Volume 4, Issue 6
Many students have been asking about credential evaluations for academic credit earned at an institution in Iran, and how to transfer this credit to a U.S. college or university. There are many companies that provide this service, but it is important be aware of scams and fraudulent degrees. Known as “diploma mills,” some agencies offer unaccredited diplomas based on a summary of life experience (résumé), completion of a test or research paper, or simply for a credit card payment. Some of these agencies not only create fraudulent certificates, but they also use counterfeit stamps and seals that resemble U.S. government official seals.
There are a significant number of diploma mills seeking to exploit uninformed students looking for a foreign degree and take away their hard-earned money for a worthless piece of paper. These companies will send information by email or mail and advertise on search engines or in magazines; so how can you find out if what they have to offer is legitimate? First of all – if the offer sounds too good to be true, it probably is. You must do more than nominal academic coursework to earn a U.S. college degree. Does the company’s website claim to provide a U.S. degree solely based on your degree from Iran, your résumé, or past achievements? It is highly likely the degree that they award will not be recognized or acceptable for admission to an accredited U.S. college or university, or even a potential employer. Secondly, when searching for a college, university, or program in the United States, refer to “Your 5 Steps for U.S. Study” on the EducationUSA website. Step 1, “Research Your Options,” will give you a list of college search engines to help narrow down your choices and find an accredited institution that best fits for your needs. If you question whether or not the school you want to attend and the degree you will receive is legitimate, contact the EducationUSA Iran Adviser for an answer.
To apply to U.S. colleges and universities for admission, you must have the official translation of your certificate and transcripts stamped by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Iran. You can apply to schools by sending a color copy of your original documents. EducationUSA Iran communicates to admission offices at U.S. colleges and universities to explain that Iranian students only have one certificate in Persian and cannot send their original documents for admission applications. U.S. institutions accept your degree from an Iranian university that is recognized by the Ministry of Education. To help you calculate your grade-point average GPA, use our grade converter table.
Several U.S. colleges and universities evaluate applicant credentials within their admission office. Other colleges and universities require outside assistance from recognized credential evaluation companies not located on the college campus. In this case, the admission office may request that the prospective student sends their academic credentials directly to the credential evaluation company. These companies do charge a fee for credential evaluation service but this evaluation is good for life and can often be helpful when applying for employment outside of the U.S. National Association of Credential Evaluation Services: www.naces.org, World Evaluation Services (www.wes.org), Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc. (www.ece.org), Evaluation Service, Inc. (www.evaluationservice.net), and the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers: International Education Services (http://ies.aacrao.org/) are all examples of recognized credential evaluators. For a list of additional credential evaluators, visit the website for the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services: www.naces.org.
Although you are not required to have your documents evaluated, ECE the Educational Credentials Evaluators, Inc. have answered some of the most common questions:
- What is the best time to apply for credentials evaluation? The first step is to determine whether a credentials evaluation is necessary. Many institutions do their own evaluation of foreign credentials. The evaluation can be applied for at any point in the process, but it’s good to start well before the institution’s deadline in case the evaluation agency needs to request additional documentation.
- How long does it take to complete credentials evaluation? Most evaluation agencies will prepare the report quickly (in two to three weeks) once all the required documentation is received. The documentation requirements vary significantly from one evaluation agency to another, and can delay the process by months. Typically, the agency will have an optional “rush” service for an additional fee.
- What is the process for credentials evaluation? Evaluation agencies require that three items be submitted: an application form, payment, and documentation. In some cases the educational documents must be sent directly from the issuing institution. The process can be delayed if the agency needs to contact the institution for additional information, which can include the verification of suspected fraudulent documents.
- Is it necessary for all international students to have their credentials evaluated? No, many institutions will review the students’ credentials as part of the application process. This is true especially of larger universities that receive thousands of applications from international students.
- Will the conversion to GPA be done by agencies such as ECE? Yes, determining the US equivalent grade point average is part of the evaluation process. When the student indicates that the purpose of the report is further education, a GPA will be included.
- Will I get a copy of the evaluation? Yes, if requested. Typically one copy will go to the institution the student is applying to, and additional copies can be ordered either at the same time, or later, for an additional fee.
- What are the charges for evaluation by ECE? ECE prepares several types of evaluation reports: The General report includes the US equivalency of each credential with a GPA, and may be sufficient for graduate admission purposes; the Course-by-Course report includes the credential equivalencies and GPAs, as well as a listing of each post-secondary course with the US equivalent credit and grade. The fee for a General report is , and for a Course-by-Course it’s 0. There are additional fees for “Rush” service; if a student needs to have the report completed in 12 or 5 business days. Occasionally, institutions request reports that include additional information, but General and Course-by-Course reports are the most common.
- Is there a reduced charge if a whole lot of qualifications are evaluated simultaneously, such as 10th Grade Exams, 12th Grade exams plus Bachelor’s degree? Most evaluation agencies charge per applicant, not per credential. So the cost for a General report would be regardless whether the applicant submitted one credential or six.
- Is there a process for contesting the credentials evaluation? Yes. At ECE either the institution receiving the report or the applicant can call, email, or write to us with questions about the report, and the evaluator, or a manager, will reply. If the student contacts us within six months of the date on the report (the date of completion), there is no fee to review the report; after six months we can review the report, but we charge a “reactivation” fee. There is no fee for institutions to contact us. Any reputable evaluation agency should be able to defend its decisions.
- How many international credentials evaluators are there in the US? Do universities and colleges prefer one over the other? There are dozens of evaluation agencies, most of them unregulated. There is an organization called the National Association of Credential Evaluation Agencies (NACES) that has rigorous membership standards (there are approximately 20 agencies who are members). Some universities and colleges ask that the student submit an evaluation report prepared by a member of NACES, many other institutions have a particular agency that they prefer. That’s why it’s important for the student to find out the requirements of the institution to which they are applying before paying for a report that might not be useful to them.
- If the application asks for my GPA and my country’s exams only provide marks/and/or letter grades, can I leave that blank and get my credentials evaluated, or do I fill in the marks? The evaluation agency will calculate your GPA as part of the evaluation process. If the institution prepares their own evaluations, you can fill in the marks because they will request examination results anyway. If they require that you go through an evaluation agency, you can enter the GPA from the evaluation report, and have a copy of the report sent to the college or university.
- What happens if I submit forged or altered documents? There are serious consequences for submitting forged or altered documents. If falsified documents are submitted, the evaluation agency will keep your money and documents, not prepare the report, and notify other evaluation agencies, any colleges or universities to which you are applying, and the US government.
- Why do two evaluations agencies have different equivalencies for the same credential? Because the results of an evaluation report are based on the judgment of the evaluation agency, even though most agencies has access to the same resources, sometimes the reports will be very different. So, two people who completed the same program in Iran might get evaluation reports with different grade conversions or credit totals. You should always feel that you can contact the evaluation agency for an explanation of how they prepared your report. Typically, a US institution will have a preferred evaluation agency, so that everyone who is applying to that school will be judged by the same standards.
You can also listen to our podcast interview with Nancy Katz credential evaluation specialist, Evaluation Service, Inc. at: http://www.educationusairan.com/podcasts or read the transcript at: http://www.educationusairan.com/podcast/episode2
If you have questions please email your adviser at: adviser@educationusairan.com or attend our live webinars in our virtual advising center. Our office hours are Wednesdays and Fridays from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM EDT. To convert the time in your local area time zone, please go to: http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/converter.html
