Advising and Coaching Students with Foreign Degrees and Credentials - Evaluation and Job/Education Pathways

Sep 14, 2026

Uploaded by Dipper

Guide instructors, advisors, and career coaches in supporting learners whose foreign degrees and credentials relate to employment, education, or re-licensure. It outlines intake questions to determine whether the student needs U.S. high school equivalency (HSE), college admission evaluation, or professional re-licensing pathways. The guide provides overarching best practices for selecting NACES-accredited evaluation companies, handling document acceptance and validity timing, choosing certified translation services, comparing costs and timelines, and supporting students to complete evaluations when needed.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages7

Reading Time18 min

AccessFree to download

Advising and Coaching Students with Foreign Degrees and Credentials

Key intake questions by student goal

Overarching tips for completing an evaluation

When the student needs U.S. high school equivalency (HSE)

Guidance when the student wants to find or keep a job

1 Advising and Coaching Students with Foreign Degrees and Credentials Advising and coaching students with foreign degrees and credentials is a complicated and highly individualized process. However, some guiding questions and best practices can be applied to all scenarios. This guide helps instructors, advisors, and career coaches ask the right questions when working with students whose goals relate to employment, education or entering a licensed profession. Once the student’s goals are established, this guide will help determine what kind of degree or credential evaluation process is appropriate. Start by asking.. . ...then depending on their answer “Do I need a U.S. high school equivalency (HSE) credential” GO TO PAGE 2 >> “I want to find or keep a job.”GO TO PAGE 3 >> “I want to evaluate my degree for admission to a college or university.” GO TO PAGE 4 >> “I want to be re-licensed in my professional field” GO TO PAGE 5 >> WORK WITH THE STUDENT TO ASSESS Document Costs Recipients English Timeline Competing Other skills Access Demands OVERARCHING TIPS FOR COMPLETING AN EVALUATION In some cases, the student will need to use a specific evaluation company. If not, default to a NACES-accredited evaluation company. Each NACES company has different processes and rules. Review the questions below before choosing a company: How will they accept documents? Will they need originals? Do they accept copies? Do they require that the institution sends documents directly? How long will the evaluation report be valid? Complete the evaluation close to when the student will need it. If the student does not have to use a speciﬁc translation service, default to a certiﬁed translator. Some translators have a certification from the American Translators Association. Compare cost and timelines for each company. 2 YOU MAY ALSO HEAR “I have a high school diploma (or Associates or Bachelors degree) from another country, do I have to complete a HiSET, GED or HSE program here in the U.S.?” Too often, students with degrees from other countries are referred to High School Equivalency (HSE) programs (e.g.HiSET/GED), when they could be better served with alternative options that help them to make targeted progress towards career and educational goals. With some exceptions, if a student has a minimum of a high school diploma from another country, they will not need to attain a high school degree in the U.S. If a student’s goals include transition to college, and they have access to their high school diploma and have the English readiness to advance, they would be best served in a college prep. course, college transition class, or advanced ESOL or college placement test prep. class. As much as possible students should utilize their degrees, address any preparation needed, and advance beyond HSE programming. There are a few exceptions: • If a student has an HSE from another country but is not at the English readiness level for a transitions or college prep class, they may be better served by other ESOL classes or, in some cases, an HSE class. • If there are no college transition courses available within adult education, community college or otherwise, the HSE course may be the best option for academic preparation. • If a student cannot access their foreign diploma to prove HSE, they may be able to apply and still take placement tests for admissions to college (e.g. Accuplacer). In another example, students enrolled in an Ability to Benefit (ATB) program would not need a diploma for enrollment. However, policy and regulations are different state to state and institution to institution, and some colleges may require documentation of a HSD/E (high school diploma or equivalent) before enrollment. Let’s take a closer look. Fernanda completed highschool in Brazil and has access to all her documents. Because she took an English intensive in high school, she has the English readiness for a

FAQs

How should advisors determine what type of credential evaluation a student needs?

Start by establishing the student’s goals for employment, education, or re-licensure. Use targeted guiding questions to identify whether they need U.S. HSE, college admission evaluation, or professional re-licensure.

How do you choose an evaluation company and translation service?

If a specific company is required, follow that requirement; otherwise default to a NACES-accredited company. Review how each company accepts documents, whether originals are required, report validity timing, and compare costs and timelines; if no specific translation service is required, use a certified translator.

What should be asked when a student wants to find or keep a job?

Ask whether the employer requires an evaluation, which evaluation company and evaluation type they will accept, how up-to-date the report must be, whether proof of high school completion is required, and whether the student can afford translations and evaluations or qualify for workforce/community programs to offset costs.

Sep 14, 2026

Uploaded by Dipper