Avid College repeatedly advised after MQA finds its programs conducted illegally in Sri Lanka

The Maldives Qualifications Authority (MQA) has been advising Avid College for more than a year over its alleged operation of academic programs in Sri Lanka without proper accreditation.

In a public announcement, the MQA said Avid College had conducted programs at Amazon College and Alzette University in Sri Lanka in violation of regulations governing the delivery of accredited Maldivian programs abroad.

The issue came to light after graduates completed Avid‑approved programs at the two Sri Lankan institutions, prompting students and foreign qualification agencies to request verification of the certificates.

According to the MQA, Avid College has also advertised its programs in Sri Lanka through several other institutions, including Chester College of Higher Education, Imperial Wisdom Graduate Campus, Innovatus Campus, Ceylon College of Applied Studies and Between Campus. The authority said it verified this information after receiving multiple reports.

“One of the most important points to note is that these institutions are not registered to provide higher education with the UGC, TIVEC, or the Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education of Maldives,” the MQA said.

The authority stated that it has repeatedly instructed Avid College since August 29, 2024, not to conduct accredited programs abroad without formal approval. Despite this, the MQA said evidence, including documents submitted by Avid itself, shows that the programs continued without the required permission.

The MQA warned that such actions could cause “irreparable damage” to the international trust placed in Maldivian higher education institutions and could strain relations between the Maldives and Sri Lanka.

“These irregularities can harm overseas students, discourage international students from choosing Maldivian institutions, and raise questions about the credibility of Maldives’ higher education accreditation and certification,” the authority said.

On February 17 last year, the MQA instructed all higher education institutions not to conduct accredited programs abroad without prior approval. Under the Rules on Conducting Programs Abroad, institutions must obtain explicit permission before offering any accredited course outside the Maldives.

As a first step under the Maldives Qualifications Authority Accreditation Programs Abroad Regulations, gazetted on September 10, the MQA has formally advised Avid College. The next steps, if non‑compliance continues, include fines of MVR 8,000 and subsequently MVR 10,000.

Avid College has faced similar issues before. On December 29, 2022, the institution was found advertising courses in violation of MQA accreditation. At the time, Avid said it would never offer unaccredited programs and attributed the issue to marketing or advertising errors.