SF-50 Education Level Codes: School, Undergraduate, and Graduate

The SF-50 education level codes are the two-digit numbers, running from 01 through 21, that the Office of Personnel Management uses to record the highest level of schooling you have documented with your federal employer. The code appears in Block 42 of your Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50), and your agency’s human resources office assigns it based on the transcripts or certificates you provided.¹ Only completed education counts; coursework in progress does not move the number.

A quick note on where to look, because this trips people up: Block 20 is salary and awards, not education.² Block 42 is the education field.

Codes 01 Through 06: School and Vocational Training

The first six codes cover education through high school and short post-secondary occupational programs that are not part of a bachelor’s degree track.³

01 — No formal education, or some elementary school without completing it.
02 — Elementary school completed (through eighth grade); no high school.
03 — Some high school; did not graduate.
04 — High school graduate, or an equivalency certificate such as a GED.
05 — Attended a terminal occupational program beyond high school but did not complete it.
06 — Completed a terminal occupational program and received the certificate, diploma, or equivalent.

A terminal occupational program is a training track that runs beyond twelfth grade, usually no more than three years, designed to prepare you for immediate employment rather than transfer credit toward a bachelor’s degree. Cooperative training and apprenticeships that combine classroom and on-the-job instruction fall in this group.

Codes 07 Through 13: Undergraduate Work

The middle band of codes tracks college coursework by credit hours and by degree earned.⁴

07 — Some college, less than one year (fewer than 30 semester credits or 45 quarter hours).
08 — One year of college (30–59 semester credits or 45–89 quarter hours).
09 — Two years of college (60–89 semester credits or 90–134 quarter hours).
10 — Associate degree.
11 — Three years of college (90–119 semester credits or 135–179 quarter hours).
12 — Four or more years of college (more than 119 semester credits or 179 quarter hours) without a bachelor’s degree.
13 — Bachelor’s degree.

Codes 09 and 10 are not interchangeable, and neither are 12 and 13. If you finished an associate degree, you get Code 10 regardless of the exact credit tally; if you completed two years of coursework but never earned the degree, Code 09 applies. The same rule holds at the top of the range: four full years of college-level work without the bachelor’s is Code 12, not Code 13.

Codes 14 Through 21: Graduate and Professional Degrees

The upper codes cover everything past a bachelor’s, and the numbering is where errors most often creep into secondary references.³

14 — Post-bachelor’s graduate-level coursework, no additional degree earned.
15 — First professional degree. Includes law (J.D.), medicine (M.D.), dentistry (D.D.S. or D.M.D.), veterinary medicine, theology, optometry, podiatry, and osteopathy, degrees that typically require at least six years of study.
16 — Post-first-professional work with no higher degree earned. An attorney who worked toward an LL.M. without finishing would sit here.
17 — Master’s degree. Covers traditional liberal arts and sciences master’s degrees and advanced professional master’s such as the LL.M., an M.S. in Surgery following an M.D., or a Master of Social Work.
18 — Post-master’s coursework without another degree.
19 — Sixth-year degree. Includes the Education Specialist (Ed.S.), Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study, Advanced Certificate in Education, Specialist in School Psychology, and similar credentials between a master’s and a doctorate.
20 — Post-sixth-year work without a doctorate.
21 — Doctorate. Includes the Ph.D., Doctor of Education (Ed.D.), Doctor of Public Health, Doctor of Juridical Science, and equivalent research doctorates. It does not include the professional doctorates listed under Code 15.

That last point catches physicians and lawyers off guard. An M.D. or J.D. carries the word “doctor,” but for SF-50 purposes it is Code 15. A physician who later completes a Ph.D. moves to Code 21.

Why the Code Matters for Federal Hiring

OPM’s qualification standards spell out minimum education for each occupational series, and Block 42 is the shorthand agencies use to check that you meet them.⁵ For many professional General Schedule positions, a bachelor’s (Code 13) meets the basic requirement at GS-5. GS-7 generally calls for one year of graduate education or superior academic achievement as an undergraduate. GS-9 typically requires two years of graduate education or a master’s (Code 17), and GS-11 calls for three years of graduate work or a doctorate (Code 21). Those education thresholds can substitute for specialized experience, which is why the correct code matters most for people moving from academia into federal service.

A career ladder promotion takes more than the right code. Federal regulations also require a current performance rating of Fully Successful or higher, with no below-Fully-Successful rating on any critical element that carries into the next grade.⁶ The code determines whether you are eligible to sit in the position; performance determines whether you move up within it.

Foreign Degrees

A degree earned outside the United States does not automatically map to an OPM code. Foreign education must first be evaluated as equivalent to a conventional U.S. degree program.⁷ Most foreign schools are not accredited by an organization recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, so you will need a private U.S. evaluation service. Federal agencies generally accept evaluations from members of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) or the Association of International Credentials Evaluators (AICE).

The evaluation has to address the type of education you received, how it compares to the U.S. system, what you studied and the standards you met, and whether the foreign institution is recognized as legitimate in its home country. Evaluations missing this information are not accepted.

One shortcut: a current, valid U.S. professional license obtained through a foreign professional degree is itself sufficient proof that your foreign education matches the required U.S. education in that field. A foreign-trained physician holding an active U.S. medical license would not need a separate evaluation.

Documentation, Corrections, and Updates

During hiring, unofficial transcripts or a course list showing grades and credit hours can satisfy initial verification. Once you are selected, you have to provide official documentation, such as a sealed transcript, to confirm the education you claimed on the application.⁸

If you earn a higher degree after you are on board, the process for recording it varies by agency. Some agencies use a separate education data document instead of issuing a new SF-50 to capture education attained after the initial hire.³ Either way, bring an official transcript to HR.

Spotting a wrong code is on you. The GPO’s SF-50 guide instructs employees to read the front of the form and notify HR immediately if anything is wrong.⁹ To request a correction, identify the record and the material that should change, and provide a statement explaining why the correction is warranted along with supporting documentation.¹⁰

A code that understates your credentials can screen you out of jobs you actually qualify for; a code that overstates them creates a different problem when the transcript catches up. Compare Block 42 against the list above. If it does not match your highest completed credential, walk it into HR with the transcript.

1
Bureau of Indian Education. Understanding your Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50)
2
U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Standard Form 50
3
National Finance Center. Documenting Education Data
4
FRTIB. New Employee Education Data
5
U.S. Office of Personnel Management. General Schedule Qualification Standards
6
eCFR. 5 CFR 335.104 – Eligibility for Career Ladder Promotion
7
U.S. Office of Personnel Management. General Schedule Qualification Policies
8
U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Official Documents
9
Government Publishing Office. Guide to Understanding Your Notification of Personnel Action Form, SF-50
10
U.S. Office of Personnel Management. The Guide to Personnel Recordkeeping