CURRENT ISSUES IN INTERNATIONAL
CREDENTIAL EVALUATION IN THE U.S
Mariam Assefa
Executive Director
World Education Services
Today’s Presentation
 New Landscape
 US Admissions Practices
 Changing Role of Credential Evaluation
© 2011 World Education Services, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Impact of Budget Cuts on Institutions
 Budget cuts causing institutions to recruit large
numbers of international students to generate
revenue
 Pressure to increase student numbers
quickly to meet revenue targets
 Increased use of paid agents to recruit abroad
 Traditional admissions practices and culture
under pressure
© 2011 World Education Services, Inc. All rights reserved.
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New Institutions and Programs
 New types of institutions:
 off-shore programs
 feeder institutions
 transnational programs: joint and dual degrees
 More complex institution and program
accreditation and recognition regimes
 New and problematic documentation standards
and issues
© 2011 World Education Services, Inc. All rights reserved.
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The Lisbon Recognition Convention
 Joint Council of Europe/UNESCO Convention
on the Recognition of Qualifications in the
European Region (includes the US)
 The Convention codified the notion that a
foreign credential should be recognized unless
a substantial difference can be shown
between the two
 Essentially discarded the long-held notion that
two credentials had to be very similar for
recognition to be granted
© 2011 World Education Services, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Impact of the Lisbon Recognition Convention
 The Convention mandated that evaluators recognize
credentials unless they can demonstrate substantial
differences
 Shifted recognition from relying solely on input to
focusing on outcomes of education
 Laid the groundwork for the Bologna Process
 Transformed role of credential evaluation from gate
keeping to facilitation of mobility and recognition
© 2011 World Education Services, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Impact of the Bologna Process
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Reformed European degree programs
Made European degrees transparent and portable
Guaranteed automatic intra-European recognition
Made European universities internationally visible and
competitive
 Increased enrollment of non-Europeans in graduate
programs
 Contributed to world-wide competition for international
students
© 2011 World Education Services, Inc. All rights reserved.
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The New Students
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Know that institutions world-wide desire them
They are ambitious and wealthy
Have access to the latest technology
Require information and clear instructions on
what is expected from them
 Use agents to navigate the admissions process
 They have become demanding customers
© 2011 World Education Services, Inc. All rights reserved.
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US Admissions Practice
 US admissions calendar requires that students
apply before completing the final year
 Admissions is largely based on transcripts
showing performance in the classroom
 Relies on standardized tests to gauge student
ability
 Teacher recommendations and student essay
complete the picture
© 2011 World Education Services, Inc. All rights reserved.
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The Challenge for US International Admissions
 Most education systems place more emphasis
on final examinations or admit by entrance
examination
 Transcripts -and grades- not as reliable
 Standardized tests not always available
 Teachers not used to writing letters of
recommendation
 Transcripts delivered by agents are viewed
with suspicion
© 2011 World Education Services, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Expert Evaluation Purpose
 Mitigate risk
 confirm the authenticity and validity of foreign
credentials
 verify recognition of institutions in home country
 Provide transparency
 allow users to understand foreign educational
credentials
 allow comparison with US-educated candidates
 Provide opportunity
 allow foreign-educated individuals gain access to jobs
and education at the appropriate levels
© 2011 World Education Services, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Evaluation Service Users
Education Market
 Individuals educated outside the US wishing to
study or work in the US
 institutions that enroll international students or
recruit foreign faculty
Employment Market
 employers that hire foreign-educated candidates
 state boards of professional licensing that receive
applications from foreign-educated individuals
© 2011 World Education Services, Inc. All rights reserved.
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New and Expanded Role of Evaluations
 Facilitate mobility and recognition
 Enable institutions to meet enrollment goals
 Ensure standards and integrity of the
admissions process
 Fight document fraud
 Keep abreast of emerging trends
 Participate in and inform institutional goal setting
© 2011 World Education Services, Inc. All rights reserved.
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WES Evaluation Database
 WES uses a custom-built electronic evaluation
system. It contains information on:
 200 countries and jurisdictions
 40,000+ institutions
 20,000+ credentials
 2,000+ grading scales
© 2011 World Education Services, Inc. All rights reserved.
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WES 2011 Output
 provided evaluations for 63,000 individuals
 sent to 2000+ academic institutions in the US
and Canada
 trained 1200 university personnel
 distributed information to 6000 individuals
worldwide through WENR - monthly electronic
newsletter
© 2011 World Education Services, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Thank you.
You can reach me at
massefa@wes.org
© 2011 World Education Services, Inc. All rights reserved.
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