Frequently Asked Questions

OVERVIEW
Our organization provides credential evaluation services to universities, state and professional licensing boards, public and private sector employers, immigration attorneys, armed services and the U.S. The Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services. GCE is included on the evaluation service lists distributed by college and university admission offices, immigration attorneys, and public service and licensing agencies such as State Departments of Education.

WHY

TRANSLATIONS

EVALUATIONS

1. Why do I need my educational credentials evaluated?

2. Who evaluates credentials in the US?

In the US, credential evaluation is done by universities and by private organizations such as Global Credential Evaluators, Inc. (GCE). Many universities and colleges employ admission officers who evaluate foreign educational credentials. Others require foreign credentials be evaluated by a service such as GCE. Employers and INS generally require that credentials be evaluated by a service such as GCE. There is no US government agency that evaluates foreign credentials. There is no US governmental agency that oversees or licenses evaluation agencies.

3. Will the INS accept your evaluation?

Yes. Our educational credential evaluations meet INS regulations. The Immigration and Naturalization Service has always accepted them.

4. Will US colleges and universities accept your evaluation?

Many colleges and universities use our evaluation services. All evaluations by credential evaluation companies (including our company) are advisory to US colleges and universities. Each school makes its own policies regarding the evaluation of foreign applicants' educational credentials. These policies are different from university to university. You should contact the college or university where you intend to apply to determine:

5. Do you provide educational credential evaluations to be used for university admission purposes?

Yes. We prepare educational credential evaluations that are accepted by a majority of universities. An evaluation report includes a general statement of educational equivalence, a determination of the US credit hour equivalence, a conversion of international grades to US grade equivalence, and a calculation of the American GPA (Grade Point Average). You should contact each school where you plan to apply and confirm that an evaluation from GCE will be accepted by the school. At that time, you will also need to confirm what type of evaluation the school requires; a document-by-document or a course-by-course evaluation. Many universities are now requiring that evaluations be done from original documents only. Please check with the university you plan to attend to determine what their policy is. Texas Southern University (TSU) requires that the evaluation be done from original documents that are sent to us by the school you attended. It will be your responsibility to have your school send those documents to us.

6. Can you translate my documents?

Yes. At this time we do provide translation services. Please follow this link to submit your documents for a translation quote

7. Would you accept my own translation of the educational documents?

Translations need to be done by a certified translator, or the school the documents are issued by.

8. What kind of evaluation do I need?

A document-by-document report meets the needs of those who require an evaluation of the level of education completed outside the US in US terms. A course-by-course evaluation, with a grade point average, is provided for those who require the international courses and grades to be converted to US credits and grades and this evaluation includes the document-by-document evaluation. These are used for teacher certification, transfer credit, etc.

9. How long does it take to obtain an evaluation?
An evaluation can be prepared in approximately 15 working days (3 weeks) depending on the type of service you request. We do provide a one-business day rush service and a three-business day rush service at an additional cost to the required evaluation fee. However, if there is additional research or correspondence is required, it may take longer. We reserve the right to contact the university about the academic records submitted. Answers often take a long time to be received. We recommend that you start the process as early as possible to give yourself plenty of time to get the evaluation completed. If you need your evaluation by a certain date, please use Rush service the 3 week turn around time is NOT GUARANTEED!

10. May I submit copies of my records and translations or does it have to come directly from the school?

Copies are acceptable however we prefer notarized or certified copies. We do reserve the right to request the original transcripts sent directly to GCE by the university or school attended and we may request original translations.

11. What does an evaluation contain?

An evaluation contains a description of the credential that you present including its name, the year it was awarded, the name of the institution attended and your major field of study. It gives the US equivalent for each credential. We call this a document-by-document evaluation.

If you need to show courses and credit, you can obtain a course-by-course evaluation, which includes the document-by-document evaluation and also lists all the subjects you studied with the US semester credit and grade equivalents. A grade-point average is also calculated for each program attended in such a report. A document-by-document report meets the needs of those who require an evaluation of the level of education completed outside the US in US terms. These are used for teacher certification, transfer credit, admission into a US University, etc.

12. Do you evaluate all higher education diplomas as equivalent to a bachelor degree?
Each credential is evaluated individually. Using research provided by the National Council on the Evaluation of Foreign Educational Credentials published by the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO) and NAFSA: Association of International Educators, as well as in- house research, the evaluations are based on the newest information available. GCE maintains current reference materials and conducts its own research in international and comparative education through professional contact with foreign universities and schools, ministries of education, examination boards, educational and consular officers in foreign embassies, information services in US embassies, Fulbright Commissions, Institute of International Education (IIE) offices around the world, and other reputable advising organizations. Some first degrees issued in a foreign country are not equivalent to a US bachelor’s degree.

13. Do you evaluate graduate school’s diplomas for equivalence to Ph.D.?

Yes, using the above research tools we will evaluate all graduate degrees and diplomas. The diploma or degree submitted for evaluation will be evaluated in terms of US educational study through Master and Ph.D. degrees if it is deemed equivalent.

14. Do you evaluate diplomas and certificates for equivalence to associate degrees?

Yes. We evaluate diplomas of some technical and professional colleges to equivalency to the US associate degrees.

15. Do you evaluate documents of middle and high school students for corresponding placement in US schools?

Yes. This type of evaluation helps determine the level of study applicable for the candidate. High schools use our evaluation to help determine what level of course work is appropriate. In some cases students are placed at different levels in different academic subjects and this enhances the study experience in the US

16. Are you a member of any professional associations related to evaluation of educational credentials?

Yes. We are a member of NAFSA: Association of Foreign Educators, American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admission Officers (AACRAO) and AMIDEAST. These organizations conduct research, provide training and resources on international education.
We are also a member of NACES.

17. I have a medical doctor’s degree. Can you evaluate my degree so I would be able to practice as a physician in the United States?

Licensing to practice medicine in the US requires an evaluation of academic credentials as well as a series of examinations. We can help in the process.

18. What are your fees?

Costs for evaluations are as follows:

Additional fees may include:

19. If I am not happy with my evaluation, what do I do?