Comparing your qualifications internationally
The NFQ is aligned with the European Qualification Framework (EQF) and the Qualifications Framework of the European Higher Education Area (QF-EHEA). Alignment with these two frameworks makes it easier for you to compare qualifications across Europe.
A single updating report re-referencing the NFQ to the EQF and re-confirming compatibility of the NFQ with QF-EHEA was completed in 2020.

Global fan
The Global Fan includes the NFQ, EQF and the QF-EHEA frameworks which show how the levels on each relate to each other.
The European Qualifications Framework (EQF) is a European initiative to support mobility within the EU. It allows qualifications gained in any European country to be classified and organised into an eight-level system. It enables learners, learning providers and employers to compare qualifications between different countries' national qualifications systems.
Qualifications that are included within the Irish NFQ also have an EQF reference level. Visit the Irish Register of Qualifications for more information. The register helps make Irish qualifications visible in Europe as the IRQ is linked to the Qualifications Dataset Register on the upgraded Europass platform.
The QF-EHEA, commonly known as the Bologna Framework, is based on a three-cycle system (bachelor, master and doctorate). It is focused on higher education and facilitates recognition of study periods and qualifications earned abroad, building trust across the 49 member states included in the Bologna Framework.
As learners and workers move between the UK and Ireland regularly, QQI know how important it is to be able to quickly compare and understand qualifications in both countries.
Although the UK is no longer a member of the EU, collaboration between the UK and Ireland is supported and in line with the Common Travel Area (CTA) Memorandum of Understanding. The qualifications authorities in the UK and Ireland have agreed the correspondence between qualifications frameworks in operation across the five jurisdictions.
Our joint publication, Qualifications Can Cross Boundaries offers a short guide to the broad comparable levels of UK and Irish qualifications.
The Education Bureau of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government and QQI signed a memorandum of understanding in September 2016 for the purpose of strengthening collaboration in the development of their qualifications frameworks, promoting mutual recognition of qualifications and facilitating the mobility of learners and employees between Ireland and Hong Kong.
This guide explains the qualifications systems of Ireland and Hong Kong. Using qualifications frameworks, which have been developed in both countries, it helps students, employers and others to compare the main school, vocational and higher education qualifications achieved in Ireland and Hong Kong.
A memorandum of cooperation was signed between Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) and the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) in December 2017 with the aim of developing a greater understanding of, and confidence in, each other’s qualifications and their quality assurance.
By drawing broad comparisons between qualifications and where they sit on each framework, this guide aims to improve the transparency and understanding of qualifications in both jurisdictions, supporting the mobility of citizens between New Zealand and Ireland.