Altered or Forged Academic Credentials

An evaluation will not be prepared and fees will not be refunded in the event Foreign Credits determines that the educational credentials submitted for evaluation have in any way been altered, tampered or forged. The institution or agency for which the evaluation is intended, U.S. government agencies, and other evaluation services will be notified.

Equivalency Recommendations & Guarantees

The U.S. educational equivalencies recommended in Foreign Credits evaluation reports are in accordance with established guidelines and represent the considered judgements of qualified evaluators. Foreign Credits evaluation reports are advisory and not binding on any institution, agency, or third party. Foreign Credits does not guarantee that an applicant, agency, or any third party will agree with its educational equivalency recommendations. In the event of any disputes between the applicant and Foreign Credits, such disputes shall be governed by Illinois law and shall be subject to the jurisdiction of the Cook County Courts.

Evaluation Results

Foreign Credits will not release the results of an evaluation on the telephone or by fax to the applicant. The fee for the evaluation covers one official report sent by mail. Extra copies can be ordered with the evaluation or up to 5 years after the evaluation is completed.

Evaluation Review

Once an evaluation has been completed, any questions regarding the evaluation report must be submitted in writing to Foreign Credits within the first two months of the completion date. Requests for review of the evaluation or questions concerning the evaluation submitted after two months of the date the evaluation was completed will be subject to a $50.00 review fee.

Re-Activation

If an applicant fails to provide all required documentation with the application within two months of the date the application was received, the application will be inactivated. A $50.00 re-activation fee is required to process an inactivated file.

Re-Evaluations

Re-evaluations of credentials not submitted with the original application request are treated as new evaluations and a second payment of the evaluation report is required. Requests to change a report type (e.g. Document-by-Document evaluation to a Course-by-Course evaluation or vice-versa), once an evaluation has been completed, requires the full evaluation fee for the new report.

Refunds

Fees are non-refundable once an application for credential evaluation has been submitted.

Insufficient Documentation

Foreign Credits will contact the applicant or the agent representing the applicant if additional information, documents, or fees are needed to prepare the evaluation. The evaluation will not be processed until all documentation has been received.

Evaluation Expiration

The evaluation is valid for a period of 5 years from the date it was completed. Requests for extra official reports of the evaluation that is more than 5 years old are subject to a new application and submission of credentials and fees for a new evaluation.

Verification of Educational Credentials

Foreign Credits reserves the right to verify documents submitted for evaluation with issuing institution(s).