Certification of educational institutions under the Income Tax Act – Which institutions need to be certified

The purpose of certifying post-secondary educational institutions under the Income Tax Act is to allow students to claim a tuition tax credit.

Which institutions need to be certified

Educational institutions that:

• are not registered or no longer meet requirements for registration under provincial or territorial private vocational training legislation
• offer programs, courses or training allowing students to gain or improve their skills in a specific occupation

Educational institutions designated by the Canada Student Financial Assistance Program do not need to be certified because their programs and courses are already eligible for the tuition tax credit.

To check if an educational institution is certified, consult the list of certified institutions or the appropriate provincial or territorial authorities:

• Alberta: Occupations and educational programs list
• British Columbia: Private training institution directory
• Manitoba: Listing of private vocational institutions
• New Brunswick: Private career colleges
• Newfoundland and Labrador: Private training institution directory
• Northwest Territories: Education, training and skills development
• Nova Scotia: Registered colleges search Tool
• Nunavut: Department of Education of Nunavut
• Ontario: Private career college search
• Prince Edward Island: Private training schools registered in PEI
• Quebec: Quebec school search tool (GDUNO)
• Saskatchewan: List of registered private vocational schools
• Yukon: List of trade schools