How to Select Foreign Credential Evaluation for CPA Before you contact an evaluation agency, you should choose the state where to register for your exam. There are two reasons: Each state has its own list of approved evaluation agencies - you don’t want to pay for a report that is not acknowledged by the board. Each state board has slightly different qualifying rules. Therefore, the agency needs to know which rules to apply to when reviewing your transcripts. Once you settle on a continuing state and get the list of approved agencies, you can pick one based on: 1. Evaluation fee 2. Turnaround time 3. Reputation 1. Evaluation Fee The fee ranges from $100 to $300 - price difference is closely correlated to turnaround time. For example, FACS is one of the most affordable agency charging $100 for most states, but it takes around 6 weeks. Most state boards require a “course-by-course” Evaluation. This is different from the “general Evaluation” that some firms are offering. Please read the fee timetable carefully when comparing the fees. There may also be rush providers available but expect to add another $100 to the price tag. With correct planning, you can avoid this extra cost. 2. Turnaround Time The number of days required to produce a report varies considerably. Most firms have a 2 week turnaround time, but can vary from 5 business days to 8+ weeks.
3. Reputation The evaluation process is both a skill and a science. It is possible that an evaluators gives you more credit hours than the others. Having said that, the evaluation result ought not to be substantially different as evaluators run the risk of getting disqualified by state boards. For this reason, I personally do not recommend an agency based on how “lenient� it interprets your transcripts. I do recommend firms that have better customer service, because a friendly evaluator makes your life much easier during the exam program process. I ran a little knowledge and you will have a look at my findings at the end of this post. Tips on Foreign Credential Evaluation Process 1. Submitting the Documents Most evaluation firms require the candidates to send in the official or authentic transcript . By authentic, it refers to the copy issued by your school that is sent to you in a sealed envelope; by official, it means a copy (either the original or certified copy) sent directly from your school to the agency. Visit to get more information about Foreign High School Transcript Evaluation and Credential Evaluation Services in USA. In most cases, this requirement is set by the continuing state board. For example, California state panel asks the evaluators to concern report only if the candidate products the original copy. I understand that in some countries it is impossible additional copies of your transcript. Customer support is very important because a good evaluator can suggest a way to work around this issue instead of insisting on getting what is officially required.
Take note: if your current name is different from the name on the transcript (e.g. maiden name), you need supporting document to show the good reason of name shift, e.g. a marriage certificate. 2. Translation of Documents If your transcript is issued in a language apart from English, a word-forphrase translation is required. You can explore whether there is an in-house translation service at the evaluation agency. If not, you can either get it translated by an official / governmental agency (as in China), or you can contact a translation services that is a member of American Translators Association (ATA). It is best to check with your Evaluation agency and see if they have a preferred translation services. 3. Extra information to expedite the process Another thing to help the agency is to send in your course outline/syllabus so that the agency has full info on the content of your qualifications. 4. Estimating the Turnaround Time I list out the estimated turnaround time for each foreign credential evaluation agency below. It only starts to count after all the required paperwork are submitted. For rush services, it is counted in business days. For example, a 2-time rush services takes 2 business days. 5. Tracking the Progress Some evaluation agencies have online tracking systems, while others could have an email notification service. A few have no improvements and you have to call them to check. You may take this into consideration if it is important for you keep an eye on the progress.