American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the responseIf no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]
Complaint: ***
I am rejecting this response because:Each time I sent the documents, nobody told me they were incompleteEach time I have to complain on Revdex.com in order for the business to tell me something is incompleteIf nobody even looked at the documents for two weeks to a month, then seven days promise makes no sense because the business could always use the excuse of incomplete documents to delay the process forever, not to mention they did not even send me a response until I complained on Revdex.com
Regards,
*** ***

AACRAO is the only evaluation agency accepted by my license agencyI have no choice but use AACRAOOnce I submitted the application, it took my money at no timeHowever, despite it promised turn around time of business days, I have waited more than weeks, still have no resultsNobody answers the custom service number list on their websiteNo response for email inquiry, with the exception if your question is regarding to the service that needs to pay more money, you will get respond right away and instruct you how to pay moneyworst servicedo not use AACRAO if you have other choice

Dear [redacted],
We have explained multiple times that the evaluation completed for you is based off of the records presented.  Please review the following company policy regarding Course by Course and Basic evaluations.  The following policy is also highlighted on our website:
"Course-by-Course evaluations can only be done for studies that are comparable to university-level study in the United States. If it has been determined that your studies are not university-level, or if the institution you attended is not recognized in your country, we will only complete a basic statement of comparability, rather than a course-by-course evaluation."
Your academic studies are not comparable to post-secondary level education and therefore, a Basic Statement of Comparability was completed.  We have already refunded you the difference.  There will be no further refunds. 
Regards,
-Tiffany H**
Associate Director, Marketing, AACRAO IES

There were problems with mailing and they blame the customers for not receiving. They even state they will never attempt to resend it to your address if it's not received on the second attempt.
Moreover, they do not answer their phone. I had my phone on redail for 15 minutes and it was never answered.
Lastly, they do not provide GPA equivalent for their foreign transcript evaluations.

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]
 Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because: While I understand these are the standards that are put in place, they have not been justified. In New Zealand an honours degree leads to a Masters degree which is then completed in 12 months unlike the Masters programs that I am applying for here which are ~21 months. So what you are asking of me is to complete another year of more in depth study than any of my peers followed by ANOTHER year for a US masters. I fail to see how that is deemed "comparable". I am not asking that AACRAO grant me a degree but merely recognize that I have already been granted a degree by a well respected institute. Frankly you have been unable to provide any specific examples as to why mine is not comparable apart from the length of study which as I was told in an email from AACRAO itself, is not the deciding factor in whether or not a degree is comparable. In the evaluation, under section 14, there are multiple options. One of which is e) a bachelors degree. I am unable to understand why, when all of my documentation has clearly shown that I have been granted a bachelors degree (complete with multiple courses that are almost twice the credit value of US undergraduate classes), I am unfit to have a check mark next to option e. Perhaps your standards need reevaluation if you are unable to explain why they are the way they are. I'm sorry but as an educated individual I refuse to accept the "because I said so" response. I feel that I deserve valid justification that cannot be disputed given that this is my livelihood on the line. 
Regards,
[redacted]

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]
 Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because I did NOT receive FULL refund. As I mentioned in my previous response, AACRAO cannot charge me for something that I did NOT order. You acknowledging that the report AACRAO provided me is NO use to me underlines that I did NOT receive what I ordered. Also, as I mentioned in previous response there were EXTENSIVE email communication between me and AACRAO representative and NO ONE notified me at anytime that the service I requested cannot be completed. Please refund the FULL amount I paid. AACRAO already wasted my time on the evaluation that you cannot provide and delayed my application to graduate school. I already contacted the other agency to complete course-by-course evaluation.
Regards,
[redacted]

Dear [redacted],We understand that you were not satisfied with the amount of time it took to complete your file.  Professional Licensure files take longer to complete than others due to the extensive research required on the nature of the program.  We apologize for any delays in the processing of your file.  To accommodate you for the inconvenience, we have refunded you in full.  Please allow a few days for the refund to reflect on your bank statement.  Sincerely,-Tiffany H**Associate Director, Marketing, AACRAO IES

Contacted the applicant via email.  File was completed on July 1, 2014 at 10:39 AM (EST) and sent via overnight [redacted] to the applicant's indicated address.  Tracking number - [redacted].

[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], however I do have a few questions? AACRAO already have the only copies of the transcripts from the schools in JA, my question is all I would need to do is pay the $195 to get the course by course evaluation done?  And if so after I pay the new fee would I need to state that they already have the documents and refer to my old reference number? how would that work.
Regards,
[redacted]

Dear [redacted],
I have sent you an email expressing what it is we need from you in order to proceed with your evaluation.  The documents that you have forwarded do not suffice and are not in the proper format.  Examples of what should be submitted are attached in the email...

as well.  Please read the email and submit the documents requested by the evaluator as soon as possible.
Thank you,
-Tiffany

Dear Ms. [redacted],
The evaluator will be in touch with you should we require any additional documents for processing. We are working to proceed with processing your file, however, due to incomplete documents the file has been delayed.  The sooner you get the documents into us, the sooner we can complete your file.  In addition, the 7 business day estimated completion time is only an estimate and if we have a complete file to evaluate.  Thank you for your patience during the process.
Sincerely,
-Tiffany

[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. 
Regards,
[redacted]

Dear [redacted],We do not have any record of your application in our system.  A member of our staff will be contacting you shortly with further directions.Regards,-Tiffany H**Associate Director of Marketing, AACRAO IES

Dear [redacted],
This was the email my director sent you on February 24, 2016:
“[redacted] - I have made it very clear that you must hold an
Honours degree from New Zealand.  If New
Zealand wants to take into consideration of your other studies and award you an
Honours degree, we would find that comparable to a US bachelor's degree.  AACRAO does not have the authority to award
degrees no matter how much study you have completed beyond your bachelor's
degree.”
The bottom line is you need to hold an Honours degree from
New Zealand in order for us to deem your degree comparable to a Bachelor’s
degree.  These standards were developed
and approved by the International Education Standards Council (IESC).
You may disagree with our evaluation report, however, the
evaluation completed for you is accurate and we will not be making any
changes.  As I mentioned in my first Revdex.com
response to you, you are more than welcome to take your degree to have it evaluated
elsewhere if you are not satisfied with our results.  You can continue to reject the Revdex.com response,
however, it will not change our stance on this matter. 
-Tiffany H**
Associate Director, Marketing, AACRAO IES

Dear [redacted],
This was the email my director sent you on February 24, 2016:
“[redacted] - I have made it very clear that you must hold an
Honours degree from New Zealand.  If New
Zealand wants to take into consideration of your other studies and award you an
Honours degree, we would find that comparable to a US bachelor's degree.  AACRAO does not have the authority to award
degrees no matter how much study you have completed beyond your bachelor's
degree.”
The bottom line is you need to hold an Honours degree from
New Zealand in order for us to deem your degree comparable to a Bachelor’s
degree.  These standards were developed
and approved by the International Education Standards Council (IESC).
You may disagree with our evaluation report, however, the
evaluation completed for you is accurate and we will not be making any
changes.  As I mentioned in my first Revdex.com
response to you, you are more than welcome to take your degree to have it evaluated
elsewhere if you are not satisfied with our results.  You can continue to reject the Revdex.com response,
however, it will not change our stance on this matter. -Tiffany H**Associate Director, Marketing, AACRAO IES

Dear [redacted],Please see the note below from our Deputy Director regarding your file.  We consider this case closed and would appreciate if you could take a few moments to close this complaint after reading our note below.  Thank you.Together with the IES Director, Mr. Dale G[redacted], we...

have reviewed the records that you presented, as well as the evaluation completed for you. The evaluation judgments made by AACRAO about the U.S. comparability of credentials from the Uzbekistan and recommendations for academic placement of graduates of the Uzbekistan's educational system, are based on original, primary research done by colleagues in the field of applied comparative education who have specialized knowledge about these educational systems; the placement recommendations approved by the National Council on the Evaluation of Foreign Educational Credentials and AACRAO's International Education Standards Council (IESC); and evaluation and placement practices at higher education institutions in the United States. AACRAO has been sponsoring and/or contributing to this body of research since the 1950's.AACRAO IES evaluators have all worked at US colleges and universities evaluating foreign education credentials.  They have an average of more than 24 years of evaluating experience before coming to AACRAO IES.  Collectively AACRAO IES has more than 400 years of foreign credential evaluating experience.  Our evaluators have been authors of many World Education Series volumes, participants in PIER Workshops, and regularly present at local, state, national and international conferences on credential evaluation, international admission issues, diploma mills and fraudulent credentials.  AACRAO IES partners with Education USA of the Department of State at the AACRAO Annual Meeting and other nation and international conferences. AACRAO EDGE database is a web-based resource for the evaluation of foreign educational credentials, listed as a resource in your evaluation, is used by USCIS to verify and corroborate commercial credentials evaluations.Most universities and colleges in the United States regard the higher education Diplom with qualification of Health Nurse from the [redacted] College, following incomplete secondary education - basic level, to be comparable to a high school diploma form a vocational high school program in the United States, not an associate's degree for the purpose of admission to undergraduate study. Since admission to this program of study was based on incomplete secondary education, it does not represent any undergraduate level study. The admission process at some universities may involve a detailed analysis of an individual applicant’s credentials to determine whether any of the courses may be considered to be comparable to undergraduate courses that institution might offer. However, this is not the general practice. You have cited several agencies that came to a different conclusion about your academic credentials, however, we are not aware of the basis/policies for such a decision made by these agencies. We have listed the resources that were used to evaluate your records in the evaluation report: AACRAO EDGE Profile: UzbekistanThe Soviet System of Education, A PIER World Education Series Special Report, AACRAO and NAFSA, 1992 The Educational System of Uzbekistan, AACRAO Annual Meeting presentation, 2005[redacted] in Uzbekistan: http://www.[redacted].uz/Due to the fact that the credentials that you presented are not recommended for undergraduate level credit, no course-by-course evaluation can be completed for you. The request to refund you the difference between the course-by-course evaluation and the basic statement of comparability - $110 - was submitted to the accounting upon completion of the evaluation. I was informed that the credit has been approved and should be posted to your bank account within the next 3 business days. Please allow me to direct you to the FAQ section on the AACARO website in reference to your questions about the evaluation turnaround: "On average, evaluations are completed within seven (7) business days, although it may take longer if additional research or verification of records is required. The 7-business days do not include in-processing and out-processing times. Please keep in mind that each file is unique and the turnaround time will vary from file to file." We regret that your evaluation took longer than you expected, however, as we have previously stated, the turnaround time varies depending on the individual's educational background and the records presented.  The evaluation recommendations reflected in AACRAO’s evaluation report are in line with the general practices of knowledgeable university admissions offices and reputable foreign credential evaluation services in the United States. The evaluation’s recommendations are accurate and no changes to it are warranted. We regret that we cannot give you a more favorable response. We consider this case closed, and would appreciate if you could take a few moments to close this Revdex.com complaint.  Thank you.Sincerely, Zinaida R[redacted] Deputy Director, IES

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a...

close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]
 Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:I believe that it would serve the community to understand why this happened and any steps being taken to correct the deplorable customer service.  I do not lightly state that this has been the worst customer service that I have ever encountered, and judging by other complaints this is the norm.   
 I feel horrible for those from other countries and with as English as a second language who are forced to use your service and then left in the wind as their visa expires or college admission is withdrawn.  So, for me to be satisfied I would like an explanation of how this happened, why the customer service agent does not respond to calls or emails, and steps be taken to correct this flawed system.
It should not take a complaint to the Revdex.com to have a form mailed.
Regards,
[redacted]

Dear [redacted],AACRAO completed the evaluation based on the type of evaluation that was requested and paid for.  You requested a Basic Statement of Comparability and paid $85 along with $25 for an extra copy.  This resulted in a total of $110 which was paid for on 1/20/2016....

 The reason courses were not listed on your evaluation was because you did not request for a Course by Course evaluation which is $195.  The different types of evaluations are listed below along with the pricing for each type.  If you need for your courses to be listed, you will need to complete a new application form and pay the full Course by Course evaluation fee.  Without the form and payment, we are not able to proceed.Basic Statement of Comparability ($85) - determines the level of comparability between foreign education and U.S. education.Course-by-Course Evaluation: ($195) - consists of the basic statement of comparability and lists your courses (at the University/Postsecondary level) with the comparable U.S. grades and credits.Regards,-Tiffany H**Associate Director, Marketing, AACRAO IES

Dear [redacted]
Your evaluation was completed and sent on 1/28/2014.  It was then re-sent on 2/17/2014 because you did not receive the evaluation the first time.  As you will see from the attachment, your Revdex.com complaint was submitted on 2/18/2014, however, we did not...

receive the complaint until 3/30/2014.  You should have received the evaluation in the mail by now.  Please let me know if you still have not received the evaluation.  If you have in fact received the evaluation, please let the Revdex.com know to close this case.
Thank you,
Tiffany H**
AACRAO IES
Associate Director, Marketing
[redacted]

Dear [redacted],
Please reference all your past communication via email with our office.  Our director, deputy director, and I have all been in communication with you regarding your file.  We have explained and addressed multiple times why your degree from New...

Zealand is not comparable to a bachelor’s degree in the United States. You continue to express that US 4 year degrees do not require a research component, which is untrue. This depends on the institution and program of study, and is a requirement for many US Bachelor Degree programs. 
Your evaluation follows the placement recommendations provided by [redacted].  [redacted] placement recommendations are determined by the International Education Standards Council which is composed of an inter-associational body made up of individuals from organizations such as: NAFSA, the College Board, the Council of Graduate Schools, the Institute for International Education and AACRAO.  
Furthermore, my director has explained that in order to obtain a bachelor’s degree comparability, you will need to obtain an Honours degree from New Zealand, which you do not have. We have emphasized repeatedly that AACRAO does not have the authority to award degrees no matter how much study you feel you have completed beyond your 3 year New Zealand Bachelor’s Degree. In addition, our deputy director has refunded you the fees for your re-evaluation application. 
The evaluation completed for you is accurate and we will not be making any changes. If you are unsatisfied with the results from our agency, you are more than welcome to have your credentials evaluated elsewhere.  This concludes our business and we wish you all the best in your future endeavors.  
Regards,
-Tiffany H**
Associate Director, Marketing, AACRAO IES