To fill out a transcript evaluation request form, choose a credential evaluation agency, select the correct report type for your purpose, enter your personal and academic history exactly as it appears on your records, pay the fee through the agency’s online portal, and then arrange for your school to send official transcripts directly to the agency. The form itself lives in an online account you create with the evaluator, and most of the work is making sure the information you type matches the documents your institution will send.
Start by Choosing the Right Agency
The form you fill out is the agency’s form, so pick the agency before anything else. No federal body oversees credential evaluations in the United States; the work is done by independent organizations. Two professional associations set standards: NACES (National Association of Credential Evaluation Services) and AICE (Association of International Credentials Evaluators). The U.S. Department of State recognizes both. NACES has roughly 19 member organizations and AICE has around 10.
Widely used NACES members include World Education Services (WES), Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE), and Academic Evaluation Services (AES). Reports from member agencies are accepted by most U.S. universities, employers, and licensing boards. Non-member evaluators are cheaper but risk rejection where a NACES or AICE evaluation is specifically required. Before you open an application, check with the school, licensing board, or employer that will receive the report. Some name the agency they accept, and filling out the wrong agency’s form means paying twice.
Pick the Report Type on the Form
Every application asks which report you want. The two main options are not interchangeable, and ordering the wrong one is a common and expensive mistake.
- Document-by-document (general). Lists each credential you earned and states the U.S. equivalent. This works for immigration applications, most employment situations, and entering a college or university as a first-year student.1WES. The Difference Between Document-by-Document and Course-by-Course Credential Evaluation Reports
- Course-by-course (comprehensive). Breaks down every class, converts grades to the U.S. scale, calculates a GPA, and maps credits to U.S. semester hours. Graduate admissions, transfer credit requests, and professional licensing boards (CPA, nursing, teaching, engineering) almost always require this one.1WES. The Difference Between Document-by-Document and Course-by-Course Credential Evaluation Reports
Some agencies also offer specialized reports built for particular licensing boards. NASBA International Evaluation Services, for instance, prepares reports specifically for state boards of accountancy.2NASBA International Evaluation Services. NASBA International Evaluation Services – Transcript Evaluation Request Form If you need an evaluation for a professional license, confirm with the board which report format and which agency they accept before you select anything on the form.
Gather Your Documents Before You Start
Having everything ready makes the form itself quick. Requirements vary by agency and by the country where you studied, but expect to produce the following:
- Official transcripts. These must come directly from your institution to the agency, either electronically or in a sealed envelope with an official stamp or signature across the flap. WES will reject documents that arrive in an open or unsigned envelope.3WES. Understanding Required Documents for Credential Evaluation
- Degree certificates or diplomas. Photocopies are usually acceptable through the agency’s portal, but keep originals available in case the agency asks for verification.3WES. Understanding Required Documents for Credential Evaluation
- English translations. If your documents are not in English, you need exact word-for-word translations. Paraphrased or summarized translations will be rejected.4WES. Reasons Your Credential Evaluation May Be Delayed
- Course syllabi or descriptions. Required only for specialized reports used in professional licensure (healthcare, teaching, accounting, engineering). The application will prompt you if these apply.5NACES. Essential Documents Required for International Credential Evaluation
Check your agency’s country-specific document guide before you order anything from your school. WES, ECE, and most other agencies publish detailed instructions for each country explaining which documents to send and how they must be delivered. Getting this right the first time is the single biggest thing you can do to avoid problems later.
Filling Out the Application Online
Most agencies use an online portal. At WES, the sequence is three steps: complete your application in your WES account, pay through the portal, and arrange for documents to be sent.6WES. Current Processing Times for WES Credential Evaluations Other agencies follow a similar flow. You will create an account, then work through sections that typically cover:
- Your personal information, including legal name and date of birth as they appear on your academic records
- Every institution you attended, with exact names and the dates you were enrolled
- The report type you want
- Where the finished report should be delivered (a university, licensing board, employer, or you)
Enter institution names and dates carefully. Misspellings or any mismatch between what you type and what your transcripts say will stall the review. List every school where you completed coursework, even partial attendance. The evaluator needs the full academic picture to produce an accurate equivalency.
Save your reference or applicant number as soon as the system assigns one. You will need it on the envelope your school sends and when you check status later.
After You Submit: Getting Documents to the Agency
Submitting the form and paying the fee is only part of the job. You then arrange for your institution to send documents directly to the agency. At WES, the sealed envelope must show the school’s name on the front, your WES reference number, and an official stamp or signature across the back flap.3WES. Understanding Required Documents for Credential Evaluation Some institutions have electronic partnerships with evaluation agencies and can transmit records digitally, which is faster. Photocopies of degree certificates or translations that you upload yourself go through the online account rather than by mail.
What the Form Will Cost You
Fees depend on the agency, report type, and processing speed:
- WES. Document-by-document starts at $118 for a basic report and $171 with the ICAP package (which stores your report electronically for future use). Course-by-course runs $186 (basic) to $239 (ICAP). WES raised prices 3% effective January 1, 2026.7WES. Credential Evaluations and Fees
- ECE. General evaluations start at $110; course-by-course reports run $199 to $244 depending on whether you add an ECE Insignia seal.8Educational Credential Evaluators. U.S. Services and Fees
- AES. General evaluations start at $100, course-by-course at $225, and specialized reports for professional licensing boards run $300.9Academic Evaluation Services. Fees
Rush processing adds a premium. WES charges an extra $100 for three-day service and $195 for same-day processing. AES offers rush delivery in three to five business days for an additional fee. Expedited timelines start only after the agency has received all your documents, not when you place the order. If your school is slow to send transcripts, rush processing cannot speed that up.
Budget for extras that aren’t part of the evaluation fee. Official transcripts from your previous school typically cost $10 to $20 per copy. Translation costs vary by language and document length. AES charges a separate $50 verification fee when it needs to confirm a document’s authenticity directly with the issuing institution.9Academic Evaluation Services. Fees
Mistakes That Will Delay Your Evaluation
Most of what goes wrong is preventable at the application stage. WES publishes the specific reasons evaluations get placed on hold:4WES. Reasons Your Credential Evaluation May Be Delayed
- Illegible documents. If evaluators cannot read course titles, grades, your name, or date of birth, the evaluation stops.
- Incomplete records. The agency needs every course and grade from each year of your program. A partial transcript will not work.
- Unsealed or unsigned envelopes. Documents arriving without an official stamp or signature across the back flap cannot be accepted. The only exception is if a customs officer opened the envelope during a security check and included a note confirming it.
- Inaccurate translations. Translations must be exact word-for-word versions of the originals. Paraphrased, summarized, or incomplete translations have to be redone.
- Verification delays. If the agency contacts your institution to confirm authenticity, timing depends on how quickly the school responds.
Also watch your account after submission. A file left incomplete for 180 days at WES becomes inactive, and reactivating it costs an additional fee.4WES. Reasons Your Credential Evaluation May Be Delayed
Signing a FERPA Release
Under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, your school generally cannot release your education records to a third-party evaluation agency without your written, signed, and dated consent.10U.S. Department of Education. FERPA – Protecting Student Privacy In practice, you will sign a release form or authorize the transcript order through your school’s registrar portal. Some evaluation agencies supply their own consent forms that you sign and forward to your institution.
A narrow exception lets schools share records without consent with contractors performing institutional services under the school’s direct control.10U.S. Department of Education. FERPA – Protecting Student Privacy That covers internal evaluations by a university’s own contracted evaluator, not an outside agency you hired on your own. If your school asks you to sign a FERPA release before sending transcripts to an evaluation service, that is standard procedure.