CXC inks deal with US university to have CAPE qualifications recognised

The Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) said it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Western Illinois University (WIU) that will see the US-based tertiary institution recognising qualifications from CXC.

Under the agreement signed at a virtual ceremony last Thursday, Caribbean students seeking to take advantage of degree programmes at WIU will benefit from the matching of coursework requirements at WIU against the CXC syllabus.

This, CXC said, will allow for more seamless matriculation. The CXC Associate’s Degree and the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) qualifications will also be recognised by WIU.

As such, students can use their CAPE qualifications to fulfil partial credit requirements towards their bachelor’s degree, allowing them to complete their degree in less than four years.

“This has significant cost-saving implications for students at the undergraduate level and means that the prospect of further studies for these students will be more easily within their reach,” CXC said in a statement announcing the MOU last week.

In the meantime, Registrar and CEO of CXC Dr Wayne Wesley said the signing was “in line with CXC’s transformational agenda and its commitment to the people of the Caribbean, and opens another pathway for students to receive quality tertiary-level education.”

Provost and Academic Vice President of WIU, Dr Martin Abraham the American university recognises “the quality and rigour” of the CAPE and is therefore delighted they signed the agreement which will also allow for “collaboration between CXC and WIU on research for the digital transformation of the education system as well as the collaboration on faculty and staff development, to advance teaching, learning and assessment in the Caribbean”.

WIU now joins 13 other tertiary institutions in the US and the Caribbean that have signed articles of agreements with CXC. Several other institutions in the UK and America do not do articulation agreements but have published CAPE equivalency charts to show their credits for CAPE courses.