Equivalence of an African bac abroad: France, Belgium, Canada, Germany

Information checked on 2 November 2026.

Your African baccalaureate opens the doors of universities abroad, but each country reads it its own way. In France, you have no equivalence to request to apply for a bachelor's degree: the institution assesses your file. In French-speaking Belgium, equivalence is compulsory to enter a bachelor's programme, and you apply for it from 15 November 2026 to 15 July 2027 for the 2027 intake. In Quebec, each university compares your bac with its own reference diploma. In Germany, the bac alone is often not enough: you need a Studienkolleg or a few semesters of successful study at home. Here is what the equivalence of an African bac abroad requires, country by country, with the official costs and timelines.

Equivalence of an African bac abroad: the table

Remember one simple rule: equivalence is never admission. Even with an equivalence in hand, the university says yes or no. To choose your country first, read our article after the bac, stay home or leave. Your bac does not have the same name in every country (BAC II, baccalauréat, Examen d'État): our comparison of the bac across French-speaking Africa puts them side by side.

France: no equivalence to request for a bachelor's

Campus France says it plainly: there is no official equivalence in France for foreign diplomas. Each institution sets its own admission criteria based on your previous studies. You only need to show a level high enough to enter higher education in your country, which your bac certifies.

Service-public.fr confirms it: recognition of a foreign diploma to continue studying can only be granted by the host institution, when you apply for enrolment.

In practice, if you are aiming for a first-year bachelor's (licence 1) from Africa, you apply on the Études en France platform during your final year of secondary school, with your report cards and your bac in preparation. Nobody asks you for an equivalence at this stage. The full process is explained in our complete Campus France guide, and our Campus France simulator (in French) compares your average with that of admitted students, for free.

The ENIC-NARIC statement of comparability: useful, not compulsory

The ENIC-NARIC France centre issues a statement of comparability, which places your diploma in relation to the French system. It is not an equivalence.

Do not pay for this statement to apply for a first-year bachelor's if the institution does not ask for it. It is mostly useful later: for an employer, or for a school that expressly requires it.

French-speaking Belgium: equivalence is compulsory

In the Wallonia-Brussels Federation, you need an equivalence if you studied abroad and want to enter higher education. The Secondary Education Equivalence Service, in Brussels, issues it.

Documents by country

The service publishes a page for each situation. The main points:

In all cases, add a copy of your ID, a motivation letter written by you, in French and signed, and the original proof of payment.

Equivalence with restrictions: what it means

The service warns: for a school record obtained outside the European Union, you will probably receive an equivalence with restrictions, limited to certain fields. Two levers exist:

• attach proof of access to higher education in your country (certificate of enrolment, pass certificate), which can open the field you started there;
• pass the maturity exam (DAES) organised by the Jury of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation, which lifts the restrictions.

The Belgian calendar trap

If you sit your bac in 2027, you can only file with your transcript in hand, and before 15 July. The window is short: prepare all the other documents (legalised copies, letter, payment) before the results. Universities also have their own application dates, often earlier for students who need a visa. Our guide studying in Belgium from Africa lines up all these dates.

Flemish Belgium: start with the institution

In Flanders, the official portal of the Flemish Community gives a clear instruction: if you want to continue studying with a foreign diploma, contact your institution first. It tells you whether recognition by NARIC-Vlaanderen is useful. Dates come early: at KU Leuven, applicants from outside the European Economic Area apply before 1 February for Dutch-taught programmes. For an English-taught programme, prepare a language test: our comparison IELTS, TOEFL or Duolingo helps you choose.

Quebec: each university compares your bac with the DEC

In Quebec, the diploma that opens university is the DEC (diplôme d'études collégiales). The Université de Montréal compares each foreign diploma with the DEC in its "Formations hors Québec" table:

• a diploma without a "+" sign is considered equivalent to the DEC;
• a diploma marked "+" requires at least one successful year of university studies after the bac for most programmes. The Algerian baccalaureate, for example, carries this sign. This year can be done at the Université de Montréal, in its "preparatory year" programme.

Check your country's line before applying. And keep the university's warning in mind: holding the equivalent of the required diploma is the first step, not a guarantee of admission. For the autumn term, the general rule is to file your application by 1 February at the latest, but each programme has its own date.

Quebec's comparative evaluation: not for admission

The Government of Quebec issues a comparative evaluation of studies completed outside Quebec. It is an expert opinion given for information only, neither a diploma nor an equivalence, and it creates no obligation. The ministry aims to answer within 60 working days for priority applications and within six months at most for the others (for 80% of files). It is mainly used for work. To enter university, the university assesses your bac.

Germany: direct access, Studienkolleg or semesters at home

In Germany, not all foreign school-leaving certificates give access to university. Three cases:

To find out where you stand, use the DAAD admission database. It relies on the anabin database of the Central Office for Foreign Education (ZAB), covers about 140 countries, but remains indicative, applies only to undergraduate studies, and the final decision always rests with the institution.

Most institutions require German at level B2 at least; an English-taught programme asks for proof of English instead. Many applications go through uni-assist: €75 for the first programme chosen, €30 for each additional programme, every semester. The whole process, from the blocked account to the visa, is in our guide studying in Germany.

Timelines, from longest to shortest

Legalising your documents at home also takes time: town hall, ministry, embassy. Allow several weeks. The full budget, tuition fees and resources for the visa, is in our comparison of the cost of a year of study by country.

What to keep from now on

Whatever the country, the same papers come back:

• your report cards from the first to the final year of upper secondary school, in original;
• the bac transcript, then the final diploma, which sometimes arrives months later;
• a certificate of non-issuance if the diploma is late, dated the required year;
• a valid ID and, soon, a passport.

Scan everything in colour and keep the originals safe. Our article on preparing your application from the penultimate year gives you the month-by-month calendar.

Preparing your bac with Compatri

An equivalence does not replace good marks: everything depends on your transcript. On Compatri, the exam archive (in French) gathers exam papers uploaded by students. It is being built right now: if you have a paper from last year, upload it (in French) for the students who follow. Also join your class group to revise with students from your city and elsewhere, and ask a volunteer diaspora mentor who has already had their bac recognised in France, Belgium or Canada. To fund your departure, the scholarship directory (in French) lists programmes checked on their official websites.

Compatri is neither a government service nor a recognition body: only the decisions of official services and institutions are binding on you.

Official sources

• Campus France: are there equivalences between French and foreign degrees?
• Service-public.fr: having a diploma obtained abroad recognised
• Service-public.fr: requesting a statement of comparability
• Wallonia-Brussels Federation: do I need an equivalence?
• Wallonia-Brussels Federation: equivalence application, non-EU diplomas
• Wallonia-Brussels Federation: equivalence application, Cameroon
• Wallonia-Brussels Federation: equivalence application, Senegal, Rwanda, Guinea
• Wallonia-Brussels Federation: equivalence application, DRC
• Vlaanderen.be: diploma recognition by NARIC-Vlaanderen
• KU Leuven: applying
• Université de Montréal: students educated abroad
• Université de Montréal: admission bases, "Formations hors Québec" table (PDF)
• Québec.ca: about the comparative evaluation
• Québec.ca: comparative evaluation timelines
• DAAD: admission requirements
• DAAD: admission database
• DAAD: Studienkollegs
• uni-assist: handling fees