What Educational Credential Evaluators does

Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc. (ECE) is a nonprofit, public service organization founded in 1980 and headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The company evaluates academic credentials earned outside the United States and Canada, producing reports that establish U.S. or Canadian equivalency for international students, professionals, immigrants, and military enlistees. ECE is a charter member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) since 1987 and reports are accepted by over 2,000 institutions and licensing bodies.

The core product portfolio comprises multiple report types (Course by Course, General, General with GPA, and High School plus University Course by Course) priced from $110 to $244, with specialty reports for nurses ($300-$400), Global Partnership Insights ($300-$700), and institutional services such as Document Authentication and Subject Analysis. Add-on services include ECE Insignia (digital badge via Accredible) and ECE Translation Waiver. Distribution combines a self-service online portal for individual applicants with direct institutional sales supported by regional Client Solutions Managers, integrations with Liaison's centralized application services (CAS), Slate CRM, and electronic credential networks across Canada, Australia/New Zealand, the UK, and India. The proprietary methodology relies on a 45-year global document reference library and evaluation staff with over 500 years of combined experience and average tenure of nearly 14 years.

Revenue mechanics are primarily transactional per-report fees supplemented by add-ons, rush service, report copies, and the recently introduced ECE Connection Advantage subscription for credential evaluation professionals. ECE holds exclusive evaluator positions with the American Dental Association and the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, supporting CLIA/CAP-regulated healthcare credentialing. The organization is led by a five-person executive team (Leigh Peine, Margaret Wenger, Naomi Spring, Sheree Yates, Stacey Riley), has no parent company, and reports revenue figures are not publicly disclosed.

Name

Educational Credential Evaluators

Legal name

Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc.

Website

https://ece.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE) is a Milwaukee-based nonprofit founded in 1980 that evaluates foreign academic credentials for U.S. and Canadian equivalency. It serves international students, healthcare professionals, immigrants, and military enlistees through NACES-recognized reports accepted by 2,000+ institutions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Educational Credential Evaluation Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Support Services (6117)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Out-of-State / International Credential Evaluation & Reciprocity Offices (EDADAJAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Transcript, Verification & Credential Services (EDALAAAK), Awarding Organizations & Credentialing Bodies (Certificates/Diplomas) (EDADAFAC), Credential, Education & Professional License Verification (BPAKAEAI)

Keywords

• Foreign credential evaluation
• Academic credential assessment
• Transcript evaluation services
• International education verification
• Credential authentication services

Headquarters

HQ city

Milwaukee

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Credential Evaluation Reports: One-time fees charged for credential evaluation reports. Report types include General ($110-$180), General with GPA ($135-$180), Course by Course ($199-$244), and High School and University Level Course by Course ($235). Additional revenue from report copies, rush service, and add-on services.
2. ECE Insignia Package: $45 add-on package providing digital certificate and badge plus discounted report copies ($20 each vs. standard $30-$45) for the five-year report availability period.
3. Nursing Credential Evaluation Assessment: Specialized credential evaluation reports for internationally educated nurses: $400 for Initial RN Licensure CEA Report, $300 for Endorsement RN Licensure CEA Report, and $100 for English Language Proficiency Report add-on.
4. Global Partnership Insights: Institution and program evaluation services: $300 for Institution Review and $700 for Program Review (up to two programs).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Educational Credential Evaluators produces credential evaluation reports that compare international academic credentials to U.S. and Canadian educational standards. Report types include General ($110-$180), General with GPA ($135-$180), Course by Course ($199-$244), and High School and University Level Course by Course ($235), with specialized variants for nurses, healthcare workers, and institutional clients. The reports support admission to U.S./Canadian institutions, professional licensure, immigration applications (H-1B, Green Card), U.S. military enlistment, and employment verification.

Product overview

Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE) provides credential evaluation services that compare international academic credentials to U.S. and Canadian educational standards. The core product portfolio includes multiple report types (Course by Course, General, General with GPA, High School and University Level Course by Course, Document Authentication, Subject Analysis, and Exclusive Use Reports) with add-on services such as ECE Insignia (digital badge/certificate), ECE Translation Waiver (document translation), and premium resources through ECE Connection Advantage. Specialized offerings include Credential Evaluation Assessment (CEA) Reports for internationally educated nurses and Healthcare Compliance Reports for CLIA/CAP requirements. For institutions, ECE offers the ECE Dispatch platform for managing reports and the Global Partnership Insights program for evaluating institutions and programs. The company supports multiple electronic document integration services for seamless document submission.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ECE Dispatch™: Secure access to ECE reports and educational documents in one convenient PDF document for institutions
• ECE Select Application™
• ECE Insignia™
• ECE Translation Waiver™
• Global Partnership Insights™ (GPI)
• ECE Connection
• ECE Connection Advantage

Products and services

• Course by Course Report Comprehensive credential evaluation report listing courses, credits, grades, and grade average for each credential with U.S. equivalence and identification of upper-level courses. The #1 selling report, ordered by approximately 60% of customers. Price: $199-$244.
• General Report Basic credential evaluation report providing U.S. equivalence for each educational credential without individual course, grade, or GPA evaluation. Price: $110-$180.
• General with GPA Report Evaluation report that includes grade average for each university level credential (or high school if no university study). Provides GPA without individual course breakdown. Price: $135-$180.
• High School and University Level Course by Course Report Comprehensive evaluation report providing unit (high school) and credit (university level) equivalents along with grade information for both high school and university studies. Price: $235.
• Document Authentication Report Institutional-only report confirming academic document authenticity through review of security features, validation of formats and signatures, analysis of electronic document sources, comparison against official samples, and direct contact with issuing institutions.
• Subject Analysis Report Specialized report for licensing boards or institutions requiring specific information about course content, grade average for university credentials, and detailed subject matter analysis.
• Exclusive Use Reports Reports prepared using academic documents provided by the requesting institution, which may include photocopied, scanned, or incomplete documents. Available only to institutions and organizations with discounted pricing.
• ECE Insignia Digital certificate and badge add-on package enabling secure sharing of credential evaluation summaries via social media, LinkedIn, email signatures, or webpages. Includes $20 report copies (vs. standard $30-$45). Price: $45.
• ECE Translation Waiver Translation service add-on allowing applicants to submit documents without professional English translations. ECE handles all translation work for evaluation purposes only. Price: $85 flat fee.
• Credential Evaluation Assessment (CEA) Report for Nurses Specialized report for internationally educated nurses seeking U.S. RN licensure or endorsement, supporting Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, North Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming boards. Includes Initial RN Licensure ($400), Endorsement RN Licensure ($300), and optional English Language Proficiency ($100) variants.
• Healthcare Compliance Reports Evaluation reports helping internationally educated healthcare workers meet CLIA and CAP compliance requirements for foreign-trained personnel. Supports ADA, NABP, and various healthcare associations.
• Global Partnership Insights: Institution Review Report evaluating institution recognition and accreditation status, recognizing authority, and dates of status changes for partnership, credit transfer, and recruitment decisions. Price: $300.
• Global Partnership Insights: Program Review Report providing course and subject lists, U.S. equivalence, equivalent semester hours, upper-level course identification, and recommended grade conversion. Price: $700, covering up to two programs (additional programs $150 within six months).
• ECE Dispatch Secure platform for institutions to access ECE reports and educational documents in one convenient PDF. Enables institutions to order reports on behalf of applicants with discounted pricing.
• ECE Select Application Dedicated landing page allowing applicants to order discounted reports and send free digital copies to participating institutions.
• ECE Connection Advantage Premium subscription offering exclusive resources, tools, and dedicated support for credential evaluation professionals (the free ECE Connection hub is a non-paid resource and is excluded from this paid product listing).
• Centralized Application Services (CAS) Reports ECE reports produced through approved Centralized Application Service integrations including AHCAS, ADEA AADSAS, ADEA CAAPID, BusinessCAS, EngineeringCAS, GradCAS, PharmGrad, PhORCAS, UNMC CAS, UNMC IPAP, and UTSA CAS.

Quantifiable outcome

• 93% of surveyed applicants gave ECE an A rating
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration13 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• NACES (National Association of Credential Evaluation Services)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1987ECE is a charter member of NACES since the association's founding in 1987. The professional staff at ECE have held various offices within the NACES Board of Directors as well as multiple committee assignments to assist with the association's vision and mission.
• American Dental Association (ADA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerECE is the exclusive evaluator for the ADA, providing foreign credential evaluations for dentists applying for the NBDHE, INBDE, ADAT, and DCLOSCE examinations.
• National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerECE is the exclusive evaluator for NABP, providing credential evaluation reports for foreign-educated pharmacists applying to the FPGEC Certification Program.
• United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUSCIS recommends credential evaluation reports for almost all visas requiring applicants to have the equivalent of a U.S. bachelor's degree or higher, including H-1B and Green Card applications.
• Liaison (Centralized Application Services)coreTechnology or IntegrationECE is an approved provider of credential evaluations for multiple CAS platforms including AHCAS, ADEA AADSAS, ADEA CAAPID, BusinessCAS, EngineeringCAS, GradCAS, PharmGrad, PhORCAS, UNMC CAS, UNMC IPAP, and UTSA CAS.
• New York University (NYU)majorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorECE provides credential evaluation services for NYU Admitted Undergraduate Students from outside the United States.
• Excelsior UniversitymajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorECE provides credential evaluation services for Excelsior University students seeking international credits for admission into all undergraduate programs, except nursing.
• SlatemajorTechnology or IntegrationECE is a Silver Preferred Partner with Slate CRM, offering integrated application processing with ECE Select Application landing pages for Slate-using institutions.
• American Physical Therapy AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerECE has proudly supported the association for years, providing credential evaluation services for physical therapy professionals.
• American Speech Language Hearing AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerECE has supported the association by providing credential evaluation services for speech language hearing professionals.
• AccrediblemajorTechnology or IntegrationAccredible hosts the ECE Insignia digital certificate and badge platform, enabling secure digital credential sharing with QR code verification and LinkedIn integration.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• International Education Evaluations (IEE): NACES-member foreign credential evaluation service offering general, course-by-course, and professional reports to international students and professionals—an identical competitive set to ECE.
• World Education Services (WES): The largest NACES-member foreign credential evaluation service serving U.S. and Canadian institutions, healthcare, and immigration applicants—the most direct competitive counterpart to ECE across the same report types and customer segments.
• AACRAO International: Operates a NACES-recognized foreign credential evaluation service through AACRAO International, serving international applicants to U.S. colleges and universities with overlapping report offerings.
• Educational Records Evaluation Service (ERES): NACES-member foreign credential evaluation service offering course-by-course and general reports to international applicants, providing the same core service as ECE for U.S. admissions.
• Foreign Credentials Service of America (FCSA): NACES-member evaluator serving international applicants with general and course-by-course reports, directly overlapping ECE's core applicant-facing service.
• SpanTran: NACES-member credential evaluation service providing course-by-course and general evaluations for international applicants to U.S. institutions, directly competing with ECE on report types and pricing.
• Josef Silny & Associates: Established NACES-member foreign credential evaluation service, particularly active with international students applying to Florida institutions, competing in the same course-by-course segment.

Broad incumbents

• Parchment (Instructure): Major electronic credentials and transcript network with which ECE already integrates; competes indirectly by enabling institutions to verify and exchange credentials digitally without a NACES report.
• ETS (Educational Testing Service): Large nonprofit assessments and credentials organization; while not a NACES peer, it operates adjacent services (TOEFL, credential verification) touching the same international applicant journey.

Emerging players

• Scholaro: Online-focused credential evaluation service offering WES-equivalent course-by-course reports with a digital-first delivery model, competing for price-sensitive applicants in the same end market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC6wsMV0mdYom9VDF1wWaF6A
• Facebookfacebook.com/ECEreports
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/educational-credential-evaluators
• Instagraminstagram.com/ece.reports

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Educational Credential Evaluators