The IB authorization process is a school-wide readiness process, not simply an application completed by the coordinator. For the Diploma Programme, a school moves through consideration, candidacy, consultation, an authorization application, a verification visit, and the IB's final decision before teaching its first DP cohort.
The coordinator's task is to translate IB requirements into an achievable institutional plan. This means aligning leadership, staffing, professional development, curriculum, policies, facilities, finances, and community communication while retaining clear evidence that requirements are operating in practice.
The DP authorization process at a glance
The IB authorization overview explains that there are no fixed global deadlines for completing each stage. Progress depends on the school's readiness, completion of required milestones, and response to guidance from IB staff and educators.
| Stage | Main purpose | Essential output |
|---|---|---|
| Consideration | Test educational and financial feasibility | Feasibility study, leadership commitment, budget, proposed programme model |
| Candidacy application | Apply formally for candidate status | School profile, application, action plan, supporting documents |
| Candidacy and consultation | Build systems required for DP delivery | Trained staff, policies, course plans, schedules, resources, evidence tracker |
| Authorization application | Demonstrate institutional readiness | Completed application and current supporting evidence |
| Verification visit | Verify the school's claims and capacity | Prepared stakeholders, accessible evidence, functioning facilities and systems |
| IB decision | Resolve outstanding requirements | Responses to matters to be addressed and signed agreement |
| First-cohort launch | Begin authorized implementation | Operational core, assessment, registration, security, and support procedures |
A school with candidate status is not yet an IB World School. It must use the IB's required candidate-school wording and cannot imply that authorization is guaranteed.
Stage 1: Complete a feasibility study
During the consideration phase, the school examines the IB mission, DP structure, authorization requirements, and implications for its existing model. Decisions should be based on evidence rather than enthusiasm alone.
The feasibility study should examine:
- Alignment between the school's mission and IB philosophy
- Demand for the full Diploma and individual DP courses
- A viable six-subject offer and suitable Higher Level and Standard Level combinations
- Availability of subject teachers and leaders for TOK, CAS, and the extended essay
- Timetabling that supports concurrency of learning and the DP core
- Library, laboratory, technology, counselling, inclusion, and examination provision
- Professional development, authorization, annual, assessment, and staffing costs
- Local licensing, graduation, accreditation, and university-recognition requirements
Create a multi-year budget with contingency funding for staff turnover, additional workshops, facility upgrades, assessment security, and visit logistics. The authority responsible for financing the school must demonstrate commitment, so implementation should not depend on an optimistic first-year enrolment forecast.
Before candidacy, confirm the applicable Category 1 professional development for the head of school or an eligible senior-leadership designee. The DP coordinator does not satisfy this particular leadership requirement as the designee.
Stage 2: Prepare the candidacy application
The school begins formally by submitting an indication of interest and working with the IB Development team. Once preliminary conditions are met, it receives access to My School and completes the Application for candidacy.
Consult the IB authorization resource library for current requirements, guidance, and sample materials. Samples are references; the actual application is completed through the IB's online system.
The coordinator should confirm that the school is legally registered, appoint a coordinator designate, secure governing-body approval, define the proposed subject offer, project enrolment, document financial support, and complete or schedule required training. The application also requires a realistic action plan with named owners, deadlines, costs, review points, and evidence.
Treat this plan as a live management tool. Review it monthly, distinguish planned actions from completed requirements, and record decisions that affect staffing, budgets, curriculum, or the intended opening date.
Stage 3: Manage candidacy and consultation
After candidacy is approved, the school receives a programme relationship manager and access to the Programme Resource Centre. An IB-appointed consultant supports development through the consultation stage, which includes remote support, a consultation visit, and written reports.
The consultant identifies gaps and advises the school but does not authorize it. Positive consultation feedback must not be presented as a guaranteed outcome. Unlike PYP and MYP candidate schools, DP candidate schools may not implement the programme before authorization.
Complete professional development
Under the current IB candidacy guidance, the coordinator must complete the applicable Category 1 Leading the learning workshop within six months after submitting the candidacy application if it was not completed earlier. Before requesting authorization, the specified Category 1 requirements must also be completed for DP subject teachers, TOK teachers, and CAS coordinators.
For candidacy applications submitted on or after 1 July 2025, the extended essay coordinator must complete the Category 1 Extended Essay workshop before the authorization application. Record each participant's workshop title, subject, date, and certificate, and verify current conditions with the programme relationship manager.
Establish programme systems
Develop course outlines for every intended subject and core component. Check that the timetable provides appropriate teaching time, preserves concurrency, supports TOK across the two-year programme, and enables continuous CAS participation.
The school also needs policies addressing assessment, academic integrity, language, inclusion, programme access, and relevant complaints or appeals procedures. Policies must describe actual practice rather than aspirations. An academic integrity policy, for example, should be visible in citation teaching, authentication, staff responsibilities, responsible AI guidance, and responses to suspected misconduct. RevisionDojo's IB academic integrity guide can support induction, although official IB documents remain authoritative.
Stage 4: Apply for authorization
Submit the authorization application only when the evidence demonstrates readiness. During the request for authorization phase, the school updates its profile, completes the online application, and provides the requested documents.
Audit the submission against the current Guide to school authorization and the application assigned in My School. Do not assume an older checklist or another school's application reflects the correct framework.
Evidence commonly covers governance, coordinator responsibilities, budgets, policies, course outlines, timetables, assessment calendars, professional development, facilities, student support, and secure assessment administration. Give every document an owner, approval status, and version date, then check that information remains consistent across the application.
Stage 5: Prepare for the verification visit
The verification visit determines whether required actions have been completed and whether the school can sustain the programme. The IB verification visit guidance states that a visit typically lasts two days, although length can vary.
Visitors may meet governors, leaders, teachers, support staff, students, and parents while examining documentation and facilities. Participants should explain their genuine responsibilities and practices rather than memorize scripted answers.
Before the visit, coordinators should:
- Reconcile every application claim with current evidence
- Conduct an internal review against official requirements
- Check laboratories, libraries, technology, inclusion support, counselling, and secure storage
- Ensure teachers can explain course design, assessment, collaboration, and the core
- Prepare realistic timetables, calendars, and sample procedures
- Organize evidence by requirement with simple navigation
- Brief stakeholders about the visit without scripting responses
A frequent mistake is producing polished policies that staff cannot explain. Verification focuses on coherent institutional readiness, not document presentation alone.
Stage 6: Respond to the IB decision
After the visit, the IB reviews the findings and issues its decision. Where requirements remain unmet, the school may receive matters to be addressed, or MTBAs, with instructions and a deadline for further action or evidence.
Address the underlying system weakness, assign responsibility, document the correction, and show that the revised process is functioning. Once authorization is granted, the school reviews and signs the authorization agreement before receiving its certificate, as outlined in the IB authorization decision guidance.
Authorization is programme-specific. Existing PYP or MYP authorization does not permit a school to offer the DP automatically.
Stage 7: Launch the first cohort
The first DP cohort may begin only after authorization. Before teaching starts, finalize the subject offer and timetable, verify student choices and levels, and publish clear guidance on assessment, inclusion, academic integrity, deadlines, and communication.
Operational preparations should include:
- TOK, CAS, and extended essay calendars and leadership responsibilities
- A coordinated internal-assessment calendar
- Candidate registration, data checking, and fee-approval procedures
- Secure storage, examination roles, access controls, and contingency plans
- Induction and training for new or replacement teachers
- Collaborative planning, standardization, student-support reviews, and programme evaluation
Explain the difference between internal school deadlines and IB submission deadlines to students and families. Monitor workload, attendance, retention, and timetable difficulties from the first term rather than waiting for problems to become embedded.
Maintain a shared evidence system after authorization because programme development and evaluation continue. Meeting minutes, policy reviews, curriculum changes, professional-development records, and evidence of student support should become routine institutional records. RevisionDojo's first-year DP teacher guide and guide to the IB coordinator's role can help colleagues understand implementation responsibilities.
Common authorization mistakes
- Treating authorization as the coordinator's private project
- Setting a launch date before testing staffing, financial, and timetable feasibility
- Confusing candidate status with authorization
- Attempting to implement the DP during candidacy
- Delaying required professional development
- Copying policies that do not reflect school practice
- Submitting inconsistent staffing, budget, timetable, or enrolment information
- Preparing evidence only before consultation or verification
- Ignoring staff turnover and succession planning
Conclusion
A successful IB authorization process depends on sustained institutional readiness. The coordinator connects official requirements with leadership decisions, professional development, curriculum, policies, resources, evidence, and a realistic first-cohort launch.
Use the current IB guidance and My School application as primary authorities, respond systematically to consultant feedback, and maintain one auditable action plan. After authorization, RevisionDojo can support implementation through coordinator resources, IB core guidance, and structured tools for practice and progress monitoring.
Sources and referenced URLs
- IB authorization process overview
- IB consideration phase
- IB candidacy guidance
- IB consultation stage
- IB request for authorization
- IB verification visit guidance
- IB decision on authorization
- IB authorization resource library
- IB Guide to school authorization
- RevisionDojo IB academic integrity guide
- RevisionDojo first-year DP teacher guide
- RevisionDojo guide to the IB coordinator's role
- RevisionDojo guide to the IB core