Many people with foreign degrees or diplomas require academic credentials evaluations to show that their education is equivalent to a U.S. diploma or degree. Review the difference between a document evaluation and a course-by-course evaluation here. (EMAILWIRE.COM, April 15, 2009 ) Academic Credentials Evaluations: Which one should you Choose?
Most people who complete their education outside the United States need academic credentials evaluations to show that their degrees or diplomas are equivalent to accredited U.S. education. Many countries have different requirements, even for high school graduation. Therefore, this is often the only way universities and employers can be sure that a person’s diploma meets U.S. requirements.
Most credential evaluation services offer several different types of credentials evaluations. The two kinds of evaluations needed by most people are document evaluations and course-by-course evaluations. But how can people tell which kind of evaluation they should order?
Document evaluations are generally used by employers to confirm that an individual’s foreign degree or diploma is actually the equivalent of an accredited U.S. degree. For example, many countries only require 10 or 11 years of high school instead of the 12 required by a U.S. high school. Therefore, if a job requires graduation from high school, a person with a foreign high school diploma must show that his or her education is equivalent to U.S high school graduation.
High school diplomas almost always require only document evaluations if they are being used for employment. Similarly, most of the time a four-year college degree from another country usually requires only a document evaluation.
If the job position requires special skills or education, though, the employer may require a course-by-course evaluation to prove that the person’s academic credentials meet the skills and knowledge levels required for the job. Likewise, if a person is planning to apply to a United States college or university, the university will in nearly all cases require a course-by-course academic credentials evaluation.
Credential evaluation services can be costly. Some credential evaluation agencies charge as much as $100 for a document evaluation. Many people who are searching for jobs don’t have extra money to spend. Occasionally, a concerned employer might pay for or even reimburse the cost of these evaluations, so it never hurts to ask.
Career Consulting International, a foreign credential evaluation service owned and managed by Professor Sheila Danzig (see www.thedegreepeople.com), always guarantees that its clients will receive the lowest price for a credentials evaluation. Furthermore, she recognizes that many people often start by requesting document evaluations, unaware that they may need a more complicated evaluation.
Instead of charging twice, CCI’s policy is to upgrade a person’s evaluation if needed. The cost of the upgrade is only the difference in price between the original document evaluation and the course-by-course evaluation plus copies and postage.
If you have questions, call a credential evaluation service to ask before ordering. If you do order, check to make sure that the agency will upgrade the evaluation if necessary. Don’t pay more than you need to for your evaluation, but don’t find yourself paying twice for an evaluation because the agency charged for a second evaluation when you upgraded.]]>