International Education Research Foundation, Inc.

What International Education Research Foundation, Inc. does

International Education Research Foundation, Inc. (IERF) is a private credentials evaluation service founded in 1969 and headquartered in Culver City, California. The company evaluates foreign educational credentials and issues equivalency reports used by individuals for further education, professional licensure and certification, employment, immigration, and military enlistment in the United States. IERF is recognized as the oldest credentials evaluation service in the U.S., is a founding member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES), and has processed more than 580,000 evaluations across its 55-year operating history. Its customer base is horizontal, comprising individual applicants, universities and colleges, state licensing and certification boards, immigration attorneys, and military recruitment organizations.

IERF's technology stack centers on two proprietary platforms: EvalDirect, an institutional portal enabling universities, licensing boards, employers, and immigration attorneys to submit and manage evaluation requests; and the IERF Vault, a digital resource library housing publications, presentations, video libraries, anatomical guides, and Sepmeyer Award research. The company also operates a public online application portal (apply.ierf.org). The company's core capability is human expertise rather than automation: its evaluator team is proficient in over 20 languages, with most staff having lived or studied abroad. IERF has integrated its intake workflow with seven regional digital credentials platforms — My eQuals (Australia), Digitary (UK/Ireland/Australia), Gradintelligence (UK), TrueCopy Credentials, VFS Global DocsWallet, World Document Services (India), and CSSD (China) — enabling direct digital transmission of academic records.

IERF operates a pay-as-you-go professional services model, charging per-evaluation fees to individual applicants and separate service tiers for institutional clients, with premium pricing on specialized licensure reports for fields such as barbering/cosmetology, massage therapy, and physical therapy. Ancillary revenue is generated through one-time publication sales of reference works including the two-volume New Country Index series (covering 150+ countries), Index of Secondary Credentials, Index of Educational Terms, Index of Academic Calendars & Dates, and Index of Languages. Distribution is digital-first via the website and email-based support, supplemented by two-day on-site and online training workshops for institutional staff. The company runs a global applicant footprint from a single Culver City headquarters with all evaluation staff working remotely; no walk-in service is offered. Revenue, headcount within the 11-50 range, and ownership structure are not publicly disclosed, and the company shows no record of external equity funding.

Name

International Education Research Foundation, Inc.

Legal name

International Education Research Foundation, Inc.

Website

https://ierf.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1969

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

International Education Research Foundation (IERF) is the oldest U.S. credentials evaluation service, producing foreign-education equivalency reports for universities, licensing boards, immigration attorneys, military recruiters, and individuals, with over 580,000 evaluations processed since 1969 via its EvalDirect and IERF Vault platforms.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Credential Evaluation Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (6117)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Credentialing, Academic Credit, Assessment & Transcript Services (EDAIAFAO)

akta.pro secondary industry

Visa Documentation, Translation, Notarization & Apostille Services (EDAIADAD)

Keywords

• Credentials evaluation services
• Foreign credential assessment
• International education evaluation
• Academic credential verification
• Equivalency reporting

Headquarters

HQ city

Culver City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Credentials Evaluation Services: IERF provides credential evaluation reports for individuals and institutions. Evaluation reports are used for further education, professional licensure and certification, employment, immigration, and military enlistment. The company charges service fees for evaluations with specific fees for reassessment, re-evaluation, and document handling.
2. Publications Sales: IERF publishes and sells reference materials including The New Country Index Volume I and II, Index of Secondary Credentials, Index of Educational Terms, Index of Academic Calendars & Dates, and Index of Languages. These publications are sold to colleges, universities, state licensing boards, immigration attorneys, and credential evaluation professionals.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

IERF evaluates foreign educational credentials and issues equivalency reports that map international academic qualifications to U.S. equivalents. Services are delivered to both individuals seeking further education, professional licensure, employment, immigration, or military enlistment, and to institutions (colleges, universities, licensing boards, employers, immigration attorneys) that need third-party verification of foreign credentials. Supporting offerings include proprietary reference publications (Country Index series, Index of Secondary Credentials, Index of Educational Terms, etc.) and training workshops for institutional staff.

Product overview

IERF offers a comprehensive suite of foreign credentials evaluation services organized around a core evaluation platform. The main offerings include the Standard Application for general credential evaluations, Specialized Licensure Evaluations for barbering/cosmetology, massage therapy, and physical therapy fields, and institutional services through EvalDirect™. Supporting the core service are the IERF Vault resource library (containing publications, video library, presentations, and anatomical guides), training workshops for institutional staff, and the Sepmeyer Award for research excellence. IERF Publications include the Country Index series (Volumes I and II), Index of Secondary Credentials, Index of Educational Terms, Index of Academic Calendars & Dates, Index of Languages, and A Guide to International Academic Records—all available through the IERF Vault for credential evaluation professionals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Standard Application Core credentials evaluation service for individuals seeking equivalency reports for their foreign educational credentials, used for further education, employment, professional licensure, immigration, or military enlistment.
• Specialized Licensure Evaluations (Barbering & Cosmetology, Massage Therapy, Physical Therapy) Specialized evaluation reports tailored for state licensing and certification boards in barbering, cosmetology, massage therapy, and physical therapy fields.
• EvalDirect Institutional platform enabling education institutions, licensing boards, employers, and immigration attorneys to request and manage credential evaluations for their applicants.
• IERF Vault Online resource library for credential evaluation professionals offering video library, publications, presentations, anatomical guides, and Sepmeyer Award resources, with complimentary access for registered professionals.
• Training Workshops Two-day intensive country and region-specific training sessions for institutional staff (admissions officers, counselors, registrars) on credentials evaluation methodology, foreign educational systems, and document assessment.
• The New Country Index: Making Sense of International Credentials (Volume I) Reference publication providing educational profiles for 70 countries with tables mapping foreign educational structures to U.S. equivalents, covering primary through tertiary levels plus technical/vocational/professional training.
• The New Country Index: Making Sense of International Credentials (Volume II) Continuation of Volume I providing educational profiles for over 80 additional countries, mapping educational structures to U.S. equivalents including primary through tertiary levels plus technical/vocational/professional training.
• Index of Secondary Credentials Reference publication listing names of secondary credentials from nearly 200 educational systems with sample documents from 35+ systems and explanation of O and A Level variations.
• Index of Educational Terms Glossary publication in 10 major languages plus Farsi in second edition, focusing on terms commonly found on international academic records.
• Index of Academic Calendars & Dates Reference publication providing academic calendars for nearly 100 countries and guidelines for converting different calendar systems.
• Index of Languages Reference publication providing primary languages of instruction for over 200 countries and territories at secondary and postsecondary levels, plus section on English language proficiency examinations.
• Taking Out the Guesswork: A Guide to International Academic Records 174-page e-publication providing guide to different types of academic records worldwide with over 75 sample credentials and documents, covering provisional certificates, attestations and apostilles.
• IERF Credentials Evaluation for Immigration Evaluation services for immigration purposes, including services and fees for attorneys, required documentation, and application processes.
• IERF Evaluation for Military Recruitment Evaluation services specifically designed for military recruitment purposes to assess educational qualifications of foreign nationals seeking military service.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 580,000 evaluations processed with over 5 decades of experience

Named customers9 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• NACES (National Association of Credential Evaluation Services)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIERF is the Founding Member of NACES, a recognizing body for credentials evaluation services in the U.S. NACES sets standards and provides recognition for credential evaluation services.
• NAGAP (The Association for Graduate Enrollment Management)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIERF partnered with NAGAP to produce 'Taking Out the Guesswork: A Guide to International Academic Records' (2019), a 174-page e-publication providing guidance on different types of academic records worldwide.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• TAICEP (The Association for International Credential Evaluation Professionals): TAICEP is a professional association for credential evaluation practitioners that IERF actively engages with through conference participation and training. It is an ecosystem/standards counterpart rather than a competitor, but shapes the practitioner community in which IERF's evaluators participate.

Direct peers

• International Consultants of Delaware (ICD): ICD is a credential evaluation service evaluating foreign academic credentials for U.S. institutions, employers, and immigration purposes — a direct NACES-market peer to IERF with overlapping admissions and immigration evaluation offerings.
• Josef Silny & Associates (JS&A): JS&A is a NACES-member foreign credential evaluation service providing general, course-by-course, and professional reports used for higher-education admissions, licensure, and immigration — directly comparable to IERF's evaluation product set.
• Foundation for International Services (FIS): FIS is a NACES-member credential evaluation service providing general and course-by-course evaluations for higher education, professional licensure, and immigration — directly comparable to IERF in service type and customer base.
• Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE): ECE is a NACES-member credential evaluation service providing general and course-by-course evaluation reports used for U.S. higher education admissions, licensure, and employment — a head-to-head competitor to IERF in the same NACES-recognized evaluation market.
• World Education Services (WES): WES is a NACES-member credential evaluation service evaluating foreign educational credentials for U.S. and Canadian institutions, employers, and licensing bodies — directly comparable to IERF in service scope, customer base, and use cases (admissions, immigration, employment).
• Scholaro: Scholaro (formerly WES GPA calculator and diploma evaluation service) provides online foreign credential evaluation reports with a digital-first model — directly competing with IERF for individual applicants needing U.S. equivalency reports for admissions and employment.
• SpanTran: SpanTran provides credential evaluation reports for international students, professionals, and immigration applicants, with course-by-course and document-by-document evaluations — a direct peer to IERF serving overlapping use cases and customer segments.

Broad incumbents

• AACRAO (American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers): AACRAO is a higher-education association that, through its AACRAO EDGE and International Education services, performs and standardizes credential evaluation — an adjacent incumbent operating in the same admissions-credential evaluation ecosystem as IERF.
• NACES (National Association of Credential Evaluation Services): NACES is the U.S. recognizing body for credential evaluators, of which IERF is a Founding Member. It is the industry-level umbrella organization that sets standards and accredits IERF and its direct peers, shaping the competitive landscape in which IERF operates.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ierforg
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/IERForg
• Facebookfacebook.com/IERF.org
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/international-education-research-foundation-ierf-

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about International Education Research Foundation, Inc.