Established in 1984, the European Commission founded the National Academic Recognition Information Center network to help members of the European Union, the European Economic Area, and Turkey understand the significance of degrees obtained in these parts of the world and their equivalence in other countries. Today, these countries also include the United States.
The European Network of Information Centres states its goals as recognizing foreign academic qualifications, understanding educational systems domestically and abroad, and identifying opportunities for study abroad, including financial information, for their own country's students.
Today, more than 50 countries have their own National Academic Recognition Information Centres, including the United States.