Foreign Credential Evaluation: In-house or Outsource

1. Foreign Credential Evaluation: In-house or Outsource? James P. Meyers Senior Evaluator, Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc. CCID Orlando FL March 2009

2. What is foreign credential evaluation? Credential evaluation is the practice of determining United States educational equivalents of foreign academic credentials. A credential evaluation will usually come in the form of a report that states the United States equivalence of foreign academic work. Evaluation agencies usually offer different types of credential evaluation reports. The two most common types of reports are: (1) A �general� report that states an overall U.S. equivalence of a foreign educational credential; (2) A �course-by-course� report that gives a more detailed equivalence of individual courses, credits, and grades that were part of a foreign degree or diploma program. United States colleges and universities use the information in a credential evaluation report to make appropriate admissions decisions. For example, some institutions will want to determine if a student has the equivalent of a high school diploma. In other cases, a US college or university will review work completed in a foreign country to decide if they should grant advanced standing or transfer credit in an American degree program.

3. History of credential evaluation in the US Initially provided by the U.S. Office of Education (which became a branch of the Department of Education), free of charge. Responsibility shifted from public to private sector in late 1960s. Private credential evaluation agencies were formed. It was determined that no governmental oversight was required. Non-profit agencies were the first companies established; currently there are more for-profit and than non-profit agencies. Educational institutions came to rely on external agencies or develop expertise in-house NACES was founded by 8 charter members in 1987. There are currently 19 member organizations. It is estimated that there exist more than 50 credential evaluation agencies, some of which are single-person operations.

4. National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES)

5. How institutions use foreign credential evaluation agencies Institutions that do not have in-house expertise rely upon private educational credential evaluation services to evaluate the academic documents of all foreign-educated students Institutions that have limited in-house expertise rely upon private educational credential evaluation services to evaluate the academic documents of some foreign-educated students Acquire agencies� research publications or on-line subscription-based tools relating to comparative international education and information on country educational systems Receive from agencies specialized training on practical approaches to foreign credential evaluation Verify educational credentials of the college�s foreign-educated professors Public service (conferences, phone calls for assistance, newsletters)

6. Need for specialized knowledge in credential evaluation Determine authenticity of documents Determine recognition of educational institutions and identification of diploma mills Foreign language capabilities Identification of official and original documentation Consistent application of institution�s placement policies (across systems and over time) Changes in educational systems and degree programs Maintaining a library on resources Contact information for foreign institutions and knowledgeable colleagues

7. Pros and Cons of using a credential evaluation service PROs CONs Expertise of professional evaluators No cost to your institution Streamline the application process Complaints of dissatisfied students should be handled by evaluation agency Evaluation report useful for other purposes (professional licensure and employment) Inconsistency of equivalencies among agencies Another cost for the student Uncertainty of the quality of the evaluation company The agency does not know the policies or mission of your institution The report is only advisory in nature

8. What to look for in a credential evaluation service Determine if the organization meets your needs in the following areas: Quality Customer Service - does the organization answer their emails and voice mail messages in a timely fashion? Do you feel they are friendly and helpful? Are they sensitive to your needs? Type of evaluation report - make sure the evaluation agency provides clear, concise information on their evaluation report that your school would like to have included on the report. Quality Research Skills - determine if the organization has current research materials and training. You may ask if the organization is active in professional organizations such as NAFSA. Price - compare prices to see if there are added costs for information your school may need to see on your evaluation report, such as a grade average calculation, or inclusion of high school level work or upper level courses.  Years of experience - do not hesitate to ask the history of the evaluation agency and their training procedures. Website - does the organization have a helpful and user-friendly website? Can you access your evaluation information from their website?  See also: http://www.nafsa.org/knowledge_community_network.sec/recruitment_admissions/admissions_and_credential/practice_resources_19/best_practices_1/a_guide_to_selecting