Education Evaluation for H1B for India (2025)
Written by Jeremy Yan | 01/29/2025
Congratulations on getting the H1B lottery in India!
However, as you're about to start the process for 2025 H1B application, you may be required by USCIS to have your foreign degree evaluated.
That's what we call Education Evaluation or Foreign Credential Evaluation.
So, what is education evaluation for H1B？What could be the US equivalence of your Indian degree(s)?
Read on, we are breaking everything down for you today.
1. What is Education Evaluation for H1B?
Education Evaluation, aka Foreign Credential Evaluation, is a service provided by professional evaluation agencies to evaluate educational backgrounds, test scores, professional experiences, etc. obtained outside the United States.
It mainly includes 2 types of evaluations:
- Foreign Degree Evaluation (Diploma Evaluation/Document by Document Evaluation)
- Transcript Evaluation (Course by Course Evaluation)
to make your foreign degree equivalent to a US degree or educational equivalency evaluation for H1B.
For more information, click “What is Foreign Credential Evaluation?”
2. Possible US Eequivalence of Your Indian Degrees
Depending on the educational program you attended, here are some possible US equivalences of your Indian degrees:
Three-Year Undergraduate Program
An equivalent of 3 years of an undergraduate study in the US.
In general, the length of an Indian bachelor’s degree is 3 years.
Indian education system famously has a 10+2+3 scheme,
meaning 10 years of first stage schooling (take a secondary school certificate exam) + 2 years of second stage schooling
(high school certificate exam) + 3 years of bachelor’s degree study. Unlike a 4-year US undergraduate study, this 3-year degree can only be equivalent to 3 years of an undergraduate study here in the US.
Four-Year Undergraduate Program
An equivalent of a bachelor’s degree in the US.
There are 4-year undergrduate programs in Engineering and Technology, although 3-year programs are common in India.
Your Indian degree will be most likely equivalent to a US bachelor's degree, if your major was in:
- Electrical and Electric Engineering
- Mechanical Engineering
- Computer Science and Engineering
- Other Bachelor of Engineering or Bachelor of Technology related majors
Please note, a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) or a 4-year undergraduate study in Nursing will also most likely be the same equivalency in the US.
Master's Degree from India
Typically, an Indian master's degree is an equivalent of a master's degree in the US.
However, here are some other possible outcomes, for example, if your bachelor’s and master's combined was four years, then you will most likely get a four-year bachelor’s equivalence in the USA.
Click to learn more about Indian master's degree equivalence in USA.
3. How to get Education Evaluation for H1B?
Simply find a USCIS approved credential evaluation agency to evaluate your H1B Education Evaluation.
Although you may be in India, there are credential evaluation companies, like AET, offer online services.
They are specialized in educational systems from around the world and can accurately translate degrees into their U.S. equivalents, or other country-specific equivalents.
If you live in Florida, California or Texas, we also listed the following educational evaluators for you:
- 5 Best Education Credential Evaluation Services in California
- 3 Best Education Credential Evaluation Agencies in San Francisco
- 3 Best Education Credential Evaluation Agencies for Dallas
- 3 Best Education Credential Evaluation Agencies for Houston
- 3 Best Local Education Credential Evaluation Agencies in Los Angeles
- 4 Best Education Credential Evaluation Agencies in Miami
(All 5-Start Reviews of AET)
4. Required Documents for H1B Credential Evaluation from India
Before you start the process of evaluating your degree, you may need the following documents for the H1B Credential Evaluation:
- Indian Degree Certificate
- Translated degree certificate by a certified translator (if needed)
- Indian Marksheets
- Translated transcripts by a certified translator (required if doing Transcript Evaluation)
5. What does an Education Evaluation for H1B include?
An Education Evaluation for H1B usually includes:
- An equivalent for each degree, diploma or transcript submitted for evaluation
- Dates of attendance and location of the institution
- Profile of the institution and programs (entrance criteria, status of the institution, typical and length of study)
- Recommends the U.S. equivalent of each level of study and credential earned
Cited from Evaluation World and VisaPro
6. H1B Education Evaluation Costs for Indian Degrees
Anywhere between $100 and $130.
In general, you only need a foreign degree evaluation (document-by-document evaluation) to meet USCIS'requirments for your H1B visa.
The pricing on H1B education evaluation could be anywhere between $100 and $130.
Here is a list of 10 Best Education Credential Evaluation Agencies for your reference.
7. Education Evaluation for H1B Process Time
Between 7 and 21 business days in general. However, expedited services are provided by agencies.
Depending on which credential evaluation service you go with, processing time for H1B Education Evaluation is from 7 to 21 business days.
8. Education Evaluation for H1B Sample
In general, an H1B Education Evaluation sample includes the following:
- An equivalent for each degree, diploma or transcript submitted for evaluation
- Dates of attendance and location of the institution
- Profile of the institution and programs (entrance criteria, status of the institution, typical and length of study)
- Recommends the U.S. equivalent of each level of study and credential earned
- Evaluators’ resume and references used for the evaluation
Learn more about a Sample of H1B Education Evaluation.
Conclusion
In every H1B application season, a lot of you might be frustruated by USCIS's notice that you need an education evaluation for H1B because you have never heard of it before in India.
We wanted to let you know that you are not alone since the founder of our company went through the same as you and that is why he started the education evaluation business to help you succeed in the US.
In conclusion, this article has reviewed some major questions in H1B education evaluation for India to help you understand the definition of it, how much it can cost, and your other concerns.
Contact us today for a FREE estimate if you are in need! Good luck with your application!
More about Credential Evaluation
- 9 FAQs - Translation and Evaluation of Foreign Diploma
- A 4-Step Guide to Credential Evaluation for Employment
- Educational Equivalency Evaluation: How Does It Work?
- How to Avoid Delays with Credential Evaluation? [6 Best Ways]
- How to Get an International Evaluation? [A 6-Step Guide]
- USCIS Approved Education Evaluation: 10 FAQs Answered
Immigrated to the U.S. back in 1998, Mr. Yan had worked for over 10 years in a prominent NACES (National Association of Credential Evaluation Services) company as a senior associate director and team leader. He has completed hundreds of thousands of foreign credential evaluation of documents from numerous foreign countries for various universities, licensing boards, U.S. government, and immigration services. He is a leading expert at American Education and Translation Services and was invited several times to be a keynote speaker to hundreds of admission counselors of U.S. universities.