One of the most crucial aspects of the international admission process is the acquisition and/or transmission of the required academic records. Students and admission counselors alike must be aware of the documents needed to ensure a complete and accurate assessment of applicant credentials. With the importance of this process in mind, WES offers its own updated document requirements as a helpful guide for international students and university officials navigating the admission process.

The revised requirements contain country-specific terminology, information and instructions that help make the documentation process as simple and precise as possible. Under the new guidelines, we outline which documents are the most relevant on a country-by-country basis and cite best practices in assuring credible documents are submitted. Included with the document requirements are useful links to resources such as awarding institutions and organizations, as well as printable academic transcript request forms.

These requirements are made available through the WES website to inform our own clients; however, they can also be used as a guideline for admissions officers who are evaluating credentials from education systems with which they are unfamiliar. At the time of writing, documentation requirements have been updated for approximately 30 countries, including Japan, India, Germany, Colombia, China, Kenya, and Russia. Requirements for the remaining countries will be updated over the next two months.

To access the WES Documentation Requirements web page, click here and select the appropriate country from the menu.

During the process of gathering and evaluating an international applicant’s records, it is essential to examine and assess the authenticity of all submitted documents. For background information on WES’s documentation methods, please see this month’s feature article “How to Obtain Authentic International Academic Credentials.”