Recognition is status awarded to an institution that possesses features of a higher education institution and meets the minimum criteria prescribed in the Higher Education Act 2008 and in Part 3 of the Higher Education Regulations 2009. Further details on the recognition criteria and process are available here.

Registration refers to issuing a certificate of registration to a higher education institution the meets the registration criteria prescribed in the Higher Education Act 2008 and in Part 4 of the Higher Education Regulations 2009 by the FHEC. Further details on the registration criteria and process are available here.