Dhiraj Kandel
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For Nepali students preparing to study abroad, academic documents such as the School Leaving Certificate (SLC) and Transfer Certificate (TC) may be requested as part of the admission or document verification process.
An SLC is an academic certificate issued upon completion of a particular level of schooling, serving as evidence of a student’s educational qualification. In Nepal, the term SLC is also commonly associated with the former Grade 10 examination system, which has now been replaced by the Secondary Education Examination (SEE).
A Transfer Certificate, on the other hand, is issued by the school or college a student is leaving and confirms that they were enrolled at the institution and have formally completed or discontinued their studies there.
If you are preparing the documents required for studying abroad from Nepal, do not collect documents simply because another student submitted them. Your requirements depend on your educational background, level of study, university, destination country, and visa process.
This guide explains what SLC and Transfer Certificates mean for Nepali students, when universities abroad may request them, how they differ from other academic documents, and what you should prepare before submitting an application.
No, a School Leaving Certificate or Transfer Certificate is not universally required by every foreign university. Foreign universities commonly require evidence of your academic history, such as transcripts, Grade 12 or equivalent qualifications, examination results, and proof that you completed secondary school.
For example, the University of Toronto requires applicants to submit transcripts covering their secondary and post-secondary studies, and the applicant portal shows the exact documents required for each student. It does not state that every international applicant must submit a document specifically called a Transfer Certificate.
The University of Michigan also requests that international undergraduate applicants submit a high school transcript. Students who have already completed high school must provide a final transcript showing their graduation date, and an official English translation is required when the transcript was not issued in English.
Germany is an important example where the terminology is more specific. The German Embassy in Kathmandu explicitly lists a School Leaving Certificate and mark sheets among the academic documents for its study visa process.
A School Leaving Certificate is evidence connected with the completion or leaving of a stage of school education. However, the term SLC has a special history and meaning in Nepal, which can create confusion when students apply internationally.
Many Nepalis still associate SLC with the older Grade 10 qualification. Students who completed school under the previous system may therefore have academic records that use the term “School Leaving Certificate” or “SLC”.
Nepal’s current National Examination Board system distinguishes between SEE at Class 10 and SLC at Class 12. The National Examination Board online system identifies SEE as Class 10 and SLC as Class 12.
A Transfer Certificate, commonly called a TC, is normally issued by a school, college or educational institution when a student formally leaves that institution or transfers elsewhere.
Depending on the institution, a Transfer Certificate may include details such as:
A TC is primarily an institutional leaving or transfer document. It should not automatically be treated as the same thing as your final academic transcript or qualification certificate.
One of the biggest mistakes students make is treating every school document as interchangeable.
Here is the difference:
| Document | What it actually is | Who issues it | Commonly needed abroad? |
| Old SLC | The former Grade 10 board examination and certificate, used before 2016 | Office of the Controller of Examinations | Only if you completed Grade 10 before the change and are asked for it |
| SEE | The current Grade 10 board examination and credential | National Examinations Board | Sometimes, as part of full academic history |
| SLC at Grade 12 | The current Grade 12 board credential, the +2 qualification | National Examinations Board | Yes, this is usually your admission qualification |
| School leaving certificate from a school | A letter confirming you completed or left that institution | Your school or college | Occasionally, when specifically requested |
| Transfer Certificate | A leaving record used when moving between institutions | Your school or college | Rarely by name outside South Asia |
| Migration Certificate | A board or university document releasing you to another institution | NEB or your university | Sometimes, and it is not a synonym for TC |
| Character Certificate | A statement about conduct during your enrolment | Your school or college | Occasionally, and it is not a synonym for TC |
| Transcript | The detailed record of subjects, grades, and study period | School, college or university | Yes, almost always |
| Provisional or Bonafide Certificate | Proof of result pending or current enrolment status | Your institution | Sometimes, for pending results |
If you need to obtain university or board transcripts, read our guide on how to get transcripts in Nepal for abroad study.
No, they should not be treated as the same document. They can overlap in loose usage, and some schools issue them together, but they answer different questions.
An SLC generally answers what you completed. A Transfer Certificate generally answers where you studied and when you left.
Several large study-abroad blogs list School Leaving Certificate, Character Certificate, Migration Certificate, and Bonafide Certificate as alternative names for a Transfer Certificate. For a Nepali student, that framing is unsafe because each of those is a separate document your college issues separately.
The practical rule is simple. When a university uses one of these terms, check what document it describes rather than assuming it matches the Nepali term you know.
You may need an SLC, TC, or equivalent document when:
However, you should not assume that SLC or TC is mandatory just because you are applying internationally.
Some universities provide personalized document checklists after the application is submitted. The University of Toronto, for example, tells international applicants that their required documents depend on their academic background and program. Students are instructed to check their applicant portal before sending documents.
This is why preparing the correct document is more important than preparing the largest possible number of documents.
The requirements below illustrate why there is no single global rule.
For US applications, academic transcripts and evidence of completing your previous education are more important than assuming that every university requires a Nepal-style Transfer Certificate.
The University of Michigan requires international undergraduate applicants to submit their high school transcript. Applicants who have already graduated must submit a final high school transcript showing the graduation date. It also specifically advises applicants not to submit extra documents unless requested.
For the F-1 visa process, the US Department of State says a visa officer may ask for evidence of academic preparation, including transcripts, diplomas, degrees or certificates from schools attended.
So, a Transfer Certificate is not a blanket requirement for US student visas. Follow your university’s document instructions and prepare the academic records relevant to your educational history.
Students planning for the USA can also review Goreto’s application process to study in the USA from Nepal.
Canada also does not establish a universal Transfer Certificate requirement for every international student.
For university admission, the University of Toronto requires documentation of secondary and post-secondary studies and directs students to their personalized applicant portal for the exact documents needed. Official transcripts may be required to finalize an offer.
UBC also has specific transcript deadlines for international high school applicants and requires final transcripts according to each applicant’s circumstances.
For the Canadian study permit, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada identifies the Letter of Acceptance from the designated learning institution as an essential document, together with other documents applicable to the applicant’s circumstances. A separate Nepal-style TC is not listed as a universal study permit document.
If Canada is your destination, check Goreto’s updated guide to Canada student visa requirements for Nepali students alongside your university’s own admission checklist.
For the UK, students should distinguish between the qualification a university needs for admission and the documents UK Visas and Immigration asks for during the Student visa process.
For example, the University of Manchester’s Nepal-specific admission guidance evaluates the Higher Secondary Certificate for relevant undergraduate entry routes.
For the Student visa, GOV. The UK identifies a valid passport and a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) as key documents, with additional evidence required depending on the student’s circumstances. It does not establish a universal requirement for a Transfer Certificate for all international applicants.
Therefore, if a UK university asks for your final secondary qualification, submit the exact academic evidence requested rather than assuming that the university means TC.
Australia’s Student visa process focuses on documents relevant to your education history, enrolment, and Genuine Student assessment.
The Department of Home Affairs states that evidence of previous study can include academic transcripts showing qualifications achieved, education providers attended, length of study and certificates of attainment.
Australia also instructs Student visa applicants to use its online Document Checklist tool, as the required documents depend on the application. Applicants must upload a current Confirmation of Enrolment and provide other evidence identified for their case.
Therefore, TC should not be presented as a mandatory document for every Australian student visa applicant.
Germany deserves special attention for Nepali applicants because the terminology is more direct.
The German Embassy in Kathmandu’s current study visa guidance specifically lists:
If you are applying to Germany from Nepal, the School Leaving Certificate should be taken seriously as part of the visa application process.
Always check the latest German Embassy guidance before submission because document and visa requirements can change.
No, the required documents can differ depending on the level and type of application. Undergraduate students may need school-level certificates; transfer students may also need a Transfer Certificate and previous college records, while master’s applicants generally need bachelor’s degree certificates and transcripts.
Students applying for a bachelor’s degree after completing +2 may be asked for:
Your university may allow you to apply with interim or predicted results and request final documents later.
If you have already attended a college or university and want to transfer abroad, your post-secondary academic history becomes important.
The university may ask for:
Do not assume that your school TC can replace your university transcript.
For postgraduate admission, the focus shifts toward your bachelor’s-level education.
Students may need:
A master’s applicant should not automatically obtain a school Transfer Certificate simply because an online checklist says “TC required for studying abroad.”
If your university confirms that you need a Transfer Certificate, contact the school or college where you studied. The exact procedure differs between institutions, but a practical process is:
Before visiting your old school, read your university’s application portal carefully.
Check whether it asks for:
These terms should not be treated as interchangeable.
Ask the administration, examination section or records office how it issues Transfer Certificates. Some institutions may require a written request or their own application form.
The institution may ask for information such as:
Requirements differ, so obtain the institution’s own checklist before submitting anything.
A school or college may require students to complete pending administrative procedures before issuing a leaving or transfer document.
This could involve checking library records, fees, equipment or other institutional obligations.
Submit the application and supporting documents in the format required by your institution.
If there is an official fee, ask for a receipt and retain it until the document is issued.
Before leaving the institution, compare the certificate with your passport and academic records.
Check:
Correcting an error before using the document is far easier than explaining conflicting records during an international application.
Keep the original safely and create a clear color scan.
A sensible file name would be:
YourName_Transfer_Certificate.pdf
Avoid unclear file names such as scan001.pdf, final2.pdf or newdocument.pdf.
There is no single checklist of documents that applies to every school and college in Nepal.
Depending on your institution, you may be asked for some combination of:
Contact the issuing institution before travelling to avoid repeated visits due to missing documents.
If you have lost the original:
Do not create, edit, or reconstruct an academic certificate yourself. Universities can request verification directly from issuing institutions.
Before submitting your application, check the following:
Preparing the right academic documents can make your study abroad application much smoother. If you are unsure whether you need an SLC, Transfer Certificate, transcript, or any other document, having an experienced education consultancy review your requirements early can help you avoid unnecessary delays and move forward with greater confidence.
Not universally. It is explicitly required in the German Embassy Kathmandu study-visa checklist, while most other destinations focus on transcripts and proof of completion.
No. SEE is the Grade 10 examination introduced in 2016, and SLC now refers to the Grade 12 level, though SLC previously meant Grade 10.
No. A migration certificate releases you from one board or university to another, while a transfer certificate records your leaving a specific institution.
Usually no. Postgraduate admissions focus on your bachelor’s degree, university transcripts, and, where relevant, your university migration certificate.
Often, yes, using a provisional certificate and pending mark sheets. You will normally need to submit the final documents before enrolment.
Submit your Grade 12 SLC certificate and transcript from the National Examinations Board. That is the credential that proves completion, not a school-issued transfer certificate.
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