Colleges in Prince Edward Island and UPEI Degrees: An Academic Evaluation Guide

Prince Edward Island has a small but complete education system: one university, a handful of colleges in Prince Edward Island and a group of registered private training schools. If you studied at any of them and now need your education recognized in the United States, an academic evaluation states your degree, diploma or certificate in U.S. terms. This guide is for UPEI and college graduates and for the immigration attorneys who file their petitions. It explains which institutions exist, how each credential is usually evaluated, how transcripts are converted and how MotaWord prepares your report. A standard evaluation costs $65 and is delivered in 72 hours.

Why You May Need an Evaluation of Your PEI Education

U.S. institutions usually want a written comparison before they rely on a Canadian credential. Typical reasons include:

• U.S. immigration: H-1B specialty occupation petitions, EB-2 advanced degree petitions and employment-based green cards. Evaluations follow the USCIS Policy Manual standard of a credible, logical and well-documented report, and the officer makes the final decision. Learn how our education evaluation for H-1B visas supports a specialty occupation petition.
• Employment: U.S. employers confirm that your degree meets a job's education requirement.
• University admissions and credit transfer: U.S. colleges compare your transcript to their admission and transfer rules.
• Professional licensing: state boards for veterinary medicine, nursing, teaching and engineering may want course-level detail.
• Military enlistment: recruiters may ask for an evaluation of a PEI high school diploma or college credits.

The Education System in Prince Edward Island

Prince Edward Island follows the Canadian model of high school, then college or university. The provincial department responsible for post-secondary education sets policy and funds the public institutions. Quality assurance for degree programs is handled by the Maritime Provinces Higher Education Commission (MPHEC), a regional body PEI shares with Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. Students finish high school after grade 12 with a PEI high school graduation diploma, which is usually evaluated as comparable to a U.S. high school diploma.

PEI University: UPEI, the Province's Sole Public University

The University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI), in Charlottetown, is the only university in PEI. It holds degree granting authority under provincial law and offers bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in arts, science, business, education, nursing and engineering, among other fields. Most bachelor's programs take four years of full-time study.

UPEI also includes the Atlantic Veterinary College (AVC), founded in 1986. It is the only veterinary college in Atlantic Canada and awards the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM).

Because UPEI is a public university with provincial degree granting authority, U.S. evaluators usually treat it in the same way as a regionally accredited U.S. university. Canada does not use U.S. style accreditation, so the provincial charter and MPHEC review do that job.

Colleges in Prince Edward Island

People often ask which colleges in Prince Edward Island are public and which are private. Here is the short list:

• Holland College: the province's public community college, with centres across PEI. It offers certificates, diplomas and apprenticeship training in business, health, technology, culinary arts, policing and the trades.
• Collège de l'Île: a public French-language college offering vocational and technical programs for French-speaking students.
• Maritime Christian College: a small college in Charlottetown offering theology and ministry programs.
• Registered private training schools: career colleges and language schools that offer short, job-focused programs. They must register with the province.

The province publishes a current list of its registered private schools. Check whether a private school is on Prince Edward Island's registered schools list. Registration matters in an evaluation, because the evaluator confirms that the school was recognized when you studied there.

How PEI Degrees and Diplomas Are Usually Evaluated

The evaluator reviews the institution's status, the length of the program, the admission requirement and your courses. The outcomes below are typical, and your evaluation report decides the result for your own documents. For an overview of what academic evaluation services do and who uses them, read our guide to academic evaluation services.

UPEI Bachelor's Degrees

A four-year UPEI bachelor's degree is usually evaluated as comparable to a U.S. bachelor's degree in the same field. Honours degrees are treated the same way, with the honours component noted. The Bachelor of Education is a post-degree program, so the evaluator considers the first degree and the B.Ed. together.

Master's, Doctoral and Professional Degrees

UPEI master's degrees usually map to a U.S. master's degree, and a Ph.D. usually maps to a U.S. doctorate. The DVM from the Atlantic Veterinary College is evaluated as a professional doctorate in veterinary medicine. U.S. veterinary licensing has its own requirements, so check with your state board as well.

Holland College and Other College Credentials

Holland College certificates of one year or less are often evaluated as undergraduate coursework. Two-year diplomas may be evaluated as comparable to some or all of a U.S. associate degree, depending on the program's content and hours. Apprenticeship training is usually described as vocational training rather than academic credit. Collège de l'Île credentials are reviewed the same way, with a translation if the documents are in French.

Newfoundland and Labrador also has a single university and a province-wide college. See how degrees from Newfoundland and Labrador compare to U.S. standards. Nova Scotia shares PEI's quality assurance agency. See how degrees from Nova Scotia compare to U.S. standards.

Transcripts, Grades and GPA

UPEI transcripts usually report percentage grades, and Holland College transcripts report percentages or competency results depending on the program. U.S. schools expect a 4.0 GPA scale, so the evaluator converts each grade and calculates a GPA when the report needs one.

• General evaluation: states the U.S. equivalent of each credential. It is usually enough for USCIS and most employers. Compare your Canadian degree to a U.S. degree with a diploma evaluation.
• Course-by-course evaluation: lists every course with U.S. credits and grades and calculates your GPA. U.S. universities, transfer offices and licensing boards often require it.

Ask the school or board that will receive your report which type it accepts. Learn how we prepare academic evaluations for U.S. university and college admissions.

Documents You Need

• Your degree, diploma or certificate for each credential
• Official transcripts with all courses, grades and the conferral date
• The grading scale, usually printed on the transcript
• For private training schools, proof of the program name and length
• Proof of any name change if your documents show a different name

Most PEI documents are issued in English. Records from Collège de l'Île or other French-language programs need a certified translation, which can be added to your evaluation order at the quote stage. Certified translation costs $24.50 per page.

How MotaWord Evaluates Your Prince Edward Island Credentials

1. Upload your documents: start a quote online, choose academic evaluation and upload scans of your diploma and transcripts. If the system detects non-English documents, it offers certified translation at the quote stage.
2. Document check: our team reviews your files and asks for anything missing.
3. Evaluation: the evaluator researches your institution and program and states the U.S. equivalent of each credential, with credits and GPA for course-by-course orders.
4. Download: your report is delivered to your MotaWord client dashboard, where you can follow your order and download invoices. See everything you can do in your MotaWord client dashboard.

A standard evaluation costs $65 and is delivered in 72 hours, or $115 same-day when ordered 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.

For job offers, the report states your degree in the terms U.S. employers expect. Learn how we prepare academic evaluations for employment in the U.S.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the colleges in Prince Edward Island?

The public colleges are Holland College and the French-language Collège de l'Île. Maritime Christian College offers theology programs, and a number of registered private training schools offer career programs.

Is Holland College public or private?

Holland College is a public community college funded by the province of Prince Edward Island.

Is UPEI the only university in Prince Edward Island?

Yes. The University of Prince Edward Island is the province's sole public university and its only university.

Is a UPEI degree equivalent to a U.S. bachelor's degree?

A four-year UPEI bachelor's degree is usually evaluated as comparable to a U.S. bachelor's degree. The evaluation report states the result for your program.

Is UPEI an accredited university?

UPEI is a public university with degree granting authority under PEI law, and its programs are reviewed through the MPHEC. U.S. evaluators usually treat it like an accredited U.S. university.

How much does an evaluation of a PEI degree cost?

A standard evaluation costs $65 and is delivered in 72 hours. A course-by-course evaluation costs $120.

Get Your PEI Education Recognized in the U.S.

From a UPEI degree to a Holland College diploma, a clear evaluation helps USCIS officers, employers and U.S. schools understand what you studied. If you also studied elsewhere in Canada, include those records in the same order. MotaWord's academic evaluation services can evaluate your Prince Edward Island diplomas, degrees and transcripts for U.S. use.

Mark Rogers - Evaluation Specialist at MotaWord

Written and reviewed by Mark Rogers, Evaluation Specialist at MotaWord, drawing on the team's experience with Canadian degrees and transcripts. 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 evaluation report explains how your education compares to U.S. standards in plain, documented terms. See our course-by-course evaluation services →