Getting Pakistani Transcripts and Degrees Evaluated for US Admission

Why US schools want your Pakistani credentials evaluated

Admissions offices in the US are not familiar with Pakistan's Boards of Intermediate and Secondary Education or with how HEC-regulated universities grade their students. A credential evaluation translates your matric and intermediate certificates, or your bachelor's and master's degrees, into their US equivalent, such as a high school diploma, a bachelor's degree, and a GPA on a 4.0 scale. Most schools require this evaluation before they consider your application complete.

How Pakistani schooling maps to the US system

Matriculation (SSC, grade 10) followed by intermediate (HSSC, also called FSc, FA, or ICS depending on your subjects, grade 12) together are generally read as equivalent to a US high school diploma. If you studied on the Cambridge system, O-Level plus A-Level results are evaluated the same way.

At the bachelor's level, Pakistani universities award either a 2-year Pass degree or a 4-year Honours or BS degree. A 4-year Honours or BS degree is generally accepted as equivalent to a US bachelor's degree. A 2-year Pass degree is not always treated the same way, some evaluators and graduate schools read it as partial progress toward a bachelor's rather than a completed one. Ask your target school and your evaluator directly how they will read your specific degree before you apply, since practice differs by institution.

Master's degrees in Pakistan usually run two years after a bachelor's, and are generally read as equivalent to a US master's degree, though the exact comparison again depends on your evaluator and your undergraduate credential.

Choosing a NACES member evaluator

Most US universities only accept evaluation reports from a member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES). Well known members that evaluate Pakistani credentials include World Education Services (WES), Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE), SpanTran, and Josef Silny & Associates. Check the current member list on naces.org , since not every evaluator serves every school's requirement, and some schools name a preferred evaluator on their admissions page.

You will typically choose between a document-by-document report, which lists your credentials and their US equivalent without a GPA conversion, and a course-by-course report, which lists individual courses, grades, and a converted GPA. Graduate programs usually ask for course-by-course reports.

Requesting your transcripts

Order official transcripts directly from your Board (for matric and intermediate) and your university (for bachelor's and master's work), sent straight to your evaluator in a sealed envelope or through the evaluator's electronic submission system where your institution supports it. Processing at Pakistani Boards and universities takes time, especially around results season, so request your documents as early as possible.

Some schools also ask you to have your degree attested. The Inter-Board Committee of Chairmen (IBCC) attests school-level certificates for use abroad, and HEC attests university degrees. Check whether your target school or evaluator requires this step before you submit your application.

What to expect after you submit your documents

Once your evaluator receives your transcripts, they typically confirm receipt, then move your file into a review queue. Processing time depends on the evaluator, the report type you chose, and the season, since evaluators handle a heavy volume of applications close to major admission deadlines. Order your evaluation as early as you can rather than waiting until close to your target school's deadline, and check your evaluator's own processing time estimate before you plan around a specific date.

If your documents are not in English

Most Pakistani Board and university transcripts and certificates are issued in English already, but if any of your documents are in Urdu or another local language, most evaluators require a certified English translation alongside the original. Check your chosen evaluator's specific translation requirement before you submit anything, since some accept translations done in Pakistan while others only accept translations from an approved translator in the US.

Evaluation fees and how to save time

Evaluation services charge a fee that varies by report type and how fast you need it, and rush processing usually costs more. Compare current fees and turnaround times on each NACES member's own website, since neither is fixed across the industry. Ordering early, in a single complete submission rather than sending documents piecemeal, is the most reliable way to keep your evaluation on schedule regardless of the fee you pay.

Grading scale conversion

Your transcript may show percentage marks, common for Board certificates and older-style university transcripts, or a letter grade and GPA on a scale set by your university under HEC's semester system. Either way, your evaluator converts your result into a US-style GPA using its own conversion table, so the same Pakistani transcript can produce a slightly different US GPA depending on which evaluator you use. Keep your original mark sheets, consolidated transcripts, and any provisional certificates, since evaluators and admissions offices may ask for more than one document to complete your file. Send your evaluation report directly from the evaluator to each school that requires one, rather than forwarding a personal copy, since most schools only accept reports sent through the evaluator's own delivery system.

If your converted GPA looks lower than expected

Pakistani grading traditionally runs on tighter percentage bands than a US GPA scale, so a strong Pakistani transcript sometimes converts to a GPA that looks lower than you expect. Admissions offices that see many Pakistani applicants understand this and read your class position or board standing alongside the converted GPA. Ask your school if you can submit supporting context, such as your position in your Board or department, alongside the evaluation report.