Q&A’s

You can apply online by using our interactive, easy-to-use application. You may also download an application from this website.

You will need the standard application form for any of the following:

• education
• professional licensing/certification
• employment and salary adjustment
• immigration

A separate application form is required for:

• barbering and cosmetology licensure
• nursing licensure
• physical therapy licensure
• military enlistment
• cases for immigration and employment certification submitted by attorneys and employers

For more information, please refer to the section on Applications and Requirements.

If you are completing the application online, the interactive system will help you choose the correct report for your evaluation.

• A General Report is suggested for employment and immigration.
• A Detail Report is suggested for college and university admission and transfer credit.
• A Detail Report with Course Level Identification is suggested for junior/community colleges and professional licensing/certification in fields such as accounting and teacher certification.

Please note that separate licensure reports are issued for barbering and cosmetology, nursing, and physical therapy. There are separate application forms for licensure evaluations in these fields.

For more information, please refer to the section on Applications and Requirements.

The application asks for your current name as well as the name on your educational records. Please provide us with both.

Yes, IERF accepts Visa and MasterCard credit card payments (only).

If you are applying online, you may pay as part of the application.

If you are submitting a paper application, you may pay by completing the Credit Card Information form and including it with your completed application form.

If you need to make a payment after submitting your application, please call us at (310) 258-9451 and we can process your payment over the phone.

Unfortunately, no refunds will be issued once an application has been submitted and we have begun processing your case.

If you are completing the application online, the interactive system will guide you through the process. It will also:

• help you choose the correct report for your evaluation
• provide information about requirements for educational institutions, state licensing/certification boards and national professional associations/certification boards (where applicable)
• outline the documentation you will need to send to IERF

If completing a paper application, please be sure to read the entire application before filling it out. This website can also provide further information. For additional assistance, please contact our customer service representatives.

Please refer to the section on Applications and Requirements.

The fee includes one applicant copy and one official agency copy, which is in a sealed envelope. Do not open the official copy. Both copies will be mailed to you unless you request that the official agency copy be mailed to a separate address.

This identifies the level of the class (e.g., lower versus upper division, professional, vocational) and is requested for junior/community colleges and professional licensing/certification in fields such as accounting and teacher certification.

Yes. Please refer to the section on Applications and Requirements.

Yes. Please refer to the section on Applications and Requirements.

No. The fee applies to all academic records submitted with the original request for an evaluation.

Yes. Please refer to the section on Applications and Requirements.

Unfortunately, we do not offer this service for individuals.

Unfortunately, we do not offer academic counseling.

Yes, IERF provides Experiential Reports, based on combined academic and professional experience.

According to United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) regulations, individuals may have a degree equivalency based on a combination of their academic achievement and their significant and broad professional experience, even if they did not complete their studies.

Please note that IERF provides an assessment of these experiences for immigration and employment certification only. Applications must be submitted through either an attorney or employer on behalf of the applicant.

This type of evaluation cannot be used for educational or licensure purposes.

Unfortunately, IERF services are conducted in English.

Unfortunately, we do not give out equivalencies over the phone in order to protect our applicants' confidentiality and to ensure accuracy of all information provided.

Unfortunately, IERF services are conducted solely by mail.

An evaluation report is a description of an individual's international education and a recommendation for its U.S. equivalence.

IERF's equivalency policy is determined by examining world educational systems, including the U.S., and how a program best fits into the U.S. system.

The salient criteria are:

• entrance requirements to the program
• level of education (primary, secondary, postsecondary)
• content of the program
• purpose of the program (further education, vocational/professional training)
• length of the program of study
• practical or clinical components
• institutional status
• what the credential gives access to in the country of study

Each evaluation report represents the considered judgment of at least two qualified credentials evaluators certifying to the validity of the opinion expressed.

IERF reports post-secondary academic coursework in terms of semester units, which is the most commonly used credit system in the United States.

There is no U.S. governmental agency that recognizes foreign schools. However, if the school is recognized by the Ministry of Education in your country of study, then it may be considered equivalent to an accredited school in the United States.

Please refer to the section on Applications and Requirements.

Yes. Please be sure to complete the mailing instructions section on the application.

We base our evaluations on the documents on file with our organization. We keep records on file for:

• 2 years for most applications
• 5 years for Nursing and Physical Therapy Licensure applications

If IERF no longer has your records on file, you will be asked to resubmit all your educational records.

Please contact the individual institutions for which the report is intended, as they may have different requirements regarding the date of issue of an evaluation report.

Yes. Please refer to the Request a Duplicate Copy section.

You have 90 days from the date of issue of the evaluation report within which to raise any questions concerning its content (thereafter, the file will be closed).

If you would like to have your file submitted to the Review Committee, please put your request in writing. Your request may be sent by regular mail, email (review@ierf.org) or fax (310.342.7086). Please be sure to include your name and file number on all correspondence.

Allow a minimum of 10 business days for your case to be reviewed. You will receive a reply in writing thereafter.

Please understand there is no guarantee that the Review Committee will determine that any changes should be made to the existing evaluation report.

Please refer to the section on Applications and Requirements.

No. However, this information can often be helpful when completing an evaluation report. For more information, please refer to the section on Applications and Requirements.

Please refer to the section on Applications and Requirements.

You can send your documents by regular mail. However, we recommend that you send them by certified mail, registered mail or overnight courier, so that they can be tracked.

If you are using a courier service, please mail your documents to:

• International Education Research Foundation, Inc.
• 6133 Bristol Parkway, Suite 300
• Culver City, CA 90230
• Phone: 310.258.9451

Yes. IERF appreciates that these documents are very valuable and often irreplaceable. Therefore, we make every effort to ensure that your original documents are handled with extreme care.

Yes. The original documents you submit will be returned to you, unless IERF finds that they are not authentic. However, photocopies and documents received directly from an institution in your country of study become the property of IERF.

Yes. Translations must be submitted for all records not officially issued in English. These must be in the same format as the original-language documents, line-by-line, word-for-word, and must be typed. IERF reserves the right to request translations prepared by professional translation services. For more information, please refer to the section on Applications and Requirements.

IERF has negotiated a special discount with University Language Services for our applicants who use their translation services. You can contact them directly through their website to learn more about the discount.

Yes. Please refer to the section on Applications and Requirements.

Yes. Please refer to the section on Applications and Requirements.

IERF reserves the right to contact educational and governmental institutions when additional information is necessary to complete the evaluation. Depending on the information needed, if an institution fails to respond after three attempts, an evaluation may not be possible.

Unfortunately, we do not immediately notify our applicants in every instance. However, you can access your application status online.

Our evaluations must be based on official academic records and we require hard copies of these documents for our files.

However, your school may email us supplementary information (information about the school or program) directly.

Messages received from your school via a public email account such as yahoo, gmail and hotmail will not be accepted.

Unfortunately, no refund is issued once an application has been received and we have begun processing your case. Before submitting an application, please be sure to read the entire application and refer to the section on please refer to the section on Applications and Requirements.

Unfortunately, we do not have a comprehensive list, as the information can frequently change. For this reason, we suggest that you contact the institution directly to obtain this information.

Unfortunately, we do not have a comprehensive list, as the information can frequently change. For this reason, we suggest that you contact the state board directly to obtain this information.

Even though we are aware of many of their requirements, we encourage you to contact the individual institution directly to obtain this information, as it frequently changes.

Please contact the board directly to follow up on your application, as IERF does not have this information.

Once you have submitted your application, an acknowledgement message will be sent to you with your file number and the date your application was received. If further information is required, we will contact you by e-mail, regular mail, or phone.

Yes. You can speak to an evaluator while your application is in progress. However, the evaluator's assistant will initially help you with any questions or concerns. In the event that the assistant is unable to answer your query, it will be forwarded to the evaluator.

If you have provided an e-mail address on the application, we will e-mail you with updates on the status of your evaluation. If you did not provide an e-mail address on the application, you can check the status of your application by clicking here.