Credential Evaluation Services
Foreign students are sometimes asked to submit their papers to a credential evaluation service when applying to U.S. universities. Credential evaluation is the process of assessing the course work and/or educational degrees, certificates, or diplomas obtained in one country and determining their equivalent in another country.
Credential Evaluation Services
What is credential evaluation?
Foreign students are sometimes asked to submit their papers to a credential evaluation service when applying to U.S. universities. Credential evaluation is the process of assessing the course work and/or educational degrees, certificates, or diplomas obtained in one country and determining their equivalent in another country. Many colleges rely on reputable external credential evaluation services to assess the education of foreign students, rather than performing this time-consuming and complicated evaluation themselves.How do U.S. universities use information provided by credential evaluation services?
Credential evaluation services do not make recommendations on admission. Instead, the college or university uses the information to make its own well-informed decision on admission and the transfer of credit.Students obtain an application for credential evaluation and submit their documents to the service for evaluation. A report is then sent directly to the U.S. colleges or universities that the student as indicated on the application. Since a copy of the report also goes directly to the student, it benefits the student by giving her or him a reading on equivalency level. The report can also provide a general sense of what credits can be expected to transfer even before students arrive on campus.What kinds of reports are available, and how much do they cost?
Fees vary by type of evaluation requested. Expect to pay approx. $80-125. There are two main types of reports available:"Document-by-document" evaluation: This is an evaluation of final degrees, diplomas, or certificates. This type of report is generally used for employment, immigration, and education where transfer of credit is not expected."Course-by-course" evaluation: This type of assessment provides the same information as a document-by-document report, but also gives a breakdown of all postsecondary study in terms of U.S. semester credits, grade equivalents, and a grade point average on a 4.0 scale. The course-by-course report is generally used for the transfer of credit and for professional licensing and certification .Credential evaluation is not an exact science, and the outcome is not a perfect match between international and U.S. credentials. It is, however, an informed judgement regarding the relative value of a given credential in U.S. terms.Who needs to use credential evaluation services?
You do not have to use credential evaluation services unless you are specifically asked you to do so. Always check with the schools to which you intend to apply. You should find out early if more than one school wants you to use credential evaluation services - knowing this before you send in your papers to be evaluated could save you both time and money.Where do I find credential evaluation services?
The National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) sets the standards for the profession of external foreign credential evaluation. On their website, you will find more information and an overview of members.(Adapted from The Advising Quarterly Fall 2001)
