How to Verify a Foreign Degree or International Credential

Step 1: Verify the foreign institution is legitimate

Before assessing the degree itself, confirm the institution exists and is recognized by the relevant national education authority. An unrecognized foreign institution is the international equivalent of a diploma mill — the degree it issues carries no standing with US employers, licensing boards, or graduate programs.

UNESCO World Higher Education Database (WHED)

The UNESCO World Higher Education Database (WHED) at whed.net is the most comprehensive global reference for recognized higher education institutions. It covers over 19,000 institutions in 180+ countries. Search by institution name or country to confirm:

• The institution exists and is recognized by its national authority
• The type of degrees the institution is authorized to award
• The institution's location and national accreditation body

If an institution is not found in WHED, that is a significant red flag. It does not automatically mean the degree is fraudulent — some legitimate institutions are not in WHED, particularly newer institutions or those in countries with limited WHED coverage — but it warrants additional verification against the country's own database.

Country-specific recognition databases

For the most reliable verification, go directly to the national database for the institution's country:

For countries not listed above, the US Department of State's country education profiles and NACES-member evaluators' research teams can identify the appropriate national authority.

Step 2: Obtain a NACES-member credential evaluation

Once the institution is confirmed as legitimate, a credential evaluation translates the foreign qualification into a US equivalent — establishing whether the degree corresponds to a US bachelor's, master's, or doctoral degree, and how the GPA or grading scale compares to US standards.

What is NACES?

The National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) is a membership organization for US-based credential evaluation providers. NACES member evaluators are the standard accepted by most US employers, licensing boards, graduate schools, and immigration authorities. A credential evaluation from a non-NACES evaluator may not be accepted in many contexts.

The full NACES member list is at naces.org/members. Well-known NACES members include:

• World Education Services (WES) — the most widely accepted evaluator, required by many Canadian and US immigration processes (uscis.gov and IRCC accept WES). Evaluates credentials from 200+ countries.
• Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE) — strong reputation for professional licensing evaluations; commonly required by state licensing boards.
• SpanTran — specializes in evaluations for immigration and education purposes; fast turnaround times.
• Foreign Credits — used by many nursing and healthcare licensing boards.
• Josef Silny & Associates — strong for Latin American credentials.

Types of credential evaluations

Not all evaluations are the same. Match the evaluation type to the intended use:

• Document-by-document — confirms each credential and its US equivalent (e.g., "equivalent to a US Bachelor of Science"). Used for employment verification and most licensing board requirements.
• Course-by-course — breaks down each course taken, with US credit hour equivalents and grades. Required by graduate schools, medical licensing, and professional licensure boards.
• GPA conversion — converts foreign grading scales to a US 4.0 GPA. Required by graduate programs and fellowship applications.

High-risk country and document patterns

Credential fraud risk varies significantly by country of origin. High-volume fraud patterns documented by credential evaluators and academic integrity organizations:

1. Pakistan and "ghost schools" — the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan (HEC) maintains a database of recognized universities (hec.gov.pk/english/ universities). Pakistan has documented a significant market in transcripts from unrecognized or non-existent institutions. Always cross-reference claimed Pakistani institutions against the HEC database before accepting a credential evaluation.
2. India: deemed universities and fake institutions — India's UGC maintains a list of "fake universities" (as of 2025, over 20 institutions officially designated as fake). Verify Indian institutions against the UGC approved list at ugc.ac.in and the UGC's published fake university list.
3. China: degree certificate fraud — the Chinese Ministry of Education operates the China Higher Education Student Information (CHSI) system, which allows direct verification of Chinese academic credentials at chsi.com.cn. Fraudulent Chinese transcripts and degree certificates are common — primary source verification through CHSI or via a NACES evaluator who requests verification directly from CHSI is the gold standard.
4. Online institutions with addresses in developing countries — a significant category of diploma mills incorporates in low-regulation jurisdictions and claims accreditation from fabricated or unrecognized bodies. If an institution cannot be found in WHED and its claimed national accreditor is not a recognized government body, the institution is almost certainly a diploma mill.
5. Institutions claiming "international accreditation" — there is no single international higher education accreditor equivalent to US regional accreditors. Any institution claiming "internationally accredited" status without a specific, verifiable national authority is using meaningless language. Verify the named accreditor against the WHED institution record.
6. Misrepresented UK qualifications — the UK has a tiered credential system (certificates, diplomas, bachelor's, master's, doctorates) with clear level frameworks. A UK "degree" may be a one-year postgraduate diploma rather than a bachelor's degree. A NACES evaluation will correctly categorize the US equivalent, but verify directly with the UK institution and the gov.uk Recognised Bodies list if there is any question about the type of award.

Foreign degrees for professional licensing in the US

Foreign-educated professionals seeking US professional licensure (medicine, nursing, law, engineering, pharmacy, dentistry) face additional verification requirements beyond a standard NACES evaluation:

• Medicine (MD/DO) — foreign medical graduates must verify credentials through the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) at ecfmg.org. ECFMG has implemented i•credentialTM, a digital credential verification system that contacts medical schools directly. USMLE Steps 1, 2, and 3 are also required for US licensure.
• Nursing (RN, NP) — most State Boards of Nursing require international nursing graduates to obtain a credential evaluation from CGFNS International (cgfns.org), not a standard NACES evaluator. CGFNS evaluates nursing program content specifically for equivalency to US nursing education.
• Engineering (PE) — NCEES (ncees.org) evaluates foreign engineering credentials for PE licensure eligibility. State engineering boards may require additional documentation.
• Law (LLM and bar admission) — foreign law graduates must typically obtain an LLM from a US ABA-accredited law school to sit for most state bars. California and New York have specific foreign attorney bar admission pathways — verify requirements directly with the applicable state bar.
• Pharmacy (PharmD) — foreign pharmacy graduates must pass the Foreign Pharmacy Graduate Examination Committee (FPGEC) certification through NABP (nabp.pharmacy) before qualifying for US licensure.

Foreign credential verification resources

Foreign degree verification checklist