The right document list starts with the organization that will receive your evaluation, not with a one-size-fits-all checklist. A university, employer, licensing board, immigration authority, or other agency may have its own instructions for records, report details, and delivery.
The documents needed for credential evaluation depend on your country of education, credential, evaluation type, and receiving organization. Before sending records, verify the recipient’s current instructions and IEE’s application guidance, then prepare only the materials those requirements call for.
Review IEE credential evaluation report options
That recipient-first check can prevent a well-prepared application from being delayed by the wrong report or submission method. Start by identifying who will review your evaluation and what decision they need it to support.
Why the Receiving Organization Comes First
The organization that will use your evaluation should guide your document preparation. A school, employer, licensing board, government agency, or immigration authority may have its own rules for the report type, records, delivery method, and supporting information it will review. Those rules can affect which documents are needed for credential evaluation in your situation.
Requirements can vary by your country of education, the credential being evaluated, the purpose of the report, and the receiving organization. IEE provides evaluations for education, employment, immigration, military service, and professional licensing, but the same document set may not work for every purpose. Before sending records, compare the recipient’s current instructions with IEE’s current application guidance.
Start with the recipient’s written instructions
Look for specific directions about the evaluation level, documents required, acceptable formats, and where records or the completed report should be sent. For example, a university may request a particular report for admission, while a licensing board may identify a different report or require additional professional documentation. An employer may need a simpler confirmation of educational equivalency, while an immigration-related request may follow agency-specific instructions.
Do not assume that terms such as “official,” “sealed,” or “electronic” mean the same thing everywhere. The current instructions should determine whether a document must come directly from the issuing institution, whether a particular delivery route is accepted, and whether translations or other supporting materials are needed. There is no universal rule that applies to every recipient.
Confirm before you order
Write down the recipient’s name, application purpose, deadline, required report description, and delivery details before submitting an evaluation request. If an instruction is unclear, ask the receiving organization for clarification and keep its response with your application records. Then use the confirmed requirements to select the evaluation and prepare only the records that the recipient and current IEE guidance call for.
This recipient-first approach helps prevent choosing a report that does not match the application and reduces the risk of sending incomplete or unnecessary records. It also keeps your preparation grounded in the rules that control the final decision: the requirements of the organization reviewing your education.
How to Organize the Documents Needed for Credential Evaluation
Start with the receiving organization’s instructions, then assemble records that match the purpose of your evaluation. The documents needed for credential evaluation can vary by country of education, credential, report type, and recipient. A university, employer, licensing board, immigration agency, or other organization may set different requirements.
Use the recipient’s checklist as your starting point
Before requesting records, confirm the current instructions from the school, employer, agency, or board. Also review the current IEE application guidance before sending anything. This helps you avoid submitting records that do not meet the recipient’s format, document, or delivery rules.
- Diploma or degree certificate: Include an official diploma, degree certificate, or graduation certificate when the recipient or evaluation process requests it. This may be especially relevant when the transcript does not show the degree awarded or the graduation date. For example, Florida Atlantic University asks for an official degree certificate when those details are missing from the official transcript. Review FAU’s recipient-specific example.
- Transcript or statement of marks: Prepare academic records showing your completed study. A transcript may be called a statement of marks, mark sheet, academic record, or another country-specific name. The recipient may require official transcripts or certified copies, so do not assume that an uploaded scan, photocopy, or student-issued copy will be accepted.
- Grading scale, when requested: Check whether the recipient wants the institution’s grading scale with the transcript. Cal State LA, for example, instructs certain applicants to send official school records and transcripts with the institution’s grading scale to an approved evaluation agency. See Cal State LA’s document instructions.
- Application details, only when requested: Have the recipient’s name, program, applicant number, or other application information ready if the school, employer, agency, or board asks for it. Do not add unnecessary personal or application documents simply because they appear on someone else’s checklist.
Confirm how records must be sent
Ask who must issue or deliver each record, where it must be sent, and whether the evaluation report must go directly to the recipient. Requirements for sealed records, electronic submissions, certified copies, and other delivery methods are not universal. Follow the instructions for your specific recipient and evaluation. If you are unsure whether a record is provisional or official, read about provisional versus official records before submitting it.
Finally, keep a simple list of every document requested, the institution responsible for issuing it, the delivery method, and the date it was sent. A Document Report identifies institutions attended, attendance dates, credentials earned, and the U.S. educational equivalent, but the records needed to prepare or deliver an evaluation still depend on the recipient and intended use. Review the evaluation service details alongside the recipient’s current requirements.
What Different Evaluation Purposes May Require
The documents needed for credential evaluation are shaped by the decision the recipient must make. A university may focus on admission or transfer credit, while an employer, licensing board, or government agency may need a different report format or delivery method. The table below is a planning aid, not a universal checklist. Exact requirements can vary by country of education, credential, report type, and receiving organization.
Before ordering an evaluation, identify the recipient and ask for its current instructions. Then compare those instructions with the evaluator’s application guidance. This step can help you avoid sending incomplete records or selecting a report that does not match the recipient’s process.
| Purpose | Who sets requirements | What to confirm | Delivery question |
|---|---|---|---|
| Higher education | College, university, or graduate program | Confirm whether an evaluation, specific report type, official records, grading scale, or transcript copies are required. Cal State LA gives specific instructions for some applicants with non-U.S. records. | Should the agency send the report directly to admissions, and must it include transcript copies? |
| Employment | The employer, human resources team, or hiring authority | Whether the employer needs confirmation of the credential and U.S. educational equivalent, or a more detailed review of coursework and grades. | Will the employer accept a report sent to you, or must it be delivered directly to a designated contact? |
| Professional licensing | The licensing board or professional regulator | Which credentials, academic records, report features, and supporting documents the board will review. Do not assume that an evaluation accepted for school admission meets licensing rules. | Does the board require direct delivery, a particular recipient address, or a specific report format? |
| Immigration | The relevant immigration authority, agency, or case representative | Whether an evaluation is needed for the specific filing and what credential or equivalency information must appear in the report. Confirm current instructions before submitting records. | Who should receive the report, and are electronic or paper delivery methods limited by the case instructions? |
| Other recipient-specific uses | The agency, military organization, scholarship body, or other requesting organization | The purpose of the review, required report features, and any rules for records from the issuing institution. IEE lists education, employment, immigration, military service, and professional licensing among evaluation purposes. | What delivery method and recipient details should be entered when the evaluation is ordered? |
Recipient instructions control the final decision about what is needed and whether a report can be used. If the instructions are unclear, request clarification before choosing a report or sending records.
What If Your Records Are Missing or Not in English
Incomplete records do not always end an evaluation, but they do require careful follow-up. Start by identifying what is missing, which institution issued the available record, and what the receiving school, employer, agency, or licensing board currently requires. Keep copies of every document and explanation you submit, and confirm the instructions before sending originals, sealed records, or electronic files.
There is no universal rule for how credential evaluators handle sealed records, original documents, unofficial copies, or electronic delivery. Requirements can vary by country, credential, report type, and recipient. Some organizations may require records to come directly from an institution or in a particular format, while others may provide different instructions for applicants who cannot obtain standard documents. The current instructions should control your next step, rather than a general checklist found online.
When a document is unavailable
Contact the issuing institution if possible and ask whether it can provide a transcript, degree certificate, verification letter, or another institution-issued record. If an institution has closed or cannot respond, document the steps you took and ask the recipient and evaluator what alternatives are acceptable. Do not assume that a personal explanation, scanned copy, or unofficial record will satisfy the requirement without confirmation.
As an external example, a UC Davis resource explains that evaluators may sometimes reconstruct an applicant’s academic history using available record details. It also states that the reconstruction process requires at least one document issued by an educational institution. This is an example of one resource’s process, not an IEE promise or a universal solution. Ask IEE and the receiving organization what evidence applies to your situation.
When your records are not in English
Translation requirements also depend on the recipient and evaluation process. IEE provides translation services in more than 50 languages, but that does not mean every document must be translated by IEE. Confirm whether a translation is required, whether the original-language document must accompany it, and whether the recipient specifies a translator, format, certification, or delivery method. Do not assume that a translation alone replaces the underlying academic record.
Before submitting the documents needed for credential evaluation, send a concise question with your purpose, recipient, available records, and missing items. Written confirmation can help prevent delays and makes it easier to provide the right materials without claiming that one solution works for every applicant.
Review IEE credential evaluation options for your situation
How to Choose the Report Type and Prepare Delivery
Choosing a report is not only a question of what your school or employer asks for. The purpose of the evaluation, the receiving organization, and the level of detail required should guide your decision. Use this process before submitting the documents needed for credential evaluation.
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Identify the recipient and purpose
Write down who will review the evaluation and what decision it supports. The recipient may be a university, employer, licensing board, immigration authority, or another organization. Then confirm whether the evaluation is for undergraduate admission, transfer, graduate admission, employment, licensing, or another purpose. Report features vary, so identifying the recipient and purpose comes first.
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Match the report to the level of detail requested
A Document Report identifies institutions attended, dates of attendance, credentials earned, and the U.S. educational equivalent. A Course Report provides course-grade and credit conversion with coursework arranged chronologically, making it suitable for uses such as undergraduate admission and transfer. A Divisional Course Report sorts coursework by level for graduate admissions. Review what credential evaluation reports include before selecting an option.
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Check the recipient’s exact submission rules
Read the current instructions from the organization receiving your report and compare them with the evaluation provider’s application guidance. Confirm whether the recipient requires a specific report name, official records, transcripts with a grading scale, copies of transcripts within the completed report, or direct delivery. Requirements can vary by country of education, credential, report type, and receiving organization.
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Prepare delivery before placing the order
Confirm the recipient’s mailing address, electronic destination, department, applicant ID, and deadline, if applicable. Do not assume that sealed records, original documents, electronic submissions, or translations follow one universal rule. Follow the instructions for your specific application, and verify that names and identifying details match across your records and recipient account. The steps to get a credential evaluation can help you organize the process in the right order.
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Review the report type one more time
Before sending records, confirm that the selected report meets the recipient’s stated purpose and delivery requirements. For example, Cal State LA states that sending the wrong report type may delay or jeopardize an application. This is a recipient-specific policy example, not a universal rule, but it shows why checking first matters.
Review IEE credential evaluation report options
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need official records for a credential evaluation?
Maybe. Some recipients require official transcripts, certified copies, or records sent through a specified channel, while others may have different instructions. For example, FAU requests official post-secondary records, and Cal State LA directs certain applicants to send official records and transcripts, including the grading scale, to an approved evaluation agency. Confirm the current requirements with your recipient and IEE before sending documents.
Do my documents need to be translated?
That depends on the recipient, the document, and the evaluation instructions. There is no universal rule that every record must be translated or that every translation must come from IEE. IEE provides translation services in more than 50 languages, but you should confirm which documents require translation and what format or source the recipient accepts before ordering services. (Source: IEE evaluation service guidance.)
What should I do if my academic records are missing?
Contact the issuing institution if possible, then explain the situation to IEE and the receiving organization before submitting an incomplete application. Some evaluation processes may reconstruct academic history from available information, but requirements differ. A UC Davis resource describes reconstruction using available record details and at least one institution-issued document. This is an external example, not a universal IEE rule. (Source: UC Davis credential evaluation resource.)
Who decides which documents and report I need?
The receiving school, employer, agency, or licensing board usually defines what it needs for its decision. Requirements can vary by country of education, credential, report type, and purpose. Ask the recipient which records, delivery method, and report features it requires, then compare those instructions with IEE’s current application guidance. The recipient also determines whether an evaluation is accepted.
Ready to Prepare Your Evaluation Documents?
Once you confirm the receiving organization’s requirements, the next step is to organize the records and report details that fit your purpose. Review IEE credential evaluation report options and current document instructions before submitting your application. This can help you choose a report type that aligns with the school, employer, agency, or licensing board reviewing your credentials.
