Become a PMF
Eligibility
Education Completed Outside of the United
States
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 Department of
Education. 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 may 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. 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 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 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.
Eligibility criteria for Foreign Education may be found in OPM
Qualification Standards for General Schedule Positions Policies,
and Instructions in the Educational and Training Provisions or
Requirements section OPM General Policies 
.
This documentation is only required from applicants
who are eligible to apply to the PMF Program and then only in
certain cases where the institution is not formally recognized by
the U.S. Department of Education. The PMF Program
Office will review applicants and contact them if
documentation is required. School accreditation
is confirmed after the application deadline and prior to selection
of Finalists.
For further information on the evaluation of foreign education,
refer to the U.S. Department of Education's website at
www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html .
UPDATED: 09-19-2012, 11:25 PM (ET)