Academic Evaluation Translation

Evaluation: What is it and why do it?

Evaluation is an analysis of foreign academic credentials to establish the equivalent degree, credits or years of study that would be awarded in the U.S. Candian, Europian educational systems, at different levels of education.

The actions performed by a certified academic evaluation lie in comparing client’s home country university transcripts with the equivalent degree in the United States. All U.S. Candian, Europian educational systems education institutions and certain employers will ask for this, so it’s essential to choose an ATA-certified Translation Company for the job.

Individuals who completed their education outside of the targeted country must have their credentials evaluated and put into the U.S. academic equivalents so they can be recognized by the targeted country educational institutions, employers, licensing and professional boards, immigration, and military.

Here are several reasons why a foreign credential evaluation prepared by an independent credential evaluation service will benefit you and your institution and the international candidate:

1. Authentication of Documents:

A credential evaluation will verify the authenticity of the academic documents with the issuing institution and compare it against archival documents. Such authentication will provide with peace of mind that the academic documents are bonafide and valid for processing.

2. Verification of English Translations:

Many times the academic documents are issued in a language other than English and are accompanied by English translations. A credential evaluation will verify the English translations to ensure for accuracy that dates, course titles, grades, names, and keywords match those on the official academic document.

3. Biographical and Academic History Check:

The candidate’s academic history and biographical information will be compared with the academic documents presented. In addition to the applicant’s name, other biographical information like age will be checked to ensure that it corresponds reasonably to the education represented in the documents.

4. Foreign Academic Institution Status:

The credential evaluation determines the official status of the institution where the studies were completed by identifying how the institution is accredited and who recognizes its accreditation. If an institution is determined to not have the appropriate accreditation, the studies will not be evaluated in terms of those completed at regionally accredited U.S. institutions. If the institution is determined to be a Diploma Mill, then this information will be conveyed to the U.S. institutions for which the evaluation is intended.

5. Program Description:

a)Entrance Criteria -The credential evaluation determines the level of the academic or professional program represented by the documents submitted as either lower secondary, senior high school, post-secondary undergraduate, graduate, or post-graduate. It will establish the minimum academic criteria for admission to the institution where the studies were completed before the U.S. educational equivalence is recommended. This is an important step in the evaluation process which will assist the U.S. institutions in their decision-making. For example, if it is determined that the international candidate’s academic achievements are comparable to US senior high school graduation, yet he/she has submitted an application for graduate (master’s degree) studies at the U.S. university, the admissions department will be able to properly advise the candidate of his/her eligibility for admission to another degree program at the undergraduate level instead.
b)Length of Study & Conversion of Instruction Hours to Credits – The credential evaluation will determine the required length of full-time study to the academic program evaluated in order to calculate the U.S. semester or quarter credits for post-secondary studies completed and if necessary, determine the level of post-secondary courses in terms of lower, upper division and graduate division.
c)Conversion of Grades into U.S. equivalent Grade – A document evaluation will calculate the grades or final examination results/marks reported on the academic documents into U.S. equivalent grades, and calculate the overall grade point average.

 

We offer translation of all types of academic evaluations

General Evaluation Translation

(high school / secondary education level and higher education/university level documents)
Establishes the U.S. Candian, Europian educational systems equivalent degree or years of study; does not include a course-by-course analysis nor a grade-point-average (GPA);
It is usually required for immigration, employment, military service, and for admission to community colleges or universities when a grade-point-average (GPA) is not requested;

Grade Evaluation Translation

(high school / secondary education level documents only)
Establishes the U.S. Candian, Europian educational systems equivalent degree or years of study for high school or secondary school documents ONLY plus the grade-point-average (GPA);
It is usually required for admission to an associate degree program or to a bachelor’s degree program when the institution requests to know the grade-point-average (GPA);

Comprehensive Evaluation Translation

(higher education/university level documents)
Establishes the U.S. Candian, Europian educational systems equivalent degree or years of study for higher education documents submitted plus a course-by-course analysis including credits, U.S. Candian, Europian educational systems equivalent grades, and grade-point-average (GPA); courses follow original transcript order;
It is usually required for admission to bachelor’s degree program, master’s degree program or to a doctoral degree program. Credits earned may be transferred into a U.S. Candian, Europian educational systems degree program at the discretion of the institution to which you are applying for admission;

Comprehensive Evaluation for Professional Boards Translation

(higher education/university level documents only)
Establishes the US equivalent degree or years of study for higher education documents submitted plus a course-by-course analysis including credits, U.S. Candian, Europian educational systems equivalent grades, and grade-point-average; whenever possible, courses are organized by fields of study;
It is usually required for professional licensing, such as teacher certification, CPA boards, amongst others;

 

Why is evaluation important?
Evaluation is the most important academic record of what a student has accomplished throughout their high school career. It contains a complete record of their courses and grades, as well as personal information like the student’s age and home address. The report allows the individual’s education to be understood by anyone who is familiar with the U.S. Candian, Europian educational systems, potential employers, licensing boards or admissions officers.