Colombian Degree Evaluation: A Guide to Diplomas and Transcripts

If you earned a diploma, degree, or transcript in Colombia and now need it recognized in the United States, a Colombian degree evaluation is the report that explains it in U.S. terms. This guide covers every common Colombian credential, from the Título de Bachiller to the Título Profesional, Especialización, Maestría, and Doctorado. It is written for Colombian graduates applying for jobs, visas, licenses, or U.S. university programs, and for the immigration attorneys who prepare their files. A standard Colombian degree evaluation from MotaWord costs $65 and is delivered in 72 hours.

Why You Need a Colombian Degree Evaluation in the U.S.

U.S. agencies, schools, and employers cannot compare a Colombian diploma to U.S. standards on their own. They rely on a credential evaluation report that states the U.S. equivalent of each credential. The most common reasons people order one are:

• USCIS petitions: H-1B, EB-2, and other employment-based green card petitions often require proof of a U.S. bachelor's or advanced degree equivalent.
• U.S. university admissions and credit transfer: colleges and graduate schools want to know your degree level, your credits, and your GPA.
• Professional licensing: state boards for nursing, engineering, accounting, and teaching usually ask for a course-by-course report.
• Employment: employers and HR teams use evaluations to confirm that you meet a job's degree requirement.
• Military enlistment: recruiters need proof that your Colombian secondary education equals a U.S. high school diploma.

For work visas, the evaluation has to support the degree requirement of the specialty occupation in the petition. See how our education evaluation for H-1B visas supports a petition. Students follow a different path, because schools care about grades and credits as much as the degree title. Learn how academic evaluations work for U.S. university and college admissions.

How Colombia's Education System Is Structured

Primary and Secondary School

Colombian schooling is divided into basic education (educación básica), with five years of primaria and four years of secundaria, followed by two years of educación media (grades 10 and 11). Students who finish grade 11 receive the Título de Bachiller, either as a bachiller académico or a bachiller técnico. Colombian secondary school therefore ends after 11 years, one year fewer than in the U.S.

Before graduating, students take the Saber 11 exam, the national state exam (Examen de Estado) run by ICFES. Universities use Saber 11 scores for admission, so the results report is a useful document to keep with your school records.

Higher Education Institutions and Accreditation

Higher education is overseen by the Ministry of National Education (Ministerio de Educación Nacional, MEN).

Every higher education program in Colombia needs a qualified registration (Registro Calificado) from the Ministry before it can enroll students, and each program and institution is listed in the national higher education information system, SNIES. On top of that, the National Accreditation Council (Consejo Nacional de Acreditación, CNA) grants voluntary high quality accreditation (Acreditación de Alta Calidad). Evaluators check that your institution and program were officially recognized when you studied. High quality accreditation is a plus, but the Registro Calificado is what shows the program was officially authorized.

Colombia's Grading Scale

Most Colombian universities grade on a scale of 0.0 to 5.0, with 3.0 as the usual minimum passing mark. Some graduate programs set a higher passing mark, often 3.5. Because each institution sets its own passing mark and grade bands, evaluators convert grades using the scale printed on your transcript rather than a single national table.

How Colombian Credentials Compare to U.S. Degrees

The determinations below are typical outcomes. Each evaluation depends on the institution, the program's official length, and your transcript, and the final report decides.

The Título De Bachiller

A completed Título de Bachiller is generally evaluated as comparable to a U.S. high school diploma, even though Colombian secondary school lasts 11 years. A certificate for grade 9 alone is not a high school diploma equivalent.

Técnico Profesional and Tecnólogo Programs

Colombia has a strong system of short technical and technological programs. A Técnico Profesional program usually lasts about two years, and a Tecnólogo program usually lasts about three years. Evaluators often compare these credentials to a U.S. associate degree or to a period of undergraduate study, depending on the program's content, hours, and the type of institution that issued it.

Título Profesional and Licenciatura: The Bachelor's Degree Equivalent

The first university degree in Colombia is the pregrado, and most graduates receive a Título Profesional, such as Ingeniero, Administrador de Empresas, or Contador Público. In Colombia, the title Licenciado usually refers to a degree in education that prepares teachers. Programs normally last four to five years. A first degree of four or more years from an officially recognized program is usually evaluated as comparable to a U.S. bachelor's degree. A shorter program may be evaluated as fewer years of undergraduate study, so the evaluator checks the official duration and the credits on your transcript rather than the title alone.

Mexico also uses the Licenciatura title, but there it names most first university degrees, not only teaching degrees. See how Mexican degrees and the cédula profesional are evaluated for U.S. use. Your own result depends on your program and transcript. Order a diploma evaluation that shows what your Colombian degree equals in the U.S.

Especialización, Maestría and Doctorado

Colombian graduate study (posgrado) has three main levels. An Especialización is a professional postgraduate program that usually lasts about one year; outside medicine it is usually evaluated as graduate study rather than a full master's degree. A Maestría generally takes two years and is commonly evaluated as comparable to a U.S. master's degree. A Doctorado is a research degree that usually takes four years or more and is often compared to a U.S. doctorate (Ph.D.).

Medicine, Law and Other Professional Degrees

Degrees such as Médico Cirujano (medicine), Abogado (law), Odontólogo (dentistry), and Médico Veterinario are first degrees in Colombia that students enter straight from secondary school. Medicine typically takes about six years, including a final internship year. Evaluators usually describe these as professional first degrees and state their U.S. comparison in the report.

Many Colombian professions also require a professional card (Tarjeta Profesional or matrícula profesional) issued by the relevant council. Like a license, it supports your file but does not replace the diploma and transcript. A license to practice in the U.S. still requires the steps set by each state board.

Transcripts, Grade Conversion and GPA

Your Colombian transcript is the Certificado de Notas (also called Certificado de Calificaciones). It lists every course by semester, the grade on the 0.0 to 5.0 scale, and usually the academic credits (créditos académicos). The evaluator uses the transcript to confirm the program's length and level and, for course-by-course reports, to convert each grade and calculate a U.S. GPA.

General vs Course-by-Course Evaluation

A general (document-by-document) evaluation states the U.S. equivalent of each credential. It is usually enough for USCIS petitions and most employers. A course-by-course evaluation adds every course with U.S. semester credits, letter grades, and a GPA. Universities, licensing boards, and credit transfer offices usually ask for it. See how a course-by-course evaluation converts each Colombian course and grade.

Standard academic evaluations look at formal education only. If your petition needs work experience combined with education to reach a bachelor's degree equivalent, that requires a separate work experience report or expert opinion letter.

Documents You Need for a Colombian Degree Evaluation

• Diploma (Título) for each degree, front and back
• Acta de Grado, the official graduation record that confirms your degree and graduation date
• Certificado de Notas for each program, showing courses, grades, and credits
• Título de Bachiller and the Acta de Grado from your school for high school level evaluations
• Tarjeta Profesional, if you have one, as supporting evidence
• Certified English translations of every document that is not in English

Clear scans or phone photos are enough to start. Send both sides of each document, because registration details, signatures, and seals are often on the back. Small mistakes, such as a missing Acta de Grado or a name that does not match your passport, are a common cause of delays. See the top 10 mistakes to avoid in academic evaluations.

Certified Translation of Spanish Academic Records

Colombian records are issued in Spanish, and USCIS requires a complete English translation of each foreign-language document with a translator's certification. Learn what USCIS expects from a certified translation. The translation has to cover seals, stamps, and handwritten notes as well as the printed text.

MotaWord's certified translations cost $24.50 per page, with delivery in as little as 12 hours and free digital notarization. When you order an evaluation, the quote system detects non-English documents and offers to add certified translation to the same order. See how we translate diplomas for academic evaluations.

Spanish academic titles do not always line up across countries, and the same word can name different degrees in Madrid and Bogotá. See how diplomas from Spain are evaluated for U.S. immigration. Birth and marriage records for the same filing can be translated too. See our certified Spanish translation services.

Our professional translators keep every course title, grade, credit count, and stamp from your Certificado de Notas in the English version.

How MotaWord Evaluates Your Colombian Credentials

1. Upload: start a quote and upload your diploma, Acta de Grado, transcript, and any other records. If they are in Spanish, add certified translation at the quote stage.
2. Document check: our team reviews your files and contacts you if a page, side, or seal is missing.
3. Evaluation: our evaluators review your institution's recognition, the program's official length, and your coursework, then prepare a report that follows the USCIS Policy Manual standard of a credible, logical, and well-documented analysis.
4. Download: your report is delivered to your MotaWord client dashboard, where you can also track progress and download invoices.

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. See everything you can do in your MotaWord client dashboard.

No evaluator controls a USCIS officer's decision, but a clear, well-documented report gives the officer what they need to review your degree. Employers can use the same report. See how academic evaluations support U.S. job applications.

MotaWord is SOC 2 Type II certified, so your diplomas and transcripts are handled on a platform with independently audited security controls.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Colombian bachelor's degree equivalent in the U.S.?

A Título Profesional or Licenciatura of four or more years from an officially recognized program is usually evaluated as comparable to a U.S. bachelor's degree, depending on the program's length and your transcript.

Is a Colombian Especialización equal to a U.S. master's degree?

Usually not. Outside medicine, an Especialización is typically a one year program and is usually evaluated as graduate study rather than a master's degree. A Maestría is the credential most often compared to a U.S. master's.

Is a Tecnólogo degree equal to a U.S. associate degree?

Often it is compared to an associate degree or to a period of undergraduate study, depending on the program's hours and content. The evaluator decides based on your transcript and the issuing institution.

Is a Colombian high school diploma valid in the United States?

Not automatically, but a completed Título de Bachiller is generally evaluated as comparable to a U.S. high school diploma. An evaluation report is what colleges, employers, and recruiters accept as proof.

How are Colombian grades converted to a U.S. GPA?

Colombian grades on the 0.0 to 5.0 scale are converted to U.S. letter grades using the passing mark and grade bands of your own institution. A course-by-course evaluation shows each converted grade and calculates your GPA.

Do I need an Acta de Grado for my evaluation?

It is strongly recommended. The Acta de Grado confirms that you completed the program and the date you graduated, which helps the evaluator verify the diploma.

Get Your Colombian Degree Recognized

Whether you are filing an H-1B petition, applying to a U.S. graduate program, or proving your Título de Bachiller to a recruiter, the process starts with the right documents and a clear report. Get your Colombian diploma, degree, or transcript evaluated with MotaWord's academic evaluation services. Live chat is available 24/7 if you have questions before you order.

Mark Rogers - Evaluation Specialist at MotaWord

Written and reviewed by Mark Rogers, Evaluation Specialist at MotaWord, drawing on the team's experience with Colombian academic records and credential evaluations for U.S. use. 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. Evaluation reports follow the USCIS Policy Manual standard of a credible, logical, and well-documented analysis. See our transcript evaluation services →