NACES vs AICE: Which Credential Evaluation Agencies US Schools and Employers Accept
By Muntasir Minhaz • Published Sep 18, 2026 • Updated Sep 18, 2026
NACES and AICE are the two associations of credential evaluation agencies that US schools, licensing boards, and employers trust. NACES lists 18 member agencies as of August 2026, while AICE splits its members into Endorsed and Affiliate tiers.
🎓 NACES formed in 1987 as a trade association for evaluation services
AICE Endorsed Members meet stricter evaluation and reporting standards than Affiliate Members
Most US universities and licensing boards name a NACES or AICE member as an accepted evaluator
Check your target school's own admissions page before you pay any evaluator
What NACES membership means
The National Association of Credential Evaluation Services, or NACES, started in 1987 as a trade association for companies that evaluate foreign academic credentials for use in the United States. As of August 2026, NACES lists 18 member agencies , including World Education Services (WES), Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE), Josef Silny and Associates, and The Evaluation Company, formerly known as SpanTran.
Membership means the agency follows the association's shared expectations for how it researches foreign education systems and writes equivalency reports. Universities, state licensing boards, and government offices that accept outside evaluations often point applicants to the NACES list instead of vetting individual companies themselves.
What AICE membership means
The Association of International Credential Evaluators, or AICE , is the other recognized group. AICE splits its membership into two tiers.
Endorsed Members must meet defined standards for evaluation methodology and report quality. Affiliate Members support the field, through research or related services, without producing equivalency reports themselves.
Some schools that do not mention NACES by name accept a report from an AICE Endorsed Member instead. A smaller group accepts either association, and some name individual agencies directly rather than pointing to an association at all.
Why the distinction matters
Universities, licensing boards, and employers handling work visa petitions rarely accept a report from any company that markets itself as a credential evaluator. Many name NACES or AICE Endorsed membership as a requirement, because agencies in these groups agree to shared standards for how they grade and describe foreign transcripts against US equivalents.
Ordering from an agency outside both lists risks a rejected report. The school or board sends you back to order again from an approved evaluator, adding weeks to your timeline and a second fee.
This matters most for professional licensing, such as nursing and engineering boards, and for employment-based immigration cases where US Citizenship and Immigration Services reviews the evaluation as part of a petition. These reviewers check the evaluator's credentials as closely as they check yours.
NACES vs AICE at a glance
| Feature | NACES | AICE |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 1987 | Trade association, positions itself as "Setting the standard" |
| Members as of Aug 2026 | 18 agencies | Endorsed and Affiliate tiers |
| All members evaluate credentials | Yes | Endorsed members only |
| How schools usually reference it | Named directly in admissions requirements | Named as an accepted alternative |
How to confirm before you pay
Do this before you order any evaluation report.
Open your target school's international admissions page and search for "credential evaluation" or "NACES."
Read the exact wording. Some schools list specific agency names instead of an association.
Email the international admissions office if the page is unclear, and ask which agencies they accept.
Check the agency against the current NACES member list or the AICE Endorsed Members directory, since membership changes over time.
For professional licensing boards, confirm directly with the board rather than the school. Some boards name a single required evaluator instead of accepting any NACES or AICE member.
Save the confirmation you receive, whether from a webpage screenshot or an email reply, in case a question comes up later about which agency you were told to use. Admissions and licensing staff change, and a written record protects you if a later reviewer questions your choice of evaluator.
The 18 current NACES member agencies
As of August 2026, NACES lists these member agencies: Academic Evaluation Services, Center for Educational Documentation, Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE), Educational Records Evaluation Service, Foundation for International Services, Globe Language Services, International Consultants of Delaware, International Education Research Foundation, The Evaluation Company, World Education Services (WES), Center for Applied Research Evaluation and Education, Educational Perspectives, Foreign Academic Credential Service, Global Credential Evaluators, Institute of Foreign Credential Services, International Education Evaluations, Josef Silny and Associates, and Transcript Research.
Not every school works with every agency on this list, even though all 18 hold the same NACES membership. Some universities set up direct electronic delivery with only one or two of these companies, so check which ones your target school actually names.
Common mistakes to avoid
Ordering from an evaluator that is not on either list because it ranked high in a search engine.
Assuming every NACES member offers the same report types and prices, when fees and turnaround vary by agency.
Paying for a rush report before confirming the school's actual deadline for receiving it.
Not saving a copy of the finished report, which you may need again for a different school, employer, or visa application.
If you already ordered from the wrong agency
Contact your target school's admissions office and ask if it will accept the report you already have. Some schools review reports case by case even outside their usual list. If not, order a new report from an approved agency and keep the first report for your own records, since some employers or visa applications later ask for a general foreign credential comparison rather than the exact agency the school required.