Whether we call it school, university, college, or something else, we all get an education from somewhere. Credential evaluation organizations such as International Education Evaluations (IEE) receive academic documentation from institutions all over the world. In the context of credential evaluation, an institution is any organization, place, authority, or establishment where someone obtains training or instruction and is awarded a credential upon completion. These credentials can be certificates, diplomas, or degrees.
Many terms appear on credential evaluations that relate to educational institutions. Some of these terms are used interchangeably, yet their meaning can vary depending on the country of education. These differences can create confusion during job interviews, licensure applications, visa applications, or when applying to a college or university. This guide explains the meaning of key terms related to educational institutions in the United States and provides insight into the different types of institutions that exist around the world. It also outlines how IEE interprets and evaluates credentials from these institutions for U.S. equivalency.
Understanding Educational Institutions in the United States
Educational institutions in the United States exist in many forms; they vary based on function, organization, ownership, purpose and so on.
In elementary, middle, and secondary education, students typically attend a school, which can be public, private, religious, or virtual. These schools may be called academies, institutes, or other names, but all must meet state and local educational regulations. After the completion of secondary education at a high school, a student will receive a high school diploma. This diploma is issued by the school and may also feature the name of the state or local authority, such as the New York State Education Department.
At the postsecondary level, a common term used among admission officers, credential evaluators and academics is higher educational institution, or HEI. HEIs can be public, meaning funded and overseen by the government, or privately owned and operated.
The two most common types of HEIs in the U.S. are universities and colleges. A University is typically larger, has a broad selection of departments and programs, and provides opportunities for research at the undergraduate, graduate and doctoral levels. A college, meanwhile, is much smaller in student population, puts less emphasis on research, functions mainly at the undergraduate level, and will often concentrate on liberal arts. Both institutions award degrees, such as Associate’s degrees after 2 or 3 years, Bachelor’s degrees after 4 years, and Master’s or Doctorate degrees for advanced scholarship. For more information about credentials in the United States, please see our blog post on the US educational framework. A career college, meanwhile, is an institution that provides specific vocational training for the purpose of employment directly after completion.
In everyday U.S. usage, “college” is often a general term for any higher education institution. While students in other English-speaking countries might say they are “in university,” American students usually say they are “in college.”
Furthermore, a college can be an internal institution or division of a university with a specific theme, semi-autonomy and even unique reputation. They can host undergraduate, graduate or professionally-oriented study (such as law or medicine). Many large universities will have a “College of Arts and Sciences,” which houses programs of various disciplines. Colleges can also focus on more specific subjects, such as business, nursing, or education, and they may use the words “School,” “Center,” or “College” in their names; examples include the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, the Stern School of Business at New York University or the Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University.
You may see terms like “Faculty” or “Department” at HEIs in the United States, too. A Department refers to a division or unit devoted to a specific subject or academic discipline, such as the History Department, Biology Department or Theatre Department; it is a collection of professors, courses, staff members, resources and students, often located in a building, house or office on the institution’s campus grounds. Meanwhile, the Faculty encompasses the academic staff, from professors to graduate students who teach or assist.
Lastly, a central component of an HEI is accreditation status. Accreditation in the United States refers to permission to provide instructional services and award degrees. If an institution is accredited, then the relevant authority recognizes the institution as meeting its minimum standards, allowing it to be seen as trustworthy or reliable. The relevant authorities come in the form of regional accrediting agencies recognized by the US Department of Education. If an institution does not have recognition from one of these regional accrediting agencies, a degree from there may not be perceived as sufficient or serious for admissions, employment or licensure. The term used in these cases is ‘unaccredited.’
Exploring Types of Educational Institutions Worldwide
If you were educated in any way outside of the United States and wish to receive a credential evaluation, you must submit acceptable documents issued by your institution; a translation may also be required if the institution does not issue your transcript, academic record, diploma or certificate in English. So, what counts as an institution whose credentials or records can be evaluated for a US equivalency? Let’s travel across the world and see what kinds of academic environments, degree-awarding authorities or instructional centers exist, and how IEE interprets them for validating achievements abroad.
Secondary Education Institutions and Exam Boards Across the Globe
It is not surprising to receive transcripts from specific schools; sometimes, the school is called a Lyceum, a Colegio, an institute or something else. However, while students all over the world also attend elementary, middle and secondary schools of various names and types, the final credentials themselves are often awarded by a central authority. Examples include the Ministero dell’Istruzione e del Merito in Italy, the Department of Education in the Philippines or the Ministerio del Poder Popular para la Educación in Venezuela.
In many other countries, the authority will be more localized to the state or province, such as the Ontario Ministry of Education in Ontario, Canada, the Punjab School Education Board in India or the Board of Secondary Education, Karachi in Pakistan.
Another type of institution that issues a secondary-level credential is an examination board. This is an entity, often recognized by or directly underneath a ministry, that takes responsibility for administering examinations in a country, which are used to award a credential and give access to employment or education opportunities. Examples include the Kenya National Examinations Council, the Cameroon General Certificate of Education Board, or the Cambridge Assessment International Education, which is one of 6 major boards in the United Kingdom.
A last kind of secondary-level institution that awards credentials is a multinational examination board. In these institutions, governments from many countries come together and agree to participate in examinations administered by this organization. A popular example is the Caribbean Examinations Council, which has 16 different countries and territories, such as Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and St. Lucia. Another example is the West African Examinations Council, whose members are the Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone.
It is recommended that individuals looking to get their secondary-level credentials evaluated by IEE request their official examination certificates or transcripts from the relevant ministry, board, council or commission rather than internal school transcripts.
Universities, Colleges, and Professional Institutions Worldwide
Beyond secondary, IEE has also come across so many types of post-secondary educational institutions. On our reports, we will often show a distinction between an issuing institution, which formally awards the credential, and a teaching institution, which is the institution the student attended for classes, lectures, laboratories and examinations.
Issuing institutions usually fall under the jurisdiction of a legal authority tasked with regulating education, delivering quality assurance and monitoring compliance. The entity responsible may be a ministry or perhaps an agency under a higher authority; examples include the University Grants Commission in Bangladesh, the Commission for Academic Accreditation in United Arab Emirates and the Quality and Qualifications Ireland. Credential evaluators regularly consult lists, publications and updates from these authorities to best represent the status of the degree-granting institution in the country.
As for the institutions themselves, there are so many different types that IEE has come across in 40+ years of evaluating. The most common one we see is the university. Universities exist all over the world, and they often look similar to the ones we see in the United States. While we see universities from Mexico to Brazil to South Korea with standard departments and faculties like the US, different kinds of universities make appearances for credential evaluation.
In India, there are 5 main types of universities: private, central, deemed-to-be universities (former colleges that gain degree awarding status), state and ‘institutes of national importance,’ such as the elite Indian Institutes of Technology.
Additionally, Indian universities frequently have colleges attached to them; some are ‘affiliated’ colleges, meaning they administer exams and practice instruction, while others are ‘constituent’ or ‘autonomous,’ which mean they have more independence and can issue degree certificates. We see similar practices in other countries. For example, the reputed Imperial College London was a longtime college affiliated to University of London, which has many affiliated institutions. Furthermore, Ghana has many colleges that carry out instruction and examinations, but the final bachelor’s degrees are awarded with a Degree Certificate by institutions like the University of Ghana or Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology.
In some countries, colleges are tailored to a very specific discipline and are used as bases for receiving instruction and practical training, which later results to a qualification in a specific practical field. In Ghana, Nepal or Nigeria, it is common to see transcripts from nursing colleges; a final diploma will be issued by a nursing organization like the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria, which allows the individual to seek licensure and work as a nurse. In Jamaica, IEE frequently sees the “Diploma in Teaching” credential, which is issued by the Joint Board of Teacher Education jointly with University of the West Indies and comes with a transcript from a college specifically focused on teacher training. These Boards or Councils are responsible for oversight, quality assurance and ultimately awarding the credential to be applied to employment.
Government authorities themselves will issue credentials of various kinds as well. The Israeli Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labor issues post-secondary technologically oriented diplomas. The Russian Higher Attestation Commission is the entity where Russian Third-Cycle Doctoral Degrees become conferred.
With respect to education that leads to specific employment and licensure, countries often have an institution designated for overseeing graduate medical and dental specializations. In some cases, it’s a ministry, such as the Turkish Ministry of Health. Pakistan’s College of Physicians and Surgeons awards a Fellowship certificate upon successful completion of advanced training in fields ranging from ophthalmology to cardiology to oral and maxillofacial surgery. These institutions function like a combination of a graduate-level medical or dental training institution plus a certifying board in the United States.
Other professionally focused organizations and awarding bodies present qualifications for evaluation, too; these are organizations that specialize in providing training, examinations and credentials in specific subjects like Marketing, Accounting, Logistics or Technology. One common institution is the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, based in the United Kingdom with approved teaching centers all over the world. Credential evaluators see institutions like this often, and each credential evaluation firm has its own policies on how to interpret credentials from institutions like this.
Lastly, it is not uncommon to see vocational training credentials issued from organizations or authorities deliberately focused on such purpose. Unlike the United States, many countries have a specific vocational learning path for students, leading to specific vocational training credentials in the country of education that hold professional value. Japan has many vocational training colleges that give hands-on practical training experience. Germany, meanwhile, has a specific track starting after lower secondary school in which individuals study at a vocational training center, such as a Fachschule or Berufschule), and receive a credential allows them to pursue employment. Moreover, regional Chambers of Commerce in Germany offer credentials showing proof of competency in a specific profession.
Why Understanding Institutions Matters for Credential Evaluation
The world’s educational institutions are incredibly diverse, and each has its own process for awarding credentials. If you have received a transcript, diploma, or degree from an institution, it may qualify for evaluation and U.S. equivalency. This process can open opportunities for education, immigration, employment, or professional licensure.
Start your credential evaluation with IEE today to discover how your education can be recognized in the United States.
