Canadian Degree Evaluation: A Guide to Diplomas and Transcripts

A Canadian degree evaluation tells a U.S. employer, university, licensing board, or USCIS officer what your Canadian diploma, degree, or transcript equals in the U.S. education system. This guide is for anyone who studied in Canada, from high school through a doctorate, and for the immigration attorneys who prepare their petitions. It explains how Canada's provincial systems work, how each type of Canadian credential usually compares to a U.S. qualification, which documents you need, and how MotaWord prepares your evaluation for $65 with delivery in 72 hours.

Who Needs a Canadian Degree Evaluation in the U.S.?

Canadian and U.S. universities look alike, so many graduates assume their degree speaks for itself. In practice, U.S. institutions often ask for a formal credential evaluation because Canadian programs differ in length, grading, and naming from province to province. You will usually need one for:

• Immigration petitions: H-1B, EB-2, and other employment-based green card petitions require proof that your degree equals a U.S. bachelor's or advanced degree.
• Employment: U.S. employers and HR teams that need a degree equivalency for hiring, promotion, or pay grade decisions.
• University admissions and credit transfer: graduate schools and colleges that review Canadian transcripts for admission or transfer credit.
• Professional licensing: state boards for nursing, teaching, accounting, engineering, and other licensed professions.
• Military enlistment: recruiters who need proof that a Canadian high school diploma equals a U.S. high school diploma.

For a work visa, the evaluation has to show that your degree meets the specialty occupation standard. See how our education evaluation for H-1B visas supports your petition. USCIS reviews evaluations under its Policy Manual standard: the report must be credible, logical, and well documented, and the officer makes the final decision.

How Canada's Education System Is Organized

Under Canada's Constitution, education belongs to the provinces and territories. There is no federal ministry of education. The Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC) coordinates the provinces, but each province decides its own school curriculum, degree rules, and quality assurance. That is why two degrees with the same name can follow different rules in Ontario and Quebec.

Canada has two official languages, English and French. Most Canadian institutions issue documents in English, but universities and colleges in Quebec, in parts of New Brunswick, and French language institutions in other provinces often issue them in French.

Secondary School: Grade 12 and Quebec's CEGEP

In most provinces, secondary school ends after Grade 12 with a provincial high school diploma, such as the Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD), the Alberta High School Diploma, or the British Columbia Certificate of Graduation. Quebec is different: secondary school ends after Secondary V (the equivalent of Grade 11) with the Secondary School Diploma (DES). Students then attend a CEGEP, a college that awards the Diploma of College Studies (DEC) after a two-year pre-university program or a three-year technical program.

Universities, Colleges and Polytechnics

Canadian universities award bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees. Colleges, institutes, and polytechnics focus on applied and technical training and award certificates, diplomas, advanced diplomas, and in some provinces applied or full bachelor's degrees. Public institutions are created or recognized by provincial law, and private institutions must usually be registered or approved by the province to award degrees.

Grading Scales Across Canada

There is no national grading scale. Depending on the institution, your transcript may show percentages, letter grades, or grade points on a 4.0, 4.3, 4.33, 4.5, or 9-point scale. Quebec CEGEPs report percentage grades alongside an R score used for university admission. An evaluator reads the scale printed on your transcript, so a clear grading key matters more than the number itself.

How Canadian Credentials Usually Compare to U.S. Degrees

The evaluation report decides the equivalency for your file, and each evaluator looks at the program length, the admission requirement, and the institution's recognition. The patterns below are what evaluators usually find.

High School Diplomas

A provincial high school diploma completed after Grade 12 is usually evaluated as equal to a U.S. high school diploma. Quebec's DES is often treated as the equivalent of U.S. high school completion as well, although some evaluators note that it ends a year earlier and look at CEGEP studies alongside it.

College Diplomas, Certificates and the Quebec DEC

A two-year or three-year college diploma is often evaluated as equal to a U.S. associate degree, depending on the program content. One-year certificates usually count as a year of undergraduate study. A Quebec DEC from a pre-university program is often treated as university level study rather than high school, and a three-year technical DEC can be evaluated as comparable to a U.S. associate degree.

Three-Year and Four-Year Bachelor's Degrees

A four-year bachelor's degree, including honours degrees, is usually evaluated as equal to a U.S. bachelor's degree. Three-year general or ordinary bachelor's degrees, still offered in several provinces, are the most common source of questions: evaluators often treat them as three years of undergraduate study, which matters for H-1B and EB-2 petitions that require a full U.S. bachelor's equivalent. Quebec's three-year bachelor's degree follows two years of CEGEP, so evaluators usually look at both credentials together. To understand how evaluators weigh program length, get a diploma evaluation that explains what a Canadian degree equals in the U.S.

Master's and Doctoral Degrees

Canadian master's degrees take one to two years after a bachelor's degree and include thesis and course-based options. They are usually evaluated as equal to a U.S. master's degree. A Canadian Ph.D. is usually evaluated as equal to a U.S. doctorate.

Professional Degrees: Medicine, Law and Engineering

Canadian MD programs are usually evaluated as equal to a U.S. Doctor of Medicine, though medical licensing in the U.S. follows its own separate process. Common law schools outside Quebec now award the Juris Doctor (JD), and older graduates hold an LLB; Quebec's civil law degrees (such as the LLB or BCL) follow a different legal tradition. Engineering degrees accredited by the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board (CEAB) are four-year programs and are usually evaluated as equal to a U.S. bachelor's degree in engineering.

Province-by-Province Guides to Canadian Degrees

Because each province sets its own rules, start with the guide for the province where you studied:

• Ontario: See how Ontario degrees and diplomas are evaluated for U.S. use.
• Quebec: See how Quebec CEGEP diplomas and degrees compare to U.S. standards.
• Alberta: See how Alberta degrees and diplomas are evaluated for U.S. use.
• British Columbia: See how British Columbia degrees compare to U.S. standards.
• Manitoba: See how Manitoba degrees and diplomas are evaluated for U.S. use.
• New Brunswick: See how New Brunswick degrees compare to U.S. standards.
• Newfoundland and Labrador: See how Newfoundland and Labrador degrees are evaluated for U.S. use.
• Nova Scotia: See how Nova Scotia degrees compare to U.S. standards.
• Prince Edward Island: See how Prince Edward Island degrees are evaluated for U.S. use.

If you studied in Saskatchewan or one of the territories, the national patterns in this guide apply, and your evaluator will review the documents from your institution in the same way.

Canadian Transcripts, GPA and Course-by-Course Evaluation

There are two main types of credential evaluation, and the right one depends on who asked for it.

A general evaluation (also called a document-by-document evaluation) states what each credential equals in the U.S., for example "the equivalent of a bachelor's degree in business administration from a regionally accredited U.S. institution". It is usually enough for USCIS petitions and most employers.

A course-by-course evaluation lists every course on your transcript with U.S. semester credits and a U.S. grade, then calculates a U.S. GPA. Universities, community colleges, and licensing boards often require it, especially for transfer credit, graduate admission, or licensing exams that set credit hour minimums. When your institution uses a 4.3 or 9-point scale, the course-by-course report shows how your grades convert to the 4.0 scale that U.S. schools use.

If you are applying to a U.S. school, check its admission page before ordering. See how our academic evaluation supports U.S. university and college admissions.

Documents You Need for a Canadian Credential Evaluation

Prepare eskanè oswa foto klè pou:

• Your diploma or degree certificate for each credential you want evaluated, front and back.
• Your official transcript, including the page that explains the grading scale.
• For Quebec, your DES, your DEC, and your CEGEP transcript if you are evaluating a bachelor's degree.
• A name change document, such as a marriage certificate, if the name on your diploma differs from your passport.

Documents issued in English need no translation. If your diploma or transcript is in French, the evaluator needs a certified English translation. Get your French diploma and transcripts translated with our academic translation service. Certified translation can be added to your evaluation order at the quote stage, where the system detects non-English documents.

How MotaWord Evaluates Your Canadian Degree

MotaWord's evaluation process takes a few clicks:

1. Upload: Upload your Canadian diploma and transcripts on the quote page and choose the evaluation type. Our online ordering is available 24/7, and you see the price before you order.
2. Document check: Our team checks that every page is readable and complete, and asks for anything missing before the evaluation starts.
3. Evaluation: Our evaluators review the province, the institution's recognition, the program length, and your grades, then write a report that follows the USCIS Policy Manual standard.
4. Download: Once you order, a MotaWord client dashboard is created for you, where you follow your order, download your evaluation report and invoices, and talk to us via live chat. See everything you can do in your MotaWord client dashboard.

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. MotaWord is SOC 2 Type II certified, and live chat is available 24/7 for support.

Kesyon Moun Poze Souvan

Do I need a credential evaluation for a Canadian degree? Often, yes. USCIS, many employers, and most U.S. universities and licensing boards ask for a formal evaluation of any degree earned outside the U.S., including degrees from Canada. The evaluation states the U.S. equivalent in a format these institutions can review.

Is a Canadian bachelor's degree equal to a U.S. bachelor's degree? A four-year Canadian bachelor's degree is usually evaluated as equal to a U.S. bachelor's degree. Three-year general degrees are often evaluated as three years of undergraduate study, and the result depends on the program and the province.

How are Canadian university degrees evaluated for USCIS? The evaluator reviews your diploma and transcript, the institution's recognition, and the program length, then writes a report on the U.S. equivalent. USCIS expects the report to be credible, logical, and well documented, and the officer makes the final decision on the petition.

How do I evaluate my degree in Canada for use in Canada? This guide covers evaluations for use in the U.S. If you studied outside Canada and need your degree recognized for Canadian immigration, you need an Educational Credential Assessment from an organization designated by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, which is a separate process.

Do I need a course-by-course evaluation or a general evaluation? A general evaluation is usually enough for USCIS and most employers. Choose a course-by-course evaluation when a university, community college, or licensing board needs your credits, grades, or GPA.

How long does a Canadian degree evaluation take? A standard evaluation from MotaWord is delivered in 72 hours for $65. Same-day delivery is available for $115 when you order before 3 PM ET on a weekday.

Whether you studied in Toronto, Montreal, Calgary, or Halifax, the evaluation report turns your Canadian credentials into a clear U.S. equivalent. Order your Canadian degree evaluation through MotaWord's academic evaluation services, and talk to a real person on live chat 24/7 if you have questions.

Evren Ay - CEO & Fondatè nan MotaWord

Evren Ay, PDG ak Fondatè MotaWord, ekri epi revize dokiman sa a, baze sou eksperyans ekip la nan evalyasyon akademik diplòm, degre ak relve nòt Kanadyen yo. MotaWord gen sètifikasyon SOC 2 Tip II epi li se yon manm antrepriz ATA ak ITI, li bay evalyasyon akademik ak tradiksyon sètifye nan plis pase 120 lang. Chak rapò evalyasyon eksplike kijan chak kalifikasyon konpare ak edikasyon ameriken an. Gade evalyasyon akademik nou an pou travay nan Etazini →