In collaboration with UNESCO, the IAU WHED Portal provides authoritative information on:

● higher education systems and credentials,
● all accredited or recognized higher education institutions (HEIs) that meet WHED criteria
(currently ca. 21,000 HEIs).

Each HEI listed in the WHED is identified with an unique identifier: the Global WHED ID.

To be listed in the WHED, an HEI should:

● be from a Member State or a Permanent Observer of the UN or from an Associate Member State of UNESCO;
● be recognized and referenced by the national competent body;
● be a degree-conferring institution offering at least a four-year degree or a four-year professional diploma;
● have had at least three cohorts of graduates at undergraduate level or its equivalent at a postgraduate institution.

Exemptions: the WHED does not include institutions that offer exclusively military or religious training.
Please see the "About" page for more information.

Terms of use
Please be aware that there are fraudulent entities that are passing themselves off as IAU, WHED and UNESCO.
● The IAU holds the intellectual property rights to the WHED Portal and reserves the right to its trademarks.
● IAU will prosecute any transgression by any legal means necessary.
● The copying of all or substantial parts of the Portal is not allowed without prior consent of IAU. Please refer to the IAU WHED Terms of use.

Consider IAU Membership for enhanced WHED visibility
Founded in 1950 under the auspices of UNESCO, the International Association of Universities (IAU) serves as a global forum to advance higher education and its important role in the development of society.

IAU convenes and connects over 600 Members from more than 130 countries. Members benefit from a wide range of services, including networking events, research, training and advisory services, as well as enhanced visibility in the WHED.

In addition to being clearly identified as an IAU Member, these institutions are displayed at the top of the search results and have access to a permalink to share their WHED profile with others easily. They can also include campus photos as well as their logo on their WHED page.

Become a member of IAU and enjoy the benefits our global Association has to offer.

For your information: if you are unable to access institutional information via the quick-search option, we suggest you clear your browser history / cache.