GENERAL GUIDELINES AND CONDITIONS

TRANSLATIONS AND PHOTOCOPIES

All non-English documents must be accompanied by certified English translations. Photocopies of original documents on which English language translations are based must accompany the application. All photocopies become the property of Global Credential Evaluators, Inc. (GCE).

VERIFICATION

GCE reserves the right to request original documents for verification purposes. Such documents will be returned if payment for copying and return postage ($10.00 return document fee) is received. GCE reserves the right to verify documents with issuing institution(s) and/or request that a credential be issued in English if the issuing institution prepares English language credentials.

REQUEST FOR ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTATION

In case of missing translations or matching native language documents, the applicant will be notified by mail. An evaluation report will be prepared ONLY after all supporting materials have been submitted to the satisfaction of GCE.

EVALUATIONS FOR INSTITUTIONS

Most applicants are referred to GCE by agencies or institutions. When this is not the case, applicants are advised to check with the agency or institution to which they intend to submit the report to make certain that the report will be recognized. Some institutions in the U.S. now require that evaluations are done based on original educational documents. Please check with the institution you are applying to for their policies and procedures.

Texas Southern University (TSU) requires that the evalaution be done from original documents that are sent to us by the school you attended. It will be your responsibility to send have your school send those documents to us.

Some States (e.g. Maryland) require that the evaluation be done from original documents for Teacher Certification. Please check with your state to find out what they require.

FORGED AND ALTERED DOCUMENTS

When it has been determined that ANY documents submitted have been forged, altered or falsified in any way, the application will be canceled, no evaluation report will be prepared and no refund will be made. The documents become the property of GCE. All recipients indicated on the application will be notified.

PROCESSING TIME

Standard processing time to prepare reports is three weeks from the receipt of all required fees, information and documents unless special research is required. Please be aware that the three week turn around time is not guaranteed and sometimes the evaluations can take longer. Turnaround time for rush service is either one business day or three business days from receipt of all required documents, fees and information unless special research is required. If special research is required and the evaluation cannot be completed within the requested rush processing time frame, the applicant will be notified. Rush evaluations unless special research is needed are the only guaranteed turn around times for evaluations. The report will be completed as soon as a thorough and professional evaluation can be prepared and the Rush Service Fee will be refunded. Business days are Monday through Friday, excluding national holidays. Please note that turnaround time refers only to the time it takes to complete the evaluation. This does not include postal transit time.

REFUNDS

Refunds are only issued when the amount paid exceeds the amount required for the services rendered, and then only the excess amount will be refunded. In the event that a Rush Service evaluation cannot be completed and all required documentation has been submitted, the Rush Service Fee will be refunded. No refund will be issued once an application has been submitted. No refund will be made when an application is canceled, when the applicant fails to provide the required documentation or if documents are found to be fraudulent through verification.

GUARANTEES

GCE guarantees that each evaluation is prepared by a qualified professional evaluator. Conclusions stated in an evaluation report reflect the judgment of GCE. Evaluations are based upon the best information and resources currently available to professional evaluators in the United States at the time the report is prepared. GCE reserves the right to reassess educational equivalencies as additional information becomes available.

GCE cannot guarantee that any applicant will agree with the evaluation report. GCE can accept no responsibility for judgments or interpretations made by an applicant, or by any third party who may disagree with the evaluation report made by GCE.

GCE reserves the right to refuse an application for evaluation.