Equivalent certificates

Statements of equivalence

The NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) provides statements of equivalence that you may require for employment or training purposes. We do not provide statements for university admissions.

The statement of equivalence shows the NSW school level award that matches your qualification, and grade of study for each subject. It will not detail equivalent courses or outcomes achieved.

If you need a statement of equivalence to apply to university,

• contact the Universities Admissions Centre (UAC) on (02) 9752 0200
• contact the university directly.

How to apply

Submit your application to NESA by mail or in person. We cannot accept applications via email.

• post: Replacement Certificates, NESA
  GPO Box 5300
  Sydney NSW 2001

• visit: NSW Education Standards Authority

  Level 4 117 Clarence Street Sydney NSW 2000

Once we have received your documents and payment, your statement of equivalence will be ready to post or collect within 15 working days.

Contact NESA if you are prevented from posting or submitting your application in person.

• call: (02) 9367 8111 or 1300 088 111

NESA's hours of operation are 8.30am to 4.30pm, Monday to Friday.

Required documents

• Completed secondary equivalence application form (PDF 263.99KB).
• Certified proof of identity. If your name does not match the name on your education documents, you must also provide a certified change of name certificate or marriage certificate. Your identification should be one of the following:
  • passport
  • driver licence
  • proof of age card
  • birth certificate.
• Certified copies of the results and certificates for which you are seeking equivalence. If applicable, include certified copies of university degrees and transcripts.
• Certified copies of translations if the original documents are not in English.

If you are lodging your application in person, you can bring original documents and we will make the necessary copies. If you are applying by post, do not send original documents. Only post certified copies.

Certifying your documents

Certified copies have been endorsed by a public officer or Justice of the Peace (JP). The officer or JP will compare the copy with the original and certify that it is a true copy.

Your document copy must be certified in Australia, and show the:

• certifier's full name
• JP identification number, professional number or business details of the certifier
• date and signature of the public officer or JP.

Translations

Certified translated documents must be made by a translation service accredited by the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters.

Fees

The fee for a statement of equivalence is $174 (including GST).

You can pay by:

• cash
• bank cheque
• money order
• Visa or MasterCard – complete the credit card details on the application form.

We cannot accept personal cheques.

Organisations assessing overseas qualifications

You can find other services related to qualification assessment below.

• Applying for matriculation or university entrance - contact the institution where you wish to study, or contact UAC:
  • call: (02) 9752 0200
• Tertiary qualification assessment - contact the Department of Education:
  • call: 1300 615 262
• Interstate and overseas trade qualification assessment - contact Training Services NSW:
  • call: 13 28 11
• Overseas occupational and professional qualifications assessment advice - contact the Department of Education:
  • call: 1300 615 262
• Assessment of accountancy qualifications - contact CPA Australia:
  • call: 1300 73 73 73 (within Australia)
  • call: +61 3 7034 9770 (outside Australia).
• Teaching qualifications assessment - for eligibility of employment as a teacher in NSW Government schools, contact Teacher Accreditation at NESA:
  • call: 1300 739 338 (within Australia)
  • call: +61 2 9268 6300 (outside Australia)
  • email: initialaccreditation@nesa.nsw.edu.au
  • NSW Education Standards Authority
    GPO Box 5300
    Sydney NSW 2001.

Contact

If you need more information, or help submitting a form, please call or email the Replacement Certificates team:

• call: (02) 9367 8857
• email: replacement@nesa.nsw.edu.au

Office hours are 8.30am to 4pm, Monday to Friday.