Indonesian Degree Evaluation: Ijazah, Transcripts and Certified Translation for U.S. Use

An Indonesian degree evaluation tells USCIS, an employer, or a U.S. university what your Indonesian education equals in the U.S. system. This guide is for anyone who studied in Indonesia, from SMA graduates to doctors and engineers, and for the attorneys and HR teams who prepare their H-1B and green card petitions. It covers every credential level, the ijazah and transcripts, grade conversion, and the Indonesian to English translation USCIS requires. A standard MotaWord evaluation costs $65 and is delivered in 72 hours.

Indonesian records are written in Indonesian, so most applicants need two things: a certified translation and an academic evaluation. Ordering them together keeps course titles and terms consistent between the two documents.

Why You Might Need an Indonesian Degree Evaluation

• H-1B and other USCIS petitions: H-1B specialty occupation petitions need a U.S. bachelor's degree or its equivalent in a field related to the job, and EB-2 petitions need an advanced degree or its equivalent. Order a degree evaluation for your H-1B petition to show U.S. equivalency.

• University admissions and credit transfer: U.S. colleges ask for your grades and credits in U.S. terms.

• Employment: Employers often ask for an evaluation to confirm that you meet a degree requirement.

• Military enlistment: Recruiters often ask for an evaluation of a foreign high school diploma.

• Professional licensing: State boards set their own rules and often name the agencies they accept.

MotaWord is not a NACES or AICE member, so if a licensing board or college requires one, check its list before you order.

The Indonesian Education System

Indonesian schooling has 12 years before university: six years of primary school (Sekolah Dasar, SD), three years of junior secondary school (Sekolah Menengah Pertama, SMP), and three years of senior secondary school. At the senior level, students attend a general school (Sekolah Menengah Atas, SMA), a vocational school (Sekolah Menengah Kejuruan, SMK), or an Islamic school (Madrasah Aliyah, MA) overseen by the Ministry of Religious Affairs.

Higher Education Institutions and BAN-PT Accreditation

Higher education is offered by universities (universitas), institutes (institut), schools of higher learning (sekolah tinggi), polytechnics (politeknik), and academies (akademi), both public and private. The National Accreditation Board for Higher Education (Badan Akreditasi Nasional Perguruan Tinggi, BAN-PT) accredits institutions and study programs, and some fields have their own independent accreditation bodies. An evaluator checks that your institution and program (program studi) were accredited or recognized when you studied there.

Grading Scale and IPK

Most Indonesian universities grade on a 4.0 scale: A is 4, B is 3, C is 2, D is 1, and E is 0, and many schools also use plus and minus grades such as A- or B+. Your cumulative grade point average is called the IPK (Indeks Prestasi Kumulatif). Graduates also receive a graduation predicate (predikat kelulusan), such as Dengan Pujian (cum laude), Sangat Memuaskan (very satisfactory), or Memuaskan (satisfactory).

How Indonesian Credentials Are Usually Evaluated in the U.S.

Every evaluation is individual. The lines below describe how evaluators often approach each credential, but the result depends on your institution, program, and documents.

SMA, SMK and Madrasah Aliyah Diplomas

An ijazah from SMA, SMK, or Madrasah Aliyah completes 12 years of schooling and is usually considered comparable to a U.S. high school diploma. SMK records also show vocational training, which an evaluator may describe separately.

Diploma Programs (D1 to D4)

Vocational diploma programs run from one year (D1) to four years (D4). Evaluators often compare D1 to D3 diplomas with vocational study or lower-division undergraduate study in the U.S., depending on content and credits. The four-year D4, also called Sarjana Terapan (applied bachelor's), is often evaluated at the bachelor's level.

Sarjana (S1) Bachelor's Degrees

The Sarjana (S1) is a four-year bachelor's degree with at least 144 SKS credits. Many evaluators find an S1 from an accredited institution comparable to a U.S. bachelor's degree. For an H-1B petition, the report should also state the field of study clearly, because officers check whether your degree relates to the job.

Magister (S2) and Doktor (S3) Degrees

The Magister (S2) usually takes two years after an S1 and includes a thesis (tesis). The Doktor (S3) requires research and a dissertation (disertasi). Evaluators often find these comparable to a U.S. master's degree and doctorate, which is what EB-2 advanced degree petitions rely on.

Professional Degrees: Medicine, Pharmacy, Law and Engineering

Some fields add a professional stage (program profesi) after the Sarjana. Medical students earn a Sarjana Kedokteran and then complete the profesi dokter stage, and pharmacists complete the profesi apoteker program after their S1. Law graduates hold a Sarjana Hukum (S.H.), and engineers hold a Sarjana Teknik (S.T.). An evaluation describes your degrees; a professional license or registration is a separate document that can support an employment case. Doctors and other licensed professionals should check their state board's rules first.

Transcripts, SKS Credits and GPA Conversion

Your transcript (transkrip nilai or transkrip akademik) lists every course, its SKS credits (Satuan Kredit Semester), and your grade. SKS units do not always match U.S. semester credit hours one to one, so a course-by-course evaluation converts them and recalculates your GPA on the U.S. scale.

A general evaluation states the U.S. equivalent of each diploma or degree. It is usually enough for USCIS petitions, employers, and military recruiters, and it costs $65 with delivery in 72 hours ($115 same-day when you order before 3 PM ET on a weekday). A course-by-course evaluation lists every course with U.S. credit hours and grades and calculates your U.S. GPA. Universities, credit transfer offices, and many licensing boards ask for it, and it costs $120 ($200 same-day).

Documents You Need for an Indonesian Credential Evaluation

Check that your name and date of birth are spelled the same way on every document before you start. Then gather clear scans of every page, front and back:

• Your transcript (transkrip nilai), with the grading legend, seals, and signatures

• Your ijazah for each level you want evaluated, including the graduation decree number

• The Surat Keterangan Pendamping Ijazah (SKPI), Indonesia's diploma supplement, if you have one

• University-certified copies (legalisir) of your ijazah and transcript, if your recipient asks for them

• Civil documents, such as your birth certificate (akta kelahiran), family card (kartu keluarga), and marriage certificate

• Employment letters (surat keterangan kerja) if your petition relies on work experience

Indonesian to English Translation for USCIS and H-1B Petitions

USCIS requires a complete English translation of every foreign language document, with a signed certification that the translator is competent and the translation is accurate. A missing certification is one of the most common reasons for a Request for Evidence (RFE). Read the USCIS Policy Manual.

Translations must be complete: no summaries, and every stamp, seal, header, and handwritten note in English. For Indonesian records this includes abbreviations such as NIK (national identity number) and NIP (civil servant number), and academic terms such as Program Studi, SKS, and Predikat Kelulusan. These terms should be translated the same way on every document. Read our guide to Indonesian to English translation for USCIS applications.

An ijazah lists the degree title, the major, and a graduation decree number, with the rector's signature and the institution's seal. The transcript adds SKS credits, the grading scale, and the IPK. See how we translate academic transcripts for USCIS.

Certified translation costs $24.50 per page for most languages and $36.50 per page for Asian languages; your quote shows the exact price for your Indonesian documents. Delivery takes as little as 12 hours, with free digital notarization. See our certified Indonesian translation services.

Employment Letters for H-1B Petitions

USCIS reviews employment records to confirm that a beneficiary is qualified. Indonesian experience letters (surat keterangan kerja) often use internal job titles and short descriptions. The translation must keep the full scope of your role, the dates, and your employment status, because adjudicators compare them with your degree and the offered position. The 2025 H-1B modernization rule also put weight on whether the degree relates directly to the job. Read the USCIS alert on the H-1B modernization rule.

How Employers Can Reduce H-1B RFE Risk

Most translation RFEs come from preventable gaps: a missing certification, untranslated stamps, a summary instead of a full translation, or a name spelled two ways. Get a certified translation for USCIS with a signed certificate of accuracy. Employers and attorneys reduce the risk further by collecting every document early, checking names and dates across the file, and ordering the translation and evaluation together so the course titles match.

How MotaWord Evaluates Your Indonesian Credentials

MotaWord's evaluations follow the standard set in the USCIS Policy Manual: a report should be credible, logical, and well documented. No evaluator controls an officer's decision, so the goal is a report that leaves no open questions. If you already have a professional translation, we can evaluate from it. If you do not, we handle both steps in one order.

1. Upload: Our online ordering is available 24/7. Upload scans of your ijazah and transcript, choose a general or course-by-course evaluation, and get an instant quote with the price and delivery time.

2. Document Check: Our team checks that every page is complete and readable. Because your documents are in Indonesian, the system offers certified translation at the quote stage.

3. Evaluation: An evaluator reviews your institution's accreditation, the program length, your SKS credits, and your field of study, then states the U.S. equivalent of each credential.

4. Download: Once you order, a MotaWord client dashboard is automatically created for you. You can see the progress of your order, download your report, translation, and invoices, and talk to us at any time via live chat. See everything you can do in your MotaWord client dashboard.

Live chat is available 24/7 for support, whatever your time zone. MotaWord is SOC 2 Type II certified, and our translators sign an NDA to be able to work on our platform.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is an Indonesian S1 degree equal to a U.S. bachelor's degree?

A four-year Sarjana (S1) from an accredited Indonesian institution is often evaluated as comparable to a U.S. bachelor's degree. The result depends on your program and institution, and your evaluation report states the exact equivalency.

Do I need both a translation and an evaluation for an H-1B petition?

Usually, yes. A certified translation shows what your ijazah says in English, and an evaluation explains what the degree equals in the U.S. and how your field relates to the job. You can order both in one MotaWord order.

How can employers reduce H-1B RFE risk?

Submit complete certified translations of every document, keep names and dates consistent, and include an evaluation that states the U.S. equivalent of the degree and its field. Ordering translation and evaluation together keeps the terms consistent.

What documents require certified Indonesian to English translations?

Any Indonesian document you submit to USCIS: your ijazah, transcripts, SKPI, birth certificate, family card, marriage certificate, and employment letters used to prove work experience.

How is the Indonesian IPK converted to a U.S. GPA?

Both use a 4.0 scale, but the conversion is done course by course, using your grades and SKS credits. A course-by-course evaluation recalculates your GPA in U.S. credit hours.

How much does an Indonesian degree evaluation cost and how long does it take?

A standard MotaWord evaluation costs $65 with delivery in 72 hours, or $115 for same-day delivery when you order before 3 PM ET on a weekday. A course-by-course evaluation costs $120, or $200 for same-day delivery. Translation is quoted separately at the same checkout.

Get Your Indonesian Credentials Evaluated

Whether you hold an SMA ijazah, a D3 diploma, an S1, or a doctorate, the steps are the same: gather your ijazah and transcript, choose the report your recipient needs, and add translation if your documents are in Indonesian. Order your evaluation through MotaWord's academic evaluation services and get your report in 72 hours. Live chat is available 24/7 for support.

Mark Rogers - Evaluation Specialist at MotaWord

Written and reviewed by Mark Rogers, Evaluation Specialist at MotaWord, drawing on the team's experience with Indonesian degree evaluations and certified translations for USCIS. 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 states the U.S. equivalency of your credentials in plain terms that USCIS officers, employers, and schools can read. See our academic evaluation for employment in the U.S. →