What Ecctis does

Ecctis is a Cheltenham-headquartered, employee-owned provider of international qualifications recognition, benchmarking, and verification services, operating under the UK ENIC designation as the UK's National Information Centre. The company serves five primary segments: universities, awarding bodies, professional and regulatory bodies, government (notably the UK Home Office via the Qualifications and Language Service for visa processing), and individual applicants. Its core product set spans three pillars — Verification (primary-source authentication of qualifications and institutions), Benchmarking (evaluation of qualifications against the UK Regulated Qualifications Framework and the European Qualifications Framework), and Consultancy (research, policy analysis, and technical support for ministries and awarding bodies) — supplemented by Industry Skills Statements for trade sectors, Global Schemes such as the Zhuan Ke programme in China, and a recently launched Learning and Development platform.

The underlying technology stack centres on a web-based platform with secure document upload, live identity verification using face recognition and document scanning, and digitally signed e-statements that serve as non-expiring credentials. Through the May 2025 acquisition of Enroly, Ecctis now also operates a student onboarding, compliance, and visa management platform used by 42% of UK universities.

Commercially, Ecctis runs a hybrid revenue model: transaction fees and one-time licences for individual applicants (Statement of Comparability, QLS applications), subscription and recurring verification for organisations, project-based professional services for consultancy and benchmarking, and an emerging subscription-based Learning and Development line. Distribution combines direct institutional sales to ministries, universities, and awarding bodies with a self-service portal for individual visa applicants, and delivery is supported by a vetted Associates Network of freelance subject-matter experts. The company is wholly owned by an Employee Ownership Trust via GRS (Holdings) Ltd and employs approximately 130 people in Cheltenham.

Name

Ecctis

Legal name

Ecctis Ltd

Website

https://ecctis.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Ecctis is a Cheltenham-based, employee-owned provider of international qualifications verification, benchmarking, and consultancy services operating under the UK ENIC designation, serving universities, awarding bodies, professional bodies, the UK Home Office, and individual visa applicants across 60+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Credential Evaluation Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (6117), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Assessment Policy, Benchmarking & International Comparability Authorities (EDADAFAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Qualifications Framework Authorities (NQF/Skills Framework) (EDADAFAB), Assessment, Certification & Qualifications Frameworks (BPADAKAL), Certification & Licensing Exam Management Platforms (EDAFADAG), Digital Assessment Platforms & Computer-Based Testing Authorities (EDADAFAK)

Keywords

• Qualification verification services
• Credential evaluation services
• International education consultancy
• Skills benchmarking frameworks
• Visa qualification assessment

Headquarters

HQ city

Cheltenham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Qualification Comparison Services (QLS): Services provided on behalf of the UK Home Office for visa and immigration purposes, evaluating overseas qualifications and English language proficiency for points-based visa routes including Skilled Worker, Student, and Family visas
2. Statement of Comparability: Individual applicant service for evaluating and comparing overseas qualifications against UK standards, with fast-track options available
3. Verification Services for Organisations: Organisation-level qualification verification services supporting universities, employers, and government agencies with secure, evidence-backed validation to reduce fraud
4. Consultancy and Benchmarking: Expert analysis on systems, qualifications and skills; qualification benchmarking projects for institutions; policy consultancy for governments and ministries
5. Learning and Development: Professional development programmes for education sector professionals covering admissions, qualification frameworks, and market strategy

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Ecctis provides qualification verification, benchmarking, and consultancy services that help institutions, governments, and individuals compare and recognise international qualifications against frameworks such as the UK RQF and European EQF. As the UK ENIC (National Information Centre), it delivers the Qualification and Language Service (QLS) on behalf of the UK Home Office and runs the Enroly platform for international student compliance and arrival management.

Product overview

Ecctis is a platform-based provider of international education, training, and skills solutions operating across verification, benchmarking, and consultancy services. The core product portfolio consists of Verification Services (qualification authentication for universities, employers, and government agencies), Benchmarking (qualification evaluation against international frameworks), and Consultancy (research and policy analysis). Supporting services include the Learning and Development platform for professional development, Industry Skills Statements for skills credentialing, and the Government-contracted Qualification and Language Service (QLS) for UK visa applications. The portfolio was expanded through the acquisition of Enroly, a student onboarding and arrival management platform serving UK universities. Global Schemes include the Zhuan Ke Qualification Benchmarking initiative across Chinese vocational colleges.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Benchmarking Evaluation services that provide evidence-based insight to support global recognition of qualifications, enhance quality, and build trust across education, employment, and regulation. Used by ministries, universities, and awarding bodies.
• Verification Verification services confirming the authenticity of academic qualifications and institutions, providing secure, evidence-backed validation to universities, employers, and government agencies to reduce fraud and protect quality.
• Consultancy Expert research, consultancy, and technical support to enhance education systems through data-driven methodologies covering curriculum and assessment development, qualification benchmarking, market research, and policy analysis for ministries, awarding bodies, and universities.
• Industry Skills Statements Service enabling individuals in construction, plumbing, electrical, or land-based sectors to evidence overseas qualifications, and enabling professional bodies to embed qualification and skills checks into membership or licensure processes.
• Qualification and Language Service (QLS) Service delivered by Ecctis on behalf of the UK Home Office for individuals applying for UK visas to evidence overseas qualification level and English language proficiency, covering Skilled Worker, Student, Family, and High Potential Individual visa routes.
• Statement of Comparability Individual applicant service for evaluating and comparing overseas qualifications against UK standards, with fast-track options and digitally signed e-statements delivered to applicant accounts.
• Zhuan Ke Qualification Benchmarking Independent evaluation of Chinese Zhuan Ke Qualification diplomas against international frameworks including UK RQF and European EQF. Over 100 benchmarking projects delivered across more than 60 Higher Vocational Colleges in China.
• Enroly Platform for international student compliance, visa and arrival management used by 42% of UK universities to onboard international students, supporting hundreds of thousands annually.
• Learning and Development Professional development platform for the education sector covering admissions processes, qualification frameworks, and market strategy, with self-paced and expert-led training for teams and individuals at universities, awarding bodies, and ministries.
• Global Schemes International qualification benchmarking and evaluation programmes, including the Zhuan Ke Qualification Benchmarking initiative across China, covering disciplines from finance and e-commerce to healthcare, engineering, and digital technologies.

Quantifiable outcome

• 42% of UK universities now use Ecctis (via Enroly) for international student onboarding
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• EnrolycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 May 2025Acquisition of Enroly, a London-based platform provider for international student onboarding and arrival management. Enroly's platform is used by 42% of UK universities to onboard international students, engaging hundreds of thousands annually. This acquisition expands Ecctis's capabilities in student compliance, visa, and arrival management.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Studiosity: Studiosity provides learning support and integrity services to universities globally; while not a direct credential evaluator, it targets the same international-student and higher-education segment via complementary educational support services similar to Ecctis's emerging Learning & Development platform.
• Enroly (under Ecctis ownership): Pre-acquisition, Enroly was an independent platform serving 42% of UK universities for international student onboarding; now a wholly-owned subsidiary, it remains a reference point for student-compliance SaaS competitors and is comparable to other international-student journey platforms targeting UK HE.

Broad incumbents

• Parchment / DocFox: Parchment (part of Instructure) is a credential verification and digital records platform used by universities and employers, overlapping with Ecctis Verification Services at the institutional level but operating as a broader credentialing infrastructure provider rather than a qualifications-framework authority.
• National Student Clearinghouse (Verification Services): The US National Student Clearinghouse provides degree and enrollment verification services to employers and universities that overlap with Ecctis's institutional Verification Services, though it operates at much greater scale within US higher education and does not specialise in cross-border qualification benchmarking.

Direct peers

• Foundation for International Services (FIS): FIS is a US-based credential evaluation company providing foreign credential reports for immigration, employment and higher-education admissions, directly competing with Ecctis's verification and benchmarking services for globally mobile professionals.
• World Education Services (WES): The leading non-profit credential evaluation service in North America, WES evaluates foreign qualifications for study, work, and immigration in a manner analogous to Ecctis's UK ENIC Statement of Comparability. Both organisations monetise immigration-driven verification demand and compete for institutional verification contracts.
• Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE): ECE is a NACES-member credential evaluation provider offering course-by-course and general evaluations for immigration, study and employment in the US, functionally identical to Ecctis's individual-applicant Statements of Comparability and QLS service.
• Joseph Sefcik IEE (International Education Evaluators): IEE is a NACES-chartered credential evaluator offering comparable foreign credential reports for USCIS, universities and employers, mirroring Ecctis's combination of individual-applicant evaluation and institutional verification services.

Regional players

• NUFFIC (Netherlands): NUFFIC is the Dutch ENIC-NARIC centre and internationalisation organisation running credential evaluation and the Diploma Recognition Information Service (IDW) and Nuffic's credential platform, structurally equivalent to Ecctis but operating in the Netherlands and EU context.
• CIMEA (Italy): CIMEA is the Italian ENIC-NARIC centre that performs credential recognition and qualification benchmarking under the European Qualifications Framework — a national peer of Ecctis/UK ENIC within the same ENIC-NARIC network but serving a different domestic market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ecctis
• Xx.com/ecctis
• Facebookfacebook.com/ecctis

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ecctis