Will your Chinese degree be recognised back home — and can you practise?
Most scholarship guides stop at “you got the degree.” The harder, higher-stakes question is what it's worth back home — and there are two different answers. Academic recognition is one thing; a licence to practise a regulated profession is a separate step, run by a different body. For some fields the degree is enough; for others — especially Traditional Chinese Medicine — it is not. Here is the honest, sourced picture by country and field, and who to verify with.
Two different things
Academic recognition — does your country accept the qualification for jobs and further study? Usually via an equivalence body (e.g. Vietnam’s MOET, Pakistan’s HEC).
Can you practise?
Licence to practise — for regulated professions (medicine, engineering, TCM) you separately register with a professional council. Recognition of the degree does NOT by itself grant this.
“Medicine” in China is not only TCM. Clinical (Western) medicine — MBBS — is a far bigger draw, and it has a clearer, exam-based route home than Traditional Chinese Medicine (see below).
Study MBBS in China: the full guide (fees · recognition · universities) →Vietnam
- Academic recognition
- MOET equivalence (2009 VN–CN agreement; ~95% approved)
- Can you practise?
- Engineering work generally on the degree; confirm any professional registration
- Verify with
- Vietnam MOET
- Academic recognition
- MOET equivalence (2009 agreement)
- Can you practise?
- Teaching roles generally open on the degree
- Verify with
- Vietnam MOET
- Academic recognition
- MOET equivalence (2009 agreement)
- Can you practise?
- Open on the degree; no special licence
- Verify with
- Vietnam MOET
- Academic recognition
- MOET equivalence (2009 agreement)
- Can you practise?
- Separate MoH licence — case-by-case; ≥12mo supervised practice + a national exam from 2027; a bachelor’s may need top-up training
- Verify with
- Vietnam Ministry of Health
- Academic recognition
- MOET equivalence (2009 VN–CN agreement)
- Can you practise?
- Ministry of Health licence (case-by-case for a foreign degree) → 12-month supervised internship + the national competency exam from Dec 2027 (2026+ graduates), in Vietnamese
- Verify with
- Vietnam Ministry of Health
Pakistan
- Academic recognition
- HEC equivalence (WHED-listed, on-campus)
- Can you practise?
- PEC registration — eased by the June 2025 PEC–CSE engineers’ MRA (CEEAA-accredited 4-year degrees)
- Verify with
- HEC + PEC
- Academic recognition
- HEC equivalence (WHED-listed, on-campus)
- Can you practise?
- No compulsory licence — degree + equivalence opens jobs (NAEAC registry developing)
- Verify with
- HEC (+ NAEAC)
- Academic recognition
- HEC equivalence (academic only)
- Can you practise?
- No recognised TCM/acupuncture practice category in Pakistan (1965 Act = Unani/Ayurvedic/Homeopathy only)
- Verify with
- National Council for Tibb + HEC
- Academic recognition
- HEC equivalence (MOE-listed + WDOMS school)
- Can you practise?
- PMDC: provisional registration → pass the National Registration Exam (NRE; ~21% pass, two parts) → full registration. Get a PMDC NOC BEFORE you leave; recognition lists have changed mid-degree
- Verify with
- PMDC + HEC
India
- Academic recognition
- NMC FMGL-2021 eligibility — ≥54-month course + ≥12-month internship, same institution and same country, English-medium
- Can you practise?
- Pass the FMGE screening test (NBEMS) — China-trained candidates pass at only ~19% — then a 12-month internship in India → registration with the NMC / a State Medical Council. NEET qualification is required
- Verify with
- NMC (National Medical Commission)
Bangladesh
- Academic recognition
- BMDC Eligibility Certificate + a World-Directory-listed, MOE-approved school
- Can you practise?
- Pass the BMDC Registration Qualifying Examination (RQE) — held about twice a year — before you can register and practise; there is no reliably published pass rate, so treat it as a real exam, not a formality
- Verify with
- BMDC
Nepal
- Academic recognition
- MEC eligibility certificate (obtained before you go) + an NMC-recognised school; degree ≥5.5 years including a 1-year internship
- Can you practise?
- Pass the Nepal Medical Council Licensing Exam (NMCLE) to register — China-trained graduates pass at only about 15% (May 2026) versus ~77% for Nepal-trained
- Verify with
- Nepal Medical Council + Medical Education Commission
Verdicts describe the practice question and are a starting point — always confirm your exact case with the bodies named.