Washington Accord and Sydney Accord accredited degrees (engineering and engineering technology)

The Washington Accord is an international accreditation agreement for professional engineering academic degrees, between the bodies responsible for accreditation in its signatory countries. The Sydney Accord is an international mutual recognition agreement for qualifications in the fields of engineering technology.

1. Washington Accord or Sydney Accord accredited degrees are assessed as occupying level 7 on the New Zealand Qualifications Framework (NZQCF) and qualify for 3 points under Skilled Migrant Category (SR instructions). A qualification is a Washington or Sydney Accord accredited degree if:
   1. it was gained in a country that has signed the accord; and
   2. it was accredited as a Washington or Sydney Accord accredited programme by the body representing that country; and
   3. it was awarded from or after the date the country became a signatory; and
   4. there is no additional information on the relevant country’s accredited qualifications list to indicate that the qualification is not automatically accepted as accredited under the Washington Accord or Sydney Accord.
2. In any case, an immigration officer may require an applicant to provide written confirmation from Engineering New Zealand (formerly IPENZ) that the qualification is a Washington or Sydney Accord accredited degree, if they are not satisfied that the qualification meets the requirements of a) above, or it is unclear as to whether the requirements of a) above have been met. In these cases, the qualification can be accepted as a Washington or Sydney Accord accredited degree if Engineering New Zealand confirms it as such.

Note 1: If an applicant believes their qualification may be higher than level 7, then they should apply to NZQA for an International Qualifications Assessment
Note 2: A list of signatories to the Accords can be found on the International Engineering Alliance website:
www.ieagreements.org/accords/washington/signatories
www.ieagreements.org/accords/Sydney/signatories

Example 1:

South Africa, represented by the Engineering Council of South Africa, became a signatory to the Washington Accord in 1999. A Baccalareus in Ingenieurswese (Siviel Ingenieurswese) (Bachelor of Engineering in Civil Engineering), awarded by the Universiteit van Pretoria (University of Pretoria) (in South Africa) in 2003 would meet the requirements of a) i–iv above, because:
- South Africa is a signatory to the Washington Accord; and
- A Baccalareus in Ingenieurswese (Siviel Ingenieurswese) (Bachelor of Engineering in Civil Engineering) awarded by the Universiteit van Pretoria (University of Pretoria) is accredited by the Engineering Council of South Africa (the body representing South Africa) as a Washington Accord accredited programme; and
- it was awarded in 2003, after South Africa became a signatory; and
- there is no additional information on the Engineering Council of South Africa’s accredited qualifications list to indicate that the qualification is not accredited under the Washington Accord.

Example 2:

Ireland, represented by the Engineers Ireland, became a signatory to the Washington Accord in 1989. A Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) in Electrical/Electronic Engineering awarded by Dublin Institute of Technology in 2013 would not meet the requirements of a) i–iv above, because:
- Ireland is a signatory to the Washington Accord; and
- A Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) in Electrical/Electronic Engineering awarded by Dublin Institute of Technology is accredited by Engineers Ireland (the body representing Ireland) as a Washington Accord accredited programme from 2005 - 2017; and
- it was awarded in 2013, after Ireland became a signatory; however
- there is additional information on the Engineers Ireland accredited qualifications list to indicate that the qualification is not accredited under the Washington Accord:
A Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) in Electrical/Electronic Engineering if awarded by Dublin Institute of Technology in 2013 would not qualify automatically as a Washington Accord accredited programme, because there is a note on the list which states: "For graduates after 1/1/2013 further learning is required to meet the education standard for Chartered Engineer".
An applicant with this qualification would need to consider requesting confirmation from Engineers New Zealand (formerly IPENZ), as set out in b) above, if they believe their qualification is a Washington or Sydney accord accredited degree.

Effective 25/03/2024