After earning her bachelor’s degree from the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa, Carmen Ronnie set her sights on graduate school in the U.S. But when preparing to apply to four different U.S. schools, Ronnie, a South African national, learned she first had to get her foreign undergraduate degree evaluated.
A credential evaluation is a report that provides a comparison of a student’s academic credentials earned in another country to the U.S. educational system. Admissions counselors require it to determine if a degree or other credentials earned overseas meet their standards for enrollment.
Here are some things prospective international students with foreign credentials should keep in mind as they plan for grad school in the U.S.
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Differing university criteria: U.S. universities set their own standards for admission. As such, students should check with school admissions offices for their specific requirements regarding foreign credentials, says Gareth Fowles, vice president for enrollment management for the admissions office at Lynn University in Florida.
Some schools like the Satish & Yasmin Gupta College of Business at the University of Dallas, for example, allow three-year undergraduate foreign degree holders to take extra coursework on campus to meet the school’s graduate admissions standards. Other institutions like Northwestern University and the University of North Carolina–Charlotte accept candidates with a three-year foreign degree but may have graduate programs that require credential evaluations.
“Some U.S. institutions perform the evaluation themselves with an in-house credential evaluator, but most will refer you to a third-party credential evaluation agency,” says Fowles.
Schools like Southern Oregon University and the University of Arkansas do in-house evaluations. Other institutions refer students to approved credential evaluation companies, such as those that are members of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services and similar organizations. NACES members commit to an enforced code of ethics and undergo an in-depth prescreening and yearly recertification.
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Credential evaluators: While several companies perform credential evaluation, universities often have specific organizations’ reports that they accept. For example, the University of Central Florida only accepts evaluations from Josef Silny & Associates Inc., a private organization based in Miami, or World Education Services, a nonprofit based in New York and Toronto.
Experts say students should choose an evaluator affiliated with an association like NACES, which can ensure the quality and reliability of a credential evaluation service. NAFSA: Association of International Educators suggests students ask all potential evaluators about the types of evaluation services they provide, their training and experience and their documentation policies, among other questions.
Sam Ahn, founder and CEO of Ahn Academy, an educational consulting company based in New York, suggests students make a list of all evaluators required by schools they are applying to, choose the evaluator noted by most schools “and start the process as soon as possible.”
“I did ask an admissions counselor what were some of the most used companies and WES came up as one of them,” says University of Witwatersrand graduate Ronnie.
She selected WES, in part because all four grad schools she applied to accepted its evaluations. But not all schools accept the same evaluators. Ahn says students should ask whether schools will accept another company’s evaluation report. For those that don’t, Ahn suggests students use the school’s chosen evaluator.
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Credential evaluation process and fees: The process and length of time required to complete the evaluation can vary among evaluators, as can the cost.
Matthias Bretschneider, international credential evaluation specialist and CEO of A2Z Evaluations LLC, an independent service in Davis, California, says students using his services must provide an original official transcript and degree certificate by mail, in person or through their institution.
He says students must complete an online application and choose either a general evaluation for $175, which measures degree equivalency, or a course-by-course evaluation for $315. Once all documents have been received, applicants will get an email confirmation with the estimated time of completion, which is typically two weeks but can be rushed for an additional fee.
Bretschneider says for students with foreign credentials, “the course-by-course evaluation, including the general evaluation, is usually required” since it identifies the equivalent U.S. grade; U.S. semester credits; U.S. level, such as lower division or upper division and graduate level, of each course; and U.S. grade point average. A2Z Evaluations charges $25 for each additional official copy of the evaluation.
Other evaluators may charge less for course-by-course evaluations but more for other services. Milwaukee-based nonprofit Educational Credential Evaluators, for example, charges $160 for course-by-course reports and has differing fees for additional copies, depending on quantity and when they are ordered.
Ronnie, the student who used WES’ services, says, “I paid $160 for a course-by-course evaluation and then I had to pay an additional $30 for each of the extra three schools I requested it get sent to.” She chose to attend Lynn University, where she earned a Master of Education and is now pursuing a Doctor of Education.
Having been through the credential evaluation process, Ronnie recommends students plan ahead to avoid any unforeseen problems. During her process, Hurricane Sandy hit the U.S., which caused delays in mail service.
“Once my transcripts did, however, arrive at WES, the process was very smooth,” says Ronnie. “Better to have it done sooner as opposed to later.”
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3 Things to Know About Applying to U.S. Grad Schools With Foreign Credentials originally appeared on usnews.com
