About IB

About the IB Diploma

The IB Diploma Programme is designed as an academically challenging and balanced programme of education that prepares students around the world for success at university and life beyond.  It is a globally recognized achievement which sets students apart from other university applicants.

The IB DP regarded as one of the best university preparation programmes in the world and is recognized by well over 2,000 universities from 74 countries around the globe. IB Diploma Programme produces literate, articulate, confident young adults with an understanding of global issues and other cultures.

 

  • IB offers breadth of study across six subjects including languages, humanities, sciences and math.
  • IB is valued for developing teamwork and presentation skills
  • IB encourages independent inquiry and critical thinking
  • IB encourages the development of advanced independent research and organizational skills
  • IB encourages creativity and the ability to maintain and open mind
  • IB helps develop an ability to copy with pressure and excellent time management skills

Global Awareness

Global awareness is an integral component of the IB Diploma Programme, creating internationally-minded students. The IB curriculum teaches students to be outward-facing and culturally aware, so they are well prepared as global citizens. IB students have a number of opportunities to engage with global issues both inside and outside the classroom with humanity and compassion.

How does the IB Diploma compare to other qualifications?

Many national systems, as well as individual universities, have their own equivalencies for Diploma Programme performance. These include the UK’s UCAS conversion, the Australian ATAR conversion, and India’s AIU conversion, among others.

International research has found:

  • British universities rate IB students as the best prepared for further education.
  • Research on IB Diploma Programme students in Canada, the UK and the USA found that the DP’s extended essay, a 4,000-word piece of self-directed research, improves students’ approach to learning in higher education.
  • Over the last 10 years several qualification bodies and research institutions have compared elements of the IB Diploma Programme course curriculums and assessments with others courses of study and overall findings from the research have been very favourable for the Diploma Programme.
  • In 2012, the UK’s Ofqual compared A levels to 19 other curriculums/examinations, including the IB Diploma Programme. The DP material was highly regarded in a number of areas.
  • The Education Policy Improvement Center in the U.S. undertook a four-year project to create a set of academic-content standards in eight IB Diploma Programme subject areas and determined the degree to which these standards aligned with accepted college-readiness standards.
  • In the US, a comparison of four IB Diploma Programme standard level (SL) courses (biology, mathematics, language A and world history) and similar Advanced Placement (AP) courses assigned the IB Diploma SL courses equal or higher grades than the AP courses.
  • The University of Delhi’s comparative analysis of course materials and assessments from the IB Diploma Programme, the Indian Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examination (CISCE) found that, in comparison, DP courses were often more comprehensive and exhaustive than other courses; that they encouraged multiple perspectives; and that they developed analytical, critical and evaluative abilities.

A 2014 study on the IB Diploma Programme (DP) in the U.S. suggested that students who participated in the DP during high school are more academically adjusted to the expectations of higher education providers.

Read more about IB research.

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