Getting your foreign degree and license recognized in the U.S.

Step 1 — Learn who decides: there is no single national office

In the U.S., no single office recognizes foreign degrees for every purpose. Who decides depends on what you want to do (ED — Recognition of Foreign Qualifications):

• to study: the school or college where you want to enroll;
• to work: the employer;
• to work in a licensed profession: the state licensing authority;
• for a visa or immigration status: the federal immigration authorities.

The U.S. Department of Education (ED) does not evaluate foreign qualifications or degrees, and it asks people not to send it evaluation requests or documents (ED).

Three words you will see often:

• A credential evaluation compares your foreign education with U.S. education. In most cases, schools, employers and boards ask you to get one, and private, non-governmental organizations do it for a fee (ED).
• A license comes from an official process, run by a state-level authority, that the law requires before you can practice a regulated profession (ED — Professional Licensure).
• A certification is generally given by a non-governmental organization to recognize your professional skills (ED — Professional Licensure), and it is typically voluntary (BLS).

An evaluation describes your education; it is not permission to practice. Immigration reviews are a separate process; for those, see free immigration legal help.

Step 2 — Check whether your job needs a license in your state

Regulated professions in the U.S. are generally licensed at the state level. The authority that recognizes your education is the licensing board in the state where you plan to work (ED), and the same authority recognizes professional licenses from other countries (ED — Working in the United States).

Three free official tools can help:

1. The CareerOneStop License Finder (U.S. Department of Labor). License requirements vary by state, and you can search any state by occupation or job title, license name, or the state agency that oversees licensing (CareerOneStop — License Finder).
2. ED’s Professional Licensure page. For many professions, it links to state licensing boards and, for some, to information for foreign-educated professionals. ED says the list is not complete and that state licensing boards and professional associations give the most timely and authoritative guidance (ED). If your profession isn’t listed, ED suggests searching online for the profession, the word “license” and the state (ED).
3. The Occupational Outlook Handbook from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, with information on hundreds of U.S. occupations (ED — Working in the United States). A profile may describe the licenses, certifications and registrations an occupation needs (BLS).

To get a license, workers usually need to pass an exam and meet requirements such as a minimum level of education, work experience or training, or complete an internship, a residency or an apprenticeship. Rules can vary by state, even for the same occupation (BLS). A few licenses are federal; ED lists pilots, for example (ED).

If you might move between states, you usually need a separate license for each state where you want to practice. Some states have reciprocity agreements that make this easier, but they vary widely by profession and state (ED — Professional Licensure).

When you find your board, ask:

• Do you evaluate foreign credentials yourselves, or do you require a specific evaluation service?
• Which documents do you need, in what form, and must they come directly from my school?
• Which exams are required, and can I start any steps before I move?

Step 3 — Get a credential evaluation, if you’re asked for one

For a licensed profession, the evaluation may be done by the board itself, by a general credential evaluation service or by a service that focuses on one profession (ED). For other jobs, ask the employer’s human resources office; to study, ask the admissions office (ED).

What ED says about evaluation services (ED — Recognition of Foreign Qualifications):

• There is no federal regulation of credential evaluation services. ED does not endorse or recommend any evaluation service, or any association of services.
• Use the service recommended by the employer, school or licensing authority you are applying to. If none is recommended, you can search online for one yourself.
• Evaluations are done case by case, and different services might evaluate the same credentials differently.
• Services generally require English translations of documents that aren’t in English. Ask the evaluator for its exact requirements.
• Services generally have an appeals process if you disagree with the result. The federal government has no role in these appeals.

Because results can differ, ask the organization that will use your evaluation which service it accepts before you pay.

Planning to study? The State Department’s EducationUSA network has more than 430 advising centers in more than 175 countries and territories (EducationUSA), and ED points to it for people who want to study (ED).

Step 4 — Before you leave: gather and protect your documents

There is no single official checklist: ED says to check the requirements with whoever will evaluate your credentials (ED). As general advice, many people bring:

• original diplomas and degree certificates;
• transcripts or mark sheets for every program you finished;
• course descriptions or syllabi, if your school can provide them;
• your professional license or registration from home, if you have one;
• letters from employers describing your work and its dates.

A few practical tips:

• While you’re still at home, ask your school how to request official transcripts later.
• Ask the evaluator what kind of translation it accepts before you pay a translator.
• If your name is spelled differently on different documents (after marriage, or in a different alphabet), keep the papers that link the names.
• Carry originals with you, not in checked luggage, and keep scanned copies somewhere safe.

Step 5 — While you wait: stay close to your field

• Get free job search help. American Job Centers offer free job search help to everyone. You can meet an employment counselor, take classes and use a computer, and if you have authorization to work in the U.S., they can help you find a job (CareerOneStop — New Americans). There are nearly 2,300 of them (CareerOneStop — American Job Center Finder). See also finding a job.
• Look at related jobs. Occupation profiles in the Occupational Outlook Handbook have a “Similar Occupations” section, with links to jobs that need similar duties or skills (BLS).
• Consider a certification. It shows that you have specific skills or knowledge; you usually need to pass a test, and some employers may require one (CareerOneStop — Certification Finder). It is not a license.
• Build your English and skills. Adult Basic Education providers offer free basic English or math classes, and many also help internationally trained professionals gain U.S. credentials (CareerOneStop — New Americans). See also learning English for free.
• If you study again in the U.S., check accreditation. Some employers, schools and licensing boards only recognize degrees from institutions accredited by an agency that ED recognizes (ED — Diploma Mills and Accreditation).