Academic Evaluation for Nova Scotia, Canada: Degrees, Diplomas and Transcripts

A Nova Scotia degree evaluation shows U.S. officers, employers and universities what your Nova Scotia education is worth in U.S. terms. This guide is for graduates of Nova Scotia's universities, Nova Scotia Community College and the province's high schools, and for the immigration attorneys who prepare their petitions. It explains how higher education in Nova Scotia is organized and regulated, how each credential is usually evaluated, how transcripts and grades are converted, and how MotaWord prepares your report. A standard evaluation costs $65 and is delivered in 72 hours.

When You Need a Nova Scotia Degree Evaluation

Even though Canadian and U.S. degree levels look alike, U.S. institutions usually need an independent report before they rely on a foreign credential. The most common reasons are:

• USCIS petitions: H-1B specialty occupation petitions, EB-2 advanced degree petitions and employment-based green cards often depend on the U.S. equivalent of your degree. 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 and HR teams may ask for a U.S. equivalency to confirm a degree requirement.
• University admissions and credit transfer: U.S. colleges compare your transcripts to their admission and transfer rules.
• Professional licensing: state boards for engineering, teaching, nursing and accounting often want course-level detail.
• Military enlistment: recruiters may ask for an evaluation of a Nova Scotia high school diploma or college credits.

How Higher Education in Nova Scotia Is Organized

Nova Scotia follows the Canadian model: high school, then college or university, then graduate study. The province has a dense network of universities for its size, many of them in Halifax, along with a province-wide community college.

Advanced Education Nova Scotia and Quality Assurance

The Nova Scotia Department of Advanced Education sets policy for post-secondary education and funds the public institutions. Degree programs are reviewed by the Maritime Provinces Higher Education Commission (MPHEC), a regional agency that Nova Scotia shares with New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. Universities receive their authority to grant degrees from provincial legislation. Professional programs are also accredited by national bodies in their field, such as the engineering and medical school accreditation boards.

Is Dalhousie University Accredited?

Canada does not use the U.S. system of regional accreditation. Instead, a Canadian university is recognized through the provincial law that authorizes it to grant degrees and through quality assurance reviews. Dalhousie University is a public university with degree granting authority in Nova Scotia, and its programs go through MPHEC review. U.S. evaluators usually treat recognized public universities like Dalhousie in the same way they treat regionally accredited U.S. institutions.

Universities in Nova Scotia

• Dalhousie University (Halifax, Truro), with law, medicine, dentistry and engineering
• Saint Mary's University (Halifax)
• Acadia University (Wolfville)
• St. Francis Xavier University (Antigonish)
• Cape Breton University (Sydney)
• Mount Saint Vincent University (Halifax)
• University of King's College (Halifax)
• NSCAD University (Halifax), for art and design
• Université Sainte-Anne, a French-language university
• Atlantic School of Theology (Halifax)

Nova Scotia Public Colleges

Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC) is the province's public college system, founded in 1988, with campuses across the province. It offers certificates, diplomas and advanced diplomas in business, health, technology and the trades, with a strong focus on hands-on learning. Université Sainte-Anne also offers college-level programs in French.

High School

Students graduate after grade 12 with the Nova Scotia High School Graduation Diploma, which requires a set number of credits in grades 10 to 12. It is usually evaluated as comparable to a U.S. high school diploma.

How Each Nova Scotia Credential Is Usually Evaluated

Nova Scotia's degree levels closely mirror the U.S. system, so most degrees map to their U.S. counterparts. The details below are typical outcomes. Your evaluation report decides the result for your own documents. For answers to the questions applicants ask most often, read our commonly asked questions about academic evaluations.

Three-Year vs Four-Year Bachelor's Degrees

A four-year bachelor's degree, including an honours degree, is usually evaluated as comparable to a U.S. bachelor's degree. Some Nova Scotia universities also award three-year general bachelor's degrees. Evaluators often treat these as three years of undergraduate study rather than a full U.S. bachelor's degree. For an H-1B or EB-2 case, a three-year degree may need to be combined with other study or work experience, so check your degree length before you file.

Law and Education Degrees

Law degrees in Nova Scotia (the JD at Dalhousie, formerly called the LLB) are second-entry programs that require earlier university study for admission. Evaluators often compare them to a U.S. Juris Doctor. The Bachelor of Education is usually a post-degree program that requires a prior bachelor's degree, and it is evaluated with that full path in mind.

Master's, Doctoral and Professional Degrees

Master's degrees usually map to a U.S. master's degree, and a Ph.D. usually maps to a U.S. doctorate. Professional degrees such as medicine and dentistry are evaluated as professional doctorates, while engineering degrees are usually compared to a U.S. bachelor's degree in engineering.

NSCC Certificates and Diplomas

NSCC certificates usually take one year and are often evaluated as one year of undergraduate coursework. Two-year NSCC diplomas are often comparable to a U.S. associate degree, depending on the program content and hours.

Prince Edward Island shares the same regional quality assurance agency. See how degrees from Prince Edward Island compare to U.S. standards. New Brunswick is the third Maritime province in the MPHEC. See how degrees from New Brunswick compare to U.S. standards.

Transcripts, Grade Conversion and GPA

Nova Scotia universities usually report letter grades, often on a 4.3 grade point scale, while some programs and NSCC courses report percentages. U.S. schools and boards expect grades on a 4.0 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 degree or diploma. It is usually enough for USCIS and most employers.
• Course-by-course evaluation: lists every course with U.S. credits and grades and calculates your GPA. Universities, transfer offices and licensing boards often require it. See how a course-by-course evaluation converts your credits and grades to U.S. terms.

Ask your school or board which type it accepts before you order. Learn how we prepare academic evaluations for U.S. university and college admissions.

Documents You Need

• Your degree parchment or diploma for each credential
• Official transcripts with all courses, grades and the date of conferral
• For NSCC programs, the program name and length as shown on the transcript
• Proof of any name change if your documents show a different name

Most Nova Scotia documents are issued in English. If you studied at Université Sainte-Anne or have records in French, you will 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 Nova Scotia 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 and HR checks, the report states your degree in the terms employers expect. Learn how we prepare academic evaluations for employment in the U.S.

Frequently Asked Questions

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

A four-year bachelor's degree is usually evaluated as comparable to a U.S. bachelor's degree. A three-year general degree is often evaluated as three years of undergraduate study instead. The evaluation report states the result for your degree.

Is Dalhousie University accredited?

Dalhousie is a public university with degree granting authority under Nova Scotia law, and its programs are reviewed through the MPHEC. Canada does not use U.S. style regional accreditation, but U.S. evaluators usually treat recognized Canadian public universities as equivalent to accredited U.S. institutions.

What does Advanced Education Nova Scotia do?

The Nova Scotia Department of Advanced Education sets post-secondary policy and funds public universities and NSCC. Quality assurance for degree programs is handled by the MPHEC.

What is on the list of Nova Scotia public colleges?

Nova Scotia Community College is the province's public college system, with campuses across the province. Université Sainte-Anne also offers French-language college programs.

How is an NSCC diploma evaluated in the U.S.?

Two-year NSCC diplomas are often comparable to a U.S. associate degree, and one-year certificates are often evaluated as a year of undergraduate coursework. The outcome depends on the program content.

How much does a Nova Scotia degree evaluation cost?

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

Put Your Nova Scotia Education to Work in the U.S.

From a Dalhousie master's degree to an NSCC diploma, a clear evaluation helps USCIS officers, employers and schools read your education correctly. If you studied in more than one province, you can include all your records in one order. MotaWord's academic evaluation services can evaluate your Nova Scotia 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 how degrees from Newfoundland and Labrador compare to U.S. standards →