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Brown University: Translation Requirements for Documents in Another Language
Brown asks that any document in your undergraduate file be in English or come with an official translation, together with the original in its own language, and its Graduate School asks for certified English translations sent with the original transcript; neither says who must translate. Brown University accepts certified translations from professional services such as eVerbary. Undergraduate and Graduate School applicants need no credential evaluation, but the School of Professional Studies requires a WES, ECE or SpanTran evaluation, which we do not provide, and at undergraduate level your school, not you, sends the records.
Original plus translation
Every translated document goes with the original-language version.
School sends it
Brown refuses official documents mailed by applicants themselves.
SPS: WES, ECE, SpanTran
Professional Studies needs an evaluation before you submit.
Brown requirements at a glance
| What Brown asks for | |
|---|---|
| Translation | Undergraduate: documents in English or accompanied by official translations, with the originals in the original language (Undergraduate admission: application process for international applicants). Graduate School: certified English translations of transcripts or attestations of study (Graduate School: apply for MFA or doctoral study). |
| Who may translate | Not stated for records. For a teacher's letter in another language, Brown asks another person, preferably a school official, to send the English translation with the original (Undergraduate admission: questions from international applicants). |
| Who sends the records | First-year: each secondary school, through the Common App or by the counselor to documents@brown.edu or fax (First-year: school forms and transcripts). Transfer: each college, to transferdocuments@brown.edu (Transfer: application checklist). |
| Evaluation | Undergraduate and Graduate School: none required; Brown reviews international credentials itself (Undergraduate admission: questions from international applicants). School of Professional Studies: WES, ECE or SpanTran, required to submit (School of Professional Studies: application process). |
| Exams | Students in national systems should sit their exams (A-levels, Abitur, French Baccalauréat, IB) and send predicted or actual results (Admission criteria for international applicants). |
| Transfer credit | Only from regionally accredited institutions or the international equivalent; a preliminary estimate comes with the offer and the final count after enrollment (Transfer: transfer credit). |
| Public Health | Transcripts go to SOPHAS, not to Brown, by the program deadline (School of Public Health: application requirements). |
| Does it accept eVerbary? | Yes. Brown's undergraduate admission office asks for "official translations" with the originals (international application process), and the Graduate School for "certified English translations" (Graduate School), without limiting who makes them, so a certified translation from a professional service such as eVerbary meets both. Policy checked on October 13, 2026. |
Checked on October 13, 2026. Sources are listed at the end of this page. Policies change: confirm on Brown's own page before you submit.
The original travels with the translation, and the school sends both
Brown's international page asks for an official translation "along with original documents in the original language" (Undergraduate admission: application process for international applicants). Combined with its rule that transcripts come from the school, that means the translation has to reach your counselor or registrar in time for them to send it with the transcript. First-year records go through the Common App, or by the counselor to documents@brown.edu or fax 401-863-5991 if the school cannot use an online service (First-year: school forms and transcripts).
Transfer applicants face the strictest version: official documents must come from the institutions that created them, and Brown says it cannot accept official documents sent by applicants themselves, except the Mid Term Report (Transfer: application checklist). Order the translation early, give it to your registrar, and ask that it be attached to the transcript it belongs to. Brown also states it works with no agents or third parties other than governments, EducationUSA and community-based organizations (Undergraduate admission: application process for international applicants); that concerns application agents, not the translation itself.
Graduate study: three different routes
For doctoral and MFA programs, the Graduate School asks applicants from international institutions for transcripts or certified attestations of study with certified English translations, and the original transcript and its translations go to the Graduate School admission office (Graduate School: apply for MFA or doctoral study). It warns against sending anything straight to the department, which only slows the file down. A scanned transcript is encouraged with the application; the final official transcript is required of everyone who enrolls.
The School of Professional Studies works differently: a WES, ECE or SpanTran evaluation is required for any degree from outside the US, and it must be in place before you can submit (School of Professional Studies: application process). Those agencies set their own translation rules; see translation for WES. The School of Public Health uses SOPHAS, so its transcripts and translations follow SOPHAS instructions and go there by the program deadline (School of Public Health: application requirements).
Documents applicants usually translate
- Secondary school transcripts and the Secondary School Report, for non-US schools
- National exam results and predicted grades, such as the Abitur or the French Baccalauréat
- Teacher recommendation letters written in another language
- College transcripts, for transfer applicants
- University transcripts or certified attestations of study, for the Graduate School
What an eVerbary translation includes
- A complete English translation of every page, stamps, seals and handwritten notes included, laid out like the original so each line can be matched.
- Grades exactly as recorded, with the grading scale the document prints. We never convert marks to a US GPA.
- A signed certificate of translation accuracy on letterhead, with our contact details, delivered as a PDF you can upload.
- $24.95 per page of up to 250 words, certification included; 24 hours for one to three pages as standard. Regular clients who need it can get delivery in as little as 30 minutes, on request.
Uploading the translation to Brown
Undergraduate: your counselor or registrar sends the transcript with its translation through the Common App, or to documents@brown.edu (first-year) or transferdocuments@brown.edu (transfer) (first-year, transfer).
Graduate School: upload a scan with the application, then send the original transcript and the certified translation to the Graduate School admission office, not to the program (Graduate School: apply for MFA or doctoral study).
What we do not do
eVerbary is a translation service, not a credential evaluation service: we do not issue evaluations, US equivalencies or GPA conversions, and we cannot send documents on behalf of the school that issued them. For Brown that means we translate your records; the school sends them, and the evaluation the School of Professional Studies requires comes from WES, ECE or SpanTran.
How to order
- Scan or photograph every page of the document, front and back, including any stamps on the reverse.
- Upload it, choose the language and "certified", and see the price before paying.
- Receive the PDF, usually within 24 hours for one to three pages, and upload it with the copy of the original wherever the institution asks for it.
Sources
Brown University's own pages, read on October 13, 2026. Enrollment figure: Open Doors 2025 fact sheet for Rhode Island (IIE), leading institutions in Rhode Island in 2024/25: number 1, with 2,735 international students.
- Undergraduate admission: application process for international applicants
- Undergraduate admission: questions from international applicants
- First-year: school forms and transcripts
- Admission criteria for international applicants
- Transfer: application checklist
- Transfer: transfer credit
- Graduate School: apply for MFA or doctoral study
- School of Professional Studies: application process
- School of Public Health: application requirements
Frequently asked questions
Can I send my translated transcript to Brown myself?
No. Brown wants transcripts sent by the school, and its transfer checklist says it cannot accept official documents sent by applicants themselves (Transfer: application checklist). Give the translation to your school so it goes with the transcript.
Who can translate my documents for Brown?
Brown asks for official translations (undergraduate) or certified translations (Graduate School) and does not say who must make them (undergraduate, graduate). A certified translation from a professional service such as eVerbary qualifies.
Do I need a WES evaluation for Brown?
Not for undergraduate admission or Graduate School programs. The School of Professional Studies requires a WES, ECE or SpanTran evaluation before you submit (School of Professional Studies: application process).
My teacher wrote the recommendation in Spanish. What now?
Brown asks another person, preferably a school official, to send a written English translation with the original letter (Undergraduate admission: questions from international applicants).
Where do graduate applicants send the translation?
To the Graduate School admission office, together with the original transcript; not to the department (Graduate School: apply for MFA or doctoral study).
Will eVerbary convert my grades to a US GPA?
No. The translation reproduces the grades and the grading scale exactly as they appear. A GPA conversion is credential evaluation, which the institution or an evaluation agency does.
Translating documents for Brown?
Upload a scan of your transcript or diploma and see the price and delivery time before you pay.