What is a Chinese four-year bachelor's degree equivalent to in the U.S.?

A Chinese four-year bachelor's degree (学士学位) is typically evaluated as equivalent to a U.S. four-year bachelor's degree. A Chinese three-year college diploma (大专) usually does not equate to a U.S. bachelor's degree and may need to be supplemented with work experience to meet requirements (e.g., under the H-1B "3 years of work experience equals 1 year of education" rule). A Chinese master's degree is generally equivalent to a U.S. master's degree. Chinese five-year undergraduate programs (e.g., medicine, architecture) may be evaluated as a bachelor's or master's degree depending on curriculum content.

How much does a credential evaluation cost?

WES charges approximately $160 for a Document-by-Document evaluation and $205 for a Course-by-Course evaluation. ECE charges approximately $135 for a basic evaluation and $195 for a detailed evaluation. Rush services typically cost an additional $50–$80. Additionally, Chinese degree verification through CSSD/学信网 costs approximately RMB 300. Total costs are generally in the range of $200–$400 (including verification and shipping).

Do I need a Course-by-Course or Document-by-Document evaluation for immigration?

Most immigration applications (H-1B, EB-2, EB-3) require only a Document-by-Document evaluation confirming the foreign credential's U.S. degree equivalency. A Course-by-Course evaluation analyzes individual courses and is generally used for academic admissions, professional licensing, or when demonstrating that specific coursework aligns with a specialty occupation. If an H-1B petition involves degree-occupation match issues (e.g., the applicant's degree field is not perfectly aligned with the job duties), a Course-by-Course evaluation may be more helpful.

Has CDGDC stopped handling degree verification? Where should I go now?

Yes. Chinese degree verification services have been transferred from CDGDC (China Academic Degrees and Graduate Education Development Center) to CSSD (formerly CHESICC/学信网). All academic credential and degree verifications are now unified on the 学信网 platform (www.chsi.com.cn). Applicants need to register an account on 学信网, apply for online verification reports for both academic credentials and degrees, and then authorize delivery to the evaluation agency (e.g., WES).

What if my credential is not equivalent to a U.S. bachelor's degree?

If a foreign credential does not directly equate to a U.S. bachelor's degree (e.g., a three-year diploma), several options are available: (1) USCIS allows work experience to substitute for education — typically, three years of progressive professional experience equates to one year of university education; (2) complete additional coursework in the U.S. or online to earn equivalent credits; (3) apply for visa categories that do not require a specific degree (e.g., O-1 or EB-1A, which are based on ability rather than academic credentials). Consult with an attorney to determine the best strategy.

The Peng Law

外国学历认证评估

Q: Which credential evaluation agencies does USCIS accept?

USCIS does not maintain an official "approved" list of evaluation agencies, but in practice, reports from NACES and AICE member organizations are most widely accepted. NACES members include: WES (World Education Services), ECE (Educational Credential Evaluators), IERF (International Education Research Foundation), FIS (Foundation for International Services), Josef Silny & Associates, SpanTran, Global Credential Evaluators, Academic Evaluation Services, and A2Z Evaluations, among others. WES is the most commonly used agency for immigration applications. It is advisable to use an agency recommended by your attorney to ensure the report is accepted by USCIS.

Foreign Credential Evaluation

外国学历认证评估（Credential Evaluation）是将在美国以外获得的学位、文凭和学分转换为美国同等学历的过程，由专业的第三方评估机构完成。

Overview

概述

外国学历认证评估（Credential Evaluation）是将在美国以外获得的学位、文凭和学分转换为美国同等学历的过程，由专业的第三方评估机构完成。在移民申请中，学历评估报告用于证明申请人拥有相当于美国学士学位或以上的学历，这是H-1B、EB-2/EB-3、NIW等多种签证类别的基本要求。USCIS通常认可NACES（National Association of Credential Evaluation Services）和AICE（Association of International Credential Evaluators）成员机构出具的评估报告。对于中国学历，评估机构通常要求通过中国学位与研究生教育信息网（CDGDC，现改由CSSD/学信网管理）进行学位验证。评估报告通常分为基本评估（Document-by-Document）和详细评估（Course-by-Course），移民申请一般使用基本评估即可。

Eligibility

什么时候需要学历评估

H-1B工作签证申请——需证明申请人持有相当于美国学士学位或以上的学历

EB-2职业移民——需证明拥有美国硕士学位同等学历或学士学位加5年工作经验

EB-3职业移民——需证明拥有美国学士学位同等学历

NIW（国家利益豁免）——证明高等学位或特殊能力

EB-1B杰出教授/研究员——证明学术背景

TN签证——证明符合特定职业的学历要求（加拿大/墨西哥公民）

专业执照申请（如工程师PE、CPA会计师等州级执照）需要学历评估

三年制学位持有人（如中国三年制大专、印度三年制学士）需要评估是否等同于美国四年制学士

Application Process

申请流程

选择评估机构

选择NACES或AICE成员机构。主要机构包括：WES（World Education Services）、ECE（Educational Credential Evaluators）、FIS（Foundation for International Services）、IERF（International Education Research Foundation）、Josef Silny & Associates等。WES是移民申请中最常用的评估机构。

获取学位验证（中国学历）

中国学历需要通过CSSD/学信网（原CDGDC）进行学位在线验证。登录学信网（www.chsi.com.cn）申请学位认证报告和学历认证报告，选择发送至评估机构。该步骤是中国学历评估的前提。

准备并提交材料

通常需要提交：学位证书复印件、成绩单、学位验证报告（中国学历）、护照身份页复印件。所有非英文文件需附带认证翻译。通过评估机构的在线系统提交申请并支付费用。

评估机构审核

评估机构核实文件真实性，分析学历体系和课程设置，将外国学历与美国教育体系对标，确定等同学历级别。

获取评估报告

评估完成后，机构出具正式的评估报告，注明外国学历对应的美国学历等级（如"equivalent to a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution in the United States"）。报告可邮寄或电子方式送达。

Timeline Reference

时间线参考

阶段	预计时间
中国学位验证（CSSD/学信网）	15-20个工作日
材料邮寄和接收	1-2周
WES标准评估	收到材料后7个工作日
WES加急评估	收到材料后3个工作日
ECE标准评估	收到材料后10-12个工作日
总计（含验证）	4-8周

Frequently Asked Questions

常见问题

USCIS没有官方"认可"的评估机构列表，但实践中最认可NACES和AICE成员机构的报告。NACES成员包括：WES（World Education Services）、ECE（Educational Credential Evaluators）、IERF（International Education Research Foundation）、FIS（Foundation for International Services）、Josef Silny & Associates、SpanTran、Global Credential Evaluators、Academic Evaluation Services、A2Z Evaluations等。WES是移民申请中使用最广泛的机构。建议选择律师推荐的机构，以确保评估报告被USCIS接受。