Test and Foreign Credentials
English Requirements and Testing
International students planning to enroll in academic programs must demonstrate English language proficiency*. This can be accomplished by taking one of the following exams: TOEFL, IELTS, PTE Academic, TOEIC, DUOLINGO, ACCUPLACER (ESL), or an approved TSI test. Scores on the exams should be dated within the past two years and must meet state and institutional requirements for placement into college-level classes. Students who do not meet these requirements will be required to enroll in the Intensive English Program or Academic English-as-a-Second-Language. Attending intensive English programs with other schools does not waive the requirement. For more information, go to HCC Testing Services https://www.hccs.edu/resources-for/current-students/testing-services/
1. ACCUPLACER:
The Accuplacer ESL is used when it has been established that the student must demonstrate English proficiency prior to testing for college-level course placement.
The Accuplacer ESL is composed of Language Usage, Reading Skills, Sentence-Meaning and Listening. Students taking the Accuplacer ESL will also be administered an essay.
For Accuplacer ESL sample questions scroll to page 14 -ESL Sample Questions (page 14-18).
Testing is allowed once per 30 days.
2. TOEFL:
The TOEFL exam is NOT required to be admitted as an international student. If you do have TOEFL results, the following scores will be accepted as English proficient:
TOEFL internet-based score: 79+
TOEFL paper-based test score: 550+
TOEFL computer-based test score: 213+
2. IELTS:
The following IELTS score will be accepted as English proficient:
IELTS score: 6.5+
3. PTE Academic:
The following PTE Academic score will be accepted as English Proficient:
PTE Academic: 53+
4. TOEIC:
The following TOEIC scores will be accepted as English Proficient:
TOEIC scores: 731
5. Duolingo
Duolingo scores: 100
*NOTE: Students who graduated from an English-speaking high school from one of the following countries do not need proof of English proficiency: American Samoa, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Canada (except Quebec), Dominica, Grenada, Grand Cayman, Guyana, Ireland, Jamaica, Liberia, New Zealand, Trinidad/Tobago, United Kingdom, U.S. Pacific Trust.
How to Submit Test Scores to HCC
Official test scores must be sent directly the Houston Community College from the testing agency. When you ask the testing agency to send your scores, use the following codes the agencies have designated for the Houston Community College:
- SAT – HCC Code: 0929
- TOEFL – HCC Code: 6296
- ACT – HCC Code: 4105
- PTE Academic - See link for more information.
- TOEIC - See link for more information.
- IELTS – There is no institutional code for IELTS examination. The testing agency should mail official IELTS score report to the Houston Community College (see address below)
Houston Community College
Office of Student Records
P.O. Box 667517, MC 1136
Houston, TX 77266-7517
Submitting a Transcript to HCC
Transcripts from Other Countries
If you wish to submit transcripts from a high school, college or university outside of the United States, you will need to have them evaluated by an accredited evaluation agency. Acceptable evaluation agencies of international transcripts for US equivalence are listed below.
How to submit evaluated transcripts and Transcripts from other schools in the U.S.
Please request that all transcripts are submitted to HCC electronically. HCC accepts PDF transcripts directly from the service providers such as Credentials, Parchment, and National Student Clearinghouse. The email should be sent to admissions@hccs.edu.
If you need to directly mail an official transcript to HCC, please use the following address:
Houston Community College
Office of Student Records
P.O. Box 667517, MC 1136
Houston, TX 77266-7517
You can also bring transcripts, in the sealed envelope, to HCC Admissions.
Foreign Credentials Evaluation
Evaluators in Texas
HCC Acceptable Foreign Credit Evaluation Companies
Note: Students and HCC employees will generally need one of two types of foreign evaluations for U.S. equivalency for any education obtained outside of the United States, if that institution is not accredited by a recognized U.S. accreditor. However, Canadian universities do not require a foreign evaluation for U.S. equivalency. The Canadian university educational system parallels the U.S. system. Credit and degrees from Canadian schools can be transferred directly (without need of a foreign evaluation) in the same way that all accredited U.S. transcripts are transferred.
General Evaluation: Lists any degrees earned outside of the U.S. and equates the award to what would be the equivalent achievement using U.S. standards. In most cases, a degree in one country is equivalent to that same degree in the U.S. However, in some cases, a degree in one country is not equivalent to that same degree in the U.S. In that case, the General Evaluation will state how many credit hours were earned toward a particular major in the U.S.
Course-by-Course Evaluation: Gives the same information as a General Evaluation plus adds a listing of all courses taken by title, credit and grade earned in terms of U.S. equivalency standards.
Foreign Credential Services, Inc.
Austin, TX Phone: 512-459-8428
foreigncredentials.org
Global Credential Evaluators
College Station, TX
Phone: 800-517-4754
gceus.com
International Academic Credential Evaluators
Denton, TX
Phone: 940-383-7498
iacei.net
SDR Educational Consultants
Houston, TX
Phone: 713-460-3525
hcc.sdr.credentialconnection.com
SpanTran Educational Services, Inc.
Houston, TX
Phone: 713-266-8805
spantran.com
World Credential Diagnostics
Richardson, TX
469-951-5770
www.wcdiagnostics.com
Worldwide Education Consultant Services, Inc.
Houston, TX
Phone: 281-829-9243
wecseval.com
Note: Other U.S. foreign evaluation companies can be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Evaluators Out of State
HCC Acceptable Foreign Credit Evaluation Companies
Note: Students and HCC employees will generally need one of two types of foreign evaluations for U.S. equivalency for any education obtained outside of the United States, if that institution is not accredited by a recognized U.S. accreditor. However, Canadian universities do not require a foreign evaluation for U.S. equivalency. The Canadian university educational system parallels the U.S. system. Credit and degrees from Canadian schools can be transferred directly (without need of a foreign evaluation) in the same way that all accredited U.S. transcripts are transferred.
General Evaluation: Lists any degrees earned outside of the U.S. and equates the award to what would be the equivalent achievement using U.S. standards. In most cases, a degree in one country is equivalent to that same degree in the U.S. However, in some cases, a degree in one country is not equivalent to that same degree in the U.S. In that case, the General Evaluation will state how many credit hours were earned toward a particular major in the U.S.
Course-by-Course Evaluation: Gives the same information as a General Evaluation plus adds a listing of all courses taken by title, credit and grade earned in terms of U.S. equivalency standards.
AACRAO
Office of Int’l Education Svcs, Credential Analysis
Washington, DC
202-296-3359
www.aacrao.org
Academic Credentials Evaluation Institute, Inc.
Beverly Hills, CA
310-275-3530
www.acei-global.org
Academic Credential Evaluations, LLC
Holbrook, NY
Academic Evaluation Services, Inc.
Tampa, FL
813-374-2020
www.aes-edu.org
AUAP Credential Evaluation Services
Sarasota, FL
941-346-1427
www.auap.com
Career Consulting International
Sunrise, FL
800-771-4723
www.thedegreepeople.com
Center for Applied Research Evaluation & Education
Anaheim, CA
714-237-9272
www.iescaree.com
Center for Educational Documentation, Inc
Boston,MA 02117
517-338-7171
www.cedevaluations.com
Education Evaluators International
Kew Gardens, NY
Phone: 401-521-5340
educei.com
Education International
Wellesley, MA
Phone: 781-235-7425
educationinternational.org
Educational Credential Evaluators
Milwaukee, WI
414-289-3400
www.ece.org
Educational Perspectives
Chicago, IL
Phone: 312-421-9300
edperspective.org
Educational Records Evaluation Service
Sacramento, CA
Phone: 916-921-0790
eres.com
Evaluation World, LLC.
Wilmington, DE
Phone: 302-504-4410
evaluationworld.com
Foreign Credential Evaluations, Inc.
Hendersonville, NC 28791
Phone: 770-642-1108
fceatlanta.net
Scholaro Inc. (Foreign Credits Translation & Evaluation,Inc.)
Chicago, IL
Phone:312-373-0962
www.scholaro.com
Foundation for International Services, Inc.
Edmonds, WA
Phone: 425-248-2255
fis-web.com
Globe Language Services
New York, NY
212-227-1994
www.globelanguage.com
Institute of Foreign Credential Services Dobbs
Ferry, NY
914-693-2840
http://ifcsevals.com
International Credentialing Assoc, Inc.
Seminole, FL
727-549-8555
www.icaworld.com
International Education Evaluations
Charlotte, NC
704-772-0109
www.foreigntranscripts.com
International Education Research Foundation, Inc.
Culver City, CA
310-258-9451
www.ierf.org
Josef Silny & Associates, Inc.
Miami, FL
305-273-1616
www.jsilny.com
Lisano International
Opelika, AL
334-745-0425
www.lisano-intl.com
One Earth Int’l Credential Evaluations
Madison, WI
608-205-8189
www.oneearthevaluations.org
The Trustforte Corporation
New York, NY
212-481-4870
www.trustfortecorp.com
Universal Translation & Evaluation Services
Sherman Oaks, CA
818-522-5800
www.universalevaluation.com
Validential Corp.
Corona del Mar, CA
(949) 333-3255
www.validential.com
Validential Corp.
Corona del Mar, CA
(949) 333-3255
www.validential.com
Note: Other U.S. foreign evaluation companies can be considered on a case-by-case basis.