Credential Evaluation in USA: West African Examinations Council (WAEC)

08/15/2023

(WAEC Center in Nigeria)

One of the main goals of foreign credential evaluation in USA is to make those who have had education in foreign countries find a job, apply for immigration or further their education in the US.

According to MPI, 2.1 million sub-Saharan African immigrants resided in the United States in 2019, representing 5 percent of the total foreign-born population of 44.9 million. These newly immigrants need to work and go to school in the US. That’s why it’s important to talk about education in African countries and their US equivalences..

Today, we will cover WAEC for some West African countries.

West African Examinations Council (WAEC)

(WAEC Website)

Established in 1952, the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), is a non-profit organization, with its headquarters in Accra, Ghana. It now has five members including: Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, The Gambia, and Liberia.

The original mission of establishing WACE was to harmonize and standardize pre-university assessment procedures in the then British West Africa.

The Council now has two main goals:

To conduct examinations in the public interest.
To award certificates, provided that the certificates did not represent lower standards of attainment than equivalent certificates of examining authorities in the United Kingdom (GCE).

West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE)

For lots of West African foreign credential evaluation applicants, WASSCE is one of the most common credentials to be evaluated for employment and education purposes.

WASSCE, stands for West African Senior School Certificate Examination, is an annual examination held by WAEC. It normally tests some core subjects - English, mathematics, science (Physics, Chemistry or Biology), social studies (literature in English, History, or Geography), and three or four elective subjects.

The Examination is conducted twice a year, May/June (for final year students in senior secondary schools) and November/December (for secondary school leavers that want to correct deficiencies in their previous results).

WAEC Equivalent in USA

The U.S. equivalence of WAEC is High School Diploma.

When an applicant orders a service at a credential evaluation agency, they’re often curious about what US equivalent of their degrees can be.

In the case of WAEC, because the nature is a pre-university assessment and the purpose of it is to apply for post-secondary program in WACE countries. The U.S. equivalence of WAEC is a high school diploma.

In fact, in order to be accepted by an undergraduate program, U.S. universities generally take 5 passes of WASSCE. With that said students from WAEC countries can use WAEC result to study in the USA.

WAEC Grading System and Its U.S. Equivalence

Besides its overall US equivalence, it’s also important understand WAEC grading system and what it means in the U.S. grading system.

Here’s a brief look of WAEC grading system and its U.S. equivalence:

As it’s shown above, the WAEC grading system has 9 levels.

Their US equivalences are: A1=A, B2 & B3=B+, C4 & C5=B, C6=C+, D7 & E8=C, F9=F.

How to Get Your WAEC Evaluated in USA?

Currently in the USA, there are no laws and regulations in terms of foreign credential evaluation.

The U.S. Department of State states that they don’t affiliate or endorse any foreign credential evaluation agencies. Even though their website does include two organizations, they still disclaim that “The order in which names appear has no significance, and the links may be removed at any time at the discretion of the Department.”

With that said, having a WAEC evaluated isn’t restricted by choosing certain evaluation agencies. Therefore, applications can simply go to a trusted credential evaluation agency for their convenience.

Click to learn more: Where to Evaluate International Degree in USA [Ultimate Guide]

For more credential evaluation services, refer to:

Conclusion

In a nutshell, a WASSCE is equivalent of a high school diploma in the USA. Applicants who have a report done by a foreign credential evaluation agency can use it for employment and education purposes.

We hope this article answers all of your questions about WAEC and WASSCE, because we care at American Education and Translation Services.

Our owner, Jeremy Yan, who is also the Director of Evaluation, worked for a prominent NACES agency for 10+ years as a senior associate director. He was just like you, coming to the US from a foreign country to better his life. And that’s why he wanted to help people like you by providing reliable credential evaluation services with quality service and competitive pricing.

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