Can I ask the graduate office (US) if I can submit transcript without WES? I want to apply for a Ph.D. position in a US university and I already wrote the program director with my CV and he encouraged me to apply. Now, this university needs World Education Services evaluation as I am an international student. But my university where I did my bachelor's, had followed the US grading system.
Due to covid, I am tight on budget. My question is- can I ask the graduate office if they can accept my transcript without WES or if they can waive it? I know it's kind of weird as it's a major criterion to evaluate an applicant but still, I want to know if I can ask it or not?
Yes, you can ask. But they will probably say no if they require/request it. Someone has to give a meaningful analysis of your transcript and they are probably deferring this to WES so as not to have to have people do it themselves.
It is a fairly large problem for a large institution and maybe a difficult one for a small institution.
But, in general, there is no prohibition about asking for what you want. Just be prepared for a &quot;no&quot;. You won't avoid an evaluation in any case, and one from WES might actually be more useful, since they are organized for that.