Credential evaluation is an assessment or verification of educational and/or professional qualifications. Applicants requesting evaluation of academic qualifications will receive a written report of the assessments. This report will describe each credential submitted and for each credential give the national and/or international equivalent.

Credential evaluation seeks to guard consumers, employers, and other relevant stakeholders from Credential Fraud.

“The Higher Education Opportunity Act defines a diploma mill as follows:

DIPLOMA MILL- The term `diploma mill’ means an entity that–A: offers, for a fee, degrees, diplomas, or certificates, that may be used to represent to the general public that the individual possessing such a degree, diploma, or certificate has completed a program of postsecondary education or training; and: requires such individual to complete little or no education or coursework to obtain such degree, diploma, or certificate; and

B: lacks accreditation by an accrediting agency or association that is recognized as an accrediting agency or association of institutions of higher education…..or other organization or association that recognizes accrediting agencies or associations.”

The dictionary defines a diploma mill as:

“An institution of higher education operating without supervision of a state or professional agency and granting diplomas which are either fraudulent or because of the lack of proper standards worthless”. – Webster’s Third New International Dictionary”

• The formal evaluation of credentials assists the applicant in verifying the merit of one’s academic achievements to current employers, potential employers, college/university admissions officers, and licensing or certification agencies, among others.

• As a trusted quality assurance body, having your credential evaluated by NAECOB creates added value to prior educational experiences and academic qualifications obtained by the application.

NAECOB evaluates the following formal academic credentials:

• Official High School Transcripts

-Student must have completed and graduated fully from a High School.

-Official high school transcript from a locally registered or accredited local secondary education institution of The Bahamas.

-Official high school transcript from an international accredited secondary education institution recognized in The Bahamas.

• Certified Copies of High School Diplomas

-Certified Copies of High School Diploma from a locally registered or accredited secondary education institution of The Bahamas.

-Certified Copies of High School Diploma from an international accredited secondary education institution recognized in The Bahamas.

• Official College/University Transcripts

-Official College/University transcript from a locally registered or accredited post-secondary institution (College/University) of The Bahamas

-Official College/University transcript from an international accredited post-secondary institution (College/University) recognized in The Bahamas

• Certified Copies of College/University Diploma or Degrees.

-Certified Copies of College/University Diploma or Degree from a locally registered or accredited post-secondary education institution of The Bahamas.

-Certified Copies of College/University Diploma or Degree from an international accredited pot-secondary education institution recognized in The Bahamas.

• Certificates

-Certificate obtained from a locally recognized certifying/licensing agency that is registered or accredited institution of The Bahamas.

-Certificate obtained from an international certifying/licensing agency registered or accredited institution recognized in The Bahamas.

You can apply to get your Credentials evaluated via NAECOB’s ‘Credential Evaluation Request Form’ that can be accessed here: https://www.naecob.org/forms-resources

Each fully completed Credential Evaluation Request Form must be accompanied by the following supporting documents:

• Official transcript(s) mailed from the institution or in sealed and stamped envelope from the Institution.
• Clear, certified photocopies of degrees, diplomas, academic certificates, etc. issued by institutions attended and/or awarding bodies.
• Course syllabus, inclusive of course description for all credentials requesting to be evaluated, where applicable.
• Any portfolio of relevant professional experiences where applicable.
• Certified translation of all documents that are not in English (NB: certified photocopies of both the original document issued and the translation are required).

• Credential Evaluation is done on a case-by-case basis and assessed on its own merit; it considers certain areas as the type of academic institutions, its accreditation status, and the country’s educational system that it is located in, among other determined factors.
• Credential Evaluation Officers adhere to set criteria and standards when evaluating the authenticity or equivalency of documents.
• Credential Evaluation Officers utilize a number of research tools and resources to evaluate and verify educational qualifications and equivalencies.
• Credential Evaluation Officers work with a database of precedent cases from previously evaluated information; both internally and from external quality assurance peers (universities, colleges, accreditation bodies & agencies, other evaluation services…etc.)

• NAECOB only evaluates documents that are in English.
• If the original document(s) are not in English then it is the responsibility of the applicant to submit a verbatim translation of the document(s) from one of the evaluation agencies listed on The National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) Group’s website (www.naces.org) that initially evaluates the document’s academic validity in the foreign language.
• Documents in the original language must also be submitted along with the translated version.

• NAECOB employs a number of quality assurance standards to verify educational qualifications and equivalencies; however, there is no guarantee that the applicant’s evaluation report will be recognized by another evaluation agency and/or Institution.
• Academic Institutions reviewing credentials from potential students hold the right to say what evaluation services and agencies they will accept, or if it needs to be done internally by their admissions office…etc.

• NAECOB employs a number of quality assurance standards to verify educational qualifications and equivalencies; however, there is no guarantee that the applicant’s evaluation report will be recognized by another evaluation agency and/or Institution.
• Academic Institutions reviewing credentials from potential students hold the right to say what evaluation services and agencies they will accept, or if it needs to be done internally by their admissions office…etc.

• If the name on the Official transcript, diploma or degree or another documents submitted to NAECOB for credential evaluation is different from the applicant’s current name, then the individual will be required to submit some verifiable ‘proof of legal name change’.

• Any document submitted to NAECOB for Credentials Evaluations review that are determined to be altered or fraudulent will be shared with the relevant authorities and other evaluation agencies’ database. No fees will be refunded to the applicant nor will credentials evaluation report be completed.

• Officially sealed and stamped transcripts are not returned to the applicant; they become property of NAECOB once submitted or opened.

• Applicants are encouraged to bring any questions or concerns about their credential evaluation report to the attention of NAECOB in person or by emailing info@naecob.org. Questions or concerns regarding credential evaluation reports must be emailed within a maximum fifteen (15) days after the report has been received by you. In the Email Include:
• Subject of Email:
• First Name_Last Name_CE (e.g. John_Doe_CE)
• Body of Email:
• Your Full Name
• Date applied for credential evaluation report
• Date completed credential evaluation report was received.
• A brief explanation of your question or concern.
• A NAECOB officer will review your question or concerns for merit and communicate back to you accordingly. Any mistakes made on the part of NAECOB will results in a revised credential evaluation report being done for you at no additional cost.

• NAECOB respects and values your privacy in regards to personal documents submitted to us for review as well as the determined outcomes in the credential evaluation report. All records of the applicant are kept in a secure location to prevent unauthorized access.
• For documents submitted by an employer, results will only be released to the employer.