Credential Evaluation Services USA for Nursing
If you're an international nurse or medical professional looking to study, work, or immigrate to the United States, credential evaluation services play a crucial role in assessing your academic and professional qualifications. These services compare your foreign degrees, diplomas, and certifications to U.S. educational standards, ensuring they meet the requirements of universities, employers, and licensing boards.
In this guide, we'll explore the importance of credential evaluations, the types of evaluations available, and how to choose the right service for your needs.
Education obtained outside the U.S., including its states, territories, and possessions, must be assessed by a credential evaluation service to be considered for qualification. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and the U.S. Department of Education provide guidelines on how the U.S. government evaluates foreign education for applicants.
Applicants can seek an evaluation from a member organization of either of the two national credential evaluation associations.
1. National Association of Credential Evaluation Services
NACES is an organization comprising 19 credential evaluation services, adhering to strict admission standards and a regulated code of good practice.
2. Association of International Credential Evaluators
AICE is an organization of 10 credential evaluation services, guided by a board of advisors and a strict code of ethics.
Credential evaluations come at a cost, and applicants are responsible for the fees of their chosen service. Pricing and processing time depend on the case's complexity and the provided documentation, with the evaluation process potentially taking weeks or even months.
Before submitting documents, applicants may need to arrange for English translations of non-English materials. Some credential evaluation services offer translation assistance or can provide guidance on the process. Additionally, the validity period of the evaluation report may vary between organizations, so applicants should verify this with their chosen service provider.
World Education Services
World Education Services
World Education Services (WES), a New York-based non-profit social enterprise, promotes the educational, economic, and social inclusion of immigrants, refugees, and international students in the U.S. and Canada. For 50 years, WES has been a trusted leader in international academic credential evaluation. WES is a member under National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) since 1987.
WES offers 2 types of services for the U.S. applicants.
Course by Course Evaluation
Document by Document Evaluation
WES offers two distinct service packages for credential evaluations: Basic and ICAP.
Course-by-Course Evaluation:
Basic Package includes:
Credential name
Program length
Entry requirements
U.S. educational equivalency
A comprehensive list of all post-secondary courses completed
U.S. semester credit and grade equivalent for each course
U.S. grade point average (GPA) on a 4.0 scale
Designation of each undergraduate course as upper or lower level
ICAP (International Credential Advantage Package) offers all the features of the Basic Package, plus:
Secure storage of verified transcripts
A WES digital badge for added recognition
Document-by-Document Evaluation:
Basic Package provides:
Credential name
Entry requirements
Program length
U.S. educational equivalency
ICAP Package enhances this by also including:
Secure storage of verified transcripts
A WES digital badge for professional recognition
Spantran
Spantran
Spantran is an evaluation company that assesses, translates, and verifies foreign academic credentials for purposes such as further study in the U.S., military service, professional licensure, and employment. Spantran has been a member of NACES since 1996.
Spantran provides a Nursing Course Analysis (Nursing Course by Course), a specialized evaluation for nurses and medical professionals educated outside the U.S. This evaluation includes a detailed course analysis, listing course subjects in transcript order along with grades, credits, and GPA. It also indicates the level of each course—whether it is categorized as 'Lower,' 'Upper,' or 'Graduate' level.
These designations indicate whether a foreign course corresponds to a lower-level (100-200) undergraduate course, an upper-level (300-400) undergraduate course, or a graduate-level (master’s or doctoral) course in the United States. In addition, the Nursing Course Analysis Evaluation includes a breakdown of clinical experience, measured in hours, days, or weeks, as specified in the nursing or medical program transcripts. Applicants must also provide documents or transcripts that detail their clinical experience. Two pricing options are available for the Nursing Course Analysis: $400 for a 10-business-day turnaround and $675 for a 5-business-day turnaround.
Josef Silny and Associates
Josef Silny and Associates
Josef Silny evaluates nursing academic credentials for 26 state boards of nursing.
They are: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California (vocational nursing only), Colorado, District of Columbia, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire (license by endorsement only), New Mexico, North Dakota, Northern Mariana Islands, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wyoming.
Josef Silny send the foreign credential evaluations to state boards of nursing along with verified academic credential charts and verified foreign nursing licenses. They keep the filled-out application form, academic credentials, foreign nursing licenses and verification for one year.
Josef Silny issues certification for registered nurses, licensed practical nurses and licensed vocational nurses. This process is called Visa4Nurses. This is approved by United States Department of Homeland Security. Visa4Nurses process determines whether the International nurses are eligible to receive the Certification for Health Care Workers.
Cost of Evaluations
Nursing Course-by-Course: $400 (Licensure only). An additional $400 applies for each extra state board.
5-Working Day Rush Evaluation Report: $200, in addition to the basic fee.
10-Working Day Rush Evaluation Report: $100, in addition to the basic fee.
Re-evaluation: Re-evaluations based on documents not submitted with the original request are treated as new evaluations and require a second payment of the basic fee ($400).
Change of State Board of Nursing: If academic credentials have not been received, the fee is $100. Once credentials are received, the fee is $400.
Extra Evaluation Reports: Additional original evaluation reports requested during the evaluation process cost $20 each. Reports requested after completion cost $30 (available within 3 years of the original issuance date). Add $5 for each report to be mailed in a specially sealed JS&A envelope.
Verification Fees: Applicants are responsible for any verification fees charged by their universities.
Original Academic Credentials: Do not send original academic credentials. If sent, you will be responsible for the payment of their safe return ($45 for U.S. courier, $85 for international courier).
International Education Evaluations
International Education Evaluations
International Education Evaluations (IEE) is an evaluation service provider based out of North Carolina under NACES. IEE offers IEE GlobalBridge for Nursing Visa. IEE GlobalBridge is a premier solution for healthcare professionals pursuing a US Healthcare Worker (HCW) certificate. It is designed for Registered Nurses and Licensed Practical Nurses/Licensed Vocational Nurses. It covers education analysis, license validation and language competency.
Internationally Educated Nurses (IENS) can use the IEE Board of Nursing report to facilitate licensure in their chosen state. Board of Nursing reports include an evaluation of both secondary and nursing education programs as well as a thorough review of professional licensure and English language proficiency.
List of state boards where IEE services are provided:
Colorado, District of Columbia, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Kentucky, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Northern Mariana Islands, South Carolina, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wyoming.
IEE's Nursing Education Report provides a summarized evaluation of secondary education and a detailed course-by-course assessment of postsecondary education completed by Internationally Educated Nurses (IENS). This comprehensive analysis includes equivalent credit hours and grades earned by the applicant. The Nursing Licensure Report for RN (U.S.) and LPN (U.S.) ranges from $250 to $375.
Educational Credential Evaluators
Educational Credential Evaluators
Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE) is an evaluation service provider based out of Wisconsin, has been a member under NACES since 1987.
ECE offers 5 types of evaluation reports based on the demands.
General: This report provides details on the country of study, dates of attendance, credentials earned, U.S. equivalency, and the recognized foreign institution. However, it does not include an evaluation of individual courses, grades, or grade point average (GPA). The general report is available for $100 USD.
General with Grade Average: The General with Grade Average report includes details on the country of study, dates of attendance, credentials earned, U.S. equivalency, grade average, and the recognized foreign institution. If no university-level study is completed, the report will provide a grade average for high school-level education. This report is available for $130 USD.
Course by Course: The Course-by-Course report provides details on the country of study, dates of attendance, credentials earned, U.S. equivalency, grade average, and recognized foreign institution. It also includes a course list for university-level credentials, specifying credits and grades, and identifies upper-level courses for undergraduate or professional studies. The report costs $195 USD.
High school and university level course by course: The High School and University-Level Course-by-Course report includes all the features of the standard Course-by-Course report, with the addition of a detailed course list for high school studies, including units, as well as a course breakdown for each university-level credential with corresponding credits and grades. The report costs $235 USD.
Subject Analysis: The Subject Analysis Report includes all the features of the High School and University-Level Course-by-Course report, with additional details on course content as required by the referring institution or licensing board. The report costs $275 USD.
Educational Records Evaluation Service
Educational Records Evaluation Service
Educational Records Evaluation Service (ERES), a NACES member since 1993, is a California-based credential evaluation provider. ERES offers nursing evaluation services for the following states:
Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Northern Mariana Islands, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Washington D.C., and Wyoming.
The nursing evaluation report includes details of the institution attended, dates of attendance, credentials earned, and U.S. equivalency. It also provides a breakdown of theoretical and practical/clinical hours for each course. Evaluation fees start at $480 USD.
Commission on Graduates of foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS)
Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS)
The Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS) is a non-profit immigration organization dedicated to safeguarding public health by verifying that foreign-educated healthcare professionals meet U.S. licensure and practice requirements. However, CGFNS is not a government agency.
CGFNS offers VisaScreen, a comprehensive screening service for healthcare professionals seeking occupational visas to work in the United States. Successful applicants receive an official ICHP certificate, which fulfills U.S. federal screening requirements.
VisaScreen is applicable for registered nurses, licensed practical or vocational nurses, physical therapists (not physical therapist assistants), occupational therapists, physician assistants, audiologists, speech language pathologists, clinical laboratory technicians or medical laboratory technicians, clinical laboratory scientist or medical laboratory technologists.
VisaScreen Requirements
Applicants must submit:
Secondary school information
License, registration, or diploma details
Proof of passing the CGFNS Qualifying Exam or NCLEX-RN
Academic transcripts from the nursing education institution
English language proficiency test results
Visa fees range from $150 USD to $740 USD, depending on the service selected.
The CES report is a vital resource for international applicants seeking scholarships or employment in the U.S. Beginning the process early, staying organized, and selecting a reputable agency, ideally a NACES member can help you navigate the process with confidence.