Degree certificate: the document issued when a degree is awarded

A degree certificate (学位证书) is the document that a degree-awarding institution issues to a person who has been awarded a degree. The term appears in the second paragraph of Article 21 of Order No. 42 of the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Public Security, and in Article 29 of the Degree Law of the People's Republic of China. See also Universities and degrees on this site.

The English below is this site's own translation of the Chinese text of the provisions.

Definition

A degree certificate is issued by the institution that awards the degree. Order No. 42 applies the term to international students. The Degree Law applies it to degree applicants and degree holders generally.

What the official text says

Order No. 42 (Measures for the Administration of Schools Recruiting and Educating International Students), Article 21, second paragraph:

• Higher education institutions issue degree certificates to international students who meet the conditions for awarding a degree.

Degree Law of the People's Republic of China:

• Article 29. The degree-awarding institution shall, on the basis of the resolution of the degree evaluation committee to award bachelor's, master's or doctoral degrees, publish the list of persons to whom degrees are awarded, issue degree certificates, and report degree-award information to the provincial degree committee. The provincial degree committee files the degree-award information of its administrative region with the State Council Degree Committee for the record.
• Article 22. Based on the conditions in Articles 18 to 21 of this Law and on its own academic evaluation standards, each degree-awarding institution shall formulate and publish the specific standards for awarding degrees in each discipline and specialty, on the basis of fully hearing the views of relevant parties.
• Article 37. Where a degree applicant or degree holder has one of the following circumstances while pursuing the degree, the degree-awarding institution, by resolution of the degree evaluation committee, does not award the degree or revokes it:
• (1) the degree thesis or practice result is found to involve ghostwriting, plagiarism, fabrication or other academic misconduct;
• (2) the person has impersonated another person, taken the place of another person in obtaining an admission qualification, or obtained an admission qualification or graduation certificate by other illegal means;
• (3) the person has committed another serious violation of law during study for which, under the law, a degree should not be awarded.
• Article 38. Where a degree is awarded or a degree certificate is issued in violation of this Law, the education administrative department declares the certificate invalid and handles the matter under the relevant provisions of the Education Law of the People's Republic of China.
• Article 44. The degree-awarding institution awards the corresponding degree to foreign individuals who apply for a degree, under the academic requirements, academic or professional standards and other conditions and procedures set out in this Law. Recognition of degree certificates issued by foreign educational institutions shall be handled strictly in accordance with the relevant state provisions.

Related terms

• Degree-awarding institution
• Degree evaluation committee
• Provincial degree committee
• State Council Degree Committee
• Revocation of a degree
• Invalid degree certificate

Sources

• Measures for the Administration of Schools Recruiting and Educating International Students (Order No. 42) — Ministry of Education of the PRC (moe.gov.cn)
• Degree Law of the People's Republic of China — Ministry of Education of the PRC (moe.gov.cn)

Checked 11 October 2026.

This entry is an unofficial summary. It is not legal or immigration advice and is not published by the bodies named. If the official text differs from this summary, the official text and the instructions of the body handling your case prevail.