How Much US Credential Evaluation Costs and What Drives the Price
By Muntasir Minhaz • Published Sep 18, 2026 • Updated Sep 18, 2026
A standard evaluation report costs 95 to 200 US dollars depending on the evaluator and report type, before delivery, extra copies, or rush fees. Course-by-course reports cost more than document-by-document ones, and rush processing adds 30 to 100 percent to the total.
💵 WES: $118 document-by-document, $186 course-by-course, Basic tier, 2026
💵 ECE: $110 general, $199 course by course
💵 The Evaluation Company: $95 general, $190 course, 10 business days standard
📩 Extra copies cost $20 to $58 each depending on the evaluator
⏱️ Rush processing typically adds 30 to 100 percent to the base fee
What sets the base price
Your report type is the biggest single driver of cost. A document-by-document report, which confirms your degree level without listing individual courses, costs less than a course-by-course report, which converts every course, credit, and grade and calculates a GPA. Course-by-course work takes an evaluator more staff time per document, and the price reflects that.
Base fees by evaluator (2026)
| Evaluator | Report | Base price (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| WES | Document-by-Document | $118 |
| WES | Course-by-Course | $186 |
| ECE | General | $110 |
| ECE | General with GPA | $135 |
| ECE | Course by Course | $199 |
| The Evaluation Company | General Analysis | $95 |
| The Evaluation Company | Course Analysis | $190 |
Source: WES , ECE , and The Evaluation Company published fee pages, current as of 2026. Other NACES member agencies set separate schedules, confirm the current fee on the evaluator's own page before ordering.
Membership and package tiers add cost too
WES sells its Basic report alongside a pricier ICAP tier, $171 document-by-document and $239 course-by-course, that adds verified transcript storage and a digital badge. ECE offers a similar Insignia add-on for $45 on top of its base report, which adds a digital badge and certificate and lowers the price of future copies. Skip these tiers if you only need one report submitted once. They suit students who expect to reuse the evaluation for multiple applications or employers over time.
Extra copy fees
Every evaluator charges to send additional copies of the same report to more schools.
WES: $58 per duplicate on the Basic tier, $35 on ICAP.
ECE: $45 for the first extra copy, $30 for each further copy ordered at the same time, reduced to $20 with the Insignia add-on.
If you plan to apply to more than one US school, order all the copies you need at once rather than one at a time, since ordering later usually costs the same or more per copy without saving anything.
Rush and delivery fees
Standard processing is the cheapest option everywhere. Expediting costs extra.
The Evaluation Company: General Analysis rush runs $135 for 5 business days or $160 for 2 business days, against a $95 standard fee, roughly 40 to 70 percent more.
The Evaluation Company: Course Analysis rush runs $270 for 5 days or $420 for 2 days, against a $190 standard fee, roughly 40 to 120 percent more.
ECE: a 5-business-day rush add-on costs $90 on top of the base report.
Delivery is billed separately from processing. WES charges $14 for standard delivery, $19 for US express delivery, and $86 for international courier delivery. Sealed backup envelopes cost $9 each.
Add-ons that raise the total
Verification services, confirming your credential directly with the issuing institution, when your evaluator cannot process a document without it.
Translation, if your documents are not in English. ECE offers a flat $85 translation waiver fee covering all documents in an order instead of per-page charges.
Subject or specialty analysis reports for licensing boards in fields like nursing or engineering. The Evaluation Company prices these individually, its nursing course analysis starts at $400 and engineering at $425.
Why the price differs so much between evaluators
Base fees vary because each evaluator bundles different things by default. Some prices already include a digital copy and one physical copy, others charge for these separately. Staff review time also differs, a course-by-course report that lists 40 individual courses takes longer to check and price than one listing 8, even at the same evaluator. Package tiers like WES ICAP or ECE Insignia add ongoing document storage and digital verification badges to the base price, which raises the sticker price but is not required for a one-time application.
A worked example
Say you need a WES course-by-course report sent to two schools, with standard delivery to each and no rush. That is the $186 base fee, plus one $58 duplicate copy, plus $14 standard delivery charged twice, for a total near $272. Add a third school and the total rises by roughly $72 more for another duplicate and delivery charge. Ordering all your copies in the same initial order avoids paying the base fee again.
Ways to reduce your total cost
Order every copy you need in one order instead of returning later for more.
Use standard processing whenever your deadline allows it, rush fees add the most to your total.
Skip storage or badge package tiers if you only need the report submitted once.
Confirm your program requires course-by-course before paying more for it, a document-by-document report costs less and some schools accept it.
Budgeting for your total cost
Add the base report fee, any copies beyond the first, delivery, and a rush fee only if your timeline requires it. A single course-by-course report sent to one school with standard delivery generally lands between 185 and 230 US dollars depending on the evaluator. Applying to several schools, needing translation, or needing a rush turnaround pushes the total well past that.