Getting Brazilian Transcripts and Degrees Evaluated for US Admission
By Muntasir Minhaz • Published Sep 18, 2026 • Updated Sep 18, 2026
US universities cannot read your Brazilian histórico escolar or diploma directly, so most ask for a course-by-course evaluation from a NACES member service that converts your grades, credits, and credential level into US terms.
🎓 Ensino Médio (grades 10-12) maps to a US high school diploma.
📩 Send the evaluator certified copies plus a certified English translation.
💵 Evaluation fees and turnaround times differ by provider.
⏱️ Order your evaluation as soon as you have final grades, not the week before a deadline.
Why US admissions offices need an evaluation
US universities do not know how to read a Brazilian 0-10 grading scale, how many years Ensino Médio takes, or whether a bacharelado matches a US bachelor's degree. A foreign credential evaluation, done by an independent evaluator, translates your Brazilian record into US-style terms: grade level, credit hours, and a converted GPA. Many public universities require this evaluation before they process your application. Some private universities accept your original transcript and evaluate it in-house instead. Check each university's admissions page for which it wants.
Evaluations matter beyond admission too. Graduate schools use them to confirm your bachelor's degree meets the credit and accreditation threshold for their program, professional licensing boards use them when a Brazilian degree feeds into a US license application, and some employers ask for one when they sponsor a work visa later. Keep your evaluation report on file well past your admission date.
How the Brazilian system maps to US grade levels
Brazil's basic education splits into Ensino Fundamental (grades 1-9) and Ensino Médio (grades 10-12). Ensino Médio ends with a Certificado de Conclusão, the credential US universities treat as equivalent to a high school diploma.
| Brazilian credential | US equivalent |
|---|---|
| Ensino Médio + Certificado de Conclusão | High school diploma |
| Bacharelado (bachelor's degree, 4-5 years) | Bachelor's degree |
| Licenciatura (teaching degree) | Bachelor's degree, education track |
| Tecnólogo (technology degree, 2-3 years) | Associate degree or partial bachelor's credit, evaluated case by case |
| Especialização / Mestrado | Graduate certificate / Master's degree |
An evaluator makes the final call on your specific transcript. Two students with the same degree title from different Brazilian universities sometimes receive different US credit recommendations, based on accreditation and coursework. A degree from a federal university and one from a smaller private faculdade with limited accreditation history sometimes convert differently, even under the same degree name.
Choosing a NACES-member evaluator
US universities and immigration agencies trust evaluators that belong to the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) . Some universities name a specific member they accept. Others accept any NACES member. Compare providers on the points below before you pay.
Whether they offer a course-by-course report rather than only a document-by-document summary
Standard turnaround time and whether they offer a paid rush option
Whether they send results directly to your university electronically, since many schools do not accept a copy forwarded by the applicant
Whether their fee schedule covers Brazilian bacharelado and tecnólogo credentials specifically, since not every provider evaluates every credential type
Steps to order your evaluation
Confirm with each university whether it requires an evaluation, and from which provider or association.
Request official transcripts and your Certificado de Conclusão or diploma directly from your school or university registrar, sealed or sent through the institution's official channel.
Get a certified English translation from a tradutor juramentado if the evaluator or university requires one separately from the evaluation.
Submit certified copies, not your only original, to your chosen evaluator, along with any required application form and fee.
Ask the evaluator to send the report directly to each university, since many schools do not accept a copy forwarded by the applicant.
Keep a personal copy of the final report for scholarship and visa applications that ask for it later.
How Brazilian grades read on a converted transcript
Brazilian universities grade on a 0-10 scale, with most institutions setting 5.0 or 6.0 as the minimum passing grade. Your transcript also lists a coeficiente de rendimento, a weighted average that functions like a cumulative GPA. Evaluators convert this scale using their own documented methodology into a US 4.0-scale equivalent. Because methodologies differ slightly between NACES members, a converted GPA from one evaluator sometimes reads a few tenths of a point differently from another. Follow the specific evaluator each university names when one is specified, so your reported GPA matches what the admissions office expects.
If your university does not require a formal evaluation
Some universities, especially those with an established international admissions team, read Brazilian transcripts directly and convert grades in-house without asking you to pay for an outside evaluation. If a school's application instructions do not mention a credential evaluation, do not order one automatically. Email the international admissions office to confirm before you spend the fee, since a report a school did not ask for still does not replace the transcript it wants submitted through its own portal.
Timeline and common delays
Order your evaluation as soon as final grades post, not the week before an application deadline. Evaluators need time to verify documents directly with Brazilian institutions in some cases, which extends turnaround beyond the provider's standard estimate. Delays most often come from unofficial or uncertified copies, missing translations, or a school registrar that is slow to respond to a verification request. Contact your school early to confirm how it issues sealed transcripts and how long that takes, and ask your evaluator directly what its current turnaround estimate is before you commit to a deadline.