Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Application Questions

• What type of evaluation should I get? What’s the difference between the General Evaluation and the Course-by-Course Evaluation? What happens if I choose the wrong one?

  The General, or Basic, Evaluation includes a list of each academic credential earned as well as a U.S. equivalent. In addition, it includes a Grade Point Average (G.P.A.) and indication about the accreditation/recognition of the institutions awarding the credentials. The Course-by-Course, or Detailed, Evaluation includes all of the above as well as a listing of each course studied, along with the grade on the transcript, a suggested U.S. grade, and suggested credit hours. If you initially apply for a General Evaluation and realize that you really need a Course-by-Course evaluation, you will need to pay the difference of the application fees. If you initially apply for a Course-by-Course Evaluation but only have Secondary School records, we will only charge you for a General Evaluation (or we will refund the difference as soon as we realize that you selected the wrong application type).

• What is considered an official document? Do you need my original transcripts? I can’t get another copy of my original. Can you request it from the university? Do you have a request form that I can submit to them? What do you mean you need to verify my documents?

  Official documents are generally original documents or documents attested by a pre-approved education authority. For most countries, we will require original transcripts/statements of marks/marksheets. However, we understand that in some countries, it is difficult to get another original, so please email us and we can let you know if we can make other arrangements. You can also request that original transcripts be sent directly to us at:

  Transcript Research
  9090 Skillman, #182-A
  PMB 264
  Dallas, TX 75243-8262
  
  In some cases, we may need to verify the documents you provide to us. In those situations, we will let you know via email that your application will remain on hold until the verification process is complete. If there are additional fees for the verification, we will let you know that as well.

• How long will it take to evaluate my documents? How far in advance should I apply for an evaluation? Why is it taking so long? Can I order Rush processing at a later date?

  Credentials evaluations typically take approximately three weeks from the time we receive fees and all required official academic credentials. However, because we cannot guarantee the length of time needed for verification of documents or research for less-common credentials, we suggest that you apply two months in advance of any deadline. Rush processing is available to add to your application after it has been received, but, again, verification and research may cause unforeseen delays.

  If you desire to add Rush processing to your application, please contact us by phone or email so that we can determine if Rush processing will be available based on your specific documents and information.

• What’s going on with my evaluation? How do I find out the status of my application?

  Please send us an email at info@transcriptresearch.com to check on the status of your application, and we will make every effort to respond within 2 business days.

• I forgot to include this other school on my application, and now I want to do a new evaluation; what do I need to do? I forgot to include this other school on my evaluation, but the evaluation is not yet done; what do I need to do?

  If your application has already been evaluated and sent to you, and you realized that you neglected to provide full disclosure, you will need to submit a new application along with your new academic credentials. If your application is still being evaluated, however, we will merely ask that you send an amended Educational History so that we can conduct the evaluation with all necessary information.

• I had an evaluation done last year to get admitted to my U.S. university, but I was still enrolled in my home country. Do I have to apply all over again to get my new courses evaluated?

  If your application has already been evaluated and you are need to have it re-evaluated to include new coursework that was completed after the date on the initial evaluation, then you will need to submit the application form and select a Re-Evaluation. You will pay a reduced fee, but you will still need to complete the entire application form (especially the educational history) and send final, complete academic credentials from your last school attended.

Documentation Questions

• Will you keep my documents, or can I have them back? When can I get my documents returned to me? How will you send my documents back to me?

  We will return all official academic records that you provided with your application when we send you the completed evaluation. Your official academic records will be sent using whatever mail service you paid for: U.S. Postal Service (first class mail), U.S.P.S. Express Mail (U.S. address), or U.S.P.S. Express Mail (Foreign Address). All photocopies you provide will become our property, and any documents sent directly to us by the issuing institution will also become our property and will not be returned to you. If you wish all of your evaluations to be sent to people other than yourself, we will mail your official academic credentials to your mailing address via U.S. Postal Service unless you pay for separate Express mail.

• I have a Bachelor/Master/Doctoral degree; do I have to submit my secondary school records? I am applying as a transfer student to a college or university; do I have to submit my secondary school records?

  If you already have a post-secondary degree completed, it is generally not necessary to send your secondary school records, but you will still need to complete that information on the application form. If you have completed no post-secondary studies or less than one year of post-secondary studies, you will need to provide your official secondary school records. For those countries where advanced standing (university credit) *may* be awarded for a 13th year of secondary school, we may ask to have you send those documents to us after all.

• I earned a degree/studied/graduated from a school in the U.S. Do I need to send my U.S. transcripts?

  Transcript Research does not evaluate U.S. credentials, but we do need you to list all schools and information on your educational history and include a photocopy of your U.S. studies so that your application for evaluation is not delayed.

• I got an email saying my application is on hold because you have sent it for verification; what does that mean and how long will it take. What does it mean that you are authenticating my degree? Why does your requirements list say that I have to have my transcripts sent to you directly from the school/examination body?

  Transcript Research does not accept photocopies, scans, or faxes of academic credentials for evaluation. In addition, we sometimes find that it is necessary to verify or authenticate some of the academic credentials we receive due to a variety of reasons. At other times, we know it will be much faster for you to request official documents to be mailed to us than for us to contact the issuing institution and request a verification. Some verifications may take as long as six months while others can be resolved in less than a week, depending on the country, level of education, and time of year.

Monetary Questions

• I can’t get all of my documents. Can I cancel my application and get a refund?

  Within 2-3 business days of our receipt of your application, we will send you a status email (provided you indicate an email address on your application). At that point, we will let you know if there are any missing items from your application, including the country-specific requirements for official documents. If, at that time, you realize that you will not be able to provide all of the official documents, you can cancel your application within 7 days for a 50% refund.

• I’m applying to more schools. Can I get additional copies of my evaluation? How long will you keep my application on file?

  We will keep your application on file for seven years. At any time during that seven year period, we will be happy to send you (or your designated recipient) an additional, official copy of your completed evaluation for $20 per copy.

General Questions

• Can I get a preliminary review of my documents? Can I scan/fax/email them to you and have you tell me what it’s equivalent to in the U.S.?

  Transcript Research does not conduct preliminary reviews or provide unofficial equivalencies.

• How do you determine the basis for your equivalencies? Why did you say my document was equal to such-and-such when this other company said it was equal to something else? Where do you come up with your information?

  Transcript Research bases many of its U.S. credential equivalencies on the Comparability and Placement Recommendations published by the National Council on the Evaluation of Foreign Educational Credentials. Other equivalencies are based on industry-standards, extensive research, and consultation with other professionals in the country of the credentials.

• Do you do translations? Do you have recommendations for good translator services? Do you require me to submit an official translation, or can I do my own translation?

  Transcript Research does not do translations, but we do require English translations for documents that are not issued in English by the educational institution. Please see our Requirements page for more information about translations from your country.