UK ENIC Statement of Comparability: What It Costs and Whether You Actually Need One

A UK ENIC Statement of Comparability costs £69.60 and takes 15 working days. Before you pay for one, it is worth knowing that many UK universities assess international qualifications themselves and never ask for it.

On this page

• What it is
• What it costs and how long it takes
• Who usually needs one: university, employer or regulator
• What it does not cover
• If your qualification does not meet the entry requirements
• Does it affect your Student Finance?
• How to apply for a Statement of Comparability
• Questions people ask

What a Statement of Comparability is

It is a one-page certificate from UK ENIC, the national body that compares international qualifications to the UK system. It names your qualification and says which UK qualification level it is comparable to: a four-year engineering degree awarded outside the UK may come out as comparable to a UK bachelor’s degree.

UK ENIC was called UK NARIC until 2021, which is why both names still appear in search results and on older university pages. It is the same organisation and the same document. It is run by Ecctis, a company contracted by the government, which is the third name people run into.

What it costs and how long it takes

These figures come from the UK ENIC cost page and were correct in October 2026. Check them before you apply.

The 15 working days start once UK ENIC has received all the required documents and full payment, not from the day you open the application. If it comes back to you for more information, the clock starts again. If you want a paper copy, order it within three months of receiving the digital one.

If your documents are not in English, you may not need to pay a translator. UK ENIC runs a Translation Waiver Service that lets you submit certificates in the original language. It is free for the UNESCO languages, which include Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian and Spanish. For Polish, Romanian and Ukrainian it costs £49.20, taking the total to £118.80, and it is included at no extra cost if you order the Fast Track Service. Languages outside the scheme still need certified translations from a professional translator. UK ENIC lists examples rather than every language, so check whether yours is covered before you pay for a translation.

Who usually needs one: university, employer or regulator

The answer is different depending on who has asked you for it.

An employer. Employers ask for it when a job advert specifies a degree and they have no way to judge a qualification from another country. Here the statement does its job well: it gives a recruiter a single line they can understand.

A professional register. If you are heading for nursing, medicine, teaching or social work, the regulator runs its own process, and a Statement of Comparability is often not the document it wants. The Nursing and Midwifery Council, for instance, runs its own qualification and registration assessment, and many internationally trained nurses also need to complete its Test of Competence. It asks for qualification evidence directly rather than an ENIC Statement of Comparability. Ask the regulator directly before you order anything, because paying for the wrong document is a common and expensive mistake.

A university. This is where most people assume they need one and often do not. Admissions teams at UK universities read international qualifications every day. Many hold their own country-by-country guidance and will assess your certificates themselves at no cost. Some universities do require an ENIC statement for overseas qualifications, so it varies by institution and sometimes by course.

The practical step is one email. Send the admissions team a short message naming your qualification, the country and the year, and ask whether they can assess it directly or need a Statement of Comparability. Do that before you spend £69.60.

This is one of the checks we run for students as a matter of course. If you would rather not chase it yourself, tell us what you studied and where and we will find out what your course requires.

What a Statement of Comparability does not cover

In UK ENIC’s own words, a Statement of Comparability “does not comment on grades, grade comparisons, specific subjects or English proficiency”.

That last point catches people out. It is not evidence of your English. UK ENIC says the Statement is not suitable for proving English language skills for employment or study, and points to a Secure English Language Test. Universities may ask for separate evidence of your English, often a recognised test, though what they accept varies.

So it tells a university that you hold something at bachelor’s level. It does not tell them whether you studied enough mathematics for their computing degree, or whether your result was strong enough for a competitive course. Admissions teams still have to look at your transcript to answer those questions, which is part of why so many of them prefer to assess the documents themselves.

Nor is it an admission decision. Getting one does not mean a university has to accept you, and not having one does not mean you will be turned down.

If your qualification does not meet the entry requirements

If your qualification is hard to evidence, or the paperwork is sitting in a country you left years ago, recognition may not be the only route.

Most of our partner programmes include a foundation year, designed for people without formal Level 3 qualifications. It adds a year at the start of a degree and opens a route for applicants who do not meet the standard entry requirements. A foundation year has entry requirements of its own, set at a level designed for people coming back to study. Our guide to what a foundation year is covers how that works.

A Statement of Comparability is one option among several. It is worth knowing the others before you assume it is the only door.

Does it affect your Student Finance?

A Statement of Comparability does not itself determine your Student Finance entitlement.

What does affect your funding is your residency and immigration status, and how much UK student finance you have drawn in the past. A degree you earned and paid for abroad is a separate question from both. Our guide to the Lifelong Learning Entitlement sets out how previous study affects your balance from January 2027, including the position on degrees completed outside the UK.

How to apply for a Statement of Comparability

1. Confirm first that the organisation asking for it wants this specific document.
2. Gather your certificate and your transcript. Both are usually required.
3. Check whether your language is covered by the Translation Waiver Service before paying for certified translations.
4. Apply through the UK ENIC website and pay the £69.60.
5. Allow 15 working days from the point everything is submitted.

Questions people ask

Is UK ENIC the same as UK NARIC?

Yes. The name changed in 2021. Documents issued under the old name remain valid.

Does a Statement of Comparability expire?

No. It describes a qualification that does not change, so it does not need renewing. Some organisations ask for a recently issued copy, which is a different matter.

Can I use it to prove my English?

No. It makes no assessment of English at all. A university may ask you for separate evidence of your English proficiency.

Will it get me a university place?

No. It supports an application. The university still makes its own decision on your full file.

My university has not asked for one. Should I get it anyway?

Not for the application itself. Some people order one later for employers once they graduate, which is a separate decision you can make then.

What if my documents were lost or destroyed?

Speak to an admissions team before paying for anything. At the universities we work with, a foundation year can offer a way in that does not rest on the missing paperwork.