MINIMUM ACADEMIC REQUIREMENTS BY COUNTRY
PORTLAND STATE UNIVERSITY Minimum Academic Requirements by Country pdx.edu/admissions/international/academic-requirements-country International applicants who meet or exceed PSU’s first year or transfer GPA equivalency threshold are automatically eligible for admission upon submission of a complete application. These standards have been converted below for select educational systems in countries where PSU routinely receives applications. As a part of our threshold-based admission system, we also include the minimum IB diploma and GCSE/IGCSEs exam requirements which are commonly used around the world in national and international schools.
EXAM
COMPLETION CREDENTIAL AWARDED
MINIMUM SCORE REQUIRED
International Baccalaureate (IB)
Complete IB diploma issued by International Baccalaureate
Overall average of 30 or higher
General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE/IGCSE)
IGCSE (International General Certificate of Education or General Certificate of Secondary Education) with at least 5 Ordinary level subjects
• “C” or higher in each “Ordinary” subject exam prior to 2016 • 2016 forward: score of 5 or higher in each exam subject
COUNTRY
HIGH SCHOOL COMPLETION CREDENTIAL AWARDED
MINIMUM SCORE REQUIRED
Australia - Capital Territory
ACT Senior Secondary School Certificate
Overall average B or higher
Australia - New South Wales
NSW Higher School Certificate
Overall average 70 (Band4) or higher
Australia - Queensland
Queensland Senior School Certificate of Education
Overall average HA (High Achievement) or better
Australia - Victoria
Victorian Certificate of Education
Overall average B or higher
Australia - Western
Western Australian Certificate of Education
Overall average B or higher
Australia - South
South Australian Certificate of Education
Overall average B (14 or higher)
Austria
Maturity Certificate (Reifezeugnis)
Overall average of 2
Bahrain
Bahrain General Secondary Education Certificate (Tawjahiya)
Average greater than 80%
Bangladesh
Secondary School Certificate (SSC) with exam marks AND Higher Secondary Total average greater than 45% School Certificate with exam marks
Belarus
Certificate of Complete Secondary Education
Average of 4 or higher
Bhutan
Bhutan Higher Secondary Education Certificate
Average of 50% or higher
Brazil
Certificado de Ensino Médio
Average higher than 7.0
Cambodia
Baccalauréat (Graduation Certificate) or Cambodian Secondary Certificate
Overall average C or higher
Canada - Alberta
Alberta Advanced High School Diploma or General High School Diploma
Overall average 3.0 (B) or higher
Canada - British Columbia
British Columbia Secondary School Graduation Diploma (B.C. Diploma, “Dogwood Diploma”)
Overall average higher than 73%
Canada - Ontario
Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD)
Overall average higher than 70%
Canada - Quebec
Diploma of College Studies (Diplome d’Etudes Collegiales) (DCS/DEC)
Overall average higher than 80%
China
Secondary School Graduation Certificate
Overall average higher than 80%
Colombia
Bachillerato
Average higher than 7.5
Costa Rica
Diploma de Conclusión de Estudios de Educación (Certificate of Conclusion of Diversified Education Studies) OR Bachillerato
Overall average higher than 80%
Denmark
Upper Secondary School Leaving Certificate (Studentereksamen)
Overall average of 7 or higher (2013 forward)
Ecuador
Bachillerato
Average higher than 8.0
Egypt
General Secondary Education Certificate/Exam Marks (Thanaweya a’Amma)
Average greater than 80%
France
Baccalaureatee de L’Eseignement de Second Degre/Baccalureat General
Overall average higher than 13
COUNTRY
HIGH SCHOOL COMPLETION CREDENTIAL AWARDED
MINIMUM SCORE REQUIRED
Germany
Certificate of General Maturity for Higher Education (Zeugnis der allgemeinen Average of 10 or higher (minimum Hochschulreife) average of 2 on post-secondary scale)
Ghana
• The Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (SSCE) • West African Examination Council Senior School Certificate (WAEC)
• Average of C (3) or higher • Average of 3 (B) or higher
Hong Kong
Bachiller en Ciencias y Letras
Overall average higher than 80%
Iceland
Upper Secondary School Certificate (Stúdentspróf)
Overall 4 or higher
India
Secondary School Leaving Certificate (AISC,ISCE etc) marks from State Board of Education AND Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC, HSSC), Senior Secondary School Certificate, Pre-University Certificate, All India Senior School Certificate, Delhi Senior School Certificate marks, Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), Council for Indian School Certificate (CISCE)
Most State Board Exams Overall Average of 50% or higher CBSE requires overall average of B2 (pass with credit), CISCE requires overall average of 4 (pass with credit).
Indonesia
STTB Graduation Certificate (Surat Tanda Tanat Belajar) from SMA (Sekolah Menengah Unum Tingkat Overall average of 7 or higher Atas) or STM (Sekaolah Teknik Menengah), with national exam marks
Iran
Secondary School marks/certificate year 9-11 AND Pre-University year marks (year 12) including Pre-University Year Certificate (Peeshdaneshgahii).
Overall average of 14 or higher
Iraq
Adadiya Certificate/Exam
Overall average greater than 70%
Japan
Upper Secondary School Leaving Certificate
Overall average of 4 or higher
Jordan
General Secondary Education Certificate/Exam
Overall average greater than 80%
Kazakhstan
Attestation of Middle (complete) Secondary Education (Attestat)
Average of 75% (Good) or higher
Kenya
The Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE)
Average of B- (8) or higher
Korea
High School Certificate (Inmungye Kodung Hakkyo)
Overall average higher than 80%
Kuwait
General Secondary Education Certificate
Overall average greater than 80%
Latvia
Certificate of General Secondary Education (Atestats par Visparejo Videjo Izglitibu)
Average of 7 or higher
Libya
Secondary Education Certificate/Exam
Overall average 80% or higher
Lithuania
Senior Secondary (Academic) Brandos atestas (Maturity Certificate)
Average of 7 or Higher
Malaysia
Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) Open Certification Examination Results
Average of 10 or higher
Mauritius
General Certificate of Education Ordinary
Minimum of 5 subjects grade A-C
Mexico
Certificado de Bachillerato/Título de Bachiller/Certificado de Preparatoria
Average of 8 or higher
Morocco
Moroccan Baccalaureate
Overall average 14 or higher
Myanmar
Basic Education Standard Examination (BESE) Diploma plus one year of post-secondary education
Average of 4 or higher
Nepal
Nepal Secondary School Leaving Certificate/Exam marks AND Nepal Higher Secondary Certificate/Exam marks
Overall average higher than 45%
The Netherlands
Higher General Secondary Education diploma (HAVO or Hoger Algemeen Voortgezat Onderwijs)
Average of 7 or higher
New Zealand
National Certificate of Educational Achievement Level 2 or Level 3 (NCEA 2, NCEA 3)
Overall average of M (Merit) or higher
Norway
Upper Secondary School Certificate
Overall average of 4 (fire) or higher
Nigeria
West African Examination Council Senior School Certificate (WAEC)
Average of 3 (B) or higher
Oman
Oman General Secondary School Certificate
Overall average higher than 80%
Pakistan
Pakistan Secondary School Certificate/Leaving Certificate marks AND Pakistan Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC, HSSC) or Intermediate Certificate Examination marks
Overall average higher than 50%
Philippines
High School diploma (Form 137A)
Overall average higher than 85%
Qatar
Qatar Senior School Certificate
Overall average higher than 80%
Russia
Certificate of Basic Education/Exam results AND Certificate of Complete General Education/Exam results
Overall average 4 or Higher
Saudi Arabia
General Secondary Education Transcript and Certificate of Secondary Completion
Overall average higher than 80%
Singapore
Singapore Cambridge GCE ‘O’ Level Exams with passing grade in 5 subjects
3 or higher in 5 passing subjects
COUNTRY
HIGH SCHOOL COMPLETION CREDENTIAL AWARDED
MINIMUM SCORE REQUIRED
South Africa
National Senior Certificate /National Senior Certificate with Matriculation Endorsement
Average of C (60%) or higher
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanken General Certificate of Education Ordinary Level AND Sri Lankan General Certificate of Education Advanced
Combined average of 55% (Sri Lanken secondary school grade of C) or higher
Sweden
Högskoleförberedande Examen
Overall average VG (Val Gokand) or B average
Switzerland
Federal Maturity Certificate
Average of 5 or higher
Syria
General Secondary Certificate/Baccalaureat exam
Overall average higher than 80%
Taiwan
Senior High School diploma
Overall average higher than 70%
Thailand
Certificate of Secondary Education (Matayom VI)
Average of 3 or higher
Turkey
Secondary School transcripts showing year 10-12 marks and Lise Diplomasi Certificate
Overall average higher than 70%
United Arab Emirates
General Secondary School Leaving Certificate
Overall average higher than 80%
United Kingdom
All UK system schools: GCSE or IGCSE (O level) with at least 5 subject exam score reports
C or higher in each Ordinary subject prior to 2016. 2016 forward score of 5 or higher in each Ordinary subject
Vietnam
Senior High School Certificate (Bằng Tốt Nghiệp Trung Học Phổ Thông)
Average of 7 or higher
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