[By NBC-1TV H. J Yook]British Columbia is reinforcing their position as one of the most sought after designations for international students with the Education Quality Assurance (EQA) seal. The EQA designation was Canada's first seal of quality for post-secondary education. It helps students, parents and agents identify the institutions that have met or exceeded provincial government quality assurance standards and offer consumer protection, allowing them to make the best informed decisions on studying in B.C.

Incidents have occurred around the world, where a handful of institutions misled students by charging excessive fees or providing a poor quality of education; damaging the reputation of the international education sector. The Government of B.C. is taking a leading role in addressing the issue.

To ensure high quality education remains one of British Columbia‘s competitive advantages, the Province continues to strengthen quality assurance, which serves as the foundation of the post-secondary education system. B.C.’s. EQA seal enables international students to readily see which post-secondary institutions are recognized as having met or exceeded government quality assurance standards in British Columbia. The Government's seal of quality demonstrates the level of commitment the Province has to the international students that come to B.C. each year.

International education is estimated to be the fifth largest industry in BC, generating annual revenue of over $1.8 billion. There are over 100,000 international students studying in B.C. from countries such as the UK, China, Japan, South Korea, Brazil and throughout North America. When an international student chooses to study at an institution with the EQA seal, they can be assured they will receive a quality education.