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The function of ICAE is to enhance the overall standard of excellence for credential evaluations globally. In most countries, including the United States, foreign credential services have no governed oversight. Therefore, it is up to member organizations like ICAE to provide this oversight to guarantee services performed by members are accurate, dependable, and of the highest quality.
ICAE members are committed to serving individuals, academic institutions, employers, government agencies, and licensing boards accurate and excellent credential evaluation services. When you work with an ICAE member, you can be assured dependable service. By holding our members to high standards of excellence when it comes to services provided, ethics, and continued participation and leadership in the field of credential evaluation, we hold the entire field accountable by setting the gold standard, and do our part to evolve understanding of education and enterprise across boarders in the global community.
Basic Principles of Practice
All ICAE members agree to uphold and be accountable to these principles of good practice as a condition of membership:
1. Professional Ethics, Consumer Rights, and Customer Service
ICAE members must include in their promotional materials an accurate schedule of fees, detailed descriptions of services provided, and general information about the turnaround time expected to complete these services. Terms and conditions of these services, as well as information of all of the documentation and information must be provided to complete these services must be described in detail. Confidentiality and security of documentation provided will be upheld in compliance with federal and state law.
Members must work with clients to obtain the necessary information and documentation needed to perform an accurate credential evaluation that takes into account the purpose of the evaluation – ex. graduate program admission or visa approval. Clients must be made aware of the documentation requirements, and of the consequences of providing fake, doctored, or deceptive documentation or information. If the client still provides insufficient or inaccurate documentation, ICAE members will refuse the request for evaluation.
If a client has any questions about the evaluation process or services, ICAE members will provide accurate information. Transparency is key to customer service and to holding our members and the credential evaluation field as a whole accountable to excellence.
2. Individualized Evaluation for Every Credential
ICAE members are required to maintain their own up to date research libraries and to not be primarily reliant on online equivalency databases. Every credential evaluation written by an ICAE member is different; each evaluation is uniquely researched and written with reference to academic equivalencies based on a multitude of factors, international trade agreements, college and university admissions policies, and specific visa requirements.
3. Promote Diversity and Multiculturalism in Accordance with UNESCO Education Principles
ICAE members do not discriminate in their services with regards to race, color, gender, religion, ethnicity, nationality, marital status, sexual orientation, disability, political opinions, etc. All ICAE members are aware and respectful of the educational systems, beliefs, and values of nations and cultures around the world, and are sensitive to these difference when serving all clients. Promoting international education, trade, cooperation, and communication is a central focus of the ICAE mission and UNESCO, and its member organizations uphold this mission through a diverse and multicultural perspective in practice.
ICAE Membership Application Process
This process is designed to vigorously vet all ICAE members and ensure ongoing professional and ethical services of the highest standard.
All ICAE members must meet the following requirements:
1. Supervising evaluator(s) must have at least five years of experience in the field of credential evaluation, international education, or in international admissions at an accredited academic institution.
2. Members must have an in-depth understanding of country and region-specific educational structures. This includes the types of credentials and their academic content, matriculation structure of earning a credential including lower and higher level courses and exams, methodologies of instruction and study, and accreditation.
3. Members must have an in-depth understanding of country and region-specific professional licensing, certification, and occupational eligibility requirements. This includes common credentials and their common academic content and matriculation structure, transferability, required exams, and cultural and historical context for specific professions.
4. Members must have a detailed understanding of university and graduate program admissions practices, professional licensing board requirements, and specific visa requirements, and current understanding of visa and immigration issues and USCIS trends.
5. Maintain a consistent practice of evaluating each credential individually taking a number of factors into account including but not limited to program duration, classroom contact hours, and admissions policies. To meet this criteria for membership, the applicant must maintain its own updated reference library, continue ongoing research and make contributions to the field – through publications and published work, teaching workshops and classes, and continuing education in the field of credential evaluation and international education.
6. All ICAE members must become accredited by a recognized accrediting body within the first two years of membership.
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