Let’s clear up a common point of confusion. You might be asked for a “NACES evaluation,” but NACES itself doesn’t actually evaluate credentials. It’s an association of independent organizations that do. NACES sets the rules and standards all its members must follow, ensuring every evaluation is reliable and professional. So, when a university or licensing board asks for a NACES credential evaluation, they are asking for a report from a trusted, NACES-approved agency. International Education Evaluations (IEE) has been a proud member since 2018, a testament to the quality of our reports.
This evaluation is essential for individuals who need their foreign academic credentials assessed for higher education, employment, or immigration purposes. In this guide, we will explore what a NACES evaluation entails, why it is important, and how you can obtain one.
Understanding Credential Evaluations & NACES
What is a NACES Evaluation? What makes an evaluation from a NACES-affiliated organization special? And why is this important for individuals seeking US credential evaluation?
A NACES evaluation involves a detailed assessment of your foreign academic credentials to determine their U.S. equivalency. NACES is a reputable association that sets standards for credential evaluation services in the United States.
NACES’ History and Responsibility
NACES was founded in 1987 to fill a unique gap in the United States. Historically, this has been a nation with a rich legacy of hosting foreign students, welcoming immigrants and attracting individuals from all over the world. By default, this guarantees that individuals were bringing not only their families and fortunes, but also their educational and professional backgrounds.
Prior to the existence of NACES, international credential evaluation was handled by the United States government via its foreign credential evaluation service. This was closed in December 1973, as the government felt this was not something it needed to do, motivating the private sector to step forward.
Most countries across the world have public organizations or government agencies handling credential evaluation to ensure conformity with their standards and rules, such as NOKUT in Norway and Australian Education International National Office of Overseas Skills Recognition (AEI NOOSR) in Australia. However, the United States does not currently have such a public entity responsible for handling or evaluating educational accomplishments earned abroad, nor did it assign any replacement after its withdrawal from this space. Instead, private organizations and evaluators offer their services and expertise in international and comparative education for the purpose of credential evaluation.
In order to set ethical standards in credential evaluation, various credential evaluation companies came together to form NACES in 1987. It has since become the premier authority in the United States for monitoring the comparative education industry, protecting stakeholders and following trends in best practice. Still to this day, NACES plays an instrumental role in guaranteeing that your education from outside of the United States can be faithfully reviewed, understood and converted for use in the USA.
This non-governmental organization sets the standards for fair, high-quality credential evaluation, which includes the evaluation product itself, the processes that go into preparing the evaluations, and the description of the ideal senior evaluator.
Membership in NACES
A chief responsibility of NACES is its recognition of agencies. When choosing a credential evaluation provider, it is recommended to go with one that is known, trusted and knowledgeable. A NACES seal of approval gives assurance that the educational documentation will be reviewed by well-trained, qualified professionals who know how to compare education between systems. Membership in NACES also reveals that an agency or company meets ethical expectations, promoting a sense of commonality that firms across the industry follow.
In order to keep its membership, an organization must comply with NACES’ requirements and criteria. NACES keeps a list of members on its site. To join, there is a lengthy screening process; NACES does its due diligence to ensure that the applicant meets its standards, follows ethical practices, and possesses fluency in international comparative education topics.
Additionally, each NACES organization is required to have at least 1 Senior Evaluator; this is an individual who possesses high knowledge of education systems across the entire world, has at least 5 years of experience in the credential evaluation field, can explain international education concepts well, and is able to detect discrepancies and even fraud.
Furthermore, NACES members cooperate specifically on fraudulent educational qualifications. Each member organization has a system for detecting fraud and shares the names of individuals who commit the fraud with all other NACES organizations. There is frequent communication between organizations about this topic, and much discussion has been made in the industry to detect and report educational fraud.
The collaboration between credential evaluation agencies through NACES demonstrates the broadly agreed upon understanding of how this work functions. However, individual differences between agencies exist, as seen in the product layout, methodologies, types of products and services offered, internal policies and discretion, and areas of expertise. NACES broadly provides ethical standards to certify that credential evaluators treat everyone fairly and possess staff that hold applicable knowledge and experience with respect to education systems.
The Role of NACES vs. Its Members
It’s a common point of confusion, so let’s clear it up: NACES itself does not perform credential evaluations. Think of NACES as a regulatory body or an association that sets the gold standard for the industry. It was established to create a framework of ethical and professional practices that its members must follow. This includes everything from ensuring evaluators are highly qualified to maintaining robust systems for detecting fraudulent documents. NACES vets potential members through a rigorous application process and ensures they continue to meet these high standards. This oversight provides a crucial layer of trust and reliability, which is why so many U.S. institutions require an evaluation from a NACES-approved agency.
The actual, hands-on work of assessing your academic documents is done by individual member organizations like International Education Evaluation (IEE). We are the experts who provide the evaluation service, applying the rigorous standards and best practices mandated by NACES to every report we create. When you choose a NACES member, you’re not just getting a document; you’re getting the assurance that your credentials are being reviewed by a team vetted for its expertise, ethical conduct, and deep knowledge of global education systems. This means you can be confident that the final report will be accurate, fair, and widely accepted for your academic, professional, or immigration goals.
Why is a NACES Certified Credential Evaluation Important?
- Validation of Credentials: It ensures that your foreign academic achievements are recognized and valid in the U.S.
- Educational Opportunities: Many U.S. educational institutions require a NACES evaluation for admission.
- Employment Opportunities: Employers often require credential evaluations to verify the qualifications of foreign-educated applicants.
- Immigration Purposes: Certain visa and immigration applications necessitate credential evaluations.
When you present your education for evaluation, you will naturally want to be sure that your academic history is in good hands. With such sensitive and personal data being shared, combined with the life-changing opportunities available on the other side of the evaluation, this process for an individual seeking employment, education, licensure, or immigration opportunities can be incredibly stressful, delicate, and worrisome.
The existence of NACES should assuage any worries; you can be sure that there are many mission-driven, well-informed international education professionals who want to help you in your pursuit of new adventures, as well as help your future employers, adjudicators, and constituents with understanding who you are and what you’ve accomplished.
Most institutions require a credential evaluation from a NACES member, which keeps in conformity with their standards for admissions while also helping them understand foreign educational achievements. NACES can show you its member organizations, who can then assist with getting your education recognized, thus potentially removing barriers that may be keeping you from achieving your dreams in a new country.
In summary, a credential evaluation from a NACES member provides credibility to the analysis of your educational history. It will be obvious to the reader of your report that your education was analyzed and interpreted by confident professionals well-versed in education systems, comparative education, and ethical standards in the credential evaluation industry.
Preparing for Your NACES Evaluation
Getting your credentials evaluated is a major step toward your goals, and a little preparation can make the entire process feel much smoother. Before you even choose an evaluation agency or start filling out forms, taking a few preliminary steps will save you time, prevent potential headaches, and ensure you get exactly the type of report you need. Think of it as laying the groundwork for a successful application. By confirming requirements and gathering your documents ahead of time, you put yourself in the best position to meet your application deadlines without any last-minute stress.
Before You Apply: Key Recommendations
Before you dive in, there are two crucial things you should do to set yourself up for success. These simple checks will clarify your path forward and help you avoid common pitfalls.
Check Requirements With Your Target Institution
First and foremost, confirm the specific evaluation requirements with the university, employer, or licensing board you’re applying to. They are the ones who will be using your report, so their guidelines are the most important. Many institutions will specify that you must use a NACES member, but they might also require a particular type of report, like a Course-by-Course evaluation instead of a General one. You can usually find this information on their website’s admissions or HR section, but don’t hesitate to contact them directly to be certain. Getting this right from the start ensures your evaluation service will be accepted without issue.
Plan Ahead to Meet Deadlines
The credential evaluation process has several moving parts, so it’s wise to start early. You’ll need to request official documents from your former schools, which can take time to arrive. You may also need to get documents translated if they aren’t in English. Once you have everything, the evaluation agency needs time to process your application and create your report. While some agencies, like IEE, offer an industry-leading 3-day turnaround, building in extra time for document collection is essential. Reviewing the specific document requirements early on will give you a clear checklist and help you meet your application deadlines comfortably.
How to Get a NACES-Certified Credential Evaluation
While IEE has been evaluating credentials for over 40 years, we met the requirements for our NACES membership in 2018, proving the quality of our evaluations and methodologies. Our organization’s evaluation services department employs experienced international education professionals coming from backgrounds in credential evaluation, university admissions, teaching and more.
We have seen credentials and institutions from across the globe and have both a vast library of resources and a competent staff of experts to help us guide, make and defend our findings. We regularly take steps to guarantee that our staff is performing at the highest level in order to serve our clients and partners well, from internal training to specialized teams to process audits.
Choosing the Right Type of Evaluation Report
Once you’ve selected a NACES member agency, the first step is to figure out which type of evaluation report you need. The two most common types are the General (or Document-by-Document) and the Course-by-Course evaluation. The right choice almost always depends on the requirements of the institution, employer, or licensing board you’re submitting the report to. It’s a great idea to check their website or contact them directly to confirm what they need before you place an order. This simple step can save you a lot of time and money down the road, ensuring you get exactly what you need from the start.
General (Document-by-Document) Evaluation
Think of the General evaluation as a summary of your academic achievements. This report identifies your foreign academic credentials and provides their U.S. equivalency. For example, it will confirm that your bachelor’s degree from another country is equivalent to a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited university in the United States. This type of report is often sufficient for employment purposes or certain immigration applications where the goal is simply to verify that you hold a specific degree. It’s a straightforward way to show what your foreign degree is equal to in the U.S. without getting into the specifics of every class you took.
Course-by-Course Evaluation
The Course-by-Course evaluation is much more detailed. It includes all the information from a General report but goes a step further by listing every course you took, the credits you earned, and the grades you received. It then converts them to the U.S. grading scale and calculates a Grade Point Average (GPA). This comprehensive report is typically required for admission to higher education institutions, transferring credits to a U.S. university, or obtaining a professional license in fields like nursing or accounting. It gives admissions officers and licensing boards a complete picture of your academic performance.
What Documents Will You Need?
After you’ve chosen the right report, the next step is to gather your documents. This is a critical part of the process, and having everything in order will help ensure a smooth and speedy evaluation. Each NACES agency has its own specific requirements, so always check their website for a detailed list. At IEE, we provide a clear checklist of document requirements to make it as easy as possible for you. Generally, you can expect to provide two main types of documents: your original academic records and their certified English translations if they aren’t already in English.
Original Academic Records
You will need to provide your official academic records, such as transcripts, mark sheets, and diplomas or degree certificates, in their original language. These documents serve as the primary evidence of your education, so they must be authentic. The evaluation agency will use these to verify your attendance, the courses you completed, and the credentials you were awarded. Submitting clear, complete, and official copies is the best way to prevent any delays in the evaluation process. Make sure you have all the necessary documents before starting your application to keep things moving forward.
Certified English Translations
If your academic records are not in English, you must also provide a certified, word-for-word English translation for each document. A certified translation is one that includes a signed statement from the translator or translation company attesting to the accuracy and completeness of the translation. This is not something you can do yourself, even if you are fluent in English. To simplify this step, many applicants choose to use the agency’s in-house services. For instance, IEE offers a professional translation service that you can add to your evaluation order, ensuring your documents meet all requirements.
What to Expect During Your IEE Evaluation
- Application Submission: Submit your application along with required documents to IEE.
- Document Review: Our expert evaluator will review and verify your documents within 3-days. As a NACES member, IEE will provide accurate detailed evaluations.
- Equivalency Determination: The evaluator determines the U.S. equivalency of your credentials.
- Report Issuance: You will receive your detailed evaluation report.
Additionally, IEE has established itself as a leader in credential evaluation. Our 3-day processing time leads the industry, allowing our clients to receive their reports for immediate use in their pursuits of education, licensure, employment and more. Furthermore, IEE maintains a 24-hour customer service team, so that your questions or concerns can be addressed at any time. We are thrilled to say that our customer service rates are among the highest in the industry. Lastly, we aim to be transparent about our evaluation pricing, so that way, you know exactly what you are paying for.
Beyond our offices and credential evaluation service, IEE regularly attends and participates in conferences related to international education, professional licensure, university admissions and immigration, such as AACRAO, TAICEP and NAFSA. We have also begun to publish content on our website about evaluation methodology, the credential evaluation industry, explanations from the US education system, and even our efforts to aid internationally educated professionals in fields like nursing. This is an industry that we understand well, and our company mission and values motivate us to exceed expectations in excellence and ethics. Overall, IEE is proud to be a member of NACES and has proven to be deserving of its good standing in the organization.
We hope you will consider IEE for your credential evaluation, and based on our membership in NACES, you can be sure that we comply with the highest of ethical, professional and performance standards in this industry.
Understanding Timelines, Costs, and Extra Services
Once you’ve decided to move forward with a NACES member, you’ll likely have questions about the practical side of things. How long will this take? What will it cost? What other help can I get? The answers can vary between agencies, but here’s a general overview of what to expect as you prepare your application and budget for your evaluation.
How Long Does an Evaluation Take?
Processing times are a major factor when choosing an evaluation agency, especially if you’re facing a tight deadline for a school or job application. Turnaround times can differ significantly among NACES members, ranging from a few days to several weeks. It’s always a good idea to check the current processing times on an agency’s website before you apply. Some providers offer rush services for an additional fee if you need your report sooner. At IEE, we understand the urgency many of our clients face, which is why we’ve structured our process to be as efficient as possible. Our standard 3-day processing time is one of the fastest in the industry, ensuring you get your report quickly without sacrificing quality or accuracy.
How Much Does an Evaluation Cost?
It’s important to remember that NACES is an association of independent organizations; it does not perform evaluations or set industry-wide prices. Each member agency establishes its own fee schedule based on the types of reports it offers and the complexity of the evaluation. Costs can vary, so you’ll want to review the pricing information for any agency you’re considering. Look for a clear breakdown of fees for different report types, such as document-by-document versus course-by-course evaluations. We believe in making this process straightforward, which is why we are transparent about our evaluation pricing. This way, you know exactly what you’re paying for upfront, with no hidden fees or surprises.
Additional Services from NACES Members
Many NACES members offer services beyond the standard evaluation report to help you meet all the requirements for your application. These services can simplify the process by letting you handle multiple tasks, like document translation and verification, through a single provider. This not only saves you time but also ensures that all your supporting documents meet the specific standards of the evaluating agency. When you work with a NACES member, you also gain access to a team of highly qualified professionals. Every member agency is required to have at least one Senior Evaluator with a minimum of five years of experience and deep knowledge of global education systems, so you can trust the quality of the work and guidance you receive.
Certified Document Translation
If your academic records, like transcripts and diplomas, are not in English, you will need to provide certified translations. This is a critical step, as the evaluation cannot proceed without them. To make this easier, many credential evaluation agencies, including IEE, offer in-house translation services. Choosing to have your documents translated by the same agency that is handling your evaluation is incredibly convenient. It ensures the translations are accurate and formatted correctly for the evaluators, preventing potential delays and keeping your entire application process streamlined under one roof.
Expert Guidance and Consulting
The process of getting your credentials evaluated can sometimes feel complex, and you might have questions specific to your situation. Whether you’re applying for nursing licensure or admission to a graduate program, the requirements can differ. NACES members are staffed by experts who can offer valuable guidance. Their experience with various education systems and application requirements is a resource you can lean on. At IEE, we prioritize supporting our clients every step of the way. Our 24/7 customer service team is always available to answer your questions and provide the clarity you need to move forward with confidence.
Frequently Asked Questions About Credential Evaluations
- What documents are required for a credential evaluation? You typically need to submit academic transcripts, diplomas, and other relevant documents.
- How long does a credential evaluation take? The processing time varies, but it generally takes a few weeks.
- How much does a credential evaluation cost? The cost varies by organization but typically ranges from $100 to $300.
- Are credential evaluations accepted by all U.S. institutions? Most U.S. institutions recognize and accept NACES evaluations, but it is always best to check with the specific institution.
Conclusion
In summary, understanding what a NACES credential evaluation is and how it works is crucial for anyone with foreign academic credentials seeking opportunities in the U.S. Whether for education, employment, or immigration, a credential evaluation can open many doors. Follow the steps outlined in this guide with IEE to ensure your credentials are accurately evaluated and recognized.
Ready to get your credentials evaluated? Start your evaluation application with IEE today.
Please see our list below with all of the NACES member organizations and links to their sites.
Academic Evaluation Services, Inc.
Center for Applied Research, Evaluation and Education, Inc.
Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc.
Educational Records Evaluation Service, Inc.
Foreign Academic Credential Service, Inc.
Foundation for International Services, Inc.
Global Credential Evaluators, Inc.
Institute of Foreign Credential Services, Inc.
International Academic Credential Evaluators, Inc.
International Consultants of Delaware, Inc.
International Education Evaluations, Inc.
International Education Research Foundation, Inc.
Josef Silny and Associates, Inc. International Education Consultants
SpanTran: The Evaluation Company
World Education Services, Inc.
Key Takeaways
- NACES sets the standard, members do the work: Think of NACES as a quality seal; it accredits evaluation agencies but doesn’t perform evaluations itself. You’ll choose a NACES member, like IEE, to get a report that is trusted and widely accepted.
- Verify requirements with your institution first: Before you order, contact your university, employer, or licensing board to confirm exactly which type of report they require. This simple check ensures you get the right evaluation and avoid unnecessary delays or costs.
- Choose the report type that matches your goal: A General evaluation is great for verifying your degree for employment. For academic admissions, credit transfers, or professional licensure, you will almost always need a more detailed Course-by-Course report.
