Many international students leave China with their degree certificate and never use CHSI until years later. The issue often appears when the degree needs to be notarised, submitted to an overseas university or used for employment, and the receiving party asks for official verification.
We recently assisted a foreign graduate who still had his original Chinese degree certificate, but his degree record could not initially be found on CHSI. This made the notarisation process more complicated because the notary office needed additional evidence to verify the qualification.
What Is CHSI and Why Does It Matter?
CHSI, commonly known in Chinese as 学信网, is China’s official higher-education information platform. Graduates can use it to access academic qualification and degree records and, where available, obtain online verification reports.
For foreign graduates, a CHSI record can be particularly useful when a Chinese degree is being notarised or submitted overseas. It provides an additional way for the notary office, university or employer to verify that the academic record matches official higher-education data.
First, You Need to Register and Link Your Degree
Before checking a degree record, foreign graduates need to create a CHSI account. Registration requires basic personal details, including a mobile number, name and passport information, and first-time users may also be asked to complete identity verification through the CHSI App or manual customer assistance.
After logging in, go to the higher-education information section and open the degree information page. If the degree is not already displayed, you can try to link it manually by entering the degree certificate number; once the record is successfully linked, you can apply for the corresponding degree verification report.
For foreign students, it is especially important to use the identity information associated with the university record. If you have renewed your passport since graduation, your current passport number may be different from the one originally recorded by the university.
What If Your Degree Still Does Not Appear?
A missing CHSI record does not automatically mean that the degree certificate is invalid. Before assuming there is a problem with the qualification itself, check whether the passport number, name spelling and other personal information match the details used while studying in China.
If the information is correct but the degree still cannot be linked, the next step is usually to contact the university. The international student office, academic affairs office or department responsible for degree records may need to check how the information was originally reported.
This can take time, especially if the graduate has already left China or if the request falls during a university summer or winter holiday. It is therefore worth checking your CHSI record before the degree is urgently needed for notarisation, further study or employment.
Why Does CHSI Matter for Notarisation?
When a Chinese degree certificate is submitted for notarisation, the notary office needs to verify the underlying academic record. A CHSI degree record or online verification report can make that process much more straightforward.
Different notary offices may use slightly different verification methods, so CHSI is not the only possible form of supporting evidence. However, if your degree can be successfully linked and verified online, it can reduce the amount of additional checking required.
For foreign graduates of Chinese universities, the practical advice is simple: keep your old passport details, register your CHSI account, link your degree and check the record before you need the document urgently. Having the original certificate is important, but being able to match it to an official academic record can make later notarisation and overseas use much easier.
