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Brigham Young University–Idaho: Translation Requirements for Documents in Another Language
Brigham Young University–Idaho asks for an evaluation of foreign high school and college records by IERF (its preferred agency, Detail Report) or TEC, for admission, under an agreement it shares with BYU, BYU-Hawaii and Ensign College. BYU-Idaho's evaluation agencies, such as IERF, accept certified translations from professional services such as eVerbary; TEC takes an outside translation only from a translator certified by ATA, which eVerbary provides on request. The translation comes first, then the evaluation; after you accept admission, transfer credit also needs English course descriptions, which an independent translator may translate.
IERF preferred
Choose its Detail Report; TEC is the alternative.
4-6 weeks ahead
Get documents to the agency before the admission deadline.
Course descriptions translated
After admission, for transfer credit; not by family.
BYU-Idaho requirements at a glance
| What BYU-Idaho asks for | |
|---|---|
| Translation for admission | No BYU-Idaho rule; the evaluation agency's translation rule applies (Academic evaluation, international students). |
| Evaluation | IERF or TEC (formerly SpanTran). IERF is the preferred agency of the Church Educational System; select the Detail Report. Choosing another evaluation may mean extra fees and a delay (Academic evaluation, international students). |
| What to evaluate | Fewer than 24 college semester credits: high school records and any college work outside the US. 24 or more: college work only (Academic evaluation, international students). |
| Deadlines | Fall May 1, Winter August 15, Spring January 15; start six months before (Application process, international students). Send documents to IERF or TEC 4 to 6 weeks before the deadline (Academic evaluation, international students). |
| Transfer credit | After you accept admission: an agency evaluation of the transcript, at your expense, plus English course descriptions for the courses you want to transfer (My transfer credit (Transfer Evaluation)). |
| Who may translate course descriptions | The sending university, or an independent third-party translator who is not a family member (My transfer credit (Transfer Evaluation)); the FAQ gives teacher, missionary, translator or friend as examples (Transfer Evaluation FAQ). |
| Shared agreement | BYU-Idaho uses IERF and TEC jointly with BYU, BYU-Hawaii and Ensign College, so the agencies' sites often mention BYU rather than BYU-Idaho (Academic evaluation, international students). |
| Does it accept eVerbary? | Yes. BYU-Idaho accepts evaluations from IERF or TEC (academic evaluation), and IERF accepts translations, reserving the right to ask for ones by professional translation services (IERF documentation). For transfer credit, BYU-Idaho itself accepts course descriptions translated by an independent third-party translator (transfer credit). Policy checked on October 13, 2026. |
Checked on October 13, 2026. Sources are listed at the end of this page. Policies change: confirm on BYU-Idaho's own page before you submit.
What each evaluation agency asks for the translation
IERF, the preferred agency, wants translations of every record not officially issued in English, typed, line-by-line, word-for-word and in the same format as the original. It reserves the right to ask for translations by professional translation services, its country pages say when they are mandatory, and its glossary lists a professional translation as required for records not issued in English. It does not ask for certified, notarized or sworn translations, and it does not translate itself.
TEC accepts an outside translation only from a translator certified by the American Translators Association, and sells its own translations once your application is complete. If you choose TEC, ask eVerbary for a translator individually certified by ATA (see below).
Course descriptions for transfer credit
The evaluation gets you admitted; credit for foreign college courses comes later. After you accept your offer, you provide a transcript evaluated by an international agency and English descriptions of the courses you want to transfer, and BYU-Idaho's Student Records and Registration Office looks for equivalent courses (My transfer credit (Transfer Evaluation)). A translated course description counts only if the sending university provides it in English or an independent third-party translator, not a relative, translates it.
The institution must be recognized by its country's governing board as comparable to a US college or university; vocational and technical schools generally do not transfer, failing grades are not accepted, and courses with no BYU-Idaho equivalent are not transferred (My transfer credit (Transfer Evaluation)). The official credit evaluation is completed within two weeks of accepting admission.
Where BYU-Idaho's pages differ
The My Transfer Credit page accepts translated course descriptions from an independent third-party translator and excludes family members. The Transfer Evaluation FAQ says descriptions need a third-party translation and gives a teacher, missionary, translator or friend as examples. Whether a friend counts as an independent translator is left open; a professional translation meets both wordings.
Documents applicants usually translate
- High school transcripts and diploma, if you have fewer than 24 college semester credits
- College or university transcripts, for the IERF or TEC evaluation
- Course descriptions of the courses you want transferred, after admission
- Degree certificates from the college or university
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 BYU-Idaho
For admission, the translation goes to IERF or TEC with your documents, not to BYU-Idaho; the agency sends its evaluation to the Church Educational System, which BYU-Idaho reads (Academic evaluation, international students).
For transfer credit, translated course descriptions go to BYU-Idaho's transfer evaluators after you accept admission (My transfer credit (Transfer Evaluation)).
If you need a translator certified by ATA
Some offices accept only a translator who is personally certified by the American Translators Association (ATA). eVerbary assigns one on request, for the languages ATA certifies into English: Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Italian, Chinese, Arabic, Russian and Ukrainian at $34.95 per page, and Japanese, Korean, Polish, Dutch, Swedish, Croatian, Danish and Persian at $44.95 per page.
To order it, ask for a free quote and write in the notes that the translation is for BYU-Idaho, which program it is for, and that you need a translator individually certified by ATA, plus anything else the office asks for (notarization, delivery by email to the office). We confirm the price and the translator before you pay. ATA does not certify other languages into English, so no translator anywhere holds ATA certification for them. For those languages we provide a notarized certified translation instead, at $44.95 per page plus notarization ($34.90 per order); ask the office to confirm it accepts that, and write its answer in the quote notes.
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 BYU-Idaho that means we translate your records for IERF or TEC and your course descriptions for transfer credit; the evaluation is ordered from the agency after the translation, and BYU-Idaho decides the course equivalencies itself.
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
Brigham Young University–Idaho's own pages, read on October 13, 2026. Enrollment figure: Open Doors 2025 fact sheet for Idaho (IIE), leading institutions in Idaho in 2024/25: number 1, with 1,707 international students.
- Academic evaluation, international students (byui.edu)
- Application process, international students
- My transfer credit (Transfer Evaluation)
- Transfer Evaluation FAQ
- IERF: required documentation
- IERF: glossary of terms
- The Evaluation Company: avoid delays with your evaluation
Frequently asked questions
IERF's and TEC's websites mention BYU, not BYU-Idaho. Am I on the right page?
Yes. BYU-Idaho uses both agencies under a joint agreement with BYU, BYU-Hawaii and Ensign College, so the agencies' instructions often refer to BYU (Academic evaluation, international students).
When should my documents reach the evaluation agency?
BYU-Idaho suggests 4 to 6 weeks before its admission deadline (Academic evaluation, international students); translate them before that.
Do I need my high school records evaluated if I have college credit?
Only if you have fewer than 24 college semester credits; with 24 or more, only the college work outside the US is evaluated (Academic evaluation, international students).
Can a friend translate my course descriptions?
The FAQ lists a friend among acceptable third parties (Transfer Evaluation FAQ), while the transfer credit page asks for an independent third-party translator who is not family (My transfer credit (Transfer Evaluation)). A professional translation meets both.
I chose TEC. Can eVerbary translate for it?
Yes, with a translator individually certified by ATA, which TEC requires for outside translations (The Evaluation Company: avoid delays with your evaluation). Ask for a free quote and write "TEC, BYU-Idaho, ATA-certified translator" in the notes. ATA certifies only some languages into English; the section above lists them.
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 BYU-Idaho?
Upload a scan of your transcript or diploma and see the price and delivery time before you pay.