ISO 21001 certification (educational organisations)
A voluntary approach designed specifically for education and training organisations.
Issued by: Accredited certification bodies (AFNOR Certification, Bureau Veritas…)
Schools, universities and training organisations seeking a learner-centred management system.
What this scheme covers
- C.1A management system dedicated to educational organisations (EOMS), published in 2018, centred on learners and other beneficiaries.
- C.2A structure aligned with the major management standards (such as ISO 9001), easing combined approaches.
- C.3Education-specific requirements: course design, learning assessment, accessibility and equity.
The link with Qualiopi
ISO 21001 does not replace Qualiopi for French funding access, but its learner focus largely overlaps with the RNQ criteria on designing, adapting and assessing services.
To prepare Qualiopi certification itself, see the guide to the 32 indicators of the framework.
The process, summarised
- 1.Align the management system with the standard's requirements (policy, processes, learner-satisfaction measurement).
- 2.Carry out internal audits and a management review.
- 3.Pass the certification audit with an accredited body, then the follow-up audits.
FAQ — ISO 21001
+How does ISO 21001 differ from ISO 9001?
ISO 9001 is generic; ISO 21001 follows the same management-system logic but adapts it to education, with learner-centred requirements.
+Is ISO 21001 recognised by French funders?
No: only Qualiopi conditions access to public and pooled funding. ISO 21001 is a voluntary differentiation and structuring approach.
+Can ISO 21001 and Qualiopi be combined?
Yes, and it makes sense: an ISO 21001 management system supplies much of the evidence expected in a Qualiopi audit (monitoring, continuous improvement, feedback handling).
- ISO 9001Voluntary
- ISO 29993Voluntary
- e-AFAQ training labelVoluntary
- ISQ-OPQFVoluntary