An earned degree does NOT substitute for verification of the 150 hours. We must compute the total hours earned one course at a time.
FAQs - Academic Credentials Evaluation
We need a complete and accurate Academic Credentials Evaluation Request form (which can be completed in our online system) that shows the chronology of all colleges and universities attended. Applicants from countries that do not claim English as their official language should provide original transcripts (or mark sheets from India and Pakistan) and certification of degrees or diplomas from institutions attended, accompanied by official English translations. We need a transcript from ALL institutions attended. If complete information is not provided, a delay in processing will occur.
Yes, in order to be considered official, all academic records/transcripts must bear a seal, and a signature, in ink, of an authorized official of the institution (such as the Registrar or Recorder of Records). Official documents must be provided from the institution awarding the degree. A photocopy, fax, email, or notarized document is not considered an official document and will not be evaluated.
All candidates presenting international course work must pay the $250 evaluation fee to have their foreign credentials evaluated for the CPA exam. We will waive the $250 evaluation fee if we need to verify ten or fewer hours of international credit toward the 150-hour requirement. However, international documents must still be presented for evaluation. A combination of domestic and international credit requires payment of $250.00.
No, we do our own evaluations based on the original documents and our own standards and polices. A credential evaluation service applies judgments and interpretations based on their own particular standards and polices. An educational institution (college or university) also awards transfer credit based on their own standards and policies.
Evaluations take anywhere from 6-8 weeks to complete, once completed you will receive a letter in the mail with the results. Results can not be given over the phone or email. If more information is required the evaluator will send you a letter requesting the information needed.
No, documents issued in languages other than English, must be accompanied by a certified word-for-word translation into English. In order to qualify as certified, translations must be provided by the issuing educational institution, showing official letterhead, stamps, seals, signatures, etc. or they can be provided by a professional agency. A translation performed by a member of American Translators Association (ATA) is acceptable. An acceptable one for Canada is Association of Translators and Interpreters of Ontario (ATIO).
Yes, you must list on the application and submit the original transcript from the institution where the course was taken.
We accept hours if they are accepted by the institution. We also accept graded course work of A, B, C, or D that has been awarded “earned” by the institution.
Economics, Business Law, Marketing, Finance, Business and Technical Communication, Business Ethics, International Business, Legal and Social Environment of Business, Management, Business/Management Information Systems, Quantitative Methods and Statistic courses taught by the accounting department. All courses are subject to review by the Illinois Board of Examiners.
On the back of the transcript an explanation is given of how hours are computed, and how to do the conversion to semester hours if needed.
Yes, if they are from an accredited institution.
The limitation of six hours of internship or life-experience credit toward meeting the accounting requirement refers to credit earned outside the usual classroom venue that is posted on a transcript. If a candidate has attended a college that awards credit based on evaluation of work and life experience, accounting credits from that evaluation process are limited to six semester hours. The same applies to accounting internships.
Yes, as long as it is posted on the domestic transcript as “study abroad”.
Yes, as long as they are posted on the transcript where the course work was taken.
Courses in progress must be indicated on the evaluation application and must be completed in the current semester or quarter in which you are applying.
We do not award credit for repeated or duplicated classes. Repeated classes are those taken more than once at the same institution. Duplicated classes are courses similar in content and level taken at two different institutions; if you complete Principles of Taxation at Northern Illinois University and take the course again at University of Iowa, we will not award/count the credit hours twice. The policy of the institutions awarding the credit does not supersede the Board’s policy regarding duplicate courses. The only exceptions to the repeated course rule are courses with the same prefix and title that are allowed by the institution for repeat credit and it is clearly stated as policy in their course catalogue.
The letter will tell you specific information on what is needed to complete your evaluation.
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