Levels of Academic Qualification
A Comparison of International Secondary & Tertiary Educational Attainment Levels
International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED)
European Qualifications Framework (EQF) & European Higher Education Area (EHEA)
UK Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF)
U.S. Equivalent
ISCED 8: Doctoral or equivalent level
Level 8 / Third-Cycle
Level 8
Doctoral
ISCED 8.1
Doctorate (PhD) or equivalent level
Doctorate (PhD or DPhil)
Doctorate (Ph.D. – Research)
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
ISCED 7: Master’s or equivalent level
Level 7 / Second-Cycle
Level 7
Graduate
ISCED 7.1
Master’s degree (60 ECTS) | 1 year
Integrated master’s degree | 5 years (Final 1-2 years)
Integrated master’s degree | 5 years (Final 1-2 years)
Master’s degree (Following a bachelor’s) | 1-2 years
Master's degree | 2 years
ISCED 7.2
Master’s degree (120 ECTS) | 2 years
Advanced Master's degree (Following a master's) | 1-2 years
First Professional Degree (e.g., J.D. – Law, Pharm.D., etc.) | 3 years
ISCED 7.3
Advanced Master’s degree (completed following another master’s) | 1-2 years
Professional Certificate
Postgraduate certificate | 1 year
Postgraduate certificate in education (PGCE) | 1 year
Postgraduate diploma | 1 year
First Professional Degree – Medical (e.g., Doctor of Medicine (M.D.)) | 4 years
ISCED 6: Bachelor’s or equivalent level
Level 6 / First-Cycle
Level 6
Undergraduate
ISCED 6.1
Bachelor of Applied Sciences (Professional Bachelor’s) | 3 years
Ordinary degree without honours | 3 years
N/A
ISCED 6.2
Bachelor’s degree (Academic Bachelor’s) | 3 years
Integrated master’s degree | 5 years (First 3-4 years)
Degree with honours (e.g., BA hons, BSc hons) | 3 years
Integrated master’s degree | 5 years (First 3-4 years)
Bachelor's Degree (B.A. or B.S.) | 4 years (years 2, 3, 4)*
*The general education courses taught in year 1 of a US undergraduate program can be considered equivalent to ISCED 4 to account for compulsory secondary education (high school) ending at ISCED 3
ISCED 6.3
Advanced Bachelor's programmes (Bachelor after a bachelor) | 1 year
Teachers' training diploma | 1 year
Graduate diploma (e.g., GradD, GDip, GrDip, GradDip)
Advanced Bachelor's programmes (Bachelor after a bachelor) | 3 years
Post-Graduate/Graduate/Post-bachelor's certificate (e.g., teaching credential) | 1 year
ISCED 5: Short-cycle tertiary education
Level 5 / Short-Cycle
Level 5
Undergraduate
ISCED 5.1
Associate’s Degree/Certificate of Higher Education | 2 years
Professional Diploma | 1-2 years
Higher Vocational Education | 1-2 years
Higher National Certificate (HNC)
Diploma of Higher Education (DipHE)
Associate's Degree (A.A. or A.S.) | 2 years
ISCED 5.2
Preparatory Program for a Bachelor's degree | 1 year
Foundation degree
N/A
ISCED 4: Post-secondary non-tertiary education
Level 4
Level 4
N/A
ISCED 4.1
Upper Secondary General Education Diploma | 1 year (Final year of secondary school)
Upper secondary technical or artistic education | 1 year (Final year)
Certificate of higher education (CertHE)
N/A*
*Some European countries consider ISCED 4 to be equivalent to the general education courses taught in year 1 of a US undergraduate degree
ISCED 4.5
Advanced secondary education: Specialisation year (13th year) in vocational education
Adult Education
N/A
N/A
ISCED 3: Upper Secondary Education
Level 3
Levels 2 & 3
High School
ISCED 3.1
Secondary education | 5 years (Years 8-11)
Vocational secondary education
International Baccalaureate Diploma
GCSE - grades 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4 or grades A*, A, B, C
A Levels
High School (grades 10-12)
GED or High School equivalency program
ISCED 2: Lower Secondary Education
Level 3
Level 1
Middle or Junior High School
ISCED 2.1
Lower secondary education | First 2 years after primary education (years 6-7)
GCSE - grades 3, 2, 1 or grades D, E, F, G
Middle Education (grades 7-9)
Sources & Further Reading:
Europe:
Europass | Compare national qualifications frameworks across Europe | https://europass.europa.eu/en/compare-qualifications
Eurostat | International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) | https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=International_Standard_Classification_of_Education_(ISCED)
European Higher Education Area | A Framework for Qualifications of the European Higher Education Area | Bologna Working Group on Qualifications Frameworks | Published by: Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation | https://ehea.info/media.ehea.info/file/WG_Frameworks_qualification/71/0/050218_QF_EHEA_580710.pdf
United Kingdom:
GOV.UK | What qualification levels mean | https://www.gov.uk/what-different-qualification-levels-mean/list-of-qualification-levels
UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) | UK Diagram | https://download.uis.unesco.org/ISCED%20DIAGRAMS/United_Kingdom_EN.jpg
UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) | UK Mapping | (link to download .xlsx) https://download.uis.unesco.org/ISCED%20mapping/ISCED_2011_Mapping_United_Kingdom.xlsx
United States:
National Center for Education Statistics | Education Indicators: An International Perspective | https://nces.ed.gov/pubs/96003.pdf
International Education Evaluations | Found in Translation: Navigating the US Educational Framework and Credential Terminology | https://iee.com/blog/us-educational-framework-credential-terminology-guide/
UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) | USA Diagram | https://download.uis.unesco.org/ISCED%20DIAGRAMS/United%20States%20of%20America_ENG.jpg
UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) | USA Mapping | (link to download .xlsx) https://download.uis.unesco.org/ISCED%20mapping/ISCED_2011_Mapping_United_States_of_America.xlsx
International:
UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) | ISCED Mappings and Diagrams | https://www.uis.unesco.org/en/methods-and-tools/isced/mapping-and-diagrams?hub=12