Our methodology
Every conclusion should survive the question: “What is the evidence?”
CourseClarity classifies each course before it checks the evidence. A regulated NVQ, a university executive programme, a professional certificate and an informal skills course should not be judged by the same rigid checklist.
The evidence order
- Capture the fullest offer.We preserve the submitted URL, resolve a richer canonical course page where available, and discover relevant terms, finance, FAQ and specification pages.
- Classify the course.Credential signals determine whether the course is regulated, academic, professional, CPD, preparatory or informal.
- Structure the useful claims.Qualification scope, price, separate fees, workload, assessment, entry conditions, access and cancellation deadlines become typed fields.
- Research the relevant authority.Depending on the claim, we check sources such as the Ofqual Register, a credential issuer or the CPD Certification Service directory. We distinguish a credential match from provider approval.
- Retain the trail.Findings carry source links, short evidence callouts and retrieval times so a buyer can reproduce the result.
Course-specific checks, not one rigid score
Regulated qualification
Expect an exact title and number, awarding organisation, assessment route and provider-delivery evidence.
University or executive programme
Distinguish a degree or academic credit from a certificate of attendance or completion, then check workload, assessment and institutional evidence.
Professional or CPD course
Check the named body, current directory evidence, exam and membership route, learning hours and whether recognition is automatic.
Skills course
Do not manufacture a missing Ofqual warning. Focus on curriculum, practical work, access, outcomes, total cost and cancellation rights.
Four evidence labels
Officially verified
A current official record directly supports the claim.
Provider stated
The provider makes the claim, but no independent source has yet confirmed it.
Probable match
The evidence points to a likely qualification, but a unique match is not proven.
Missing or contradictory
Important information is absent, or two captured sources directly disagree.
Missing evidence is not a conflict
If a provider does not publish a resit fee, CourseClarity reports that the fee is unknown and gives the buyer a question to ask. It does not claim the fee is hidden or unfair. A material conflict requires two pieces of evidence that directly disagree.
Qualification value is a separate assessment
CourseClarity can now assess the evidence for earnings, employability, occupation access, recognition and cost-and-time return. It compares attainment with having no qualification where a source genuinely supports that counterfactual. Aggregate salaries and post-study outcomes are labelled as context rather than presented as caused uplift.
Read the qualification-value methodWhat CourseClarity does not decide
- Whether a provider or course is “legitimate” or “a scam”
- A guaranteed salary, job, promotion or return on investment
- Personal eligibility for funding, licences, memberships or employment
- A guaranteed maximum lifetime cost when key prices are not disclosed