Certification of Studies for USC

Certification of Studies for USC

Applicants who have completed previous studies outside the United States will need to have a certification completed for USC. This requirement applies to students seeking graduate admission or transfer credit at the undergraduate level.(for students seeking transfer credit at the graduate level, please go here). By certifying the completion of their international studies, this report will help applicants achieve recognition for their prior studies.

Evaluations for USC

Services and Fees

Reports

A file number will be assigned and notification will be sent upon receipt of the application. Every effort will be made to mail the report within 15 business days. Yet, if additional documentation and/or fees is/are required, the turnaround time will be effective from the date of receipt of all requested materials.

Certification of Studies for USC

Required for Students seeking graduate admission
Description This report confirms the institution(s) of study, dates of attendance, credential(s) earned, and the date(s) of conferral.
Fee $85 This fee is irrespective of the number of degrees you have earned prior to enrolling at USC. Be sure to submit records for all your postsecondary credentials for certification to avoid any subsequent additional costs. *Due to the further digitalization of our processes for this specific report offering, we are happy to announce a fee change to $85, effective October 30, 2020. Unfortunately, applications submitted before this date are subject to the fees posted at the time, as the system change had not yet taken place.
View Sample Report pdf-iconIERF reports are issued electronically to USC. An applicant copy will be sent to you at no additional cost.

Detail Report with Course Level Identification for USC

(also known as course-by-course report with course level identification)
Required for Students seeking transfer credit at the undergraduate level(for students seeking transfer credit at the graduate level, please go here). Please be advised that an evaluation report is NOT required for the following: A-Levels, the International Baccalaureate, or studies from a US-accredited institution. If in doubt about whether an evaluation is needed, please contact transfercredit@usc.edu.
Description This report confirms the institution(s) of study, dates of attendance, credential(s) earned, and the date(s) of conferral. It also lists individual courses taken with semester units, grades and an overall grade point average (where applicable). It also identifies the level of the class (e.g., lower versus upper division, professional, vocational).
Fee $235
View Sample Report pdf-iconIERF reports are issued electronically to USC. An applicant copy will be sent to you at no additional cost.

Additional Services

Rush Services

If requesting a Rush service, please note that ALL fees must be paid by cashier's check, money order or credit card only. No personal checks will be accepted for rush applications.

Please also note that Rush applications received after 12:00pm PST/PDT will be considered to have been received the next business day. This also applies to payments, correspondence and documentation received after 12:00pm PST/PDT.

If additional documentation and/or fees is/are required, the turnaround time will be effective from the date of receipt of the application, required documents and fee.

IMPORTANT: Be advised that if you apply online, you will receive a file number. When sending your documents in, please write your file number on the outside of the envelope. This will notify us that your case is a rush service, so that we can give your application immediate attention. If you are arranging to have your school or translator send documents directly to our office, please also request that they reference your file number on the outside of the envelope. Unfortunately, if your package does not include your full IERF file number on the exterior, IERF cannot guarantee that your rush service will be correctly applied on the business day it is received.

24-Hour Rush (Next Business Day)
Fee $200 in addition to the report fee
Turnaround time 24 hours from the receipt of the application, required documents and fee.
5-Day Rush
Fee $85 in addition to the report fee
Turnaround time 5 business days from the receipt of the application, required documents and fee.
10-Day Rush
Fee $60 in addition to the report fee
Turnaround time 10 business days from the receipt of the application, required documents and fee.

Mailing Options

IF YOU LIVE IN STUDENT HOUSING (ON-CAMPUS OR OFF-CAMPUS), PLEASE BE SURE TO PROVIDE YOUR APARTMENT/UNIT/ROOM NUMBER WITH YOUR MAILING ADDRESS. The Official Report Delivery Fees are as follows:
  • Email/electronic delivery for $10 per address
  • Regular Mail for $10 per address
  • Domestic Secure Mailing for $25 per physical address
  • Domestic Next Day Delivery for $40 per physical address
  • International Secure Mailing for $75 per physical addressIn the IERF online application, when selecting the official report delivery option, please select email. Your USC Certification of Studies Report will be sent electronically to USC's Degree Progress Department. This is the quickest and most secure method. If submitting original documents, we recommend that you select either Secure Mailing or Domestic Next Day Delivery for return of your academic records, as these include a tracking number. Please note that the original documents that you submit will not be returned to you via regular mail unless you instruct us in writing to do so. IERF accepts no liability related to the loss or damage of documents during mailing.
NOTE: If you and your classmates decide to send in your academic records together in the same package to IERF (e.g., the same FedEx/UPS/DHL package), please be sure to indicate your names in a cover letter and have the documents organized and clipped separately by student. This will enable our office to process your individual applications efficiently and without delay.

Payments

Payment in the form of a check (unless requesting a RUSH service), cashier's check, money order or credit card must accompany all applications, and must be payable to IERF. Overseas payments must be in U.S. dollars and drawn on a United States bank. If payment is being made by a bank draft, an additional $15 processing fee is required.

Required Documentation

Please note that ORIGINAL, OFFICIAL academic records are required for the certification of your studies. For this reason, you are advised to mail them to IERF by using a service that has tracking (e.g., UPS, FedEx, etc.). When submitting your academic records to IERF, also be sure to include a cover page with your 10-digit USC ID number, if available. When our office has received your records, an email notification and confirmation will be sent to you. The documents should be mailed to:

IERF 10736 Jefferson Blvd, #532 Culver City, CA 90230 (Courier services require a phone number for delivery purposes. Please use 310.258.9451. To contact IERF with questions, our team members can best assist you at info@ierf.org)

NOTE: The drop-off option at USC's Degree Progress Office is no longer available.

IERF General Document Requirements

Be certain that you have all the necessary documents before sending your application, as missing documents will delay the processing of your evaluation. Please also submit records for all your postsecondary credentials for certification to avoid any subsequent additional costs. Also, be sure to read the IERF Country-Specific Requirements section (below), as it provides a more detailed description of the required academic records by country of study. Please note that IERF requires official academic records. Unofficial student copies will not be accepted, even if they are issued by the school. Please submit the following:

ORIGINAL Transcripts / Mark Sheets / Examination Certificates / Academic Records indicating courses/subjects, hours of study/units/credits, and grades/marks/examination results, issued in the original language. These must be issued on institutional letterhead and include official signatures and seals. If the hours/units/credits are not included on the academic records, please submit program descriptions/syllabi issued by the institution, where applicable.

ORIGINAL Diplomas / Graduation Certificates / Degree Certificates issued in the original language (indicating that a degree/qualification has been earned or that a program of study has been completed). If the degree was not earned, please indicate so in writing.

Copy of the title page, abstract, table of contents, and first ten pages of the dissertation for the evaluation of doctoral studies.

IERF Country-Specific Requirements

Please be advised that an evaluation report is NOT required for the following: A-Levels, the International Baccalaureate, or studies from a US-accredited institution. Be certain that you have all the necessary documents before sending your application, as missing documents will delay the processing of your evaluation. This section provides a detailed description of the required academic records by country of study. It is recommended that you first read the IERF General Document Requirements section (above). Please click the button below to view any specific document requirements for your country(ies) of study.

View Country Specific Requirements

EXCEPTIONS: International Curricula and Transnational Programs of Study

Secondary-Level Studies You may have completed a program at an international high school in a curriculum that is different from the national model of the country in which you physically studied. Examples include IGCSEs, International A-Levels, and the International Baccalaureate. In such instances, the language of issue should correspond to the curriculum that was studied rather than that of the physical host country. Original, official academic records should also be submitted. Postsecondary-Level Studies You may have completed a transnational program of study. Examples include joint degree programs, taught by universities located in two different countries, or studying at the international branch campus of a university physically located in a different country. In such instances, the records should be issued by the degree-awarding institution, in the official language of that institution and curriculum. Original, official academic records should also be submitted.

Translations

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. In some instances, professional translations are required. Please be sure to check IERF’s Country-Specific Requirements (see section above) for more information. 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.

Proof of Name Change

If your name has changed, please submit proof of name change (e.g. copy of a marriage certificate or other legal document, etc.).

Request for Additional Information

Be certain that you have all the necessary documents before sending your application, as missing documents will delay the processing of your evaluation. Please note that at any time during the evaluation process, IERF reserves the right to request additional documents or that documents be sent directly to IERF by the issuing institution(s). All records received from the institution(s) of study will become the property of IERF and will not be returned to the applicant. Please submit the requested documentation and/or fees within 4 months. Otherwise, your case will be closed and an $80 fee will be required to re-open your case.

How to Apply

Before you submit your application, please be sure to read our full Terms & Conditions. We recommend that you have all the necessary documents (as outlined in the Required Documentation section above) before sending your application, as missing documents will delay the processing of your evaluation. When you are ready to apply, please take advantage of our interactive and user-friendly online application. This facility will guide you step-by-step through the process as well as provide various payment options.

Contact IERF

For questions, please contact us at info@ierf.org or 310.258.9451. Note that all applicants will receive automatic email notifications whenever there is a change in the status of the application.