Q. What is WES?
A. WES is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to providing accurate and reliable evaluations of academic credentials earned outside
North America. WES is the largest and one of the oldest credential evaluation services
in North America. Each year we prepare evaluations for approximately
50,000 individuals from all over the world, and provide reports to more than 2,000
colleges and universities.
WES evaluations are internationally recognized for their accuracy and reliability. WES maintains a library of the most up-to-date research on comparative education, an archive of annotated documents for more than 300,000 completed evaluations, and an extensive database of information on foreign institutions, programs of study, credentials and grading scales. Because our evaluators are specialists with access to the best resources, WES makes the evaluation process fast, efficient and reliable.
As a charter member of the National Association of Credentials
Evaluations Services (NACES),
and a member of the Canadian Alliance of Credential Evaluations
Services (www.canalliance.org)
who plays a key role in establishing and upholding professional
practice standards. WES is also a member of the Canadian
Bureau of International Education (CBIE),
the Canadian Education Association (CEA),
and the Association of Registrars of Universities
and Colleges of Canada (ARUCC).
Q. What is credential evaluation?
A. Credential evaluation is the process of assessing the academic record, course work and the educational degrees, certificates or diplomas obtained in one country and determining their equivalents in another country.
Q. Who uses WES?
A. WES serves many clients, both individuals and institutions, who need clear and authoritative evaluations of academic credentials earned abroad.
- College and university admissions professionals
- International students applying to colleges and universities
- Immigrants and permanent residents seeking to further their educational or career prospects
- Human resources professionals
- Immigration attorneys
Q. How do applicants perceive the credential evaluation process?
A. Applicants generally appreciate WES's specialized expertise, and regard WES as an objective neutral party. This minimizes complaints that that might otherwise arise regarding the fairness of an institution's admission and transfer credit decisions. .. WES staff members are dedicated professionals who can quickly and easily respond to students' questions and concerns.
Q. Who pays for the evaluation?
A. The applicant pays WES directly for the evaluation in most cases. However, institutions may choose to pay for their candidates' evaluations.
Q. How do applicants perceive the cost an evaluation ?
A. In our experience, the fee is rarely if ever an obstacle to seeking an evaluation of credentials. Relative to the cost of a obtaining a degree or the increase in income that follows upon the validation of academic credentials, the cost of a WES evaluation is negligible.
Q. How long does an evaluation take?
A. Evaluations are completed in just 10 days, once all necessary documents and fees have been received. An evaluation can be expedited (using our Same-Day or 3-Day rush services) for an additional fee.
Q. Is my institution abdicating its responsibility by asking WES to evaluate credentials?
A. Absolutely not. A WES evaluation report makes foreign educational credentials readily understood in
Canadian terms. It does not make a recommendation regarding admission. Your institution uses the evaluation report to make its own decision regarding admission and transfer of credit.
Q. Does WES translate foreign-language documents?
A. No. WES requires that applicants submit documents in their original language, together with a literal word-for-word translation by an external translation service. In the course of the evaluation, WES evaluators, who are multi-lingual, verify the translation; If your institution does not have a preferred translation service, WES can recommend one.
Q. What if our staff or a faculty member has questions about a WES evaluation?
A. WES is always happy to provide further information about a credential evaluation or to answer general questions about
international education systems or credentials. Our
staff is always available to answer your questions; in some cases they may refer you to one of our Area Specialists to obtain the most accurate response.
Q. What if a student is not satisfied with the evaluation?
A. WES has a very high satisfaction rate. However, we carefully review every query about an evaluation, and we provide a response to the applicant. (Each evaluation report explains how to contact
us. While we cannot guarantee that an applicant will always agree with an evaluation, WES will explain to an applicant the methods and procedures by which determinations were made.
Q. What if a student submits forged documents or credentials that are not genuine?
A. If there is any question about a document's authenticity, WES issues a verification request to the issuing institution. We then hold the evaluation in abeyance until a reply has been received. If the institution notifies WES that the records are not genuine, we cancel the application and notify both the
institution and the applicant, explaining the reasons for the cancellation.
Q. Who receives the evaluation report?
A. Both the applicant and the college or university requesting the evaluation are sent copies of the report. Additional copies may also be requested.
Q. How do I refer a student to WES?
A. There are different ways of directing applicants to WES for evaluation of
international credentials: If your educational institution requires evaluation of all
international credentials, you can enclose a WES application form in your admissions packet. Or you may choose simply to provide applicants with information about WES, leaving it to them to contact us directly. Many institutions also provide a link from their admissions web page to the WES web site:
www.wes.org/ca. We will make the process easy and efficient for them. If your institution prefers that WES evaluate only specific credentials, you can send WES application forms only to applicants who hold these credentials.
Q. How do I obtain WES applications?
A. Twice each year WES mails applications to institutions and organizations that have requested bulk supplies. You can also contact WES at any time to receive additional applications, or you can download an application from our web site:
www.wes.org/ca. To order application forms please contact us at the number below. There is no charge for the applications.
More Questions?
We would be glad to discuss our services with you in greater detail. You can contact us by calling
us at 1-866-343-0070. Or you can reach us by e-mail at supportca@wes.org
