Academic Evaluation for Greece: Apolytirion, Degrees, Transcripts and Greek Certified Translation

Did you finish school or university in Greece and now need your education accepted in the U.S.? Two services usually work together here: a Greek certified translation of your records, and an academic evaluation that states their U.S. equivalent. This guide is for anyone who earned an Apolytirion, a Ptychio, a master's degree or a doctorate in Greece, and for the immigration attorneys who file their cases. It covers what each Greek credential is, how U.S. evaluators usually read it, how grades convert, and which documents and translations you need. MotaWord's standard evaluation costs $65 with delivery in 72 hours, and certified translations cost $24.50 per page.

Why You May Need a Greek Credential Evaluation

A U.S. reviewer cannot tell from a Greek diploma alone what level it represents in U.S. terms. You will usually need an evaluation, and a translation, for:

• U.S. college and graduate admissions: schools review your Apolytirion or Ptychio, your grades and your courses. 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 check that your degree meets the job requirement.
• Professional licensing: state boards review foreign education before licensing teachers, engineers, nurses and other professionals.
• Military enlistment: recruiters need proof that your secondary education equals a U.S. high school diploma.

Understanding the Education System in Greece

Greek students attend six years of primary school (Dimotiko), three years of lower secondary school (Gymnasio) and three years of upper secondary school (Lykeio). Entry to public universities is decided by the national Panhellenic exams (Panelladikes).

Secondary and Vocational Education

The general upper secondary school (Geniko Lykeio) ends with the Apolytirion, the Upper Secondary Leaving Certificate. Lykeio grades are given on a scale from 0 to 20, with 10 as the pass mark. Vocational upper secondary schools (EPAL) award their own leaving certificate and a vocational specialty degree. After secondary school, students can also attend Vocational Training Institutes (IEK) for post-secondary professional training.

Higher Education

Greek higher education is public, and degree programs are reviewed by the Hellenic Authority for Higher Education (HAHE). Greece is part of the Bologna Process, so most programs carry ECTS credits. Read our guide to Bologna Process degrees across Europe. The main university credentials are:

• Ptychio: the first degree, usually four years and 240 ECTS
• Five-year Diploma: awarded by polytechnic and engineering schools, and some other long programs
• Metaptychiako Diploma Eidikefsis: the postgraduate (master's) diploma, usually one to two years
• Didaktoriko: the doctorate

Until about 2019, Greece also had Technological Educational Institutes (TEI), which were merged into universities. Older graduates may hold a TEI Ptychio.

The Greek Grading System

Greek universities grade from 0 to 10, and 5 is the pass mark. Degree results are described with these terms:

• Άριστα (Arista, Excellent): 8.5 to 10
• Λίαν Καλώς (Lian Kalos, Very Good): 6.5 to 8.49
• Καλώς (Kalos, Good): 5 to 6.49

A 7.0 is a strong result in Greece. That is why a translation must keep the grading legend, and why a U.S. GPA should come from an evaluation, not from your own conversion.

How Greek Credentials Are Evaluated in the U.S.

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

The Apolytirion and Vocational Certificates

The Apolytirion of the Geniko Lykeio is usually evaluated as comparable to a U.S. high school diploma. An EPAL leaving certificate is also usually treated as secondary education, with a vocational focus. IEK diplomas are often credited as post-secondary vocational training, and their U.S. equivalent depends on the hours and subjects.

Ptychio and Five-Year Diplomas

A four-year Ptychio of 240 ECTS is usually compared to a U.S. bachelor's degree. A five-year Diploma from a polytechnic school is often evaluated as a bachelor's degree with additional graduate-level study, and in some cases as comparable to a U.S. master's degree, depending on the program. A TEI Ptychio is reviewed on its own credits and length.

Master's Degrees, Doctorates and Professional Degrees

A Metaptychiako Diploma Eidikefsis that follows a Ptychio is usually compared to a U.S. master's degree, and a Didaktoriko to a U.S. research doctorate. Medicine, dentistry, law and engineering lead to regulated professions in the U.S. An evaluation is usually one part of the licensing file, and the state board makes its own decision.

Transcripts, Grade Conversion and GPA

Your transcript is called the Analytiki Vathmologia. It lists each course, its ECTS credits, the grade and the semester. Many graduates also have a Diploma Supplement (Parartima Diplomatos), which describes the program in English and helps evaluators confirm its level.

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, graduate programs and licensing boards usually ask for it.

See how a course-by-course evaluation converts your Greek grades into a U.S. GPA. Graduate programs often also want thesis titles and research topics, so those lines must be translated in full too.

Greek Certified Translation of Your Academic Records

U.S. colleges, evaluators and USCIS need every Greek record in English. A certified translation is a complete English version of the original with a signed certificate of accuracy. It must include every stamp, signature, grading legend and note, and your name must match your passport exactly. See how our certified translations meet USCIS requirements.

Some Greek academic terms need care because they have no direct U.S. match:

• Apolytirion: Upper Secondary Leaving Certificate, not a university diploma
• Analytiki Vathmologia: detailed transcript of grades
• Σχολή (Scholi): School or Faculty, depending on the university
• Τμήμα (Tmima): Department
• Ptychio: degree, with the field named in full

See how we translate academic transcripts. 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. Our translators sign an NDA to be able to work on our platform, and MotaWord is SOC 2 Type II certified.

Documents You Need

Prepare clear color scans of every page, front and back:

• Apolytirion: for undergraduate admissions and military enlistment
• University diploma: your Ptychio, Diploma or Metaptychiako Diploma
• Transcript: the Analytiki Vathmologia for each degree
• Diploma Supplement: if your university issued one
• Proof of a name change: if the name on your records differs from your passport

Greek universities can take several weeks to issue official transcripts, especially during exam periods and summer breaks. Request them early, at least two months before a U.S. deadline, so that translation and evaluation have time to follow.

How MotaWord Evaluates Your Greek Credentials

You order online and follow everything from one place:

1. Upload: upload your Greek 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 an admissions or USCIS decision, so check each recipient's requirements.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Apolytirion mean?

Apolytirion (Απολυτήριο) means leaving certificate. The Apolytirion of the Lykeio is the certificate Greek students receive when they finish general upper secondary school, and it allows them to enter higher education through the Panhellenic exams.

Is the Greek Apolytirion equal to a U.S. high school diploma?

Usually, yes. Evaluators generally compare the Apolytirion of the Geniko Lykeio to a U.S. high school diploma. U.S. colleges still need a certified English translation and, often, an evaluation.

What is the difference between the Apolytirion and a Ptychio?

The Apolytirion is a secondary school certificate. A Ptychio is a university degree in a specific field, usually four years long. Translating the Apolytirion as "Diploma" can confuse U.S. reviewers, who may read it as a university degree.

How does the Greek grading system convert to a U.S. GPA?

Greek universities grade from 0 to 10, and 5 is the pass mark. There is no single formula, so a course-by-course evaluation reads each grade against the Greek scale and calculates your GPA.

Do I need a Greek certified translation and an evaluation?

Often both. The translation puts your records into English, and the evaluation states their U.S. equivalent. Many universities and USCIS cases need both, and you can order them together.

Can graduate students get transcripts translated and evaluated?

Yes. We translate thesis titles, grading scales and full course lists, and a course-by-course evaluation can then calculate your GPA. Many master's and PhD programs in the U.S. ask for exactly this pair.

Get Your Greek Credentials Ready for the U.S.

Your Apolytirion and university records show years of work, and a clear translation and evaluation make sure U.S. reviewers see it. Order MotaWord's academic evaluation services to get a U.S. equivalency report for your Greek 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 Greek diplomas, transcripts and translations. 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 Greek translation services →