Evaluation of Educational Credentials in USA: China
02/17/2023
(H1B Application Data)
In the year of 2019, nearly 50 thousand
Chinese internationals filed H1B applications, and most of them had obtained educational background in China and needed an evaluation of educational credentials.
Hence, it’s important to understand what the education system in China is like and the U.S. equivalences of Chinese credentials.
This article will explain them all.
Education System in China
9 Years of Compulsory Schooling
According to the Law on Nine-Year Compulsory Education, children in the People’s Republic of China are required to attend school
for at least 9 years. As part of the universal education campaign,
the 9 years compulsory education includes 6 years of elementary school and
3 years of lower secondary education (middle school).
School is divided into two semesters between the months of September and July.
In elementary school, students take courses including Chinese, Mathematics, Social Studies, Nature, Physical Education,
Ideology and Morality, Music, Fine Art, and Labor Studies during their 6 years of study. Foreign Language (normally English)
can be taught in 1st grade or no later than 4th grade, depending on the region. In order to graduate,
all students are required to pass graduation examinations that are normally designed and
administered by schools with guidance from local educational authorities.
Students move on to 3-year lower secondary schools (middle schools) (chuzhong) after graduating from primary schools.
In middle school, which includes 3 years of schooling,
students are required to pass graduation examinations and meet minimum physical education standards to graduate.
During the meantime, students learn basic knowledge of Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Geography, etc.
besides Chinese, English, and Mathematics. Based on the results of entrance examinations (zhongkao),
students can choose which local high school to go to. It’s considered
as an important step for students because a better high school equals higher chances of applying for better universities.
Completion of junior (lower) secondary education marks the end of a 9-year (6+3) compulsory education program.
Senior Secondary Education
For the phase of senior secondary education, students can choose to enter either general (academic) senior secondary school or vocational senior secondary school.
General (academic) senior secondary school lasts 3 years and vocational senior secondary school lasts 3 or 4 years.
While being in senior secondary schools, students normally take all the required classes, including Chinese,
English, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Politics, Geography and History, in the first year of school.
Then students will take exams to determine which route (liberal arts or sciences) to go with for the next two years.
In the third year of senior secondary education,
students will take College Entrance Examination (NCEE), commonly known as Gaokao, to seek admission to post-secondary education.
Post-Secondary Education
After senior secondary education, students in China have two options to continue their education: 1. Go to a junior college; 2. Go to a university.
Junior college (zhuanke) requires two or three years of full-time post-secondary study. It is possible for graduates to attend an undergraduate program at a university. Currently, junior college programs are administered at the provincial level.
Going to college is most Chinese students’ dreams. There’s even a saying called “Ten thousand people crossing one bridge”
to emphasize how difficult Gaokao is. Typically, undergraduate programs in China require 4 years of full-time study.
Students must have chosen their majors before entering college.
Then, depending on the student’s academic performance and results in graduate school entrance examination,
they can continue their study in a master’s (2 to 3 years) or doctoral level (3 to 5 years).
U.S. Equivalent of Chinese Educational Credentials
What are the U.S. equivalences of Chinese educational credentials eventually? Since the length study in China is similar to the U.S., such as 12 years of pre-university study, 2 to 3 three years of junior college, 4 years of college, etc. Here are the potential U.S. equivalences of Chinese educational credentials:
Senior Secondary Education
In most cases, a Chinese senior secondary education is equivalent of a high school diploma in the U.S.
Post-Secondary Education
Most of the time, a Chinese junior college diploma is equivalent of an Associate Degree here in the USA.
A Chinese Bachelor’s Degree equals to an U.S. Bachelor’s Degree, same as Master’s and Doctoral Degrees.
To make sure an U.S. equivalence is legit, people are normally required use professional credential evaluation services for this matter.
Where to Evaluate Chinese Credentials in USA?
According to The U.S. Department of State
there’re no specific laws and regulations regarding foreign credential evaluations.
Therefore, a credential evaluation applicant can go to any trusted credential evaluation agency to evaluate their Chinese educational background.
Our owner, Jeremy Yan, who is also the Director of Evaluation, worked for a prominent NACES agency for 10+ years as a senior associate director. He emigrated from China to fulfill his American Dream.
He is specialized in evaluating educational credentials from all over the world, including China.
We are experts in evaluating Chinese credentials!
Click to learn more: Where to Evaluate International Degree in USA [Ultimate Guide]
For more credential evaluation services, refer to:
- 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
Conclusion
Today, we covered China’s education system and the potential U.S. equivalences of Chinese diplomas and degrees:
| Chinese Credentials | U.S. Equivalences |
| High School | High School |
| Junior College | Associate Degree |
| Bachelor’s Degree | Bachelor’s Degree |
| Master’s Degree | Master’s Degree |
| Doctorate | Doctorate |
As an expert in evaluating Chinese credentials, we guarantee:
- Experienced credential evaluators. Our Evaluation Director has had over a decade experience and was a Senior Associate Director at a well-known NACES agency.
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