Become a PMF
Eligibility
Education Completed Outside of the United States
Please review this entire page of instructions.
Education completed outside of the United States must be deemed equivalent, by an accrediting body recognized by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education, to that gained in conventional/accredited U.S. educational programs to be acceptable for Federal employment. Most foreign education is not accredited by an accrediting body that is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education; however, such evaluators are typically members of accrediting bodies that are recognized. A few medical schools are accredited under country standards that have been determined to be "comparable" to U.S. standards by the U.S. Department of Education's National Committee on Foreign Medical Education and Accreditation.
Applicants from foreign schools who are selected as Finalists will be asked to submit all necessary documents to a private U.S. organization that specializes in interpreting foreign educational credentials, commonly called a credential evaluation service. There are many evaluation services to choose from and ranging in costs. The PMF Program Office does not maintain a list or recommend evaluation services. Finalists may choose their own evaluation service as long the service meets the requirements below.
If the applicant already has a credential evaluation in this regard, they may optionally upload it as part of their application under one of the "Other" Document Types during the application.
To be acceptable, the foreign credential evaluation must include/describe:
- The type of education received by the applicant,
- The level of education in relation to the U.S. education system, and
- A statement that its comparability recommendations follow the general guidelines of the International Evaluation Standards Council (formerly known as the U.S. National Council for the Evaluation of Foreign Educational Credentials).
- The content of the applicant's educational program earned abroad and the standards obtained,
- The evaluation must be in English,
- The status of the awarding foreign school's recognition and legitimacy in its home country's education system, and
- Any other information of interest, such as:
- What the evaluation service did to obtain this information,
- The qualifications of the evaluator, and
- Any indications as to other problems such as forgery.
- The evaluation service must also identify if it is a member of an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
This documentation is only required from applicants who are selected as Finalists and using foreign education to establish eligibility and for employment purposes. The PMF Program Office will contact such Finalists via email for documentation to be received within 45-days of the request. If you are a Finalist who is a current graduate, you must (1) utilize a credential evaluation service as soon as you completed your advanced degree requirements, and (2) complete all advanced degree requirements (including the successful defense/completion of any required thesis/dissertation) by August 31st of the year following your application to the PMF Program. We will monitor the anticipated degree completion date you entered in your application and you will have 45 days to obtain a credential and submit to us for review, upon our request. If you are a Finalist who is a recent graduate, you must utilize a credential evaluation service and provide a copy within 45 days upon our request. Such Finalists may have their eligibility revoked if documentation is not timely received to be adjudicated. Submission must be submitted via email and cannot be mailed to us directly.
Refer to the U.S. Department of Education's Database of Accredited Postsecondary Institutions and Programs website at https://ope.ed.gov/dapip/#/home. Follow the instructions to search academic institutions and/or a list of accrediting agencies.
In addition, see Education's Important Notes Regarding Credential Evaluation Services at https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.
Two national associations of credential evaluation services are: (1) National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES), and (2) Association of International Credential Evaluators (AICE). These are being provided as a convenience and should not be considered an endorsement by OPM.
Many evaluation services are a member of a recognized accrediting agency and clearly identify such on their website and/or evaluations. Finalists are asking evaluation services for a general evaluation on their education in meeting U.S. standards and degree equivalence.
The PMF Program cannot waive or defer a Finalist who will not complete all advanced degree requirements by the August 31st deadline to retain eligibility. Such Finalist loses appointment eligibility and should either self-withdraw or will be withdrawn by the PMF Program Office. In addition, such Finalist would most likely be eligible to reapply to the PMF Program during the next annual application cycle.
UPDATED: 02-15-2024