Validential

[Alpha]

From the Validential website:
"Membership

[/vc_column_text][vc_separator][vc_column_text]Validential is member 155004 of the Association of International Educators (NAFSA). Validential is also an Organizational Member of The Association for International Credential Evaluation Professionals, an Associate Member of the National Association of Graduate Admissions Professionals, and a member of the European Association for International Education. Validential is accredited by the Better Business Bureau and holds an A rating.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/4″][vc_column_text]"

I'm not sure that any of that actually qualifies them to do what they're doing.  I took a minute and went to the TAICEP website and it seems that the only requirement for being an Organizational Member is to pay a $300.00 annual fee.

[bjcheung77]

Validential is a smart company, they have several websites that uses different domain names, these sites indicate they're a Validential site and the look/feel is very similar to Valedential.  Some of the website names are just one letter off other websites, but again, they all have the same menu tabs and 'about us' telling you they are Validential.  I think they have a huge client base or repeat customers that refer by word of mouth...

Just by googling a phrase on their site, you come up with several that has "Validential is ranked #1 in America for next day evaluations".  They aren't the "bottom of the barrel" of Academic Evaluation agencies, they're more of "middle of the road".  They are acceptable if your college, employment, or immigration agency accepts them.  I was able to find about 4 different sites including their flagship of the same name.

[openair]

I have increasing doubts about the expertise of Validential evaluators. I was recently looking at a sample of a Canadian equivalency course-by-course evaluation. I was struck by the fact that they use terminology that would not normally be utilized by people who are competent in the intricacies of the Canadian system of higher education. In the sample "Canadian equivalency evaluation" that was conducted by Validential (see here; https://eiu.ac/u-s-canada-equivalency-samples/), the company refers to to "regionally accredited universities in Canada." This sounds odd to me, as there is no such thing as regional accreditation in Canada. Why would they use that kind of terminology?

Here is a nice explanation of the Canadian system:

"Use of the Term "Accredited"
Canada does not have a national or regional accreditation system for post-secondary institutions and therefore educational jurisdictions, except in some limited circumstances, do not normally employ the term "accredited" to denote provincially authorized or recognized institutions." (source: https://www.bccat.ca/system/quality)

They could have talked about recognized Canadian institutions of higher education.

How could you compare a foreign qualification to something that doesn't even exist in Canada?

[openair]

Another thing to consider with Validential:

Do credential evaluation companies have the right to "make an institution accredited", or do they just report on its accreditation/recognition status in a given country and attempt to find equivalencies? France has a list of nationally-recognized insitutions and European International University (reference link above) isn't on it. EIU is a licensed-only French institution that operates legally, but has no national recognition in France. Does Validential have a right to transform their French licensed-only institution status into an accredited/nationally-recognized institution status? I think that NACES evaluators would say "No." Validential evaluators apparently feel that they have this power. That's a red flag for me.

[jsd]

Validential is not a respected evaluator, none of this is surprising.

[Johann]

Validential is a smart company, they have several websites that uses different domain names, these sites indicate they're a Validential site and the look/feel is very similar to Valedential.  Some of the website names are just one letter off other websites, but again, they all have the same menu tabs and 'about us' telling you they are Validential.  I

And how  does any of this make them "Smart?"  

[bjcheung77]

@Johann, they're either copycats or geniuses at work I tell you... it's all marketing gimmicks... An example is similar to this, a coffee shop opens right next to a very busy coffee shop and there are no other ones in the next few blocks. I was looking at the websites they own, the name is just 1 or letters off, so many people will get confused on which website to use. They're funneling these prospective "buyers" into their site instead and taking the other persons market share...

[Flelm]

@Johann, they're either copycats or geniuses at work I tell you... it's all marketing gimmicks... An example is similar to this, a coffee shop opens right next to a very busy coffee shop and there are no other ones in the next few blocks.  I was looking at the websites they own, the name is just 1 or letters off, so many people will get confused on which website to use.  They're funneling these prospective "buyers" into their site instead and taking the other persons market share...

If you mean they registered domain names that are similar to their competitors, this is called typosquatting. It is illegal in the US, and is actionable under the UDRP.

https://esqwire.com/is-typosquatting-legal/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typosquatting

[Johann]

@Johann, they're either copycats or geniuses at work I tell you... it's all marketing gimmicks... An example is similar to this, a coffee shop opens right next to a very busy coffee shop and there are no other ones in the next few blocks.  I was looking at the websites they own, the name is just 1 or letters off, so many people will get confused on which website to use.  They're funneling these prospective "buyers" into their site instead and taking the other persons market share...

 Again, how is that smart? Evil hucksters have done it for years. You clone your site under names close to known high-traffic sites - to reel in people who accidentally make typos or spelling errors. That's not "smart". It's DEFINITELY not genius. It's dishonest, deceptive, and as Flelm notes, illegal in the US - but who ever goes after these CROOKS? 

Coming, as it does, from someone in the IT field, this is a funny definition of "smart" or "genius."  And as far as Validential goes, I think I'll try 'em. I'll send them my Mongolian driver's license. I'm betting it comes back equivalent to an RA Master's, at least.

Thank you.

[Alpha]

@Johann, they're either copycats or geniuses at work I tell you... it's all marketing gimmicks... An example is similar to this, a coffee shop opens right next to a very busy coffee shop and there are no other ones in the next few blocks.  I was looking at the websites they own, the name is just 1 or letters off, so many people will get confused on which website to use.  They're funneling these prospective "buyers" into their site instead and taking the other persons market share...

 Again, how is that smart? Evil hucksters have done it for years. You clone your site under names close to known high-traffic sites - to reel in people who accidentally make typos or spelling errors. That's not "smart". It's DEFINITELY not genius. It's dishonest, deceptive, and as Flelm notes, illegal in the US - but who ever goes after these CROOKS? 

Coming, as it does, from someone in the IT field, this is a funny definition of "smart" or "genius."  And as far as Validential goes, I think I'll try 'em. I'll send them my Mongolian driver's license. I'm betting it comes back equivalent to an RA Master's, at least.

Thank you.

I suppose you could say that if a person commits a crime they hurt society and in so doing harm themselves.  That doesn't sound smart, to hurt yourself.  On the other hand, I suppose you could say that if a criminal consistently evades prosecution then they are likely to be pretty smart.  They might also be immoral but that's another thing altogether, isn't it?  I'm guessing that there's some random Axact executive behind Validential.  It's simply the corruption of another link in the higher ed pipeline.  Once upon a time it was the corruption of the accreditation function with fake accreditors popping up everywhere.  It's still pretty easy to find that as well.  How about the World Certification Institute?
Accreditation | Selinus University (uniselinus.education)
In any case, there's hardly any doubt about Validential.  Smart and criminal.  We'll see how long the site stays up.