Foreign degree evaluation tells a university what your qualification means in their system. It checks the institution, the grading scale, and whether your prior study matches their entry level. Some schools do this in house. Others send you to an outside agency, and that agency charges a real fee. WES, the most common option in North America, currently charges around $118 for a basic report and takes about a week once it has your documents. The rest of this guide covers exactly which agency you need, what it costs, and how long each option actually takes.
Two agencies handle most of this work in North America: WES and ECE. Both convert foreign transcripts into a report a university or employer can read.
What WES and ECE Actually Cost
WES prices rose 3% on January 1, 2026. A Document-by-Document report now costs about $118. A Course-by-Course report costs about $168. A Course-by-Course ICAP report, which adds a digital badge and extra verification, runs about $214.
ECE processes faster. ECE evaluations typically take about 5 business days. WES typically takes about 7 business days. Both clocks start only after the agency has received and verified every required document, not on the day you submit your order.
If You’re Applying to Canada
Canadian immigration works differently. WES Canada’s standard Express Entry evaluation costs $329 CAD. It assesses your highest credential only and issues one summary equivalency statement.
The Course-by-Course option costs $454 CAD. It breaks down every course, credit hour, and grade. Most Express Entry applicants only need the standard option, since the CRS point system doesn’t score individual course grades.
Processing takes about 35 business days once WES has every document. Rush service exists for $100 CAD extra and cuts evaluation time to 5 business days, but the real bottleneck is rarely WES itself. It’s waiting for your university to send transcripts. Budget 8 to 16 weeks total from the day you request transcripts to the day your report reaches IRCC.
WES and ECE Aren’t Your Only Options
WES and ECE get the most attention, but they’re two names out of roughly 19 companies belonging to NACES, the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services. Most US universities that require an outside evaluation will accept a report from any NACES member, not just WES or ECE specifically. Check your target school’s admissions page to confirm, since some programs do name a specific provider.
This matters because the alternatives can be faster or cheaper depending on what you need. AAE Evaluations offers a basic degree equivalency report in as little as 2 business days for around $55, well under WES’s 7-day turnaround. BEIS charges a flat fee starting around $75 regardless of how many credentials you’re submitting, which helps if you have transcripts from more than one institution. SpanTran is another NACES member frequently named alongside WES and ECE for university admissions specifically.
If your documents are in a less common language, some evaluators specialize in that. GEO Credential Services handles over 30 languages directly, which can save you a separate translation step.
The one clear exception to shopping around: if your evaluation is for Canadian immigration through Express Entry, WES is the dominant provider IRCC recognizes, and switching to a smaller NACES member won’t necessarily help you there.
Document-by-Document vs Course-by-Course
A Document-by-Document report gives a summary. It states your qualification, your institution, and a general equivalency level. It costs less and moves faster.
A Course-by-Course report lists every course, every grade, and a converted GPA on a 4.0 scale. Graduate schools, transfer credit offices, and licensing boards usually require this version.
Check which one your target program needs before you pay. Ordering the cheaper report when the school requires the detailed one wastes both time and money.
What Counts as a Recognized Institution
Evaluators first confirm your school had legal authority to award your degree. An unrecognized institution can sink an otherwise strong application, even with a clean transcript.
If your school has changed its name, merged with another institution, or lost accreditation since you graduated, expect to submit extra documentation. This comes up often with older degrees or schools that went through restructuring.
How Grades Actually Convert
A straight GPA conversion rarely works. A 75% average means something different in each country’s system. A Second Class Upper degree in one system might land differently than expected once a course-by-course review breaks down the actual grades earned.
Don’t convert your own grades unless the application specifically asks you to and gives you a method. Submit your grades exactly as they appear on the transcript, and let the evaluator do the conversion.
Transcripts and Translation
Universities almost always want official transcripts sent directly from your school, not from you. Electronic delivery is now common. India, for example, has systems that allow direct digital transmission through platforms like DigiLocker, which speeds things up considerably compared to postal transcripts.
If your documents aren’t in English, you’ll need a certified translation alongside the original, not instead of it. The translator should preserve the exact meaning of course titles and grades rather than inventing an English equivalent that doesn’t quite match.
If You’re in a Regulated Field
Medicine, nursing, law, engineering, teaching, and a handful of other professions add a second layer of review. A university can admit you academically while a separate licensing board still has to sign off before you can actually practice.
Check both tracks early. Academic admission and professional licensing run on separate timelines and separate requirements.
If You Need It for a UK Visa
UK ENIC, the UK’s national agency for foreign qualifications, issues Statements of Comparability. Standard processing takes 15 working days. Fast track cuts that to 1 to 2 days.
A standard Statement of Comparability is not accepted for visa applications. If you need to prove your qualification level for a Skilled Worker visa or citizenship application, you need the separate Visas and Nationality service through Ecctis instead. Mixing these two up is a common and expensive mistake.
How Long the Whole Process Takes
Processing time depends on which agency and which country you’re dealing with. WES itself processes evaluations in roughly 4 to 7 business days once it has your documents. UK ENIC standard processing takes 15 working days. WES Canada’s Express Entry evaluation takes about 35 business days.
None of these numbers include the time your school takes to send transcripts. That’s usually the longest part of the process, and it’s the part you have the least control over. Start requesting your transcripts the same week you decide which evaluation you need, not after you’ve picked your final school list.
Students FAQs
Do I need Document-by-Document or Course-by-Course? Check what your specific program requires before you pay. A Course-by-Course report costs more and moves the same speed, but a Document-by-Document report won’t satisfy a school that specifically asked for course-level detail.
Can I send my own transcripts, or does the school have to send them? Almost always the school. WES, ECE, and most agencies require transcripts sent directly from the issuing institution, not uploaded by the applicant. This is the step students leave until last, and it’s usually the slowest one.
Does an academic evaluation cover professional licensing too? No. A university can admit you academically while a separate licensing board still has to approve you for fields like medicine, nursing, law, or engineering. Check both tracks early, since they run on separate timelines.
Foreign degree evaluation is mostly a documentation and timing problem. The agencies, the fees, and the processing windows are all published. The part that actually causes delays is starting too late, ordering the wrong report type, or assuming a single number applies everywhere it doesn’t.
