Level of diplomas - England, Wales and Northern Ireland

Diploma	RQF/CQFW	EQF	Comparable to
General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) in 6 subjects (D to G or 3 to 1)	1	2	a VMBO-T diploma
General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) in 6 subjects (A* to C or 9 to 4)	1	2	at least a VMBO-T diploma
BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma	3	4	an MBO diploma level 4
Access to HE Diploma	3	4	an MBO diploma level 4, a HAVO or a VWO diploma
The following combination: General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) with A* to C or 9 to 4 results in 4 subjects; General Certificate of Education (GCE) with A* to C results in 2 relevant subjects at AS level; and a total of 6 different subjects, preferably including English and mathematics.	3	4	a HAVO diploma
The following combination: General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) with a result of A* to C or 9 to 4 in 4 subjects; General Certificate of Education (GCE) with a result of D or E in 2 relevant subjects at A level; and a total of 6 different subjects, preferably including English and mathematics.	3	4	a HAVO diploma
The following combination: General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) with a result of A* to C or 9 to 4 in 3 subjects; General Certificate of Education (GCE) with a result of A* to C in 3 relevant subjects at A level; and a total of 6 different subjects, preferably including English and mathematics.	3	4	a VWO diploma
Certificate of Higher Education (CertHE) with a of 120 CATS	4	5	an associate degree, 2 years of HBO or 1 year of WO
Higher National Certificate (HNC)	4	5	an associate degree or 2 years of HBO
Diploma of Higher Education (DipHE) with a study load of 240 CATS	5	5	3 years of HBO or 2 years of WO
Higher National Diploma (HND) with a study load of 240 CATS	5	5	3 years of HBO or 2 years of WO
Bachelor (Ordinary) degree	6	6	at least 3 years of HBO or at least 2 years of WO
Bachelor (Honours) degree	6	6	an HBO or a WO bachelor's degree
Master's degree	7	7	an HBO or a WO master’s degree
MA/MSc by research	7	7	a WO master's degree
Master of Philosophy	7	7	a WO master's degree (research master)

You can find information about the Dutch diplomas on our web pages about the education system in the Netherlands.
You can find more information about how we compare diplomas via Credential evaluation.
SBB evaluates foreign diplomas and training at VMBO and MBO level. The evaluation may vary if the SBB evaluates the diploma for admission to VET schools or for work in the Netherlands.