Chinese Degree Evaluation: Diplomas, Transcripts and Credentials

If you studied in mainland China and now need your education recognized in the United States, a Chinese degree evaluation is the document that explains it. It states what your Chinese diploma, degree or transcript equals in the U.S. system, so that USCIS, an employer, a university or a licensing board can read it without knowing how Chinese higher education works. This guide is for anyone holding Chinese credentials, from a senior high school certificate to a doctorate, and for the immigration attorneys who file their cases. A standard evaluation from MotaWord costs $65 and is delivered in 72 hours.

Why You May Need Your Chinese Credentials Evaluated

U.S. institutions cannot compare a Chinese benke degree or a 100-point transcript on their own, so they ask for a credential evaluation. The most common reasons are:

• Immigration: H-1B petitions, EB-2 and EB-3 green card cases, and other filings where USCIS must see that you hold the equivalent of a U.S. bachelor's or advanced degree.
• Employment: U.S. employers and HR teams often ask for an evaluation before they accept a foreign degree for a role that requires one.
• University admissions and credit transfer: graduate schools and colleges usually want a course-by-course report with a GPA.
• Professional licensing: state boards for accounting, engineering, teaching, nursing and other fields review foreign education against their own rules.
• Military enlistment: recruiters may ask for an evaluation of a foreign high school diploma.

For a work visa, the evaluation has to show that the degree matches the position's requirement. See how an education evaluation supports an H-1B petition. Employers outside the visa process ask for the same kind of report when they verify a candidate's education.

Are Chinese Degrees Recognized in the U.S.?

Yes, degrees from accredited Chinese universities are generally recognized in the U.S. once they are evaluated. There is no automatic recognition, though. Each U.S. institution decides for itself, and most rely on an evaluation report to make that decision. China's three-tier structure of bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees is close to the U.S. model, which makes most Chinese degrees straightforward to compare. The details that need attention are the program length, the type of institution, and whether a degree certificate was issued alongside the graduation certificate.

How the Chinese Education System Is Structured

Education in China is overseen by the Ministry of Education, which approves institutions and sets the framework for degrees. Schooling usually follows six years of primary school, three years of junior middle school and three years of senior middle school. Students finish senior middle school with a Senior Secondary School Graduation Certificate and then sit the Gaokao, the National College Entrance Examination, which decides university admission.

After secondary school, students follow one of three main paths:

• Benke (本科): undergraduate programs at universities and colleges, normally four years and five years for fields such as medicine and architecture, leading to a bachelor's degree.
• Zhuanke (专科): shorter higher education programs, usually three years, often at vocational and technical colleges, leading to a graduation certificate without a bachelor's degree.
• Secondary vocational schools: technical and vocational programs at the upper secondary level, which lead to a vocational graduation certificate.

Some students also earn qualifications through the Higher Education Self-Study Examinations, a national system of exams that leads to zhuanke or benke level certificates. Others move from a zhuanke diploma to a bachelor's degree through a "zhuanshengben" upgrade program, which usually takes two more years.

Hong Kong and Taiwan documents are often in Chinese too, but they come from different education systems. See how Hong Kong degrees compare to U.S. standards. Their credentials are evaluated on their own terms, not under the mainland rules described here.

Diploma Benke vs Zhuanke

Many people search for the difference between a benke and a zhuanke diploma because it decides how their education will be evaluated. A benke graduate who meets the degree requirements receives a bachelor's degree. A zhuanke graduate receives a graduation certificate only. In U.S. terms, evaluators usually compare a four-year benke degree to a U.S. bachelor's degree and a three-year zhuanke program to undergraduate study at roughly the associate level, although the result depends on the program, the hours and the transcript.

How Each Chinese Credential Is Usually Evaluated

The evaluation report always makes the final determination, based on your documents. Read our complete guide to what a diploma evaluation report shows. As a general guide, evaluators usually reach these results:

• Senior Secondary School Graduation Certificate: usually compared to a U.S. high school diploma.
• Secondary vocational certificate: often compared to a U.S. high school diploma with vocational coursework, depending on the program.
• Zhuanke graduation certificate (three years): usually compared to undergraduate study at the associate level.
• Bachelor's degree (benke, four years): usually compared to a U.S. bachelor's degree.
• Master's degree (shuoshi): usually compared to a U.S. master's degree.
• Doctorate (boshi): usually compared to a U.S. doctoral degree.

Bachelor's degrees are awarded in discipline categories set by the Ministry of Education, such as economics, law, engineering, science, medicine, management and literature. The category on the degree is not always the major. A Bachelor of Economics, for example, can have a major in finance or accounting, and the major appears on the graduation certificate and the transcript. Five-year medical degrees and professional master's degrees, such as the Juris Master, are reviewed on their length and content, so their equivalency can differ from a standard bachelor's or master's degree. An evaluation compares education only; doctors, lawyers and engineers still follow the separate licensing steps of the U.S. state or board where they want to work.

Chinese Degree Certificate vs Certificate of Graduation

Chinese universities issue two documents that are easy to confuse. The Certificate of Graduation (毕业证书) confirms that you completed the program and its coursework. The Degree Certificate (学位证书) confirms that the university awarded you a degree, and it always names the degree title. The Certificate of Graduation alone is not proof of a bachelor's degree, so for a bachelor's degree or higher you should send both.

The main exceptions are zhuanke programs and Self-Study Examination graduate certificates. Neither leads to a degree certificate, so the Certificate of Graduation is the document an evaluator works from. Get a diploma evaluation that shows what your Chinese degree equals in the U.S.

Some evaluators and U.S. institutions also ask for official verification of Chinese credentials. These reports come from CHSI (China Higher Education Student Information) for graduation records and from CDGDC (China Academic Degrees and Graduate Education Development Center) for degrees, both linked to the Ministry of Education. If you already have them, include them with your order.

Required Documents for Chinese Degree Assessment

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Chinese Transcripts, Grades and GPA

Chinese transcripts usually grade each course on a 100-point scale, with 60 as the minimum pass. Many universities describe the bands as excellent (90 to 100), good (80 to 89), average (70 to 79) and pass (60 to 69), and some use a five-level scale or letter grades instead. U.S. schools work with credits and a 4.0 GPA, so the grades need to be converted.

There are two main types of evaluation:

• General (document-by-document) evaluation: states the U.S. equivalent of each credential. It is usually enough for USCIS and most employers.
• Course-by-course evaluation: lists every course with U.S. semester credits and grades and calculates a GPA. Universities, licensing boards and credit transfer offices usually ask for this one.

If your file is for admission or licensing, check what the receiving institution asks for before you order. See how a transcript evaluation converts your Chinese grades into U.S. credits and a GPA. A university that asks for a GPA will not accept a general report in its place.

Documents You Need for a Chinese Credential Evaluation

Send clear scans of:

• Your Degree Certificate (学位证书) for a bachelor's, master's or doctoral degree
• Your Certificate of Graduation (毕业证书) for every completed program
• Your official transcript (成绩单), listing every course and grade
• CHSI or CDGDC verification reports, if you have them
• Certified English translations of any document that is only in Chinese

Small mistakes in a file cause most delays, such as a missing degree certificate or a transcript without its seal. Read the ten most common mistakes to avoid in academic evaluations.

Many Chinese universities can issue English versions of their certificates and transcripts. If yours are only in Chinese, the evaluation needs a certified English translation. When you upload your documents for an evaluation, our system detects non-English documents and offers translation at the quote stage, so both are done in one order. See how we translate diplomas for academic evaluations.

Certified Chinese translations cost $36.50 per page, with delivery in as little as 12 hours and free digital notarization. See our certified Chinese translation services.

Our 26,000+ professional translators translate Simplified and Traditional Chinese, and every name, date, seal and course title is kept as printed.

How MotaWord Evaluates Your Chinese Credentials

1. Upload: Our online ordering is available 24/7. Upload scans of your degree certificate, graduation certificate and transcript, choose the evaluation type, and see your price and delivery date right away.
2. Document Check: Our team checks that the file is complete and readable and lets you know if anything is missing.
3. Evaluation: Our evaluators compare your Chinese credentials with the U.S. system and prepare the report.
4. Download: Once you order, a MotaWord client dashboard is automatically created for you. You can follow your order, download your evaluation and invoices, and talk to us at any time via live chat.

A standard evaluation costs $65 and is delivered in 72 hours. Same-day delivery costs $115 when you order before 3 PM ET on a weekday. A course-by-course evaluation costs $120, or $200 for same-day delivery. Live chat is available 24/7 for support, whatever your time zone. MotaWord is SOC 2 Type II certified.

Our evaluations follow the standard in the USCIS Policy Manual: a credible, logical and well-documented report. No evaluator controls an officer's decision, but a clear report with complete documents gives your case the strongest footing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are Chinese degrees recognized in the US?

Degrees from accredited Chinese institutions are generally accepted in the U.S. after a credential evaluation. Each university, employer, board and USCIS officer makes their own decision, and the evaluation report is what they rely on.

What is the difference between a benke and a zhuanke diploma?

A benke program is a full undergraduate program, usually four years, that leads to a bachelor's degree. A zhuanke program is shorter, usually three years, and leads to a graduation certificate. Evaluators usually compare benke to a U.S. bachelor's degree and zhuanke to associate level study.

Is a Chinese Certificate of Graduation enough for an evaluation?

For a bachelor's degree or higher, no. You need the Degree Certificate as well, because only it proves that a degree was awarded. For zhuanke and Self-Study Examination certificates, the Certificate of Graduation is usually the only document available, and it is enough.

Does my Chinese degree certificate need to be translated?

Yes, if it is only in Chinese. USCIS and most U.S. institutions require a certified English translation, and you can add it to your evaluation order at the quote stage. Learn what USCIS expects from a certified translation.

Is a Chinese bachelor's degree equal to a U.S. bachelor's degree?

A four-year benke degree with a degree certificate is usually evaluated as the equivalent of a U.S. bachelor's degree. The final determination depends on the institution, the program and the documents.

How long does a Chinese credential evaluation take?

A standard evaluation is delivered in 72 hours for $65. Same-day delivery is available for $115 when you order before 3 PM ET on a weekday.

Get Your Chinese Credentials Evaluated

Whether you are filing with USCIS, applying for a job or starting a U.S. degree, your Chinese education deserves a clear and accurate report. Order your academic evaluation from MotaWord and get a report you can submit with confidence.

Mark Rogers - Evaluation Specialist at MotaWord

Written and reviewed by Mark Rogers, Evaluation Specialist at MotaWord, drawing on the team's experience with evaluating Chinese degrees and translating Chinese academic records. MotaWord is SOC 2 Type II certified and a corporate member of the ATA and ITI, providing academic evaluations and certified translations in 120+ languages. See our course-by-course evaluation service →