Why Credential Evaluation Companies May Give Different US Equivalencies

If you have ever submitted the same international academic credential to two credential evaluation companies, you may have encountered a confusing situation: the two reports do not give exactly the same US equivalency.

For example, a credential evaluation from World Education Services (WES) might reach one conclusion, while Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE), International Education Evaluations (IEE), Josef Silny & Associates, or another credential evaluation service might reach a different one.

Why does this happen? And does it mean that one evaluation is wrong?

Not necessarily.

Academic credential evaluation is not a simple conversion process. Evaluators must compare qualifications earned within one education system to qualifications in another. Because education systems are structured differently, this process requires research, methodology, and professional judgment. As a result, reputable credential evaluation companies can sometimes reach different conclusions about the same qualification.

There Is No Universal Formula for Foreign Degree Equivalency

One of the biggest misconceptions about foreign credential evaluation is that every international qualification has a predetermined US equivalent.

It does not.

There is no universal table stating that a particular degree from one country must always equal a particular US degree. Even seemingly straightforward comparisons can become complicated because academic credentials need to be understood within the education system in which they were earned.

Evaluators may consider factors such as admission requirements, the level of the program within the country's education system, program length, academic workload, curriculum, access to further education, and the academic rights associated with the credential.

This is why simply counting years of study can be misleading. A four-year program in one country is not automatically equivalent to a four-year bachelor's degree in the United States. The academic level and structure of those four years also matter.

Credential Evaluation Companies May Use Different Methodologies

Organizations such as WES, ECE, and other academic credential evaluation services do not all work from a single, universally mandated system for determining U.S. equivalencies. There is no central authority that assigns one official U.S. equivalent to every academic credential awarded around the world.

Instead, credential evaluation companies develop their own methodologies based on education-system research, professional standards, published and proprietary reference materials, historical precedents, and institutional policies. Over time, each organization builds its own body of research and develops principles for interpreting credentials from different countries and education systems.

This creates room for legitimate methodological differences. Evaluators may agree on the facts surrounding a credential—such as its duration, admission requirements, institutional status, and position within the country's education system—but differ in how much weight they assign to those factors when determining a U.S. equivalency.

For example, one methodology may place greater weight on the formal level and function of a qualification within its national education system. Another may place greater weight on the amount and structure of education completed before the credential was awarded. Differences may also arise in how evaluators treat prior education, credit and workload, access to subsequent levels of study, or major reforms to an education system.

These methodologies are also shaped by precedent. Once an evaluation organization establishes an approach to a particular credential or education system, that approach may inform how it evaluates similar credentials in the future. Another organization may have developed a different precedent based on its own research and professional interpretation.

As a result, two credential evaluation companies can examine the same qualification, agree on the underlying educational facts, and still reach different U.S. equivalencies. The disagreement does not necessarily come from one company having incorrect information. It may reflect different professional frameworks for deciding which characteristics of the foreign credential are most significant when comparing it with the U.S. education system.

Credential evaluation is therefore not simply a matter of counting years of study or consulting a conversion table. It is a comparative analysis, and the methodology used to make that comparison can influence the final equivalency.

Even when credential evaluation companies broadly agree on how an education system works, several factors can still lead to different conclusions:

Institutional recognition and accreditation: Recognition systems vary considerably by country, and evaluators may have different policies for interpreting an institution's or program's status. This can be especially important when recognition has changed over time or a program involves affiliated or transnational institutions.

Changes in education systems: Degrees and education systems evolve. Qualifications frameworks, admission requirements, program structures, credit systems, and accreditation rules may all change over time. Evaluators must determine how a credential should be understood in the context of when it was earned, and they may interpret the impact of historical reforms differently.

Choice of U.S. benchmark: Foreign qualifications rarely correspond perfectly to U.S. degrees. Evaluators may differ on which U.S. credential or level of study provides the closest comparison—for example, undergraduate study, an associate degree, a bachelor's degree, graduate study, or a master's degree.

Credential titles and terminology: The name of a qualification does not necessarily determine its U.S. equivalency. A credential called a "Bachelor" is not automatically equivalent to a U.S. bachelor's degree, just as an unfamiliar title does not necessarily indicate a lower level of education. Evaluators look at the credential's academic level and function within its home education system.

Historical and professional precedents: Evaluation companies develop their own precedents over time based on previous research and evaluations. Two organizations may therefore approach the same credential differently because their established interpretations of that credential or education system have developed along different lines.

WES vs. Other Credential Evaluation Services: Does a Different Result Mean One Is Wrong?

A common question is: "WES gave me one equivalency, while another credential evaluator reached a different conclusion. Which one is correct?"

The answer is not always straightforward. WES is one of the best-known credential evaluation organizations in the United States, but it is one of many organizations conducting academic credential evaluations. Each evaluation service develops and applies its own research, methodology, precedents, and professional judgment. As a result, differences in equivalency can occur even when both evaluations are based on accurate information.

Many established credential evaluation services belong to professional associations such as the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) or the Association of International Credential Evaluators (AICE). These associations establish membership standards, but membership does not require every evaluator to use the same methodology or reach the same conclusion about a particular credential.

For that reason, a different equivalency should not automatically be interpreted as evidence that one evaluation is wrong. A more useful question is: What evidence, methodology, and professional reasoning support each conclusion?

There is also a practical consideration: the evaluation must meet the requirements of its intended recipient. Universities, employers, professional licensing boards, government agencies, and other institutions may specify which credential evaluation services they accept or what type of evaluation they require. Ultimately, an evaluation is useful only if it is accepted for the purpose for which it was requested.

Credential Evaluation Is Ultimately a Matter of Professional Judgment

Research and methodology provide the foundation for credential evaluation, but they do not eliminate the need for professional judgment. In many cases, there simply is not a single authoritative source that tells an evaluator exactly what U.S. equivalency to assign to a foreign credential.

Evaluators gather evidence from official education documents, government and institutional sources, qualification frameworks, historical references, professional resources, and established precedents. They then have to interpret that evidence and determine which characteristics of the credential are most significant when making a comparison to the U.S. education system.

That distinction is important. Two evaluators can agree completely on the underlying facts and still disagree on what those facts mean for U.S. equivalency.

For example, both may agree on a program's length, admission requirements, curriculum, institutional recognition, and access to further study. One evaluator might consider the credential's position within its national education system the strongest indicator of equivalency. Another might give greater weight to the total amount or structure of education leading to the credential. Neither disagreement necessarily stems from a factual error; it can arise from different professional interpretations of the same evidence.

Professional judgment becomes particularly important when there is no neat U.S. counterpart. Legacy credentials, discontinued degree structures, qualifications affected by major educational reforms, interdisciplinary programs, and credentials from systems that have changed substantially over time can all require evaluators to make reasoned judgments rather than apply a simple formula.

This is one of the fundamental reasons credential evaluation companies can reach different conclusions. Credential evaluation is not an exact science, nor is it a process in which every credential has one universally prescribed answer. It is a specialized form of comparative educational analysis. Research establishes the facts, methodology provides a framework for analyzing them, and professional judgment connects the two to reach an equivalency.

That means a difference between two evaluations does not, by itself, demonstrate that one evaluator made a mistake. The more meaningful question is whether each conclusion can be supported by credible evidence, a consistent methodology, and a reasonable professional interpretation of the credential.

What Should You Do If Two Credential Evaluations Disagree?

If you receive different equivalencies, start by comparing the reports carefully. Make sure both companies evaluated the same credential and received the same academic documentation.

You can also ask whether the credential evaluation company offers a reconsideration or appeal process, particularly if you believe relevant information was overlooked.

Most importantly, check the requirements of the organization receiving the evaluation. A university, employer, licensing authority, or other recipient may specify which credential evaluation companies it accepts or what type of report it requires.

And remember: the evaluation with the most favorable US equivalency is not automatically the most accurate one.

Credential Evaluation Is Comparative Analysis

Foreign credential evaluation involves comparing two education systems that may have very different structures, terminology, academic pathways, and historical development.

There is not a single formula that can account for every qualification.

A well-supported academic credential evaluation considers the credential's academic level, admission requirements, program structure, institutional recognition, historical context, and place within its country's education system. It then uses established methodology and professional judgment to identify an appropriate US comparison.

That is why WES and other credential evaluation companies can sometimes reach different US equivalencies for the same credential.

The goal is not simply to find the American degree with the closest name or the same number of years of study. It is to determine how an international credential compares within the context of another education system—and that comparison can sometimes support more than one professional interpretation.

Mark Rogers - Evaluation Specialist at MotaWord

Written and reviewed by Mark Rogers, a credentials evaluator with over five years of experience assessing international academic qualifications and their US equivalencies. MotaWord is SOC 2–certified and a corporate member of the ATA and ITI, offering academic evaluation services in 100+ languages. See our Course-by-Course Evaluation service →