Degree Equivalencies and Required Secondary Education Documents

Degree Equivalencies

In the U.S. educational system, bachelor's degree recipients have 16 years of formal education — 12 years of elementary and secondary education plus four years of post-secondary study — which qualify them for admission to advanced degree programs.  This is the benchmark we use to evaluate foreign educational systems.

When reviewing academic records from a school outside the U.S., we assess whether the applicant has reached an academic level equivalent to a U.S. bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution. Our admissions staff is proficient in reviewing academic records from different educational systems around the world.

In rare instances when our admissions staff is unable to verify the nature or authenticity of foreign academic documents, the applicant may be asked to provide supplemental information or to obtain an evaluation from a foreign credential evaluation service.

In some educational systems, the first university degree may be obtained after three years of post-secondary study. Holders of such degrees may be eligible for graduate admission depending upon:

• Evaluation of the degree by admissions staff in the Office of Graduate Studies
• Recommendation regarding degree equivalence and evaluation of the application as a whole from the Graduate Committee of the academic program in which the applicant is applying

 

Degrees the University of Arkansas typically consider equivalent to a U.S. bachelor’s degree. 

Diplomas, the Higher National Diploma (H.N.D.), certificates, memberships or associate memberships in some professional organizations, and some bachelor's and technical degrees are not considered equivalent to a U.S. bachelor's degree for the purpose of gaining admission to the Graduate School. Note to applicants from Bangladesh, Burma, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka: a 2-3 year bachelor's degree does not qualify an applicant for admission to the Graduate School. Generally, only a 4-5 year bachelor's degree or a 2 year master's degree beyond the 2-3 year bachelor's program will qualify such students for studies.  

The A to Z list below provides links to information on the university level education credentials required for admission to the University of Arkansas Graduate School. The tables are arranged by country. Select the country where you are completing your university level education to verify the title of the credential required for admission.

Credentials are acceptable only when they are issued by, and received from, recognized educational institutions. It is critical that your records remain in a sealed envelope from the appropriate authority. Official records can be submitted via post or hand-delivered so long as they remain sealed. Official records are only required after the final admission decision has been made. You may submit electronic copies of your university level credentials for evaluation purposes. If your higher education institution does not issue transcripts in English, you must submit English translations along with your original language transcripts.

The International Admissions Office reserves the right to request additional documentation or clarification on a case by case basis. All international evaluations are completed in house by qualified international credential specialists, therefore, we do not accept any transcript evaluation reports by third-party evaluation services. All documents become the property of the University of Arkansas and will not be returned, so please do not send any academic credential that cannot be duplicated or replaced. Please contact us if you have any questions regarding this list.

International Examinations

Required Secondary Education Documents