Egypt Credential Evaluation: Degrees, Diplomas and Transcripts

An Egypt credential evaluation tells a U.S. institution what your Egyptian education equals in American terms. You need one to prove a high school diploma from Egypt to a U.S. college or military recruiter, to show a U.S. employer or USCIS that your degree meets an H-1B or green card requirement, to transfer credits, or to apply for a professional license. This guide is for anyone who studied in Egypt, in the Ministry of Education or the Al-Azhar system, and for the attorneys who file their cases. It covers every level, from the Thanaweya Amma to doctoral degrees, plus transcripts, grades and translation. MotaWord's standard evaluation costs $65 and is delivered in 72 hours.

Overview of Egypt's Education System

Egypt runs two parallel education systems: the Ministry of Education (MOE) system and the Al-Azhar system, which combines general subjects with religious study. Both lead from primary school to higher education. Al-Azhar University, one of the oldest continuously operating universities in the world, offers degrees in theology and Islamic law as well as medicine, engineering and other secular fields.

Public universities are overseen by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research and the Supreme Council of Universities, and private universities are licensed by the state. Evaluators look for a recognized institution and an official certificate or degree statement.

Primary and Secondary Education in Egypt

The school system has three stages. Primary education lasts six years (grades 1 to 6) and ends with the Primary Education Certificate (Shehadet Al-Ibtidaiya). Preparatory school lasts three years (grades 7 to 9) and ends with the Preparatory Education Certificate (Shehadet Al-Iadadiya). Students then move to general or technical upper-secondary education.

The Thanaweya Amma and Al-Azhar Certificates

Students on the academic track complete three years of general secondary education and graduate with the Thanaweya Amma, Egypt's General Secondary Education Certificate. Evaluators usually find it comparable to a U.S. high school diploma, so it is the document that proves a high school diploma from Egypt for U.S. college admission, jobs and military enlistment. The Al-Azhar Secondary Certificate (Thanaweya Azhariya) is usually evaluated in the same way. See how we translate diplomas for academic evaluations.

Technical Secondary Diplomas

Students on the technical track specialize in agriculture, commerce or industry and graduate with a technical secondary diploma, after three or five years. Three-year diplomas are often compared to a U.S. high school diploma with vocational study, while five-year technical diplomas may also receive credit for postsecondary study, depending on the program.

Some students complete bilingual programs, such as the Certificate of Nile International Secondary Education (CNISE) offered at Nile Egyptian Schools. These are usually also evaluated at the high school level, and a course-by-course report shows any advanced coursework.

Higher Education in Egypt

The higher education system in Egypt offers degrees from undergraduate to doctoral level at public, private and Al-Azhar universities, as well as at higher institutes. Undergraduate programs usually take four to six years, depending on the field. Get a diploma evaluation for your Egyptian degrees and certificates.

Bachelor's and Licence Degrees

• Bachelor of Engineering: usually five years, often including a preparatory year, and frequently evaluated as a U.S. Bachelor of Science in Engineering
• Licence (Lisans): usually four years in arts, law, education and similar fields, and generally compared to a U.S. bachelor's degree
• Bachelor's Degree (Bakalorios): used in commerce, science and other fields, usually four years, and generally compared to a U.S. bachelor's degree

Professional Degrees in Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmacy

Medicine has traditionally been a six-year program (Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery) followed by a one-year internship. Dentistry and pharmacy usually take five years, and veterinary medicine five or more. Evaluators often treat these as first professional degrees in their fields, but the exact U.S. equivalent depends on the program and the evaluator's method, and it is stated in your report.

An evaluation does not license you to practice. Physicians need ECFMG certification and the USMLE exams, and pharmacists, dentists and other professionals follow the rules of their U.S. boards, which often ask for a course-by-course evaluation.

Master's and Doctoral Degrees

A Master's degree (Magister) usually takes at least two years after a bachelor's degree and includes coursework and a thesis, and evaluators usually compare it to a U.S. master's degree. A Doctorate (PhD) typically requires three or more years of research and a dissertation and is often compared to a U.S. Doctor of Philosophy.

Postgraduate Diplomas and Specialized Degrees

The Diploma of Graduate Studies is awarded after one or two years of postgraduate study without a thesis. It is usually not considered equivalent to a full master's degree, though it may count as graduate-level study. Specialized clinical degrees, such as postgraduate degrees in orthodontics, and the higher Doctor of Science may have no direct U.S. equivalent, so the report describes them in U.S. terms.

Egyptian Transcripts, Grades and GPA

Egyptian universities issue a transcript or grade statement that lists courses by year, with grades in Arabic descriptions and often percentages. A common scale is Excellent (Mumtaz), Very Good (Gayyid Gedan), Good (Gayyid), Pass (Maqbul) and Fail, although the percentage bands vary by university. The degree certificate often shows an overall grade as well.

A general (document-by-document) evaluation states the U.S. equivalent of each credential and is usually enough for USCIS, most employers and military enlistment. A course-by-course evaluation converts every course to U.S. credits and grades and calculates a GPA, which universities and licensing boards often require. See how a course-by-course evaluation converts your Egyptian grades to a U.S. GPA.

Course-by-course evaluation fees at MotaWord are $120, or $200 for same-day delivery. Order a foreign transcript evaluation with U.S. grade and credit equivalents. Before you order, check whether your recipient asks for a general or a course-by-course report.

Documents You Need

• Your degree certificate or graduation statement, and the Thanaweya Amma or Al-Azhar certificate for high school level evaluations
• Your university transcript or grade statement for every year of study
• Certificates for postgraduate diplomas, master's and doctoral degrees
• A certified English translation of every Arabic document, and proof of a name change if your name differs

Most Egyptian academic documents are issued in Arabic. Your translation should match each certificate line for line, with every name, date, grade and stamp, and course titles that stay consistent across the transcript and the evaluation. Certified translation costs $24.50 per page for most languages and $36.50 per page for Asian languages, with delivery in as little as 12 hours and free digital notarization; your instant quote shows the exact price. See our academic translation for papers and transcripts.

When an evaluation order includes Arabic documents, the system detects them at the quote stage and offers certified translation in the same order.

Using Your Evaluation for USCIS, Jobs and U.S. Universities

USCIS asks for a certified English translation of every foreign-language document, and H-1B, EB-2 and many green card petitions also need an evaluation that states the U.S. equivalent of the degree. See how our education evaluation for H-1B visas works. MotaWord's evaluations follow the standard of the USCIS Policy Manual: credible, logical and well documented, and the officer makes the final decision.

For the translation side of an immigration file, get your certified translation for USCIS. Attorneys can order both for a client at once.

Employers use the same report to confirm a degree requirement. See how academic evaluation for U.S. employment works. U.S. colleges usually ask for a course-by-course report before they decide on admission and transfer credit. Learn how evaluations support U.S. university admissions.

How MotaWord Evaluates Your Egyptian Credentials

1. Upload: Upload your certificates, transcripts and any translations on the quote page. If they are in Arabic, you can add certified translation to the same order.
2. Document Check: Our team checks that every page is readable and complete, and asks you if something is missing.
3. Evaluation: An evaluator reviews your institution, program length and coursework and writes the U.S. equivalent of each credential.
4. Download: Your report appears in your MotaWord client dashboard, together with your 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. See everything you can do in your MotaWord client dashboard. Live chat is available 24/7 for support.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I prove I have a high school diploma from Egypt? Submit your Thanaweya Amma (or Al-Azhar secondary certificate) with a certified English translation and a credential evaluation that states its U.S. equivalent. U.S. colleges, employers and military recruiters usually ask for exactly that.

Is the Thanaweya Amma equivalent to a U.S. high school diploma? Usually yes. Evaluators generally compare the General Secondary Education Certificate to a U.S. high school diploma.

Is an Egyptian equivalency certificate the same as a U.S. evaluation? No. The equivalency (mu'adala) issued in Egypt recognizes a qualification for use in Egypt. For U.S. use, institutions ask for a U.S. credential evaluation.

Is a Lisans degree from Egypt equal to a U.S. bachelor's degree? A four-year Lisans from a recognized university is generally evaluated as a U.S. bachelor's degree in the same or a similar field.

How much does a course-by-course evaluation cost? At MotaWord, a course-by-course evaluation costs $120, or $200 for same-day delivery. A standard evaluation costs $65.

Are Al-Azhar University degrees evaluated differently? No. Al-Azhar degrees are evaluated on the same basis as other Egyptian university degrees: the program, its length and the coursework.

Summing It Up

Egypt offers credentials from the Thanaweya Amma to doctoral and professional degrees, and each one can be stated in U.S. terms once it is translated and evaluated. Get your Egyptian degree evaluated with MotaWord academic evaluation services, with live chat available 24/7.

Mark Rogers - Evaluation Specialist at MotaWord

Written and reviewed by Mark Rogers, Evaluation Specialist at MotaWord, drawing on the team's experience with Egyptian certificates, transcripts and academic evaluations. 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 certified Arabic translation services →