August 2, 2012
In the United States, the function of evaluating academic credentials from other parts of the world may be carried out by either the international admissions office at a college/university, the credentialing department at a State licensing board or by a private credential evaluation company. Here are five things to know about international academic credentials evaluations:
1. An Evaluation (of non-U.S. academic documents) is different than a Translation. A Translation is a literal interpretation and replacement of the text from one language into another language while maintaining a maximum equivalence of meaning. An Evaluation of international educational credentials compares the program of study with the U.S. system, and recommends the approximate equivalence in terms of a specific level of academic achievement. (Sometimes U.S. institutions need both Translation and Evaluation.)
2. Credentials evaluation in the United States is not standardized and each institution in the U.S. decides separately which evaluation services they will accept;
3. Check with the institutions you plan to deal with in the U.S. and ask which private evaluation services they accept and what type of evaluation report is needed;
4. Before applying for credential evaluation verify with your institution(s) of any requirements or pre-registration you must complete prior to evaluation. The requirements of your institution(s) are separate of those of your Evaluation Service.
5. A good Evaluation Service should have one or more expert evaluators on staff, which review and sign off on completed evaluations. A recognized expert should have many years of experience in international education and participated in published research in the credentials evaluation field.
For more information, please refer to “A Guide for Selecting a Foreign Credential Evaluation Service.”
A non-for-profit professional association of international credential evaluators.
www.aice-eval.org
