The Canadian Information Center for International Credentials

What The Canadian Information Center for International Credentials does

The Canadian Information Centre for International Credentials (CICIC) is Canada's nationally mandated information centre for academic and occupational credential recognition, operating as a unit of The Corporation of the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CCMEC). Founded in 1990 and headquartered at 95 St. Clair Ave. West in Toronto, CICIC fulfills Canada's obligations under UNESCO conventions including the Lisbon Recognition Convention and the Global Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications. Its core technology is a web-based multi-portal platform at cicic.ca comprising four role-based portals: Individual Portal, Assessor Portal, Education Portal, and Mobility Portal, supplemented by the secure Tool Box platform for credential assessors and the 'Connect the dots!' self-serve decision-tree questionnaire. Notable components include the Directory of Educational Institutions in Canada (with Google Maps integration across 13 provinces/territories), the Directory of Occupational Profiles, the Directory of Comparability Assessment Outcomes covering 12 countries plus Canadian provincial/territorial systems, and the EVALUATION listserv mailing list for the pan-Canadian assessor community. CICIC also maintains a Quality Assurance Framework, Terminology Guides, Competency Profile, and Assessment 101 training course for assessors.

CICIC's business model is government-funded rather than commercial. The organization receives operating funding through CCMEC, which is collectively supported by Canada's provincial and territorial ministries of education. All services are provided free of charge to end users in accordance with CICIC's mandate from Canadian Competent Authorities, with no subscription fees, advertising, or transactional pricing. Its go-to-market motion is primarily direct-to-consumer through organic channels — the website, search engine optimization, social media (LinkedIn), email communications, and an automated telephone system — with no paid acquisition. Customer segments span individuals seeking credential recognition for study, work, or immigration (primary); academic credential assessors across ACESC member services, educational institutions, and regulatory bodies (primary); and educational institutions and professional regulatory authorities (secondary). CICIC serves as the authoritative referral layer rather than a credential assessment service itself, routing individuals to ACESC member assessment services while providing the underlying information infrastructure and professional community resources that support the assessment ecosystem.

Name

The Canadian Information Center for International Credentials

Legal name

The Corporation of the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada

Website

https://cicic.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

The Canadian Information Centre for International Credentials (CICIC) is Canada's government-mandated national information centre providing free credential recognition information and assessment resources to individuals, credential assessors, educational institutions, and regulators across all 13 provinces and territories.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Credential Recognition Information Services

NAICS

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (54), Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (541)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

International/Transnational Accreditation & Recognition Bodies (EDADACAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

National/Institutional Accreditors (Career, Faith-Based, Distance, etc.) (EDADACAB)

Keywords

• Credential recognition services
• International education information
• Credential assessment resources
• Education system directories
• Professional mobility information

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Government-Funded Operations: CICIC is funded by The Corporation of the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CCMEC), an intergovernmental body. Services are provided free of charge to users in accordance with CICIC's mandate determined by Competent Authorities in Canada.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

CICIC operates as Canada's National Information Centre providing authoritative information and referral services on academic and occupational credential recognition for individuals and organizations studying or working in Canada and abroad. It maintains a multi-portal web platform with specialized resources for individuals, credential assessors, educational institutions, and international mobility, including searchable directories of educational institutions, occupational profiles, and comparability assessment outcomes. Services are delivered free of charge under its mandate from Canadian Competent Authorities and obligations under UNESCO conventions.

Product overview

The Canadian Information Center for International Credentials (CICIC) operates a multi-portal web platform providing information and referral services for credential recognition. The core offering consists of the main CICIC website with four specialized portals: Individual Portal (for persons seeking credential assessment for study/work/immigration), Assessor Portal (for credential assessment professionals with tools and resources), Education Portal (comprehensive Canadian education system information), and Mobility Portal (international mobility agreements). Key integrated tools include the 'Connect the dots!' self-service questionnaire tool, the Tool Box (secure portal for registered assessors with the Directory of Comparability Assessment Outcomes and EVALUATION listserv discussion platform), and multiple searchable directories (Educational Institutions, Occupational Profiles, Offshore Schools, Labour-Mobility Resources). The Assessor Portal includes assessment guides, the Quality Assurance Framework, Terminology Guides, Competency Profile, and Assessment 101 training. Services are provided free of charge in accordance with CICIC's mandate from Canadian Competent Authorities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CICIC Website Platform
• Individual Portal

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Alliance of Credential Evaluation Services of Canada (ACESC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCICIC collaborates with ACESC member services to facilitate academic credential assessment. CICIC refers individuals to assessment services and provides resources to support the credential assessment process. Some organizations providing assessment services are members of ACESC.
• ENIC-NARIC NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCICIC is part of the ENIC-NARIC international network of national information centres for credential recognition. The ENIC-NARIC network facilitates information exchange and cooperation among national centres working on academic credential recognition and international mobility.
• Provincial and Territorial Competent AuthoritiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCICIC operates under the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC) and collaborates with provincial and territorial ministries/departments responsible for education. These Competent Authorities provide information on Canadian education systems and quality assurance mechanisms.
• UNESCOcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCICIC fulfills Canada's obligations under UNESCO conventions including the Lisbon Recognition Convention and the Global Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications concerning Higher Education, which facilitate the mobility of talent internationally.
• EduCanadaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCICIC provides links and information about EduCanada, the official brand for Canadian educational institutions, helping promote Canadian education internationally.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• World Education Services (WES): WES is a private, non-profit credential evaluation service widely used in Canada and the U.S. for academic credential assessment. CICIC explicitly refers individuals to ACESC member services for assessment, of which WES is a member, making them adjacent players in the same credential recognition value chain.
• Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE): ECE is a private, non-profit credential evaluation service with strong North American presence and ACESC membership. It provides comparable credential evaluation services and complements CICIC's information and referral role within the same credential recognition ecosystem.
• Alliance of Credential Evaluation Services of Canada (ACESC): ACESC is the alliance of Canadian credential evaluation services that CICIC directly partners with and refers assessors to. It is the most direct downstream peer in the Canadian credential assessment ecosystem.
• UK NARIC (now Ecctis): UK NARIC/Ecctis is the UK's designated National Information Centre within the ENIC-NARIC network alongside CICIC. It performs the same UNESCO-mandated role for the UK, making it the most functionally analogous peer organization.
• ENIC-NARIC Network: The ENIC-NARIC network is the international federation of national information centres for credential recognition of which CICIC is a member. Peer national centres (France ENIC, Germany NARIC, etc.) are the closest functional analogues to CICIC.

Emerging players

• Credential Engine: Credential Engine is a U.S.-based non-profit building an open registry of credentials and providers. It addresses credential transparency and information sharing — a similar knowledge-broker function to CICIC — but with a U.S. focus and a more technology-oriented platform.
• WES Gateway: WES Gateway Program offers pre-evaluated credentials and digital credential delivery, representing a more technology-enabled version of the credential evaluation services CICIC supports. It is an emerging evolution of the traditional credential evaluation model.

Broad incumbents

• AACRAO (American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers): AACRAO is a U.S. professional association providing credential evaluation resources, training, and standards for academic registrars. It overlaps with CICIC's assessor community resources but operates with a broader U.S. higher education mandate.
• EduCanada: EduCanada is the official Government of Canada brand for Canadian education marketing abroad. CICIC directly links to EduCanada for outbound students, making it a complementary public-sector partner addressing the international side of the same credential and mobility value chain.

Regional players

• Québec Ministère de l'Enseignement supérieur: The Quebec Ministry of Higher Education manages its own credential recognition and quality assurance functions within the province. As a Competent Authority represented through CMEC, it is a regional peer that partially overlaps with CICIC's pan-Canadian information role.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cicic---cicdi
• Xx.com/CICIC_CICDI
• Facebookfacebook.com/CICIC.CICDI

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about The Canadian Information Center for International Credentials