Knowledge Company Frequently Asked Questions


1. Why would I need my educational credentials evaluated?

There are several possible reasons. (i) If you wish to attend university in the United States, you will probably need your educational credentials evaluated as part of the admissions process. (ii) If you wish to perform professional-level work in the United States, you will need your educational credentials evaluated as part of the visa process. (iii) If you plan to seek licensure or certification to practice in a particular state in the United States (e.g. teacher, engineer, physical therapist), you will probably need your educational credentials evaluated. (iv) A prospective employer may want to know whether you have the equivalent of appropriate American education.

2. How much do you charge for an educational credential evaluation to be used for immigration purposes?

We provide three types of service. Our Standard Service takes 7 business days to complete and costs $95. Our Rush Service takes 3 business days to complete and costs $180. Our Express Service takes 24 hours to complete and costs $240.

3. Do you provide educational credential evaluations to be used for university admission purposes?

Yes. First, you should contact each school to which you wish to apply to confirm that an evaluation from The Knowledge Company will be accepted by the school. You will also need to confirm what type of evaluation the school requires. We provide four types of services for university admission purposes. The first includes a general statement of educational equivalence. It takes 7 business-days and costs $95. We can also offer 3-day rush service and 24-hour express service for this type of evaluation. Second type is general statement of educational equivalency, a calculation of the American credit hour equivalence, and a calculation of the American grade equivalence. It typically costs $175. The third type of evaluation includes a general statement of educational equivalence and a calculation of the American GPA (Grade Point Average) and typically costs $160. The last one includes all of the above listed items and typically costs $240. We reserve the right to charge more for particularly lengthy or complex transcripts.

4. What do I need to send to you?

The documentation we need can vary depending upon the country you are from. The safest thing to do is to send all the documents referenced here. Send legible photocopies in both the foreign language and in certified English translation. Do not send original documents. Transcripts are essential in order for us to confirm a specific American major or graduate specialization.

For university admission, send only secondary and university credentials.

5. How should I send you my documents?

You can send all your documentation by mail, fax, or email. Make sure to call and confirm the receipt of your documents.

6. Should I send you my originals or photocopies?

You will only need to send the photocopies of all the documents. Please keep the originals for yourself. We reserve the right to request the originals whenever necessary.

7. Should I send you my documents by myself or through my attorney or the universities?

We accept documents from immigration attorneys and individual clients. You can also ask your university to send us your document. However, please make sure you have the original documents too since we will not return the documents and we don’t need the originals.

8. How will I receive the evaluation report?

Our evaluation report will be sent out by regular first class mail unless you indicate in the Application Form that you will need our next-day delivery services.

9. What do you mean by certified English translations?

Someone other than yourself or a member of your family needs to sign a statement attesting:
"I, [insert name of translator], certify that I am fluent in both [insert name of foreign language] and English, and that the attached translation in English of [insert name of applicant and name(s) of his/her degree(s)] is a true and accurate translation of the original document(s) in [insert name of foreign language].
[signature] [date]"

10. Can you translate my documents?

We do not provide translations of documents. We evaluate educational credentials to determine their equivalence in relation to American education. In rare instances we can work directly with the foreign language educational documents, if you are unable to obtain certified translations. This costs an additional $22 per degree. We can evaluate documents in the following languages: Chinese, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish. Working with the foreign language documents directly may slow down the evaluation process.

11. Can you evaluate my training?

No. We cannot determine educational equivalency for training programs and apprenticeships. They do not qualify for credit toward an American degree.

12. Can you reference my work experience in my educational credential evaluation?

If you do not have the equivalent of an American university degree and you are seeking a professional visa to work in the United States, you may want to consider seeking equivalency to an American degree through work experience evaluation. The USCIS currently allows foreign nationals seeking an H-1B visa to prove three years of relevant professional-level work experience for every missing year of university.

13. Can I get an H-1B visa if I have no university-level education?

Yes. According to USCIS regulations, for every year of university education that a foreign national lacks, he/she may substitute three years of relevant professional-level work experience (the three-for-one rule). Thus, if an individual has no university level education, he/she needs to prove at least twelve years of professional-level work experience relevant to the job he/she wishes to take in the United States.

14. What do I need to send if I want a work experience evaluation?

15. Will American colleges and universities accept your evaluation?

Many colleges and universities use our evaluation services. Of course, all evaluations by credential evaluation firms are advisory to American colleges and universities. Each school makes its own policy regarding the evaluation of foreign applicants' educational credentials. These policies vary a great deal. You should contact the college or university to which you intend to apply to determine (a) whether it accepts evaluations from credential evaluation firms or performs its own in-house evaluations and (b) whether it will accept an evaluation from The Knowledge Company.

16. Will USCIS accept your evaluations?

Yes. Our educational credential evaluations and work experience evaluations are specifically designed to meet all USCIS regulations. They have always been accepted by the USCIS as well as the Department of Labor.

17. What should I do if my name on my diploma is different from the name I am using now?

The Knowledge Company usually uses the name listed on the diplomas. You will need to provide the name change documents (i.e. Marriage Certificate, Passport, or attestation from an immigration attorney attesting the two names are the same person), if you want to use a different name other than the one on your diploma/degree certificate.