If you’re getting ready to apply for a master’s program 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.
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 U.S. or Canada for a master’s or PhD program… Then you might be required to submit a WES evaluation report along with your application.
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 U.S. 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 U.S. / 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 U.S. and Canada.
But keep in mind, that a WES evaluation done for a U.S university cannot be used for a Canadian university, and vice versa.
So if you are applying to both Canadian and U.S. 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!
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 U.S. 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 U.S. and Canadian colleges need WES evaluation report?
No. Not all U.S. / Canadian colleges need their international applicants to send in a WES evaluation report.
Around 2,500+ institutions work with WES in the U.S. 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.
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 U.S. / 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 U.S. 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 U.S / Canadian. semester credit and grade equivalent for each course
● A U.S. / 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 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
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.
The three basic steps to apply for a WES evaluation report:
1. Create a WES account and fill in all the necessary information.
Note: You will need to create a separate account for U.S. and Canada, if you are applying to universities in both countries.
2. Send your required documents, physically or digitally.
If you are mailing them, remember to add your reference number to the sealed envelope.
3. 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.
For details of their additional delivery fees for the U.S., reference the image below.
Hope this has helped you.
