WES Credential Evaluation for Pakistani Students: A Step-by-Step Guide (2026)

What is WES and why do you need it?

World Education Services, almost always called WES, is an organisation that evaluates foreign academic qualifications and states what they are worth in the Canadian and American systems. If you studied in Pakistan and you want to apply for a master degree in Canada, or you are claiming points for Canadian immigration through Express Entry, the receiving body often will not read your Pakistani transcript directly. They want a recognised third party to confirm that your 16-year BS or your MA equals a particular level in their own system.

That is the job WES does. It takes your matric, intermediate, bachelor, and master records, checks them against the institution that issued them, and produces a report that says, for example, that your degree is equivalent to a Canadian bachelor or master. Universities, licensing bodies, and the Canadian immigration department all accept these reports, which is why a WES evaluation has become a standard step for Pakistani students and professionals heading to North America.

Who actually needs a WES evaluation?

Not everyone studying abroad needs WES, so it helps to know whether you do before you spend the money. You generally need a WES evaluation in three situations. First, if you are applying to a Canadian or American university that asks for a credential evaluation as part of admission. Second, if you are applying for Canadian permanent residence through Express Entry, where an Educational Credential Assessment is required to claim points for your foreign education. Third, if a professional licensing body in Canada or the USA asks for an evaluation of your degree.

If you are heading to the UK, most of Europe, or Australia, you usually do not need WES, because those systems use different recognition routes. Check what your specific university or immigration stream asks for before you order anything, because paying for an evaluation you do not need is a common and avoidable waste.

Which WES report type should you order?

WES offers a few report types and picking the wrong one causes delays. The two you will most often see are the document-by-document report and the course-by-course report.

Document-by-document

This lists each of your credentials and gives the Canadian or American equivalent for each. It is the report most often used for Canadian immigration through Express Entry. It is the cheaper and faster of the two.

Course-by-course

This goes further and lists every subject you studied, the credits, and a converted grade point average. Universities and some licensing bodies ask for this version because they want to see your full academic record. It costs more and takes a little longer.

For Express Entry, the document-by-document report is usually enough. For university admission or professional licensing, you often need the course-by-course version. When in doubt, ask the body you are applying to which one they require, in writing, before you order.

What documents does WES need from Pakistan?

For Pakistani qualifications, WES has specific requirements about who sends what. The pattern is that academic records must reach WES directly from the issuing authority, not from you. For most Pakistani degrees, that means your university sends your degree and detailed marks certificate or transcript straight to WES in a sealed envelope, and the Higher Education Commission verifies your documents through its attestation process.

You will typically need your matriculation and intermediate certificates, your bachelor degree and full transcript, and your master degree and transcript if you have one. WES publishes a country-specific document requirement page for Pakistan that lists exactly which documents it needs and how each must be sent, and that page is the one you follow, because the rules differ by qualification and by university.

How do you complete a WES evaluation step by step?

The process is not complicated, but the order matters. Doing it in the wrong sequence is what stretches a few weeks into a few months.

Step 1: Create your WES account

Go to the WES Canada or WES USA website depending on where you are applying, create an account, choose your report type, and note the reference number you are given. Everything you send must carry this reference number.

Step 2: Check the Pakistan document requirements

Open the WES required documents page for Pakistan and read exactly what is needed for your specific degrees and which body must send each document. Make a checklist from it.

Step 3: Arrange HEC attestation

Get your degrees and transcripts attested by the Higher Education Commission. This is the verification step that gives your documents credibility, and WES relies on it for Pakistani records.

Step 4: Have documents sent directly to WES

Your university or HEC sends the required academic documents straight to WES, sealed, with your reference number. You do not post your own transcripts yourself when a direct send is required.

Step 5: Pay and wait

Pay the WES fee, including any courier or extra-copy charges, then track your application online. Once all required documents arrive and are verified, WES prepares and releases your report.

How does HEC attestation fit in?

HEC attestation and WES evaluation are two different things that work together. HEC attestation is the Pakistani government verifying that your degree is genuine and issued by a recognised institution. WES evaluation is a separate organisation stating what that degree is worth in Canada or the USA. WES needs your records to be verifiable, and for Pakistani documents the HEC process is central to that verification.

In practice you do the HEC step first or alongside, then the verified documents flow to WES. If you skip or rush the HEC attestation, your WES file can stall while it waits for verification. We have a separate detailed guide on the HEC attestation process that walks through that part on its own, and it is worth reading before you start WES.

How much does WES cost and how long does it take?

The WES evaluation fee for the common report types is usually around 220 to 250 US dollars, with extra charges for additional copies and courier delivery. Prices change, so check the current fee on the WES site when you apply, and remember to budget separately for HEC attestation fees and any courier costs inside Pakistan.

On timing, once all your required documents reach WES and pass verification, the evaluation itself often takes a few weeks, sometimes faster. The part that varies most is how long it takes your university and HEC to send and verify the documents. That is why people who plan the document sending early finish quickly, while those who leave it late wait much longer. Build the whole process into your application timeline rather than treating it as a last-minute task.

What mistakes should you avoid?

A few errors come up again and again. The first is ordering the wrong report type and having to start over. The second is sending your own transcripts when WES required a direct send from the institution, which gets the documents rejected. The third is leaving the WES reference number off the envelope, which makes WES unable to match your documents to your file. The fourth is starting WES with no HEC attestation in motion, so the file sits and waits. The fifth is leaving the whole thing until a few weeks before a university or Express Entry deadline. Each of these is easy to avoid once you know the order of steps, and getting the order right is most of the battle.

For the related steps, read our guides on HEC degree attestation and studying in Canada from Pakistan, and browse all of our destinations to plan your move.