IndependentFigures from official sources, with datesNo commission on students

Places to study

Every kind of place you can study, worldwide, with the official register check on top wherever a government publishes one.

Choose a kind

Places to study, by kind

Each one explained before the list, because “what is a polytechnic” is a real question and nobody else answers it.

Universities

15,141 listed Degree-awarding institutions. In the four countries with a public register, we check daily that each one is still licensed to enrol international students.

Colleges

8,215 listed Community, further education and junior colleges. Often cheaper, often a route into a degree - and a category where licences change more often than at universities.

Research institutes and doctoral schools

2,391 listed Doctoral and post-doctoral research. Funding and supervision matter more than rankings.

Vocational and technical institutes

1,857 listed Trade, VET and TAFE providers. This is where register removals concentrate, so the check matters most here.

Schools and boarding schools

1,399 listed International and boarding schools taking students under 18. In the UK these need a child student sponsor licence, which is a separate list.

Medical and health schools

1,200 listed Medicine, nursing, dentistry, pharmacy and veterinary. Check professional-body recognition too - a degree that does not let you register to practise is an expensive souvenir.

Polytechnics and universities of applied sciences

1,037 listed Applied and technical higher education. Strong on employment outcomes, and usually cheaper than a research university.

Specialist academies

684 listed Aviation, maritime, hospitality, culinary and sport. Industry licensing usually sits alongside the education licence.

Business schools

210 listed MBA and management-focused institutions. Check the accreditation as well as the register - AACSB, EQUIS and AMBA mean something different from a government licence.

Seminaries and religious institutions

200 listed Theological and religious education. Often licensed, often not recognised for secular professional purposes - check both.

Conservatoires and art schools

130 listed Music, drama, dance, art and design. Auditions and portfolios matter more than test scores here.

Language schools

99 listed English and other language courses. The highest-risk category for students: short courses, quick enrolments, and the category regulators watch closest.

Pathway and foundation providers

13 listed Foundation years and pre-masters courses that lead into a degree. Check what the pathway actually guarantees, in writing.

32,576 listings. No account needed.

College · Plymouth · United States
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Vocational institute · Melbourne, VIC · Australia
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University · Anderson, South Carolina · United States
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University · Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh · India
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College · Andover · United Kingdom
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College · Cuthbert, GA · United States
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University · Berrien Springs, MI · United States
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Vocational institute · Surry Hills, NSW · Australia
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