Overview
This topic pertains to applicants who attended foreign and French-Canadian schools. These instructions do not apply to applicants who attended a foreign school as part of a study abroad program. See Study Abroad and Overseas US Transcripts for more information on reporting your study abroad experience.
Canadian Schools
English-Canadian Transcripts
Canadian schools that provide English transcripts are not considered foreign. Transcripts from these schools must be sent to DICAS. We accept but do not require foreign evaluations from Canadian schools that provide transcripts in English. Please see the Sending Official Transcripts section for information on reporting that coursework.
French-Canadian Transcripts
Canadian schools that issue transcripts in French are considered foreign and must be reported like any other foreign school. We cannot accept original Canadian transcripts which are written in French. Foreign evaluations for these schools can be sent to DICAS.
Caribbean Medical Schools
All Caribbean medical schools are considered foreign institutions and are not US accredited, even if they have offices in the US or allow US licensing. This includes Ross University School of Medicine. Do not send transcripts from these schools to DICAS, as they will be discarded. Foreign evaluations may be sent to DICAS.
All Other Foreign Colleges and Universities
You must submit official transcripts from all other foreign institutions directly from your college or university in a sealed envelope or submit official foreign evaluations.
Transcripts must be in English or include a certified English translation; transcripts that do not meet these requirements will be discarded.
Submitting Foreign Evaluations
If you attended a foreign school or earned your degree outside of the United States, you can submit your foreign coursework to a US-based evaluation service for a course-by-course US equivalency report. This report should then be sent directly to DICAS from the evaluation service.
Contact a foreign transcript evaluation service as early as possible. See below for more information about vendors and accepted formats. Services can take several weeks to process your transcript(s) once received.
Foreign Evaluation Vendors
The following are foreign evaluation vendors our applicants have used in the past. This list is not all-inclusive and we do not recommend or endorse any particular vendor or service. Check with your programs to see if they have a preferred or required vendor that may not be on this list.
Option 1: Ordering WES Electronic Evaluations
You must order WES electronic evaluations directly through the DICAS application. If you do not order through the application, your evaluation will not be accepted.
- Enter your schools in the Colleges Attended section.
- Navigate to the Academic Records page and click Order next to the foreign institution under Official Evaluations. If you don’t see your school listed, it means you didn’t enter it as a foreign institution – return to the Colleges Attended section to fix this.
- Select Yes to indicate you are ordering an electronic international coursework evaluation. Then, click the WES button.
- Click Visit WES.
- DICAS is pre-selected for you (if not, select from the drop-down). Follow the prompts to order your transcript evaluation.
- Once you’ve requested the evaluation, return to the application and click Yes to indicate you were able to request the evaluation. When WES completes your evaluation, they'll send it to us electronically.
Option 2: Ordering Paper Evaluations via Mail
Use this process to order mailed paper foreign evaluations from any of the vendors listed above.
- Enter your schools in the Colleges Attended section.
- Navigate to the Academic Records page and click Order next to the foreign institution under Official Evaluations. If you don’t see your school listed, it means you didn’t enter it as a foreign institution – return to the Colleges Attended section to fix this.
- Select No to indicate you are not ordering an electronic evaluation. Then, click Mailed Paper Transcript.
- Click Download Evaluation ID Form and print the form. If you send foreign evaluations by mail, use the following address:
DICAS Transcript Processing Center
PO Box 9117
Watertown, MA 02471
International applicants can also send foreign evaluations to the following street address:
DICAS Transcript Processing Center
c/o Liaison International
20 Guest Street
Floor 8
Brighton, MA 02135
- Click Yes to indicate you were able to request your evaluation. Or, click No to return to Academic Records.
We are not responsible for any materials lost in the mail. Express or certified mail does not guarantee faster processing or receipt.
Documenting Foreign Coursework
DICAS does not require applicants to enter transcript information for coursework completed at international colleges or institutions. Please contact the program director of the program you are applying to for any additional application requirements, which may include official transcripts or other supporting documentation.
