Emeris is an educational brand of The IIE which is registered with the Department of Higher Education and Training as a private higher education institution under the Higher Education Act, 1997 (reg. no. 2007/HE07/002). Company registration number: 1987/004754/07.
The IIE is responsible for conferring its qualifications available at Emeris, and is thus responsible for the quality of curriculum development, teaching, assessment and compliance with laws and regulations.
All IIE qualifications are accredited by the Higher Education Quality Committee (HEQC) of the Council of Higher Education, and are registered with the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF).
The IIE is also internationally accredited. This important achievement demonstrates to our students and staff that our standards are indeed world class and ensures that students can be confident about the value of their qualifications. The British Accreditation Council (BAC) is an independent authority in the UK that accredits private providers in the UK and in other countries such as Greece, Switzerland, Singapore, India, Mauritius and the United Arab Emirates.
Throughout this site and all our communication, you will see reference to The Independent Institute of Education (Pty) Ltd (The IIE). So who is The IIE and why are they important?
The IIE is South Africa’s largest registered and accredited private provider of higher education. Emeris, a brand of The IIE, leads in the provision of these exciting learning initiatives of The IIE. The IIE is registered with the Department of Higher Education and Training as a private higher education provider, has over 90 qualifications accredited by the Higher Education Quality Committee and is a subsidiary of ADvTECH Ltd, a public company listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. This scale and status assures our leading position in higher education.
Working with the academics and the rest of the team at the brands The IIE’s Central Academic Team assures the quality of the work done by all of the brands. A governance structure which includes a Senate, Teaching and Learning Committee and Faculty Boards oversees the development and implementation of academic policies which enables the exceptional quality of the learning experiences on campus and online.
Your education is an incredibly important investment of time and money. The importance of registration, accreditation and licensing of institutions, qualifications and conferring bodies cannot be over-emphasised. However, these things can be fairly confusing – a fact that some institutions will regrettably trade on with misleading communication and even illegal presentation of credentials. In addition to the many highly recognised and accredited higher education institutions in South Africa, there are also unscrupulous providers and poor quality programmes.
Armed with the right information and a few key questions you will be well-positioned to get all the facts you need to be certain you are making wise decisions.
We are a Higher Education Institution – that is, we offer qualifications of the same type and level as other Higher Education Institutions like universities.
There are several private education institutions that offer qualifications that are Further Education and Training (FET). The Department of Higher Education and Training manages both these sectors and it also maintains two registers for private education institutions – one for Higher Education and one for FET. One of the first things you need to check is which level the institution is registered on, if what you want is a Higher Education qualification. You can only get that from a registered Higher Education Institution.
Just for information – Further Education and Training Qualifications are "non-school" qualifications at NQF level 4 (are at the same level as an NSC) and they are accredited and quality assured by Umalusi or the Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO) (normally done through their Assessment Quality Partners, the SETAs). These are valuable qualifications in trades and occupations but they are not Higher Education.
Higher Education qualifications are accredited by the Higher Education Quality Committee (HEQC) for both public and private Higher Education institutions (so that includes universities). They are all post-school level and are on levels 5 to 10 of the Higher Education Qualifications Framework (which is the top half of the National Qualifications Framework).
The Independent Institute of Education (Pty) Ltd is also internationally accredited by the British Accreditation Council. This important achievement demonstrates to our students and staff that our standards are indeed world class and ensures that students can be confident about the value of their qualifications. The British Accreditation Council is an independent authority in the UK that accredits private providers in the UK and in other countries such as Greece, Switzerland, Singapore, India, Mauritius and the United Arab Emirates.
The Senate of The IIE is the senior decision-making body that determines the policies and regulations that govern all things academic at Emeris. The Senate is chaired by the Director, who is also the Head of The IIE. The Director is assisted by the Registrar, who is the Secretary of Senate. The remaining seats on The Senate are occupied, in the most part, by academics and include representatives from Emeris. The Senate comprises a number of committees that manage the overseeing of standards, teaching, learning, curricula and assessment for over 90 accredited higher education qualifications. Emeris is represented on each of these committees. Emeris has Five academic faculties: Commerce, Education, Humanities, Law and Science and Technology. Each of these faculties has its own Faculty Board. By working with Faculty Programme Advisory Committees, the faculties ensure that the curriculum for each programme meets external, industry and academic standards. These committees consist of academics and professional and business people who provide insight from the world of work. This ultimately ensures that what is taught at Emeris is relevant to and up to date in industry.
The continual monitoring and improvement of quality is of great importance to The IIE. The quality of programmes is maintained through evidence driven reviews, lecturer peer reviews, student success tracking and intervention programmes for students needing assistance.
The ethics hotline is a platform where you can report any activity which you have reasonable suspicion could undermine the safety of the teaching and learning environment or the integrity and reputation of our qualifications. This could then include cheating in assessments or assessment leaks, pressure from anyone to carry out any activity in exchange for a favour including but not limited to succeeding in an assessment or module; sale or trading of illegal substances; intimidation; harassment, dishonesty, theft or fraud.
To view our website click here
Please click here to view the IIE’s terms and conditions
All providers of Higher Education MUST be registered with the DHET. Remember that Emeris is a brand of The Independent Institute of Education (The IIE) which is registered with the DHET as a private Higher Education Institution, so you will find the registration details in the Register of Private Providers of Higher Education under The IIE. The Register can be found on the DHET website at http://www.dhet.gov.za/SitePages/DocRegisters.aspx. All registered qualifications together with the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) level and a number of credits can be found on South Africa Qualifications Authority (SAQA) www.saqa.org.za, under The Independent Institute of Education (Pty) Ltd.
A Higher Education qualification is one that has been accredited by the HEQC. Once it is accredited it can be registered by SAQA on the NQF. Only registered and accredited qualifications can be offered as Higher Education qualifications.
You can find a list of current registered qualifications on the SAQA website. Remember to look for ours under Originator or Registered Provider: The Independent Institute of Education (Pty) Ltd.
To search for a qualification and the conferring body visit https://allqs.saqa.org.za/, then click on the right-hand side of the page titled 'ALL QUALIFICATIONS AND UNIT STANDARDS' to search for the qualification.
A qualification is only a qualification if it is registered on the NQF, accredited by the HEQC (if it is Higher Education) and registered to that institution by the DHET.
It can only be registered and accredited as a qualification if it is at least 120 credits (a full year of study) and is in the format that is required. Sometimes qualifications are called programmes or have programmes in them (an academic year could be called a programme). The key thing to keep in mind is that a short learning programme or short course is not a qualification.
If what you need is a particular skill for a particular reason (like promotion or upgrade of legal knowledge) a short learning programme or short course may be the right course of study for you – it is just important to know that it is NOT a qualification and cannot usually be used to gain access to further study at a higher level.
A South African qualification must then be registered and accredited here in South Africa – by the HEQC – and needs to be listed on the NQF.
To ensure that all South African qualifications offered by private and public institutions are of the same standard, the HEQC is the body established by law to accredit (quality assure and approve) all Higher Education qualifications. The HEQC is a subcommittee of the Council on Higher Education (CHE) which is a body established by the government to oversee Higher Education – particularly the quality of South African qualifications and the institutions that offer them.
You need to check the registration of the qualification and the institution in its country of origin.
You can also approach SAQA to check if a particular qualification would be recognised for further study in South Africa, and if so at which level they may need you to get more details from the other institution to do this. They will not be able to do this if the other qualification or institution is not registered or accredited by a recognised body in its country of origin.
The conferring body or institution is the organisation that confers or awards the final qualification, should all the examinations and requirements have been passed. This is the institution that is registered with the DHET for the qualification.
Some registered institutions (like The IIE) work through groups of campuses organised under brand names – for instance Emeris campuses are campuses registered under The IIE (be sure to check the register for the institution name and not the brand name – if you are not sure and cannot find your brand on the register, check that you are searching for the right thing.)
Public Higher Education providers are institutions that have been established and funded by the State. Public providers can be referred to as universities, universities of technology and comprehensive universities. There are 26 public universities in South Africa.
Private Higher Education providers, on the other hand, are owned by private organisations or individuals. Although many of them offer the same qualifications as public providers, private institutions are not subsidised by the state and are mostly funded through student fees. All Private Higher Education providers must be registered by the DHET and are regularly audited to ensure quality of provision
The qualifications of both public and private Higher Education Institutions must be accredited by the HEQC and registered on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF). They are thus equivalent and carry the same standing both locally and internationally..
To teach on an accredited Higher Education qualification, one is required to hold a qualification a level higher than the one on which you teach in a similar and/or relevant area. It’s worth checking if this standard is adhered to. It is also worth checking whether lecturers have any experience in the industry that they are lecturing about.
Please ensure you visit the campus that you intend to study at before registering. The campus itself, in terms of buildings, geography, security, staff, classrooms, libraries and facilities, is also evidence of the quality of the institution. It will give you an opportunity to observe the overall environment.
Please note: Not only do registration and accreditation meet legal requirements but they also provide you as the student access to redress mechanisms – including the CHE and the HEQC and the DHET and SAQA – should concerns arise.
An educational brand of The Independent Institute of Education
Formed by the strategic evolution of The IIE's Varsity College, IIE MSA, Vega and
the School of Hospitality and Service Management, uniting under the Emeris name.
Emeris is an educational brand of The Independent Institute of Education (Pty) Ltd which is registered with the Department of Higher Education and Training as a private higher education institution under the Higher Education Act, 1997 (reg. no. 2007/HE07/002). Company registration number: 1987/004754/07. View certificate here.