Can you take the FE exam with a degree from outside the US?
Yes. You can take the FE exam with a degree from outside the United States if your licensing board approves you to sit. Each board sets eligibility, and you must check that board’s requirements before you register. Most applicants to NCEES Credentials Evaluations are referred by a board, and graduates of EAC/ABET programs, including some programs abroad, do not need one. The exam is offered in English only.
Who decides whether you can sit
NCEES administers the exam, but your board sets who is eligible, and its rules on a degree from outside the United States vary by state. Some boards let you register with NCEES directly, while others require you to file an application with the board first.
How you register for the FE exam is the NCEES registration step once your board has cleared you. Which FE exam to take is the choice of discipline module, a separate decision from the board’s review of your degree. Read the board’s current instructions before you pay any fee.
What the credentials evaluation checks
NCEES Credentials Evaluations compares a degree earned outside the United States with the NCEES Engineering Education Standard so state boards can review that education. Order one only if your board refers you to it.
Applicants from non-EAC/ABET programs must show 32 college semester credit hours of higher mathematics and basic and additional sciences under the NCEES engineering standard, with mathematics beyond algebra and trigonometry. The board uses this comparison to measure your coursework against the standard. The evaluation is an education review that sits beside the FE exam, and it is not a license itself.
Follow the referral your board gives you, and wait for its approval before you register. You can study the exam material while the education review is still open.
How New York handles a degree that is not ABET-accredited
New York splits applicants between direct registration and a board application. Students and graduates of EAC/ABET engineering bachelor’s programs, along with students and graduates of ETAC/ABET engineering technology bachelor’s programs, can register for the FE with NCEES directly. Everyone else applies to the New York board first and pays a $70 fee.
If you will apply in New York, confirm that fee and the current form on the board’s page before you pay. A similar degree can mean a different application, a different fee, or a required evaluation in another state. PE license basics in Texas, California, Florida, and New York shows how those four boards describe the path to a license. Use that as background, then confirm the rules with the board that will review you.
Language, identification, and test centers
You may have only one MyNCEES account, and the first and last names on it must be in English and must match your government-issued ID.
You need one current physical photo ID. It must show an expiration date, your name, your date of birth, a photo, and a signature.
| ID | Accepted? |
|---|---|
| Government ID from the country where you test | Yes, when it meets the physical photo ID requirements above |
| Passport in Roman characters | Yes, when it meets the physical photo ID requirements above |
| U.S. military ID | Yes, when it meets the physical photo ID requirements above |
| Digital ID | No |
| Student ID | No |
An approved examinee can select any testing site that NCEES has approved, whether the site is in Canada, in the United States, or in a U.S. territory. Examinees approved through an international entity other than Canada test in that country, and examinees approved through a foreign entity pay a nonrefundable $25 international scheduling fee at registration. After you are cleared, how you schedule the FE exam is how you select the center and the date. Match the account name to the ID you will show, and review what you can bring to the FE exam before test day.
What the FE exam means for a PE license
Each state or territory board grants its own PE license, and there is no single nationwide PE license. A result tied to one board stays with the approval that board gave you.
NCEES describes licensure as education, experience, and exams working together. The most common path is an EAC/ABET bachelor’s degree, the FE exam, about four years of acceptable progressive experience, and the PE exam, though many states also maintain additional paths. Your board decides whether a degree from outside the United States fits the education portion of a path it offers, and it decides which experience counts, including work you completed outside the United States. Confirm with your board how it counts that experience, using how much experience you need before the PE exam as the NCEES description of the common path.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a credentials evaluation to take the FE exam?
You need an NCEES credentials evaluation when your licensing board requires one. Most applicants are referred by a board, and graduates of EAC/ABET-accredited programs, including some programs abroad, do not need an evaluation. If your program is not EAC/ABET-accredited, the NCEES engineering standard requires 32 college semester credit hours of higher mathematics and basic and additional sciences, with mathematics beyond algebra and trigonometry. Check with your board before you order an evaluation or register.
Can I take the FE exam outside the United States?
Yes, in the places your approval allows. Every center NCEES has approved in Canada, the United States, or a U.S. territory can be used for your exam. Examinees approved through an international entity other than Canada test in that country, and examinees approved through a foreign entity pay a nonrefundable $25 international scheduling fee at registration.
Is the FE exam offered in other languages?
All NCEES exams are given in English only. Plan to read and answer the FE exam in English. Your single MyNCEES account must use first and last names in English that match your government-issued ID.
Does the FE exam give me a PE license I can use in every state?
Each state or territory board grants its own PE license. There is no single nationwide license that travels with a passing FE result. NCEES describes the most common path as an EAC/ABET bachelor’s degree, the FE exam, about four years of acceptable progressive experience, and the PE exam, and many states offer additional paths. Your board decides whether your education and experience meet the path you want to use.
Sources
- NCEES Credentials Evaluations. Retrieved October 3, 2026.
- NCEES: International professionals. Retrieved October 3, 2026.
- NCEES Examinee Guide, May 2026 (PDF). Retrieved October 3, 2026.
- NCEES: FE exam. Retrieved October 3, 2026.