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The WES Evaluation Explained
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"WES evaluations have eliminated the need to have a trained foreign transcript evaluator.
" -Lester Lugo, Registrar, Edison Community College
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Academic institutions can use WES evaluations secure in the knowledge that they are based on valid documents and prepared by experts using the most advanced evaluation information, methods and
tools.
The WES evaluation was designed with input from academic institutions and presents all the items that are essential in making decisions on admission, placement and the transfer of credits in a clear and consistent
manner.
The WES Information
Database
WES evaluations are prepared on our Automated International Credential Evaluation System (AICES). This custom-built database currently contains information on more than 200 countries and other jurisdictions, nearly 20,000 credentials and 45,000 academic institutions from all over the world. The WES evaluation database is maintained and updated on an on-going basis by a dedicated team of information
specialists.
To keep abreast of developments in education, WES maintains close communications and cooperates with academic institutions, ministries of education and other educational authorities all over the world.
The WES Evaluation
Process
The WES evaluation consists of two equally important components: document validation and credential
analysis.
Document
Validation
WES policy and requirements on documents reflect the organization's expertise and its many years of experience with international educational credentials. WES evaluations are based on official educational credentials issued by recognized institutions. WES prepares evaluations only after it receives all the necessary credentials in the required mode and format. Document requirements that are specific to each country are spelled out at the
WES website.
WES requires that documents be received directly from the institutions that issue them. When necessary, WES submits credentials
to be verified by the issuing institutions.
For more information
on required documents and related issues, we invite you to read <http://www.wes.org/ewenr/documentation.htm>
The Evaluation
Report
The WES evaluation report identifies each credential in terms of its principal elements: name of credential, requirements for entry and program length, and expresses an equivalent in terms of U.S.
education.
Courses and Credits
The
course-by-course portion of the WES evaluation lists all the subjects completed in connection with a specific program at the post-secondary level. Each subject is assigned a US semester credit and grade equivalent, and the levels of undergraduate courses are further designated as upper- (U) or lower- (L) division.
WES uses the following formula to calculate a GPA.
| Grade |
Quality
Points |
| A |
4.00 |
| A- |
3.67 |
| B+ |
3.33 |
| B |
3.00 |
| B- |
2.67 |
| C+ |
2.33 |
| C |
2.00 |
| C- |
1.67 |
| D |
1.00 |
| F |
0.00 |
Courses marked as "Pass" on the course-by-course evaluation report are not included in the GPA
calculation.
Using the WES Evaluation
WES evaluations are advisory and not binding
upon any institution or individual. They are intended to clarify an individual's educational background
in terms of U.S. educational equivalents. All decisions regarding admission, placement or the transfer
of credit are left to the discretion of the academic institutions that receive the WES evaluation.
WES is prepared to
explain its evaluation process and the methods used in analyzing credentials and making
equivalency determinations.
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