• I keep my knowledge up to date and renew the credential on time.
• I use the seal only while the credential is active and never to attest what the programme does not assess.
• I contribute to the community: I review other counsellors' assignments when invited and share what I learn.

5. Validity, renewal and revocation

The credential is valid for two years from issue. Renewal requires completing the update modules published in the period (what changed in admissions, costs and visa rules) and reaffirming the code of conduct. There is no new final assignment.

The credential is suspended when renewal is late and revoked for a breach of the code of conduct, after review by the advisory board with the right of reply. Every status is visible on the verification page: active, renewed, expired, suspended or revoked.

6. Recognition of prior credential

Professionals accredited by the THE Counsellor Accreditation Programme (Times Higher Education / BMI GlobalEd) may obtain the credential through recognition of their prior training, between January and June 2027.

• Proof of the prior accreditation (certificate or digital credential) submitted through the platform.
• A two-hour bridge module on this standard, the code of conduct and the programme tools, with a learning check.
• Acceptance of the code of conduct.
• Individual review and approval by the programme secretariat.

A credential issued through recognition is the same as the full programme's and carries the date of the original accreditation ("certified since"). What is recognised is the professional's prior training; the programme has no link with Times Higher Education or BMI GlobalEd, and the THE CAP mark belongs to its owners.

7. Digital credential and public verification

Every certificate has a unique number and a public verification page, with name, level, issue date, validity, status and, when the counsellor allows it, the published final assignment and the completed modules. The PDF and the print carry the number and a QR code leading to that page.

The credential is also issued in the Open Badges 3.0 standard (W3C Verifiable Credentials): a digitally signed badge that the counsellor keeps in any compatible wallet and adds to LinkedIn in one click, and that carries the endorsements signed by partner universities.

8. Governance

The programme is run jointly by FPP EDU Media (The Student World University Access) and World Educational Leaders. FPP acts as the programme secretariat: curriculum, assessment, issuing and verification of credentials, directory and regional meetings. WEL co-chairs the advisory board, looks after editorial curation and public recognition, and holds the annual Forum in New York.

The advisory board is made up of experienced counsellors from several countries and representatives of partner universities, with names published on this page. It approves changes to this standard, decides cases of disagreement in assessment and requests for revocation, and chooses the Counsellor of the Year of each region.

• Planned initial composition: five counsellors from different countries and three university representatives, invited in November and December 2026.
• Two-year term, renewable once.
• Quarterly online meetings and one in person at the WEL Forum.

9. Endorsing universities

University Access partner universities may endorse the credential. Endorsing means the university recognises the standard published here, considers the certified counsellor a prepared counterpart and appears, with its logo, on the credential and in the directory ("recognised by N universities in M countries").

Endorsement creates no obligation of admission or scholarship, and has no cost. Endorsing universities have priority in the programme webinars and at the regional meetings.

Questions about this standard, endorsement requests and nominations for the advisory board: talkto@fpp.world.