The elementary foundation stone of one’s career in Education. The time and effort someone puts into their education will determine how successful they are in the future. All the effort may appear useless if these educational degrees are not fairly recognized by international universities. Thus, it is essential to get your degrees recognized by professional organizations before applying to institutions abroad.  Procuring a credential evaluated degree is also the first step for a skilled worker aspiring to work abroad/ gain employment. In summary, credential evaluation enables you to gain academic acknowledgment. Three well-known organizations that offer this kind of service are Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE), World Education Services (WES), and Educational Perspectives (EP). Let’s comprehend the idea and necessity of a Credential Evaluation before learning more about ECE, WES, and EP.

Credential Evaluation and its importance

In simple terms, a Credential Evaluation is the expert evaluation of your degree or credential. It essentially analyses your national education degree to offer an American or Canadian equivalent, i.e., it translates your academic credentials to correspond to the academic credential system of the United States or Canada. It is mostly done for countries like Canada and the United States because they lack a national education ministry to examine foreign degrees. As a result, universities, employers, and others expect an evaluated degree from independent credential auditors.
While some US universities evaluate degrees on their own terms, most universities will require an evaluated degree.
The requirement for credential evaluation arises from the fact that each country’s education system is distinct from the others. Consequently, only a professional evaluation can provide accurate and precise validation of a candidate’s marks/percentage and degree. This is where organizations such as WES and EP come in. They can analyze and evaluate a certain university’s degree to that of the US or Canadian education systems, ensuring that your hard work, as well as prior education and experience, is properly recognized.

Credential Evaluation from ECE, WES and EP
Let us discuss about the three agencies and see how they work:
Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE)
ECE, founded in 1980, is a non-profit organization that has assisted over 600,000 internationally educated persons, including about 40,000 from Asia, in receiving acknowledgment for their educational achievements over the last ten years. The ECE Reports are only valid for five years. Colleges, universities, companies, and governments trust this organization to assess international education as part of the admissions or employment processes.

ECE generates reports that are:

  • Completed fast with an average turnaround of five business days
  • Developed with the highest level of quality and integrity
  • Offered at a competitive, often the lowest, cost
  • Easy to order online
  • Supported by excellent customer service that has earned ECE a 95% customer satisfaction rating

ECE received the BBB Torch Award for Ethics in 2018 and has an A rating from the Better Business Bureau. Besides, it was a founding member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) in 1987.

What is WES evaluation?
From its establishment in 1974, WES has provided services for credential evaluation. Here, the candidate must submit the proper documents to the organization before the evaluation process can begin. Next, a credential evaluator is assigned to verify and authenticate the documents sent by the candidate. Once it is done, the credentials are assessed on the basis of the following points:

  • The education system of your country
  • The reputation of the educational institution you attended
  • The curriculum and content of your programme
  • Any other requirements you had to fulfil while getting admission to the university/college

Depending on the university or country you will be attending, the obtained data is then calculated using either the American or Canadian standard. This involves converting grades, credits, and courses into their points-equivalent American or Canadian units. The first evaluation report is created, reviewed to ensure accuracy, and then sent to a senior credential evaluator for approval. When the candidate’s documents have been verified, the entire process lasts roughly 7-8 business days.

Educational Perspectives (EP)

Dedicated to assisting candidates in evaluating their educational degree so that it is recognized globally, EP is a non-profit organization that does research on international education. They are quite proud of their highly qualified assessors who work hard in the area of global education. The evaluator is knowledgeable about any changes to the review process because they are members of the National Association of Graduate Admission Professionals (NAGAP), American Association of Collegiate Registrars (AACRAO), and European Association for International Education (EAIE).
EP has been a part of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services since 2003. (NACES).
It is also a signatory to the Groningen Declaration, which aims to establish a global forum for individuals seeking professional and academic assistance for international mobility. In order to support such candidates, the declaration makes sure that interested parties and stakeholders are brought together. Mentioned for their rapid responses, EP usually completes a certification examination in five business days.
Even though you now understand why students need a credential evaluation, many questions surely still remain in your mind. Here are some frequently asked questions to help you understand:

For any doubts, please drop us a comment below and we’ll be happy to resolve your queries!

Credential Evaluation FAQs

  • Q. What are the different kinds of Evaluation Reports?
    Commonly, a candidate request for a ‘basic’ credential evaluation that generally is an overall evaluation of the degree. A ‘detailed’ evaluation (course-by-course) report is the one that entails detailed information about the candidate’s grades, credits, course content, etc. This is only mandatory in cases where the applicant is applying for transfer credit or a graduate degree. An ordinary report will include evaluation of the degree as well as all other details obtained in accordance with the foreign country’s education system. The university from where the candidate has completed his education will be judged on the basis of recognition of the university, credential name, entrance/ admission requirements, programme duration, the field of major/ specialisation, date of graduation/ completion of the course, and so on. An addition of analysis of each course on the transcript will cost you extra. They will be converted into credit hours or grades as per their U.S or Canadian equivalent. Some institutes also calculate the GPA (Grade Point Average), a standardised system majorly followed by the USA. For a freshman, Document-by-Document evaluation is recommended whereas, for transfer and graduate applicants a  Course-by-Course evaluation is more suitable.
  • Q. How much does a Credential Evaluation cost?
    As explained above, there are different kinds of detailed evaluations required according to the course or university requirements. Thus, according to each of these detailed evaluations, expenses will also differ. The cost will depend on factors like the depth of analysis required, number of courses, processing time, charges by the agency, and so on. In general, a ‘basic’ evaluation report will cost you anywhere between USD $70 to $150, on the other hand, a detailed report will be ranging from $150 to $350. Further, the total fee would also depend on your need whether it is for academic, employment, visa, etc. In WES’s website, you will find a separate option for each of these categories, which further have divisions depending on the level of education, employment, etc. For a better understanding, you can visit their site and choose according to your own requirement. A detailed analysis of documents required and a fee breakup will be presented.
  • Q. Is Credential Evaluation universally recognized?
    The simple answer is ‘No’. The evaluation does not apply to all foreign universities as it depends on certain factors. Firstly, credential evaluation differs from country to country, hence it is important to mention the country to you apply to/ going to before sending your documents for evaluation to the agency. Secondly, not all foreign universities require credential evaluation as some countries’ education system have their own evaluation system. In some cases, universities themselves evaluate your degree. Thirdly, there are also certain universities/ countries that recognize the education system as it is. There are a number of agencies offering the services of credential evaluation. Thus, it is advised to do some research by before selecting any one agency as some universities might not recognise evaluation from some agencies.
  • Q. What to do if my university is not listed in WES?
    Students must ensure that they check the universities listed by WES before submitting a request for score report and the requisite fee. In case the applicant applies for a WES evaluation and his/her university doesn’t accept this evaluation, one the university will not accept and two it will be a sheer waste of money and time. Hence, students must make sure that their university accepts WES evaluation before making any official requests. Also check out the list of WES approved universities to be on a safe side.