ICEF Academy

Professional development for international education

Visit ICEF Academy

ICEF Academy is ICEF’s global training platform for education counsellors and institutional teams working in international student recruitment.

It delivers structured professional learning designed to strengthen counselling practice and build professional knowledge for those advising and supporting students across markets.

With more than 150,000 learners worldwide and over 22,000 certified counsellors, ICEF Academy is the most widely used professional training initiative in international education. This scale reflects long-term global engagement and a sustained focus on strengthening counselling practice across markets.

Counsellor practice in international education

International student recruitment relies on counsellors navigating complex education systems, policies, and student needs across borders. ICEF Academy supports this work through training that builds professional judgement, improves accuracy, and reflects real operating conditions in global markets.

What you will find on ICEF Academy

Courses focus primarily on counsellor training and professional practice, covering areas including:

  • foundations of international education and student recruitment
  • destination and market knowledge
  • ethical practice and professional conduct
  • counselling workflows, student support, and expectation management
  • specialist topics for different roles, sectors, and education pathways

Training is delivered online in a self-paced format and can be completed flexibly alongside day-to-day work.

Who ICEF Academy is for

  • education counsellors and agents building professional capability
  • institutional staff involved in recruitment, admissions, and partner engagement
  • organisations seeking consistent training for counsellors and frontline staff across teams and regions

Certification and completion

All courses offer a related assessment, with certificates issued to individuals who successfully complete the requirements. These certificates record professional learning at the counsellor level and can be referenced by institutions, partners, and employers.

A proven global initiative

ICEF Academy reflects ICEF’s long-standing role in professionalising international education. By focusing on counsellor training at scale, it provides shared learning reference points and greater consistency in professional development across markets.

Continuing Professional Development (CPD)

Learning completed through ICEF Academy can contribute to an individual’s Continuing Professional Development (CPD) record.

As an accredited CPD provider, ICEF enables learners to record professional learning completed through ICEF Academy courses, alongside selected live learning formats such as seminars, event sessions, and webinars. This allows counsellors and other professionals to build a cumulative record of professional development across different learning activities over time. 

Learn more about how CPD works across ICEF learning formats.

View Continuing Professional Development (CPD)

Explore ICEF Academy

Browse courses and learning pathways on ICEF Academy.

View ICEF Academy courses