Global Counsellor Certification · FPP + World Educational Leaders

The global certification for those who guide students to universities abroad.

Free for the counsellor, with a published standard, a verifiable digital credential and the endorsement of partner universities. A joint initiative of FPP (The Student World University Access) and World Educational Leaders, one brand with both signatures.

I want to get certified Read the certification standard

School counsellor talking with a student about universities abroad

Why now

Since 2023, thousands of school counsellors around the world have displayed the credential of the THE Counsellor Accreditation Programme, run by BMI GlobalEd. On 30 October 2026 Times Higher Education announced that BMI closes by the end of the year. The credential those professionals built loses the home that sustained it.

What is left on the market does not take that place: paid programmes, designed for the United States or the United Kingdom, none in Portuguese or Spanish, none that brings international admissions together with the real work of the counsellor at school. None free, with global reach and with universities behind it.

The Global Counsellor Certification is born to be that home: a published standard, a verifiable credential and a community that meets, starting with Brazil and Latin America.

School counsellor talking with two students

Who it is for

For high school counsellors who guide students to universities abroad: private, international and bilingual schools, starting with Brazil and Latin America and open to the world.

Also for academic coordinators and career advisers who accompany the decision to study abroad, and for those who already hold the THE CAP and want to continue with a recognised credential.

No cost to the counsellor or the school: the programme is funded on the university side.
Online, at your own pace, in English, Portuguese, Spanish and French.
Open to counsellors from any country; the standard is the same everywhere.

School counsellor in a meeting with a student

What you learn

Ten modules covering the whole of the counsellor's work in an international application, from the student's first interest to arrival at university. Each module ends with a learning check; the programme ends with a written assignment applied to your school.

The counsellor's role and the certification standard: ethics, student protection, independence and conflicts of interest.
Admission in the United States and Canada: systems, calendar, tests, financial aid and what has changed in recent years.
Admission in the United Kingdom, Ireland and continental Europe: UCAS, programmes taught in English, costs and student visas.
Australia, Portugal, Spain and the rising destinations: when they make sense and for which student profile.
Scholarships, real cost and financial planning with the family: what is a real scholarship, what is a discount and how to compare offers.
Data to guide the choice: academic fit, employability, retention rates and the University Access data.
Working with families: expectations, difficult conversations and decisions taken together.
The application in practice: transcripts, recommendation letters, essays, portfolios and deadlines.
Visas, health and preparing for arrival: what the counsellor follows after the offer.
Digital advising tools and the responsible use of artificial intelligence with students.

International students on a campus abroad

How it works

A programme designed to fit the routine of someone who works in a school: short, practical and with live sessions with universities.

Ten online modules, about 12 hours in total, at your own pace, on University Access.
Live webinars with partner universities throughout the programme, recorded for those who cannot attend.
A learning check at the end of each module, with a 70% pass mark.
A final written assignment, applied to the reality of your school, reviewed by two certified peers.
Valid for two years; renewal is done with update modules, without repeating the programme.
No cost. Neither partner charges the counsellor for the certification.

What you receive

More than a certificate: visible, verifiable recognition that opens doors.

A certificate with the FPP and WEL marks, as a PDF and printed on prestige paper, handed over at the regional meetings.
A verifiable digital credential: its own number, a public verification page and a QR code, with real-time status (active, renewed, expired).
A seal for your e-mail signature and LinkedIn, with a verification link.
The school seal, "Certified Counselling School", while there is an active certified counsellor.
A listing in the public directory of certified counsellors, by country and school, which universities consult.
Priority invitations to the counsellor programmes at FPP events, to the 2027 regional meetings and to the WEL Forum in New York.
Full access to the University Access tools for your school.

Counsellor certificate with a verification code

Already hold the THE CAP? Recognition of prior credential

Those accredited by the THE Counsellor Accreditation Programme are the natural first cohort of this programme. You have shown interest, you know the value of the seal and you are about to lose the community that sustained it.

We recognise your prior training, as universities recognise credits: you do not repeat the programme. You send proof of the accreditation, complete a two-hour bridge module on our standard and tools, accept the code of conduct, and the programme team reviews and approves.

What you receive: a certificate with the FPP and WEL logos, a digital credential with the date of your original accreditation ("certified since") and a place in the directory and in the 2027 meetings.
Recognition window: January to June 2027. After that, the path is the full programme.
Those who come in through the window form the founding cohort and have priority at the regional meetings and the WEL Forum.

Counsellors and university representatives at an FPP event

What makes the seal worth it

Prestige comes from three sources: who assesses, who else holds the seal and what it opens. The programme covers all three.

A published standard: competencies, assessment criteria and code of conduct open on this site. Whoever reads it knows what the seal means.
An advisory board of experienced counsellors from several countries and representatives of partner universities, with published names.
The endorsement of University Access partner universities, signed and visible on the credential itself.
Public verification: every certificate has a number and its own page. A seal that cannot be verified is worth nothing; one verified in two taps is worth a lot.
The FPP and WEL directory, public, with active credentials only.
The annual Counsellor of the Year award by region, presented at the WEL Forum.

University representatives talking with counsellors

Who signs

FPP EDU Media has worked in international education since 1997: it runs recruitment events for universities on four continents and operates University Access, the platform that connects schools, counsellors and universities. It is the programme secretariat: curriculum, assessment, issuing and verification of credentials, directory and regional meetings.

World Educational Leaders brings together owners and leaders of private and international schools, recognises schools shaping the future of education and holds its annual Forum in New York. It brings the entry into schools, editorial curation, public recognition and the co-chair of the advisory board.

Certificate, directory and communication always carry both marks, in the same hierarchy.

In-person meeting with school counsellors and universities

2027 calendar

The community is what keeps the seal alive. A cycle of meetings by region, alongside FPP events, and the first cohort ceremony in New York. Dates to be confirmed with the partners.

December 2026: public announcement, with the first endorsing universities.
January to June 2027: recognition window for prior credentials.
March 2027: first cohort of the full programme.
First half of 2027: regional meetings in Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Mexico, alongside FPP events.
Second half of 2027: regional meetings in the United States, Europe and Asia.
WEL Forum in New York: first cohort ceremony and Counsellor of the Year.

Auditorium with school counsellors during an event

First cohort

Join the first cohort.

Leave your details and tell us your situation. You will receive by e-mail the certification standard, the opening of the recognition window and the date of the first cohort. No cost and no commitment.