Accreditation
An organisation evaluates an institution against its standards. Check the named accreditor, the institution covered and the current status.
A parent’s guide to choosing with confidence
How to verify online school accreditation
Know who teaches your child, who assesses their work and who awards the qualification. Four practical checks for South African and international pathways.
Official sources and supporting documents reviewed 27 October 2026
4Practical checks
before you enrol
before you enrol
8Relevant bodies
and verification routes
and verification routes
7Claims that deserve
a closer look
a closer look
Start here
Understand what each credential means
A school’s accreditation, its examination arrangements and your child’s final qualification answer different questions. Check each one before making a decision.
Registration and centre approval
An assessment or awarding body registers a provider or approves a centre for a defined purpose. Check the qualification, subjects, grades and assessment arrangements.
Certification and awarding
The final qualification has a certifying or awarding body. For the South African National Senior Certificate, Umalusi is the certifying body.
The Umalusi distinction matters
Umalusi accredits independent schools and private assessment bodies. It does not accredit public schools or public assessment bodies. In its statement of 5 September 2024, Umalusi said it does not accredit online schools and that assessment-body registration is not institutional accreditation.
Check Umalusi’s accreditation guidance and its statement about online schools.
The verification process
Four checks before you enrol
Work through these in order. Some answers are available immediately; others need written confirmation from the relevant body. Allow time for that response.
01Check 1 of 4
Name the qualification and the assessment body
Start with the qualification your child is working towards. A curriculum name or an accreditation logo alone does not explain how the final assessment works.
Ask in writing
“What is the exact qualification, which organisation assesses it, who certifies or awards it, and how will my child be entered?” For an NSC route, distinguish the assessment body, such as SACAI or the IEB, from Umalusi’s certification role.
Check before proceeding
The provider should explain the examination route for your child’s grade and year. Cognia accreditation or Pearson centre approval does not, by itself, establish an NSC assessment route.
02Check 2 of 4
Confirm the provider’s current registration
Use the relevant body’s own register or contact it directly. Match the provider’s name and registration number, then confirm the scope and academic year.
Where to check
For SACAI, use the distance education provider register. For the IEB, use its high-school directory and the online-school category where available. Ask the body to resolve a trading-name difference or an unclear listing.
Keep the distinction clear
A missing search result is a reason to investigate. It is not enough on its own to conclude that registration has expired or that a provider is making a false claim.
03Check 3 of 4
Check each international credential separately
Ask for the organisation’s name, the school or centre identifier and the document or listing that describes the current status. Different organisations perform different roles.
Match the claim to the evidence
Cognia and ACS WASC provide institutional accreditation. Pearson Edexcel approves centres for qualifications. Cambridge has separate routes for registered schools and approved exam centres. NCAA review concerns student-athlete eligibility and academic coursework.
Read the scope
Pearson says its public centre directory is not a complete list. NCAA-related claims need a check of the applicable school, courses and learner requirements; they do not guarantee an individual student’s eligibility.
04Check 4 of 4
Check the route for your child’s actual subjects
Keep written confirmation of the provider, qualification, subjects, assessment requirements, examination venue, entry deadlines and fees. Confirm who manages coursework, practicals or oral assessments where required.
Ask for useful documents
Request the current registration or approval evidence and the examination-entry process. A redacted past certificate may help illustrate the qualification, but its appearance alone does not authenticate it or prove current registration. Respect former learners’ privacy.
Plan the next step
Check admission requirements directly with the intended university or receiving school. Recognition of a qualification does not guarantee admission; subject choices, results and programme requirements still matter.
Supporting guidance: SACAI · IEB distance education process · Pearson private candidates · Umalusi certification and verification · DBE admission guidance
Go to the source
Where to verify an accreditation claim
Use the body that matches the claim and qualification. A school does not need credentials from every organisation listed here.
SACAI
NSC assessment and provider registration
Check the distance education provider list and ask SACAI about the provider, year and qualification. SACAI says it registers providers; it does not accredit institutions.
IEB
Assessment and institutional affiliation
Search the school directory and confirm the relevant online provider and grade coverage directly with the IEB.
Umalusi
Accreditation and NSC certification
Check institutional accreditation where applicable and use Umalusi’s guidance for certification and formal certificate verification.
Cognia
Institutional accreditation
Use the institution registry or contact Cognia. Check the exact institution and its accreditation status. Membership and accreditation should be identified separately.
Pearson Edexcel
Centre approval and qualifications
Use Pearson’s international centre search. Because listing is voluntary, confirm an unlisted centre with Pearson using its centre number.
NCAA
Student-athlete eligibility
Check the applicable school and core courses, then the learner’s academic and athletics eligibility requirements with the NCAA Eligibility Center.
Cambridge International
Registered schools and exam centres
Use Cambridge’s verification guidance and its specific list of approved online schools. Private-candidate exam entry is a separate arrangement.
ACS WASC
Institutional accreditation
Check the institution’s status with ACS WASC. Its candidacy status does not mean that full accreditation has been granted.
Read the wording carefully
Seven claims worth a closer look
These phrases need context and evidence. Ask a specific follow-up question before treating any one of them as proof.
“We are Umalusi accredited”
Ask which institution, site and qualification the accreditation covers. Umalusi does accredit independent schools, while its published online-school guidance makes a separate distinction. Registration with SACAI or the IEB is not the same credential.
“We are internationally accredited”
Ask for the accreditor’s name and the school’s current status. Check that the credential covers the institution enrolling your child, rather than another school in a group.
“We are DBE registered”
Ask which provincial education department issued the registration, for which institution and site. School registration, home-education arrangements and examination-body registration are different matters. Confirm the relevant requirement with the authority.
“Our matric guarantees university admission”
A recognised qualification still has to meet the receiving institution’s entry criteria. Check required subjects, results, selection rules and any country-specific recognition or exemption requirements.
“We have Cambridge accreditation”
Check Cambridge’s approved online-school list and ask for the centre details. Preparing a private candidate for examinations does not establish that the teaching provider is a registered Cambridge school.
“Our curriculum is approved”
Ask what was approved and by whom. A curriculum description, centre approval and institutional accreditation have different scopes. Request the document that supports the precise claim.
“We are approved by an accreditation body”
Identify the organisation and its role before relying on the claim. An unfamiliar name calls for research; a familiar logo also needs verification. NCAA eligibility review, for example, is not school accreditation.
The same checks apply to us
Check CambriLearn’s supporting evidence
Start with the documents below, then confirm the requirements for your child’s chosen pathway. A dated certificate and a current registry check provide different pieces of evidence.
Cognia
Certificate valid through 30 June 2028
CambriLearn’s published Cognia accreditation certificate states this validity date. Check the institution’s current status with Cognia if you need confirmation for a transfer or application.
View the Cognia certificate ↗SACAI
Registration 89314 for 2026
CambriLearn appears in SACAI’s 2026 distance education provider register. Its registration certificate covers CAPS in the FET phase for the 2026 academic year.
View the 2026 SACAI certificate ↗Pearson Edexcel
Centre number 94888
The published centre approval certificate names CambriLearn and Edexcel Academic Qualifications. It was issued on 6 January 2022. Confirm the current subject and examination arrangements for your child.
View the Pearson approval certificate ↗IEB and NCAA
Check the specific pathway
For an IEB route, request the current registration evidence and grades offered for your child’s year. For US college sport, confirm the relevant school record, coursework and individual eligibility requirements.
Ask about your child’s pathway ↗You can also open the SACAI provider register or IEB directory. For future academic years, ask for the applicable year’s evidence. See CambriLearn’s accreditation page.
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Your questions answered
Common verification questions
What is the difference between accreditation and registration?
Accreditation is an evaluation against an accreditor’s standards. Registration or centre approval has a defined administrative or assessment scope. Ask what each credential covers, who granted it and whether it applies to the institution, qualification and year relevant to your child.
Can an online school be Umalusi accredited?
Umalusi’s published statement of 5 September 2024 says it does not accredit online schools. Umalusi does accredit independent schools and private assessment bodies. Ask Umalusi to confirm a specific accreditation claim and ask the assessment body to confirm the online provider’s registration.
How do I check whether SACAI or IEB registration is current?
Use the relevant official directory and match the school or provider name. Request written confirmation of its status, qualification, grades and academic year if anything is unclear. Do not assume that an older letter covers the next school year.
What if a school is missing from a public list?
Contact the body using its official contact details and provide the school’s legal name and identifier. Directory coverage differs. Pearson explicitly says its public centre search is incomplete. A missing listing alone does not prove that a credential has expired.
Are Cognia and ACS WASC accreditations interchangeable?
Both provide institutional accreditation, with their own standards and status categories. Check the actual status and scope with the named organisation, then confirm what the receiving school or university requires. Neither credential replaces the assessment arrangements required for an NSC.
How often must a school renew its credentials?
Requirements and validity periods depend on the body and status. Read the dates on the current document and confirm with the issuing organisation. Avoid applying one renewal cycle to every accreditor or assessment body.
Does the Department of Basic Education accredit online schools?
School registration and accreditation are separate processes. Provincial education departments handle independent-school registration, while Umalusi has an accreditation mandate. For an online or home-education arrangement, confirm the applicable requirements with the relevant authority and the assessment body.
What should I do if I have already enrolled and cannot verify a claim?
Ask the provider for written clarification and supporting documents, then contact the named body. Before changing provider, confirm transfer requirements, assessment records and examination-entry deadlines. If a dispute remains, seek advice about your circumstances; do not assume an automatic refund or a guaranteed private-candidate route.
Bring your questions
Choose your child’s next step with confidence
Speak to CambriLearn about the qualification, assessment route and evidence for the pathway you are considering. We can work through the questions with you.
About this guide
Reviewed 27 October 2026 using the official guidance and documents linked above. Credential status, directories and procedures can change. Confirm current requirements directly with the relevant body. This guide provides general information and does not replace advice about an individual enrolment or dispute.
CambriLearn is not a registered Cambridge International school and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Cambridge International Education. References here explain how to verify a school or arrange private-candidate examinations.