Czech Degree Evaluation: Maturita, Degrees and Transcripts for U.S. Use

Did you study in the Czech Republic and now need your education recognized in the U.S.? A Czech degree evaluation states the U.S. equivalent of your Maturita, diploma or transcript, so that U.S. universities, employers, USCIS and licensing boards can read it. This guide is for anyone with Czech credentials, including students transferring to a U.S. university, professionals with job offers, and the immigration attorneys who file their cases. It covers every level, the Czech grading scales, ECTS credit conversion and the documents and translations you need. MotaWord's standard evaluation costs $65 with delivery in 72 hours. Same-day delivery costs $115 when you order before 3 PM ET on a weekday.

Why You May Need a Czech Degree Evaluation

A U.S. reviewer cannot tell from a Czech diploma whether Ing. means a bachelor's or a master's level degree, or how many U.S. credits your ECTS credits are worth. You will usually need an evaluation for:

• University transfer and admissions: registrars need your courses in U.S. credits and a GPA before they award transfer credit. See how evaluations work for U.S. university admissions.
• USCIS petitions: H-1B, EB-2 and other employment-based cases need a U.S. degree equivalent. See how an education evaluation supports an H-1B petition.
• Employment: U.S. employers confirm that your degree meets the job requirement.
• Professional licensing: state boards review foreign education for engineers, teachers, nurses and other regulated professions.
• Military enlistment: recruiters need proof that your secondary education equals a U.S. high school diploma.

Understanding the Education System in the Czech Republic

Czech students attend nine years of basic school (základní škola), then a secondary school. General secondary schools (gymnázium) and many technical secondary schools end with the Maturita exam (maturitní zkouška) and the Maturitní vysvědčení. Three-year vocational programs end with an apprenticeship certificate (výuční list), without the Maturita.

After the Maturita, students can attend a tertiary professional school (vyšší odborná škola), which awards the title DiS., or a university. Higher education is overseen by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (MŠMT), and programs are accredited by the National Accreditation Bureau for Higher Education (NAÚ). The Czech Republic is part of the Bologna Process, so programs carry ECTS credits. Read our guide to Bologna Process degrees across Europe.

The main university degrees are:

• Bakalář (Bc. or BcA.): the first degree, usually three to four years and 180 to 240 ECTS
• Magistr or Inženýr (Mgr., Ing., Ing. arch.): a follow-up master's program of two to three years, or a long single-cycle program
• Long single-cycle professional degrees: medicine (MUDr.), dentistry (MDDr.) and veterinary medicine (MVDr.), five to six years, and law (Mgr.), five years
• Rigorózní titles (JUDr., PhDr., RNDr. and others): earned after a master's degree by passing a rigorózní exam and defending a thesis
• Doktor (Ph.D.): a research doctorate, usually three to four years

Czech Grading Scales

Secondary schools grade from 1 to 5, where 1 (výborný) is the best and 5 (nedostatečný) is a fail. Universities use the ECTS letter scale from A to F, or a scale from 1 to 4, where 1 (výborně) is the best. A transcript may also show zápočet (credit, pass or fail) next to graded exams (zkouška). Because the scale runs in the opposite direction to most U.S. scales, a U.S. GPA must come from an evaluation that reads the legend on your transcript.

How Czech Credentials Are Evaluated in the U.S.

The evaluation depends on the title, the program length, the ECTS credits and the institution's accreditation. The patterns below are typical, and your evaluation report decides the equivalency for your documents.

Secondary and Vocational Education

The Maturitní vysvědčení is usually evaluated as comparable to a U.S. high school diploma. A výuční list without the Maturita is usually treated as vocational training at the secondary level. The DiS. title from a tertiary professional school is often credited as postsecondary study, and its U.S. equivalent depends on its length and content.

Bachelor's and Master's Degrees

A four-year bakalář of 240 ECTS usually aligns with a U.S. bachelor's degree. A three-year bakalář of 180 ECTS is often evaluated as three years of undergraduate study rather than a full bachelor's degree. When it is followed by a Mgr. or Ing. program, the combined study often reaches the U.S. bachelor's and master's levels. For H-1B petitions, a three-year degree is sometimes combined with work experience. A follow-up Mgr. or Ing. is usually compared to a U.S. master's degree.

Doctorates and Professional Degrees

A Ph.D. is usually compared to a U.S. research doctorate. Rigorózní titles such as JUDr. or PhDr. follow a master's degree, but they are not research doctorates, so evaluators generally do not treat them as a U.S. Ph.D. The MUDr. is a long first professional degree in medicine. Czech doctors who want to practice in the U.S. also go through ECFMG certification and the USMLE, and state boards make their own licensing decisions.

Converting ECTS Credits to U.S. Credits

In the ECTS system, 60 credits stand for one full academic year, roughly 25 to 30 hours of work per credit. U.S. schools count semester credit hours, and a full-time U.S. year is usually about 30 of them. That is why many U.S. institutions start from a conversion of 2 ECTS credits to 1 U.S. semester credit. Each school still applies its own transfer policy, and lab or seminar courses may need course descriptions before credit is awarded.

There are two types of evaluation:

• General evaluation: states the U.S. equivalent of each credential. It is usually enough for USCIS and most employers.
• Course-by-course evaluation: lists every course with U.S. semester credits, converts each grade and calculates a GPA. Universities, transfer reviews and licensing boards usually ask for it.

See how a course-by-course evaluation converts Czech credits and grades for U.S. transfer. Registrars may also ask for syllabi to match specific courses, so export them from your university system early.

Documents You Need

Prepare clear scans of every page, front and back, including stamps and signatures:

• Diploma: your diplom, and the certificate of the state final exam (vysvědčení o státní závěrečné zkoušce)
• Transcript: the výpis studijních výsledků, listing every course, its ECTS credits and grade
• Diploma Supplement: the dodatek k diplomu, which many Czech universities issue in English
• Maturita certificate: the Maturitní vysvědčení, for undergraduate admissions and enlistment
• Syllabi: course descriptions, if a registrar or licensing board asks for them
• Proof of a name change: if the name on your records differs from your passport

Certified Translation of Czech Transcripts and Diplomas

U.S. universities, evaluators and USCIS need every Czech record in English. A certified translation includes every course title, grade, stamp, signature and grading legend, with a signed certificate of accuracy. Terms such as bakalářské and magisterské, which mark the level of a program, must stay consistent so the evaluator reads the level correctly. See how we translate academic transcripts.

If you finished secondary school in the Czech Republic, U.S. colleges may also ask for your Maturita certificate in English. See how our certified translations meet USCIS requirements. When you order an evaluation, certified translation can be added at the quote stage, where our system detects non-English documents. Certified translations cost $24.50 per page, with delivery in as little as 12 hours and free digital notarization.

See our academic translation service for diplomas and transcripts. Syllabi and long course descriptions are usually priced by the word rather than the page. See our professional translation service for course descriptions.

For other long files, such as research papers, see our document translation services. Our translators sign an NDA to be able to work on our platform, and MotaWord is SOC 2 Type II certified.

How MotaWord Evaluates Your Czech Credentials

You order online and follow every step in one place:

1. Upload: upload your diploma, transcript and any other records, choose a general or course-by-course evaluation, and add certified translation if needed.
2. Document check: our team checks that every page is complete and readable, and tells you if anything is missing.
3. Evaluation: an evaluator reviews the title, institution, credits and grades, and writes the U.S. equivalency. Our reports follow the USCIS Policy Manual standard for evaluations: credible, logical and well documented.
4. Download: your report and translations arrive in your MotaWord client dashboard, with your invoices.

See everything you can do in your MotaWord client dashboard.

A standard evaluation costs $65 and is delivered in 72 hours, or $115 for same-day delivery when you order before 3 PM ET on a weekday. A course-by-course evaluation costs $120, or $200 same day. Live chat is available 24/7 for support, whatever your time zone. No evaluator controls a registrar's or an officer's decision, so check each recipient's requirements before you order.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do ECTS credits convert to U.S. credits?

Many U.S. schools start from 2 ECTS credits to 1 U.S. semester credit, so 60 ECTS often equals about 30 U.S. credits. The final number depends on the receiving school's policy and on your course-by-course evaluation.

What is the Czech Maturita equal to in the U.S.?

The Maturitní vysvědčení is usually evaluated as comparable to a U.S. high school diploma. U.S. colleges still need a certified English translation and often an evaluation.

Is a Czech bakalář degree equal to a U.S. bachelor's degree?

It depends on the length. A four-year bakalář of 240 ECTS usually is. A three-year bakalář of 180 ECTS is often evaluated as three years of undergraduate study, unless it is combined with further study or, for H-1B petitions, work experience.

Is a JUDr. or PhDr. title a U.S. doctorate?

Generally not. These rigorózní titles are earned after a master's degree by exam and thesis, but they are not research doctorates. A Czech Ph.D. is the degree usually compared to a U.S. doctorate.

Do I need a certified translation of my Czech transcript for USCIS?

Yes. USCIS needs a complete English translation of every foreign document, with a certificate of accuracy. See our immigration translation services.

How long does a Czech degree evaluation take?

A standard evaluation is delivered in 72 hours, and same-day delivery is available for orders placed before 3 PM ET on a weekday. If your documents also need translation, that is done first, in as little as 12 hours.

Get Your Czech Credentials Ready for the U.S.

Clear ECTS credits, a readable grading legend and the right report type are what move a Czech file through a U.S. review without delays. Order MotaWord's academic evaluation services to get a U.S. equivalency report for your Czech diplomas and transcripts. Upload your documents for an instant quote, or talk to a real person on live chat 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 Czech diplomas, transcripts and credit transfer files. 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. Every certified translation ships with a signed certification of accuracy and completeness meeting USCIS requirements. See our certified Czech translation services →