Credential Evaluation Professionals: Definition, Ethics, and Importance

Definition and Responsibilities of a Credential Evaluation Professional

A credential evaluation professional is an individual who is involved with the assessment and/or recognition of international educational credentials.  The evaluations provided by credential evaluation professionals assist educational institutions, regulatory bodies, assessment agencies, employers, government authorities and others to appropriately recognize international education.  The responsibilities of a credential evaluation professional:

• Promote fair, credible, standardized methods for evaluation.
• Collaborate to encourage consistency and to facilitate the portability of evaluations at the regional, national and global levels
• Ascribe to the Statement of Ethics
• Encourage equitable access to services and transparency of the process.

Statement of Ethics for a Credential Evaluation Professional:

Academic documents may confer on the holder certain rights or confirm the acquisition of skills and knowledge. The documents can afford benefits of both a status and monetary nature. For that reason, the professionals in the field of credential evaluation must adhere to a strict code of ethics.

A credential evaluation professional will:

• Provide the highest level of service and not discriminate on any grounds such as the applicant’s gender, race, color, disability, language, religion, sexual orientation, political or other opinion; national, ethnic or social origin; association with a national minority, property, birth or other status; or on the grounds of any other circumstance not related to the merits of the qualification for which recognition is sought.
• Distinguish between personal convictions and professional duties, and not allow personal beliefs to interfere with the fair and accurate evaluation of credentials.
• Ensure fairness and transparency in all aspects of the assessment process.
• Ensure that evaluation decisions are consistent and are based on appropriate information (taking into consideration institution, organizational or governmental regulations and/or policies, as applicable).
• Strive for excellence in the profession by maintaining and enhancing knowledge and skills, by encouraging the professional development of colleagues, and by fostering the aspirations of potential members of the profession.

Importance of Credential Evaluation Assessments by Professionals

The value of credential evaluation assessments completed by trained professionals should not be understated.  For example, as evidenced in a 2023 report from the Swedish Council of Higher Education, “The Council’s study shows that recognition statements of foreign qualifications contribute to integration in the labour market, to an individual sense of belonging and to the future supply of skills.”  The full report may be found here Swedish Council Report.