If you’re getting ready to apply for a master’s program to study abroad, then you’ve heard of WES evaluation.
Maybe you read it on the program application requirements list…
Or heard it from another student…
And either way, you’ve probably got a dozen questions buzzing around your head.
We’re here to give you all the details you need to know about WES evaluation for your master’s abroad.
So without any further ado. Let’s dive into it.
What is WES evaluation?
WES is a non-profit organization that was established in 1974. It provides a recognized and accepted evaluation of your college academic transcripts, for American and Canadian institutions. The WES fullform is World Education Service.
WES has provided more than 3 million evaluations to international students and professionals in the past few decades. And every year, it continues to prepare credit evaluations for 50,000+ people who are looking to study or work abroad.
So if you’ve done your undergraduate studies in India, and want to apply to universities in the usa. or Canada for a master’s or PhD program… Then you might be required to submit a WES evaluation report along with your application.
Also Read: Study Abroad Guide for Indian Students 2024
Why do you need a WES evaluation report, and what does it offer you?
As you probably know already, the education and grading systems in the usa. and Canada as very different from the Indian grading system.
There the students are graded on a scale of 0 to 4, with 0.1 point increments. And in India, colleges grade students on either a percentage (0% – 100%), or a CGPA scale (0-10).
Apart from this, with close to 1050 universities in India, it is hard for tovp American / Canadian universities to get an understanding of the quality of coursework and education that each of them offers.
So these universities often ask for a WES evaluation of your college transcripts, to get an understanding of how your scores compare in the usa. / Canadian education system.
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Where is the WES evaluation commonly used?
Countries where WES is valid:
WES evaluation reports are recognized and trusted by universities, licensing boards, government agencies, and employers across both usa. and Canada.
But keep in mind, that a WES evaluation done for a usa university cannot be used for a Canadian university, and vice versa.
So if you are applying to both Canadian and usa. universities, you will need to apply for 2 different sets of reports specific to each country.
(Plus additional fees for each university that needs to be sent a report.)
So to save yourself some hard-earned money, be sure to shortlist a specific set of universities that are the best fit for your education and career requirements.
If needed, even use a smart tool like SelectRight to ensure that you are making the best college choices and maximizing the value of every dollar spent in the application process!
Also Read: New F1 Visa Rules for USA: All You Need To Know
When is the WES evaluation report useful?
A credential evaluation by WES gives a stamp of validity to your “international education” degree from non-America universities.
Apart from being used for master’s and Ph.D. admissions, the WES evaluation is also sometimes useful for international jobseekers in usa. or Canada. Some employers request that you send in “standardized” college scores for your job application. So you may need to send in a WES evaluation report to make it happen.
It is also used in some cases for professional licensing, volunteer positions, the immigration process, and more.
Do all USA and Canadian colleges need WES evaluation report?
No. Not all USA. / Canadian colleges need their international applicants to send in a WES evaluation report.
Around 2,500+ institutions work with WES in the USA. and Canada, to vet international applicants based on their standardized college scores… But even among those institutions, only some specific courses and colleges require a WES evaluation report.
So check your college and program’s admission requirements to confirm if they require you to send a WES evaluation report.
Which Indian universities are recognized by WES?
WES recognizes more than 48,000 global higher education institutions, from more than 200 countries.
And with regards to Indian universities, WES clearly states on its website:
“WES refers to official authorities in India, such as the University Grants Commission (UGC), All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), and other government entities as sources for accreditation.”
So if you have graduated from a nationally accredited university in India, then you do not have to worry. But if you still want to be sure, then you can use the free “WES Degree Equivalency Tool” to check if your university is recognized by WES.
If you don’t find your university in the list while filling out the form, you can always mail WES to confirm it.
Also Read: Why Study in USA? Top Reasons To Pursue Higher Studies in the US
Types of WES evaluation. Which one should you choose?
WES offers 2 types of credential evaluation reports: Document-by-Document and Course-by-Course.
Document-by-Document report:
A Document-by-Document evaluation report contains a verified description of all your credentials. This includes things like:
● The name of the credential
● The requirements for entry
● The program length
● The equivalency in terms of usa. / Canadian education
Used for: Employment and immigration.
Course-by-Course report:
As the name suggests this evaluation report gives a detailed analysis of all the courses you’ve taken in your undergrad program.
This gives the usa. or Canadian universities/institutions a better understanding of the specific subjects you’re educated in.
So this report contains all the information from the Document-by-Document evaluation, plus:
● A list of all courses completed at the college level
● A usa / Canadian. semester credit and grade equivalent for each course
● A usa. / Canadian grade point average (GPA) on a 4.0 scale
● A designation of the level (upper or lower) of each undergraduate course
Used for: Admission to higher education, professional licensing, etc.
What is the cost of the WES evaluation?
There are two kinds of WES evaluation, each costing a different amount. The first is a document-by-document evaluation, which costs $100 (₹8,100 approximately) and the next is a course-by-course evaluation, which costs $160 (or ₹13,000). You can select the one which suits your requirements.
The document-by-document evaluation identifies and provides the USA equivalency of each credential and gives a summary of your academic history. You would typically use this for jobs, immigration, or community college admissions.
The course-by-course evaluation details the courses you completed, along with the credits and grades, and calculates your GPA on a 4.0 scale. You will need this evaluation for university admissions, professional licenses, or other cases that require a thorough course analysis.
With the document-by-document evaluation, you get a standardized report of your credentials.
The course-by-course evaluation also gives you an official report that you can submit directly to universities. If you’re applying for a master’s abroad, this is the option you’ll need.
What documents do you need for a WES evaluation?
The required documents for each WES evaluation is specific to the country you’re from, the degree you have and more.
You can find out the specific documents you will need for your WES evaluation report, on the WES Required Documents page.
But here are the two commonly-asked-for documents for a WES evaluation:
● Degree certificate (final or provisional)
● Statement of marks / All semester marks cards (attested)
Please note that all your documents must be:
● Issued by recognized educational institutions
● Issued in English (or translated into English)
● Signed and sealed (or sent digitally) by the appropriate authorized authority
Is WES evaluation mandatory in the USA & Canada?
A WES credential evaluation is not a requirement in the United States and Canada; however, some institutions from both the USA and Canada request this document.
That’s because a WES credential evaluation report:
- Gives a verifiable or authenticated proof of your educational/professional background
- Helps schools, employers, and licensing and immigration officials understand your background
- Verifies that your educational credentials are authentic
- Allows organizations to gauge your qualifications against the American or Canadian educational standards
Foreign-trained professionals in fields like nursing, engineering, teaching, law, and healthcare often need to evaluate their credentials to meet licensing or certification requirements before practicing in the USA.
For example, during the application process for some immigration visa categories, such as H1-B visas, foreign degree holders must have their credentials “evaluated” to show that their education is equivalent to the stated requirement of the visa. Hence, in such cases, US immigration agencies always can accept your credential evaluations from WES.
In Canada, if someone has foreign education credentials, they are required to get a WES evaluation for Express Entry, Canada’s immigration system for skilled workers.
The evaluation provides an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA), which determines if your foreign degree or diploma is equivalent to a Canadian credential. This assessment is necessary to earn education points in the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS).
Also Read: Study in USA: Process, Requirements, Documents, Visa & Benefits
How to apply for a WES evaluation report?
Once you have all the right documents in place, applying for a WES evaluation report is a simple process. It’s usually after you write and get done with your exams to study abroad.
The three basic steps to apply for a WES evaluation report:
Create a WES account and fill in all the necessary information.
Note: You will need to create a separate account for usa. and Canada, if you are applying to universities in both countries.
Send your required documents, physically or digitally.
If you are mailing them, remember to add your reference number to the sealed envelope.
WES will verify your documents and create your report.
It will also automatically send the report to your chosen recipients (colleges of your choice) along with a copy to you.
How many days does WES take to evaluate?
A Document-by-Document or Course-by-Course evaluation by WES takes around 7 business days.
But this is the time they take after they have received, reviewed, and accepted all your required documents and fees.
So make sure to add the additional time needed for:
● You / your university to send the required documents to WES. (This can be anywhere from a couple of days if sent virtually; up to a week or more if sent via post.)
● WES to review and accept your documents (anywhere from 2-10 days).
● WES to send your finished report to your chosen universities (1-5+ days).
To avoid any extra delays, carefully review your required documents and ensure that WES receives them as quickly as possible.
If you want to expedite the process, WES offers faster delivery options for a marked-up price.
WES fees: How much does a WES evaluation cost?
There are 2 levels of service you can choose from, when it comes to a WES report: the ICAP report and the basic report.
What’s the difference, you ask?
The basic report will give you a total evaluation report of all your documents (either Document-by-Document or Course-by-Course, based on your choice).
The WES ICAP report will give you the evaluation report, plus deliver your verified transcripts to any recognized educational institution.
With an ICAP evaluation, WES will also store your documents after your credential evaluation has been completed. So you can have it again for future use, instead of having to order a fresh evaluation again.
Now obviously the price is different for each level of service. We have listed the official WES fees for both below, so you can make a fully informed choice.
WES fee schedule (as of 2022):
Document-by-Document evaluation fees:
● WES Basic: $102
● WES ICAP: $147
Course-by-Course evaluation fees:
● WES Basic: $163
● WES ICAP: $208
Note: These fees don’t include report delivery or additional fees.
So by now, we hope you understand the importance of the WES evaluation in your study abroad journey. Of course, this is just one of many phases, and if you need any help, don’t hesitate to get in touch with our experts, who can guide you through every step of your study abroad journey.
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FAQs
WES (World Education Services) evaluation is a process that compares foreign educational credentials to the United States or Canadian standards. This assessment allows universities, companies, and immigration services to interpret and compare foreign qualifications, checking their legitimacy and supplying GPA and course content equivalencies.
It puts an applicant’s entire education on the same level as the North American educational system, making it easier to compare during the admissions process, or when applying for a job.
The cost of a WES evaluation varies based on the type chosen:
– Document-by-Document Evaluation: Approximately $100 USD (or ₹8,100).
– Course-by-Course Evaluation: Approximately $160 USD (or ₹13,000).
– Express services or additional copies will cost extra.
People who apply to work or study in Canada usually need a WES evaluation. Many Canadian institutions and employers require this assessment to determine the equivalent of foreign credentials. Not every school requires it, but a WES evaluation can boost an applicant’s credentials and make the whole admission or job application process much easier.
