US Patent Bar / Checked 18 Oct 2026
Patent Bar Eligibility Checker 2026: Category A, B, C or D?
Enter where you live, your degree and, if it is not on the USPTO’s list, your science and engineering credit hours. The checker applies the General Requirements Bulletin (issued August 2026) and tells you the likely category, what you are short of, and the documents the Office of Enrollment and Discipline asks for.
Checked 18 Oct 2026 against the GRB and uspto.gov.
01 / Free checker
Which category are you in?
Pick the listed subject your transcript is the equivalent of. If unsure, choose “Another subject” and enter your hours.
Residence
US citizens may apply for registration wherever they live.
Likely category
Category ALikely Category A: a degree in Mechanical Engineering is on the GRB’s list. The OED decides on your official transcript.
How it decides: the GRB’s rules as written. It cannot see your transcript: a course counts only if it is for science or engineering majors, graded C- or better, and has an official course description for the year you took it. The OED decides every application.
02 / Category A
The 47 Category A subjects
A bachelor’s, master’s or PhD in one of these, from an accredited US college or university, or the equivalent from a foreign university, proven by an official transcript (USPTO OED). The Office also accepts degrees whose transcript shows equivalence, such as molecular cell biology for biology.
| Aeronautical Engineering | Aerospace Engineering | Agricultural Engineering |
| Biochemistry | Bioengineering | Biological Science |
| Biology | Biomedical Engineering | Biomedical Science |
| Biophysics | Botany | Ceramic Engineering |
| Chemical Engineering | Civil Engineering | Computer Engineering |
| Computer Science (accredited BS only) | Electrical Engineering | Electrochemical Engineering |
| Electronics Engineering | Electronics Technology | Engineering Physics |
| Environmental Engineering | Food Technology | General Chemistry |
| General Engineering | Genetic Engineering | Genetics |
| Geological Engineering | Industrial Engineering | Marine Engineering |
| Marine Technology | Materials Engineering | Materials Science |
| Mechanical Engineering | Metallurgical Engineering | Microbiology |
| Mining Engineering | Molecular Biology | Neuroscience |
| Nuclear Engineering | Ocean Engineering | Organic Chemistry |
| Petroleum Engineering | Pharmacology | Physics |
| Textile Engineering | Textile Technology |
03 / Category B
The four Category B options
| Option | What you need (semester hours) |
|---|---|
| 1 | 24 hours in physics; only courses for physics majors |
| 2 | 32 hours: 8 in chemistry or physics with at least one lab, and 24 in biology, botany, microbiology or molecular biology; courses for science or engineering majors |
| 3 | 30 hours in chemistry; only courses for chemistry majors |
| 4 | 40 hours: 8 in chemistry, physics or biology with at least one lab, and 32 in chemistry, physics, biology, botany, microbiology, molecular biology or engineering. Up to 4 hours of design engineering or drafting and qualifying computer science courses count toward the 32, not the 8 |
Every course needs a grade of C- or better and an official course description from the catalogue of the year you took it. Quarter or trimester hours are multiplied by 2/3 (USPTO OED).
Courses the GRB typically does not accept
anthropology, astronomy, audited courses, psychology and sociology, public health, management, business administration and operations research, courses on how to use software, data management and management information systems, machine operation, wiring, soldering and similar skills courses, pass/fail courses, correspondence courses, ecology, economics of technology, history of science and technology, high school level courses, mathematics courses, patent law courses, paleontology, political science, science courses for non-science majors, vocational training and work study.
04 / Categories C and D
The FE test route, and design-only practice
Category C
Pass the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) test, set by state engineering boards, and send the official result with an official transcript showing a bachelor’s degree (USPTO OED).
Category D
A degree in Architecture, Applied Arts, Art Teacher Education, Fine/Studio Arts, Graphic Design, Industrial Design, Product Design. You would be registered for design patent matters only.
05 / Residence
The rule that comes before your degree
The GRB says an applicant who is not a US citizen and does not reside in the US is not eligible for registration except under 37 CFR 11.6(c), and that the exam “is not administered to aliens who do not reside in the United States”. The Canadian Intellectual Property Office is the only office recognised under 11.6(c) (USPTO OED, eCFR). A non-citizen living in the US with qualifying work authorisation can receive limited recognition (eCFR). Read our guide to the residence rule.
06 / Documents
What the OED asks for
- An official transcript with the university stamp or seal, showing the degree awarded (a diploma, its copy or an unofficial transcript is not accepted)
- Certified English translations of any document not in English
- Legal proof of any name change, if your transcript shows a different name
The list follows the category the checker shows above. The full list is in the GRB.
07 / Before you trust another page
Where other pages get eligibility wrong
| Still printed elsewhere | What the GRB says |
|---|---|
| "Any engineering or science degree from India qualifies for Category A." | Category A is a fixed list of subjects. A foreign degree counts if it is the equivalent of a degree in one of them; the OED reads the transcript. Pharmacy, for example, is named by the GRB as a subject that must go through Category B or C. |
| "A BCA or any computer degree is Category A." | Computer Science is on the list only as a Bachelor of Science from an accredited college or university. Other computer degrees go through Category B, where qualifying computer science courses count toward Option 4. |
| "You can take the patent bar from India." | The GRB says the exam "is not administered to aliens who do not reside in the United States". Non-US citizens living outside the US cannot sit it. |
| "Maths counts toward the credit hours." | The GRB lists mathematics courses among those it typically does not accept for Category B. |
Patent bar eligibility FAQs
Can an Indian citizen take the US Patent Bar?
Only while living in the United States. A non-US citizen who does not reside in the US is not eligible, and the exam is not administered to them (GRB III.F). A non-citizen living in the US with qualifying work authorisation can be given limited recognition (37 CFR 11.9(b)); a US permanent resident can be registered.
Which degrees are Category A?
The GRB lists 47 subjects, from Aeronautical Engineering to Textile Technology, including Computer Science only as an accredited Bachelor of Science. A foreign degree that is the equivalent of one of them counts, judged on the official transcript.
What is Category B?
For a degree in another subject: show enough science or engineering coursework under one of four options, such as 24 semester hours of physics for physics majors, or 40 hours of science and engineering including 8 hours of chemistry, physics or biology with a lab. Each course needs a C- or better and an official course description from the year you took it.
How are Indian credits counted?
The GRB counts semester hours: one hour of class a week for a 15 to 18 week semester. Trimester or quarter hours are multiplied by 2/3. The GRB does not convert Indian credit systems itself, so the OED reads your transcript and course descriptions.
What is Category C?
Passing the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) test, with an official transcript showing a bachelor’s degree.
What is Category D?
Design patent practice only, for a degree in Architecture, Applied Arts, Art Teacher Education, Fine/Studio Arts, Graphic Design, Industrial Design or Product Design.
Does this checker decide my eligibility?
No. It applies the GRB rules to what you enter. The OED decides on your application and documents.
Sources
- USPTO OED — General Requirements Bulletin for Admission to the Examination for Registration to Practice in Patent Cases, "Issued August 2026" (section III: Categories A to D and the eligibility of aliens)
- eCFR — 37 CFR 11.6, Registration of attorneys and agents
- eCFR — 37 CFR 11.9, Limited recognition in patent matters
- USPTO — Registration examination (last updated 29 Sep 2026)
- USPTO — Fee schedule, patent enrollment fees (37 CFR 1.21(a))
What we could not find
- Any USPTO table converting Indian university credits to semester hours; the GRB defines a semester hour and converts only quarter and trimester hours.
- Approval rates by category or by country.
A planning aid by ProSyllabus, not a USPTO or OED page and not legal or immigration advice. The OED decides every application.
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