Short answer: Do not order a WES evaluation just because you are applying abroad with a Nigerian degree. First check the exact master’s programme and intake: whether it requires an external credential evaluation, which providers it accepts, which report type it needs, and when the report must arrive. If WES is required or accepted, follow the document list generated for your own qualification and institution.
WES compares academic credentials with standards in the United States or Canada. It does not decide admission. A WES report also does not replace every programme’s separate transcript, English-language or degree-document rules. This guide is for study applications, not an immigration Educational Credential Assessment.
First, determine whether the programme needs an evaluation
Search the official admissions page for “credential evaluation”, “international transcripts” and “WES”. Read the instructions for your department as well as the graduate school. A named provider, an approved-provider list and a recommendation are different instructions.
| Official example | What it means for this application | Next check |
|---|---|---|
| University of Washington School of Nursing, graduate applicants | Its graduate instructions specify WES ICAP and a course-by-course US report for foreign coursework, alongside original transcript uploads. | Read the graduate section and your programme instructions. Contact the school if you cannot obtain the specified evaluation. |
| Georgia Tech graduate admissions | Its graduate office verifies admitted applicants’ documents; an evaluation from an approved provider can speed that review. | Check the programme’s own requirements and Georgia Tech’s current approved providers. |
| University of Mississippi WES instructions | The WES page says evaluation is not required for admission in the transfer-credit situation it describes, though it may be needed to count non-US credit. | Do not generalise this exception to every Ole Miss programme; check your own course. |
These examples show why paying first is risky. If the page is ambiguous, ask admissions: “Is an external evaluation required for my Nigerian qualification for this programme and intake? If so, which providers and report types are accepted, and at what stage?” Keep the reply with your application record.
Choose the report the recipient actually asks for
WES distinguishes document-by-document and course-by-course reports. The first describes and compares credentials. The second additionally analyses courses and converts grades and credits. WES says a course-by-course report may be needed for graduate admission, but the receiving institution sets its own requirement. Also check whether it requests Basic or ICAP, a particular recipient, and a US or Canada evaluation.
Do not confuse an evaluation for university admission with a Canadian immigration ECA. The purpose, recipient and report choice need to match the application you are making. If you have already bought another report, ask WES and the university whether an upgrade or new report is appropriate before paying again.
If WES is needed: send Nigerian records in the accepted way
- Open the official WES application and required-documents guidance. Select the destination and purpose, then enter your exact qualification and issuing institution. Save the list WES generates for your case.
- Obtain your WES reference number before asking your institution to send records. Include it in the institution request and follow WES’s instructions for placing it on a digital submission or sealed envelope.
- Check WES’s institution resources and your university’s own transcript route. Use any institution-specific guidance alongside your personal required-documents instructions; a university not appearing in a general resource list does not waive those requirements.
- Ask the issuing institution to use an approved digital channel where available. WES’s electronic-delivery guidance says to check its Required Documents page and the university’s instructions; ordinary applicant-forwarded email is not an assumed substitute.
- If WES requires a sealed physical envelope for your case, use its sealed-envelope instructions and current delivery address. Do not open an institution-sealed envelope or send original documents unless your personal WES instructions specifically require them.
- Track the request in your institution’s system and your WES account. Allow time for both the university to issue records and WES to receive, verify and evaluate them; a courier delivery confirmation is not the same as a completed evaluation.
For the issuing-university side of this process, use our Nigerian transcript request guide. If you are unsure whether a statement of result can replace another document, compare what each document proves in our document guide; the receiving programme and WES may have separate requirements.
A worked decision before you spend money
Fictional example: Ada has a Nigerian bachelor’s degree and is comparing two US master’s programmes. Programme A’s official page explicitly requires a course-by-course report from a named list of services. Programme B asks her to upload her transcript and says nothing about an external evaluation. Ada records the links and emails B to clarify before ordering anything. For A, she checks the named providers, package, recipient and deadline, then uses the WES document list only if she chooses WES. She does not buy one generic report and assume it satisfies both programmes.
Copy this evaluation requirement record
- University, exact programme and intake: ____
- Official requirement URL and date checked: ____
- External evaluation: required, optional, later, or unclear? ____
- Accepted provider(s), report type, package and recipient: ____
- Deadline and delivery method: ____
- My Nigerian institution’s approved transcript route and WES reference number: ____
- Question sent to admissions and reply received: ____
Use this record alongside your programme shortlist and application budget. The evaluation cost, institution transcript fee and delivery fee may be separate; check current prices at the source rather than relying on an old blog quote.
University comparison and institution-resource wording reviewed on 22 October 2026; other sources checked on 8 October 2026. Requirements vary by programme and can change. Confirm the current instructions with the receiving institution and WES before paying. See our editorial policy or report a correction.