Evaluations vs. Translations
What is the difference between foreign credential evaluation and translation?
Foreign Credential Evaluations
Since the educational systems of countries vary greatly, comparing the educational level of individuals educated in different countries is complicated and requires specialized knowledge. The procedure used to make such a comparison is known as Foreign Credential Evaluation.
Foreign credential evaluation is the process of determining the U.S. academic equivalent of studies completed outside the United States. The process involves a thorough analysis of official academic credentials (diplomas; transcripts with courses, credits/hours, and grades; etc.) conducted by an expert evaluator. The evaluation process results in a final determination of equivalency which is issued in the form of a written Foreign Credential Evaluation Report. Please click here for Method of Operation.
Foreign Credential Translations
Translation of foreign educational credentials is often misunderstood as being the same as foreign credential evaluation, but they are two different processes. Translation is the process of rendering text in a different language. When the academic credentials being evaluated are issued in a language other than English, they must be translated into the English language first before they can be evaluated.
The cost of our Foreign Credential Evaluations is among the lowest of any recognized evaluation service, and we complete our non-rush evaluations in at least 15 business days. We also offer rush services for an additional fee. For specific fees and turnaround time, click on the service you are interested in.
For answers to common questions, please read the FAQ section which is now available in 10 languages.
Additional Evaluations
BOARDS OF NURSING
Currently, our company has been approved for evaluating nursing academic credentials for 26 state boards of nursing. You will find the listing of these state boards of nursing in our application. We send foreign credential evaluations to state boards of nursing along with verified academic credentials, charts, and verified foreign nursing licenses. We do not charge for the verification services. We keep the filled-out application form, academic credentials, foreign nursing licenses and verification for one year only. However, we scan the application form along with all academic credentials, nursing licenses and verification and keep this information for three years. We do not charge additionally for this service.
PROCEDURES FOR INDIVIDUAL APPLICANTS
1) Fill out the Application for Boards of Nursing
2) A filled-out application with payment is to be emailed to payment@jsilny.org, or mailed to our address, which is in our application.
3) Official original academic credentials (transcript with hours of instruction or credits and grades, nursing diploma or degree, course descriptions and the appropriate chart) must be sent to us directly by the issuing institution. If the academic credentials are not in English, a certified English translation is also required. If you do not have a certified English translation, our Translation Department can provide this service. Email our Translation Department for a quote at translation@jsilny.org.
4) We must receive foreign nursing licenses directly from the issuing nursing council. In addition, we must receive a statement as to when it was issued, the expiration date and whether the nursing license has ever been suspended or revoked.
5) If the board of nursing you are applying to requires us to include the English Proficiency Examination results, these have to be sent to us directly by the organization giving this test.
6) Once the evaluation has been completed, it is sent electronically to the state board of nursing you are applying to and to you.
7) If you have any questions regarding your evaluation, you must email the evaluator who completed your evaluation.
The process other companies call VisaScreen, we call Visa4Nurses. The United States Department of Homeland Security of the USCIS approved our company to issue Certification for Registered Nurses, Licensed Practical Nurses and Licensed Vocational Nurses. The VISA4NURSES process determines if international nurses are eligible to receive the Certification for Health Care Workers. Please see the application for specific requirements and fees. Visa4Nurses Application. This Certification will be issued only to those applicants who meet all of the requirements.
This application is for individual applicants only. If you are a potential Corporate Client, you must request a Corporate Application by emailing: jsilny@jsilny.org
PROCEDURES FOR INDIVIDUAL APPLICANTS FOR VISA4NURSES
1) A filled out application with payment is to be emailed to payment@jsilny.org
2) Official original nursing academic credentials (transcript, degree, course description and the chart) and the foreign nursing license are to be mailed to our company to the address in the application. If we completed a foreign credential evaluation for any board of nursing for this applicant within the past three years email info@jsilny.org to find out if we still have these credentials. If we do, these do not need to be sent to us again. However, if the foreign nursing license information is more than one year old, it will have to be sent to us again directly and we will have to verify it again.
3) High school academic credentials, NCLEX RN Candidate Report and the passport photo I.D. are to be emailed by the applicant to info@jsilny.org. The high school academic credentials and the NCLEX will be verified (Applicants who graduated from high school at least 10 years ago are not required to submit their high school credentials).
4) The English Proficiency test results must be sent by mail from the testing service directly to our company. The English Proficiency test must have been taken within the past two years.
BE SURE TO READ THE APPLICATION FOR THIS SERVICE CAREFULLY.
ABET Evaluations
At the request of the Florida Board of Professional Engineers our company provides evaluations of engineering and Engineering Technology study completed at regionally accredited institutions of higher education in the United States in terms of substantial equivalency of an EAC/ABET engineering and Engineering Technology degrees. Applicants must fill out the Application for Evaluation of Substantial Equivalency of an EAC/ABET Engineering Degree and mail it to us with the $400.00 fee (this includes one evaluation report for the FBPE). Please note that fees are subject to change without notice. Applicants must have their official transcripts and course descriptions mailed directly to our office by the issuing institutions. Download application.
Study Abroad Evaluations
While our company already evaluates study completed in study abroad programs in foreign countries, we also provide a preliminary evaluation for students attending a U.S. college or university who are considering a study abroad program, but want to know in advance if the study completed abroad is equivalent to completion of courses at regionally accredited institutions of higher education in the United States. Prior to requesting such an evaluation, the applicant needs to understand that while we provide a preliminary evaluation, the U.S. college or university will make the final determination whether this study will be transferred. It is therefore recommended, that you submit our completed preliminary evaluation to your study abroad office and receive an approval before you enroll in the study abroad program.
Our evaluation of a one- or two-semester study abroad program will provide the following information:
1. If the foreign institution you plan to attend is an accredited degree-granting institution of higher education in the foreign country.
2. If the courses you intend to take are equivalent to undergraduate or graduate study at a regionally accredited institution of higher education in the United States.
3. It will list the courses you plan to take and the equivalent U.S. semester credit hours for each course.
4. A statement whether upon successful completion of these courses, this study is or is not equivalent to study at a regionally accredited institution of higher education in the United States.
The cost for each study abroad program evaluation is $150. Each extra evaluation report is $20. Please note that all fees are subject to change without notice. Please download the Application for Evaluation of Foreign Educational Credentials (Download application). Request the valuation and include a letter advising us that this preliminary evaluation is of courses you plan to take in a study abroad program. Be sure to include either a brochure in English on the specific foreign institution you plan to attend or its website in English. We also require a list of the specific courses you intend to take, including credits or hours of instruction.
If you do enroll in this study abroad program and successfully complete it, you may want to request a final evaluation. You will need to submit a new application form, the evaluation fee of $150 and an official original academic transcript listing courses taken, credits or hours of instruction and grades.
Foreign University Level Teaching Evaluations
At the request of the Florida Board of Education’s Teacher Certification Department, our company provides evaluations of foreign university level teaching experience. Our evaluations will provide the following information:
1) If the institution where you taught is a (recognized) accredited degree-granting institution of higher education in the foreign country.
2) If the institution awards degrees that are equivalent at least to a bachelor's degree earned at a regionally accredited institution of higher education in the United States.
3) If the courses you taught at this institution were considered university-level courses for the students enrolled in them.
The cost for this evaluation is $150.00 and each extra evaluation report is $20. Please note that all fees are subject to change. Please download the Application for Evaluation of Foreign Educational Credentials (Download application) and for the professional services requested, check “Other” and write in Foreign University Level Teaching Experience. Please make sure to include an official original letter (printed in the university stationery) verifying the information above, including if yours was a full-time or part-time teaching position and listing the courses you taught. If this letter is not in English, our Translation Department can provide a certified English translation. (Translation Service)
While this evaluation was requested by the Florida Board of Education’s Teacher Certification Department, we would be pleased to provide this evaluation for other State Boards of Education as well.