Foreign Education Requirement
If you completed your education outside the U.S., you'll need to have it evaluated by a professional organization to ensure it's equivalent to U.S. educational standards before receiving an official job offer.
What needs to be evaluated:
- The type and level of your education compared to the U.S. system.
- Details about the courses you took and the standards you achieved.
- The status of the foreign school's recognition in its own country.
- Background on how the evaluation was done, who did it, and checks for authenticity.
Choose an accepted evaluator
Choose an evaluator from either the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) or the Association of International Credentials Evaluators (AICE). Only evaluations from their member organizations, made when they were members, will be accepted.
In place of an evaluation, possession of a valid, current, U.S. professional license by a graduate of a foreign professional school or program may be accepted as a demonstration that the education has been determined to be equivalent to the required U.S. professional education in that occupational field.
Cost and timing:
You'll bear the cost, which varies based on the case's complexity. Also, if you have non-English documents, you'll need to provide notarized English translations. The whole process can take several weeks to months.
Additional notes:
- Some jobs (e.g., Physicians) have specific foreign education requirements. Check the job announcement for details.
- Some foreign institutions might already be recognized by U.S. accrediting agencies. If so, no evaluation is needed.
- For more on foreign education verification, see the U.S. Department of Education and OPM websites.
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