CGFNS vs TruMerit, WES, Josef Silny and ERES: which evaluator your board accepts
Written and reviewed by Rachel Goldberg, MSN, RN, CEN · 3 min read · Updated November 2026
Short answer
CGFNS and TruMerit are not competitors: CGFNS International renamed itself TruMerit during the first half of 2025. The real choice is between TruMerit and other agencies such as Josef Silny or ERES, and your board makes it for you. Florida accepts six named agencies, New York has a dedicated TruMerit service, and California takes transcripts and its own forms directly.
CGFNS vs TruMerit: same organization, new name
TruMerit's own "Our New Name" page explains that the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools rolled out the TruMerit name over the first half of 2025, because the old name no longer fit an organization serving many health professions. The Florida board's current instructions still list the agency as CGFNS, so expect both names in the wild.
TruMerit's current service names include the Credentials Evaluation Service (CES) Professional Report, the Credentials Verification Service for New York State and VisaScreen. If a board page or employer still says CGFNS, it means TruMerit.
CGFNS vs CES: also not two different things
CES is a product, not a separate company. TruMerit's CES Professional Report authenticates your licenses, registrations and diplomas and adds a statement comparing your nursing education with US standards. TruMerit says the report is accepted by all 50 state nursing boards; whether a board requires it, or will take something else, is a separate question.
As of November 2026 TruMerit lists the CES Professional Report at $485, with $125 more for an English Language Proficiency Report, and says 70% of reports are issued within seven business days after all primary source documents arrive.
Which credential evaluation does my board accept?
Read the board's own document, not the evaluator's state page. TruMerit's CES report is accepted by every board, yet the Florida Board of Nursing's instructions for applicants educated outside the US name six approved agencies: Ashland Educational Services, CGFNS, Educational Records Evaluation Service (ERES), International Education Evaluations, SpanTran and Josef Silny. Reports from any other agency are refused, and the report must reach the board electronically from the agency.
New York has its own TruMerit product, the Credentials Verification Service for New York State, listed at $425. Texas publishes its own requirements, so read the Texas board's international applicant page. California's Board of Registered Nursing page uses neither model: it asks for international transcripts mailed to the board with its own diploma and license verification forms.
Is WES accepted for nursing?
Not by every board. World Education Services does not appear on Florida's list of six approved agencies, so a WES report would be refused there. That does not prove every board rejects WES; it shows why a general-purpose evaluation bought for school or immigration can be useless for a nursing license.
The safe rule: if the board publishes a list, use an agency on it. If the board names one service, buy only that. If the board names nothing, email it and keep the written answer before paying any agency.
A decision table in plain words
Applying to Florida: choose any of the six listed agencies, and compare price and turnaround between them. Applying to Texas: read the Texas board's page first. Applying to New York: use TruMerit's Credentials Verification Service for New York State. Applying to California: follow the board's page, which asks for documents sent directly to it.
Planning to work in the US on a visa as well: VisaScreen comes only from TruMerit, which says it is the sole organization authorized by USCIS to certify the nine eligible health occupations. Choosing TruMerit for the board can let you reuse the same verified documents later.
Sources
Our new name (TruMerit). CGFNS renamed TruMerit over the first half of 2025 and the reason given.
Credentials Evaluation Service Professional Report (TruMerit). What the CES report covers, acceptance by all 50 boards, direct-source documents, turnaround.
Licensure information for applicants educated outside the US (Florida Board of Nursing). Six board-approved evaluation agencies; other agencies not accepted; electronic delivery.
Licensure by examination (California Board of Registered Nursing). California asks for mailed international transcripts and its own verification forms.
TruMerit fee schedule. CES $485, English report $125, New York CVS $425, VisaScreen RN $740 (viewed November 2026).
Common questions
Is TruMerit the same as CGFNS?
Yes. CGFNS International rolled out the TruMerit name over the first half of 2025. Services such as the CES Professional Report and VisaScreen kept their names.
Can I use Josef Silny or ERES instead of CGFNS?
Only where the board allows it. Florida lists both among six approved agencies. New York has a dedicated TruMerit service, and California asks for documents sent to the board.
Is a WES evaluation accepted for the NCLEX?
Not by Florida, whose six-agency list does not include WES. Check your own board's list in writing before paying for any evaluation.