The short answer is yes, most accredited online colleges in the United States accept international transfer credits, but only after those credits have been formally evaluated by an approved credential evaluation service. The actual answer is more complicated than that, because what counts varies by institution, by degree program, by country of origin, and in some cases by the specific course you took ten years ago at a university the U.S. admissions office has never heard of. This guide walks through the full process: how international credit evaluation works in the U.S. education system, which services to use, which online universities have the strongest infrastructure for international applicants, and the country-specific complications that can trip up an otherwise straightforward application.
The audience for this guide is broadly three groups of people. First, recent immigrants and naturalized U.S. citizens who completed some or all of their college coursework outside the United States and want to finish a degree here. Second, international professionals working in the U.S. on a visa or green card who started college overseas and never completed. Third, U.S. citizens who studied abroad through study abroad programs, lived overseas as expats, or completed military deployments that included foreign coursework. All three populations face essentially the same process for getting international credits evaluated and applied to a U.S. online degree program; the differences are mostly in documentation and country of origin.
If you completed your prior coursework at a U.S. institution, our companion guide to the best online universities with generous transfer credit policies covers the domestic side of transfer credit and provides the broader institutional context. The piece below focuses specifically on what happens when your credits come from outside the U.S. system.
How U.S. Credit Evaluation Works
The U.S. Department of Education does not evaluate foreign academic records for equivalency to U.S. degrees. That responsibility falls to individual institutions of higher education. Some institutions employ in-house evaluators who handle international transcripts directly; most refer applicants to one of approximately 19 private credential evaluation companies that are members of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES), or to one of several members of the Association of International Credential Evaluators (AICE).
The result is a system where the credential evaluation industry effectively functions as the gateway for any international credits attempting to enter the U.S. higher education system. A NACES or AICE member service receives your international transcripts, evaluates them against U.S. academic standards, and produces a written report stating what your credentials are equivalent to in U.S. terms. That report is then submitted to your target online university along with the rest of your application materials. The university makes the final decision on which specific credits transfer and how they apply to your degree program.
Two important points about this system. First, NACES and AICE evaluations are not interchangeable across institutions. Some universities specify which evaluation services they accept by name. Some require evaluations from specific NACES members. Before paying for an evaluation, verify directly with your target online university which services they accept. The current is published online and updated regularly.
Second, the credential evaluation is only the first step. The evaluation service tells the university what your foreign credits are worth in U.S. terms; the university decides whether to accept those credits and apply them to your specific degree plan. These are two separate decisions. A university may receive an evaluation report showing 90 credits of equivalent U.S. coursework and decide to accept only 60 of them based on its own institutional policies, residency requirements, and major-specific course requirements.
Document-by-Document vs. Course-by-Course: The Most Common Mistake
Credential evaluation services offer two main report types. The difference between them is the single most consequential decision in the international transfer process, and ordering the wrong type wastes time, money, and often the application itself.
Document-by-Document Evaluation
This is the basic evaluation. It confirms the institution you attended, the type of degree or credential you earned, the dates of attendance, and the overall U.S. equivalent of that credential. A document-by-document evaluation will state something like “the applicant earned the equivalent of a U.S. bachelor’s degree in business administration from a recognized institution.” It does not provide course-level detail.
This is the right report if you have completed a foreign credential and need to confirm its U.S. equivalency for a non-academic purpose, such as employment, professional licensing, immigration, or graduate school admission where the institution does not require course-level transfer. It is typically the cheaper option, with prices ranging from $110 to $180 depending on the service.
Course-by-Course Evaluation
This is the full evaluation. It lists every course you completed at the foreign institution, translates the title and content into U.S. terms, assigns U.S. semester credit hour equivalents, converts the grade to a U.S. grading scale, and calculates a U.S. GPA equivalent. A course-by-course evaluation produces the line-by-line detail that a U.S. university needs to determine specifically which credits transfer to your degree program.
This is the right report if you want to transfer credits toward a new degree. Most U.S. online universities require a course-by-course evaluation for transfer credit purposes, full stop. The pricing is higher, typically $180 to $280 depending on the service and turnaround speed.
The Mistake That Costs Time and Money
The most common mistake international transfer applicants make is ordering a document-by-document evaluation when they actually need course-by-course. The mistake is understandable because the document-by-document is cheaper and sounds more inclusive (it covers all the documents). But a university that needs a course-by-course will reject the document-by-document, the applicant has to pay again for the correct report, and the application gets delayed by weeks or months. When in doubt, choose course-by-course. It works for nearly all purposes, including domestic transfer credit, graduate school admission, and most professional licensing.
The Major Credential Evaluation Services Compared
NACES has 19 member organizations, but in practice four of them handle the overwhelming majority of evaluations submitted to U.S. universities. Each has distinct strengths, pricing, and turnaround times.
World Education Services (WES)
WES is the largest credential evaluation service in North America, processing more than 200,000 evaluations per year and accepted by 2,500+ institutions and employers across the U.S. and Canada. WES has the broadest institutional name recognition of any service on the list, an internal database of more than 48,000 educational institutions worldwide, and a free WES iGPA calculator that lets you preview your U.S. equivalency before paying. Document-by-document pricing runs around $182; course-by-course runs $233 to $278. Standard turnaround is 7+ business days from receipt of all required documents; real-world end-to-end timing including document collection typically runs 17-28 days. The main limitation is that WES does not provide immigration-specific expert opinion letters for H-1B or other employment-based visa contexts.
Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE)
ECE has been operating since 1980, holds NACES charter membership, and is particularly well-regarded for U.S. and Canadian institutional admissions. ECE’s standard turnaround is 5 business days, with a 5-day guaranteed option for an $80 expedited fee. The course-by-course evaluation is ordered by approximately 66% of customers, making it ECE’s primary product. Pricing tends to run slightly below WES, with course-by-course evaluations around $185 to $220 depending on speed. ECE is the sole official credential evaluator for the American Dental Association and the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, making it particularly important for healthcare-related credential evaluations.
The Evaluation Company (formerly SpanTran)
The Evaluation Company, which operated as SpanTran for many years before rebranding, has been a NACES member since 1996 and is particularly strong for Latin American and Spanish-language credentials. It maintains specialized expertise in Cuban credentials and is often the first choice for credentials from Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean. Pricing and turnaround are comparable to WES and ECE.
Josef Silny and Associates
Josef Silny has been a NACES member since 1989 and is the credential evaluator named most often when U.S. universities specify a single provider by name. It is particularly well-regarded for evaluations of complex or unusual credentials, including credentials from less-documented institutions and credentials with significant gaps in transcript records. Turnaround tends to run slightly longer than WES or ECE, but the willingness to handle difficult cases is the differentiator.
How to Choose
Start with your target university’s stated preferences. Many universities accept any NACES member; some specify particular providers by name. If your university accepts multiple services, the practical choice usually comes down to cost, turnaround speed, and whether the service has documented experience with credentials from your country. For most applicants from large source countries (India, China, Nigeria, the Philippines, Mexico, Brazil, the UK, Germany, France), WES and ECE are the safest defaults. For applicants from Latin America or with Cuban credentials, The Evaluation Company has specialized expertise. For applicants with complex or undocumented credentials, Josef Silny is often the right call.
How Online Universities Apply International Credits
Once your credential evaluation report arrives at the target online university, three institutional decisions determine what actually transfers.
Whether the institution accepts the source as legitimate
U.S. universities only accept transfer credit from foreign institutions that are recognized by their country’s national authority for higher education. Your transcripts must come from an institution officially recognized by its country’s Ministry of Education or equivalent. The credential evaluation service makes this determination as part of the evaluation process; if your foreign institution is not recognized, the evaluation report will say so, and U.S. universities will not accept the credits.
Whether the institution accepts the course equivalencies
Even when source legitimacy is established, the U.S. university must determine that the course content matches its own course offerings closely enough to grant credit. A foreign “Introduction to Psychology” course taught in English in 2018 will almost certainly satisfy a U.S. Intro to Psychology requirement. A foreign “Special Topics in Religious Philosophy” course may not have a clean U.S. equivalent and may transfer only as elective credit, not toward major requirements.
Whether the institution applies the credits to your specific degree plan
This is the same domestic-transfer-credit issue: even when credits are accepted institutionally, residency requirements, major-specific course requirements, credit-by-exam caps, and grade thresholds can reduce the number of credits actually applied to your degree. The general rule is that more flexible programs (general studies, interdisciplinary studies, business administration) accept international credits more readily than specialized programs (nursing, engineering, accounting, education) where licensing requirements drive curriculum rigidity.
Online Universities With the Strongest International Transfer Infrastructure
Among accredited online universities in the U.S., five institutions stand out for their willingness to evaluate and accept international transfer credits at meaningful scale. These are the same institutions that lead on domestic transfer credit acceptance, with extended infrastructure for international applicants.
Thomas Edison State University (TESU)
TESU accepts international transfer credits with a course-by-course NACES evaluation submitted as part of the application. Up to 117 of the 120 credits required for a bachelor’s degree can come from transfer sources, including international credits, which makes TESU the institution with the highest published transfer cap for international applicants in U.S. higher education. TESU’s adult-learner-focused model, MSCHE regional accreditation, and willingness to combine international credits with CLEP, DSST, military training, and prior learning assessment make it the strongest option for international applicants who have accumulated credits across multiple sources. The fully online format, low residency requirement (only two TESU-specific courses), and flexible degree program structures complete the fit.
Excelsior University
Excelsior accepts up to 113 of the 120 credits required for a bachelor’s degree from transfer sources, including international credits with NACES evaluation. The institution has particular strength in nursing completion (RN-to-BSN) for internationally trained nurses, though state nursing board licensure requirements add complexity beyond institutional credit transfer (see the dedicated section on healthcare licensure below). Excelsior’s prior learning assessment infrastructure is also well-developed, which allows international applicants to potentially earn additional credit for college-level professional learning beyond what the credential evaluation captures.
University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC)
UMGC accepts up to 90 transfer credits from any combination of sources, including international credits with NACES evaluation. UMGC has been serving international and military-affiliated students for decades and maintains extensive infrastructure for evaluating international coursework, particularly for applicants whose foreign education was conducted partially in English or who have prior U.S. military training. The 90-credit cap is meaningfully lower than TESU or Excelsior, but UMGC’s broader program catalog, lower cost structure (around $325 per credit for undergraduate, lower for active military and veterans), and broader name recognition make it a stronger fit for some applicants.
American Public University System (APUS)
APUS accepts up to 90 transfer credits and has built specific infrastructure for international military-affiliated students, including those who completed coursework abroad through deployment-related programs, host-nation universities, or partnerships with foreign military academies. APUS pricing is among the lowest of any HLC regionally accredited online institution, and the institution’s roots as American Military University give it deep experience with the documentation challenges international military-affiliated students face. For internationally educated veterans specifically, APUS is often the strongest fit.
Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU)
SNHU accepts up to 90 transfer credits with a C- minimum grade requirement, monthly start dates, and flat $330-per-credit tuition. International credits with NACES evaluation are evaluated alongside domestic credits. SNHU’s scale (nearly 200,000 online students) means the institution has handled international transcripts from essentially every major source country in the world, which reduces the friction in the evaluation process. SNHU is often the strongest choice for international applicants who want a large, well-established program at predictable cost and don’t have unusual transcript complications.
Country-Specific Considerations
Different national education systems present different evaluation challenges. The following sections cover the source countries that generate the largest volume of international transfer applications to U.S. online universities.
United Kingdom
UK credentials are among the most straightforward to evaluate due to the long historical relationship between U.S. and UK higher education. A UK three-year bachelor’s degree typically evaluates to a U.S. bachelor’s degree (with caveats covered in the Bologna section below), and UK course transcripts are generally accepted at face value with course-by-course evaluation. A-Level results may also be evaluated for U.S. credit at some institutions. UK universities use a class-based grading system (First Class, Upper Second 2:1, Lower Second 2:2, Third) that NACES services convert to U.S. GPA equivalents.
India
Indian credentials present several complications. The traditional Indian three-year bachelor’s degree is the most common stumbling block: it does not always evaluate to a U.S. bachelor’s degree, particularly for graduate admission purposes. Some institutions accept the three-year degree at face value, others require a master’s degree or additional coursework to bridge the gap. For online undergraduate transfer purposes, the three-year degree is generally accepted as substantial transfer credit even if it doesn’t equal a full U.S. bachelor’s. India’s recent shift toward four-year undergraduate degrees under the National Education Policy 2020 will gradually reduce this complication for future graduates. Indian transcripts may also require institutional verification beyond the standard credential evaluation due to historical documentation fraud concerns; WES has automated verification systems for major Indian universities.
China
Chinese credentials require verification through the China Higher Education Student Information and Career Center (CHESICC) or the China Academic Degrees and Graduate Education Development Center (CDGDC) before NACES evaluation. This adds a layer of process but produces highly reliable verified records. Chinese four-year bachelor’s degrees generally evaluate cleanly to U.S. bachelor’s degrees. Course transcripts from major Chinese universities are well-documented and translate clearly into U.S. course equivalents. The main complication is timing; the CHESICC verification process can add 4-6 weeks to the overall evaluation timeline.
European Union and the Bologna Process
Most European countries operate under the Bologna Process three-cycle structure: a three-year bachelor’s degree (180 ECTS credits), a one-to-two-year master’s degree (60-120 ECTS), and a doctoral degree. Whether a Bologna-compliant three-year bachelor’s evaluates to a U.S. bachelor’s depends on the receiving institution’s policy. Some U.S. universities accept it at face value; others require additional coursework or a master’s degree to bridge the gap. The 2025 AACRAO position represents a middle ground: Bologna three-year degrees are more often recognized for graduate admission purposes than in past decades, but the recognition is institution-by-institution and program-by-program rather than uniform. For undergraduate transfer purposes, Bologna credits transfer in substantial blocks, but completion of a U.S. bachelor’s typically requires additional U.S.-based coursework.
Note that ECTS credits use a different scale than U.S. credits. One ECTS credit represents approximately 25-30 hours of student work, while one U.S. semester credit typically represents approximately 45 hours. The conversion is not a simple multiplier and is handled by the credential evaluation service.
Canada
Canadian credentials evaluate cleanly to U.S. credentials in most cases. The Canadian education system is structurally similar to the U.S. system, with three- or four-year bachelor’s degrees and similar credit hour structures. Provincial variation is significant, particularly for Quebec credentials, which include the CEGEP system (a two-year pre-university program between high school and bachelor’s degree) that requires specific handling. Most U.S. online universities treat Canadian credits with relatively low friction, including for nursing and other licensure-sensitive programs.
Latin America and the Caribbean
Latin American credentials vary significantly by country. Mexican licenciatura degrees typically evaluate to U.S. bachelor’s degrees and transfer relatively cleanly. Brazilian credentials, while documented well, often use Portuguese transcripts that require translation. Cuban credentials present specific complications due to political and documentation history; The Evaluation Company has particular expertise in Cuban credentials and is the most common recommendation for Cuban applicants. Caribbean credentials vary by country and by whether the institution follows the British, American, or French academic tradition. For applicants from these regions, working with a credential evaluation service with regional expertise (The Evaluation Company, ECE, or Josef Silny) generally produces better outcomes than working with a service that handles all regions generically.
Philippines
Philippine credentials are well-documented and well-recognized in U.S. higher education due to the long historical relationship between U.S. and Philippine education systems. Philippine four-year bachelor’s degrees and master’s degrees evaluate cleanly to U.S. equivalents. Nursing credentials specifically receive substantial attention from U.S. nursing licensure boards (many U.S. NCLEX-passing nurses are Philippine-educated), and the credential evaluation process for nursing is well-established.
Special Cases: When International Transfer Gets Complicated
Foreign-Trained Nurses and U.S. State Licensure
Internationally educated nurses face a more complex pathway than other international transfer applicants. The credential evaluation establishes academic equivalency, but U.S. nursing licensure requires passing the NCLEX-RN exam, and eligibility to sit for NCLEX is determined by individual state boards of nursing rather than the credential evaluation service or the university. The Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS) handles credential evaluation for foreign-trained nurses; many U.S. state boards require CGFNS evaluation specifically rather than general NACES evaluations. For nurses planning to complete a U.S. BSN or MSN program online, the right approach is to verify state board requirements first, complete the CGFNS evaluation, and then apply to the online program. Our guide to accredited online nursing programs for working adults covers the broader online nursing landscape and applies once licensure questions are resolved.
Three-Year Bachelor’s Degrees and Graduate Admission
If your goal is graduate admission rather than undergraduate transfer, the three-year bachelor’s degree complication is significant. U.S. graduate programs traditionally require a four-year U.S. bachelor’s degree or foreign equivalent for admission. Whether a three-year Bologna or Indian bachelor’s degree counts as equivalent varies by institution and by program. The general pattern: graduate programs at large research universities tend to be more flexible, particularly when the applicant’s credential evaluation demonstrates strong academic performance and adequate coursework depth in the target field. Graduate programs at smaller institutions and professional licensure programs tend to be more rigid. If you have a three-year bachelor’s degree and your goal is U.S. graduate school, verify program-specific requirements before applying.
Engineering Programs and ABET Accreditation
Engineering programs in the U.S. seeking ABET accreditation have specific curriculum requirements that limit how international engineering credits can be applied. A foreign engineering degree typically requires substantial U.S. coursework to satisfy ABET requirements, even when the foreign credential is academically equivalent. International engineering applicants pursuing professional licensure (PE) in the U.S. face additional state-by-state requirements beyond academic credit transfer. For engineering majors specifically, consult both the credential evaluation service and the target university’s engineering program before assuming international credits will apply.
Education Degrees and Teacher Licensure
Foreign teacher preparation programs typically do not satisfy U.S. state teacher licensure requirements, even when the foreign credential is evaluated as equivalent to a U.S. bachelor’s degree. Each state has its own teacher certification process, and most require completion of state-approved teacher preparation coursework regardless of foreign credentials. International transfer to U.S. online education programs is feasible for non-licensure tracks (educational leadership, curriculum design, instructional design) but limited for licensure-track programs.
Older Credits and Credit Age Limits
Many institutions impose credit age limits, particularly in fast-changing fields like computing, technology, and certain healthcare specializations. International credits more than 10 years old may not be accepted, particularly in fields where the underlying knowledge has substantially evolved. If your foreign coursework was completed 15+ years ago, verify age limit policies at target institutions before paying for credential evaluation.
Step-by-Step Process for International Transfer Applicants
The following sequence produces the cleanest outcome for international transfer applicants to U.S. online universities.
Step 1: Identify your target online universities.
Identify 3-5 accredited online universities offering programs aligned with your goals, with a focus on institutions known for transfer-friendly policies. The five institutions profiled above (TESU, Excelsior, UMGC, APUS, SNHU) are reasonable starting points. The complete guide to earning an accredited online degree as an adult learner covers the broader institutional evaluation framework that applies across any online program selection.
Step 2: Contact each university’s international admissions office.
Ask three specific questions: which credential evaluation services do you accept, do you require course-by-course or document-by-document evaluation, and what is your maximum transfer credit acceptance for international applicants. Get answers in writing if possible.
Step 3: Gather your foreign transcripts and academic records.
Request official transcripts from every foreign institution you attended. Some countries require transcripts to be sent in sealed envelopes directly from the institution to the credential evaluation service; others permit electronic delivery through verified platforms like Digitary Core, MyCreds, or Parchment. Verify country-specific document requirements with your chosen credential evaluation service before requesting documents.
Step 4: Order the credential evaluation.
Order a course-by-course evaluation from the NACES or AICE member service that all your target universities accept. Provide your reference number to each foreign institution requesting transcript transmission to the service. Expect 17-28 days end-to-end for most cases; longer for credentials from countries with verification requirements like China (CHESICC) or India (institutional verification).
Step 5: Apply to your target universities.
Submit applications with the credential evaluation report attached or arrange for the evaluation service to send the report directly to each university. Some services (including WES) offer free secondary delivery to additional institutions after the initial report is completed; others charge per delivery.
Step 6: Request formal transfer credit evaluations from admitted universities.
After admission, each university will produce a transfer credit evaluation showing specifically which credits transfer and how they apply to your degree plan. Compare these evaluations carefully across institutions before making an enrollment decision. The differences between admitting institutions can be 15-30 applicable credits, which translates to thousands of dollars in saved tuition.
Cost and Timeline
The full international transfer credit process typically costs $200 to $500 for the credential evaluation alone, plus document transmission fees from foreign institutions (variable, often $20-$100 per institution), certified translation costs if any documents are not in English ($25-$50 per document for most services), and the standard application fees at each target university. Total upfront cost before tuition typically runs $400 to $800 for most international transfer applicants.
Timeline-wise, the credential evaluation itself takes 5 to 28 business days depending on the service and any country-specific verification requirements. Document collection from foreign institutions can take 2 to 8 weeks depending on the country and the institution’s procedures. University application review and transfer credit evaluation typically takes 2 to 6 weeks after submission. Plan for 8 to 16 weeks total from starting the credential evaluation process to receiving admission decisions and final transfer credit applications. Apply at least one semester ahead of your intended enrollment to avoid timing pressure.
For broader financial-aid context applicable to all online students, including international applicants who have established U.S. residency, our FAFSA for online students guide covers the federal aid application process.
Related Reading
For institutional context on accreditation, the what to look for in an accredited online university guide covers regional vs. national accreditation, programmatic accreditation, and the specific accreditation signals that matter most for transfer credit acceptance and graduate school eligibility.
For accreditation verification, the confirms regional accreditation status for any U.S. institution and is a useful cross-check after identifying potential schools.
For adult learners returning to education after a significant break, our returning to college after 30 guide covers the broader process of resuming education later in life, much of which applies equally to international transfer applicants.
And for the foundational evaluation framework that applies to any online degree program, the complete guide to earning an accredited online degree as an adult learner walks through accreditation, program selection, and cost considerations.
Finding the Right Online Program for Your International Credits
Online colleges in the U.S. do accept international transfer credits, but the process requires deliberate sequencing: identify target schools, confirm credential evaluation requirements, order the right evaluation report, submit complete documentation, and compare transfer credit decisions across admitted institutions before enrolling. The five institutions profiled above represent the strongest infrastructure for international applicants, but the right choice for any individual student depends on country of origin, target degree program, credit portfolio, and timeline.
To explore accredited online programs aligned with your goals and credit portfolio, use the 国产第一福利影院草草 online program explorer to compare options across the schools profiled here and beyond.
