Credential Evaluation
What credential evaluation does, how general and course-by-course evaluations differ, and what to verify before ordering one.
A credential evaluation interprets education completed in one system for use in another. It can compare a foreign degree or other academic credential with an education system used by a school, employer, licensing board, or other organization.
Evaluation is not translation
Translation changes the language in which a transcript or diploma is presented. Credential evaluation analyzes the education itself. A translated transcript can still need evaluation, and an evaluator can require a translation before it evaluates the credential.
General vs. course-by-course evaluations
A general evaluation usually reports the overall level or comparability of a credential, such as whether a degree is comparable to a U.S. bachelor’s degree. A course-by-course evaluation goes further by examining individual courses, credits, grades, or subject areas. Schools and licensing boards may use that detail to review prerequisites, transfer credit, or specific coursework.
Check the organization’s requirements before ordering
The school, employer, licensing board, or other organization using the evaluation may specify the report type it wants and may limit which evaluation services it accepts. Check those instructions before paying for an evaluation; ordering the wrong report can mean paying for another one.
The evaluator may need official source records
An evaluation does not replace the underlying transcript, diploma, or degree record. An evaluator may require records sent directly by the school or through an approved record service, while the organization receiving the finished evaluation may have a separate delivery requirement of its own.