Credential Evaluation for US Admission

What credential evaluation is

When you apply to a U.S. university with academic credentials earned outside the United States, the admissions office needs to understand how your qualifications compare to the U.S. education system. A credential evaluation is an independent professional assessment that translates your foreign degree, transcript, or diploma into a recognised U.S. equivalency — for example, establishing whether your bachelor's degree corresponds to a U.S. four-year baccalaureate.

Credential evaluation is performed by third-party evaluation organisations, not by the university itself. The university then uses the evaluation report as part of its admissions review.

When it is required

Whether a credential evaluation is required, and which evaluation service is accepted, varies by institution and by program. Many universities specify their requirements directly in their international applicant instructions. Common scenarios include:

- Undergraduate applications: international students submitting secondary-school transcripts from outside the U.S. - Graduate applications: international students with a bachelor's or master's degree earned abroad. - Professional programs (law, medicine, business): may require evaluation even when other graduate programs at the same school do not.

Always check the specific credential evaluation requirements of each university and program you are applying to. Do not assume the requirement or the accepted service list.

Recognised evaluation organisations: NACES and AICE

The two main associations of credential evaluation services in the United States are:

NACES (National Association of Credential Evaluation Services) — an association of evaluation services that maintain a shared code of good practice. Most U.S. universities, employers, and government agencies accept evaluations from NACES member organisations.

AICE (Association of International Credential Evaluators) — a second recognised body with its own member organisations.

Well-known NACES member services include World Education Services (WES) and Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE), among others. Many universities specify which services they accept; always check before you pay for an evaluation.

• Check the university's international admissions page for the list of accepted evaluation services.
• Some universities have their own in-house transcript evaluation and do not require a third-party evaluation — confirm this directly.
• The U.S. Department of Education provides guidance on recognition of foreign qualifications; no single federal agency formally regulates credential evaluators, making NACES or AICE membership the primary quality indicator accepted by universities.

What the process involves

While the exact process varies by service, the general steps are similar across NACES and AICE members:

1. Create an account with the evaluation service and submit an application, specifying the type of evaluation you need (document-by-document, course-by-course, or another format as required by your university). 2. Request that your institution(s) send official transcripts and/or degree certificates directly to the evaluation service, or follow the service's document submission instructions. 3. If your documents are not in English, arrange for certified English translations — many services have translation partners. 4. Pay the evaluation fee and any shipping fees for your report. 5. Receive the evaluation report (digital and/or paper) and submit it to the university as instructed.

Processing times and costs differ by service and report type. Check the service's current fees and estimated timelines before you apply — these are not controlled by the universities.

Planning ahead

Credential evaluation takes time — sometimes several weeks — so begin the process well before application deadlines. Start by identifying which services your target universities accept, then allow for document collection, international mail times, and evaluation processing.

If you are applying to multiple universities, check whether they all accept the same evaluation service so you can order copies efficiently rather than paying for separate evaluations. Most services offer additional copy reports at a lower cost.

Verify all current requirements and accepted services directly with each university and on the evaluator's official website. Requirements can change from cycle to cycle.