The City College of New York: Translation Requirements for Documents in Another Language

Sample translation: a Brazilian university transcript

This is what an order looks like when it is delivered, with invented names, school and numbers. The original in Portuguese sits next to our English translation, and the PDF starts with the signed certification page. Bracketed text in the translation is a translator's note: each abbreviation is spelled out the first time it appears, and the layout follows the original line for line, so an admissions officer or a credential evaluator can match it without guessing.

Swipe to compare the original and the translation →

What to notice

• CPF, RG, MEC, D.O.U., CH, CR and ENADE are spelled out in brackets the first time they appear, and only then.
• Status codes (AP, RM, RF, AE) are explained on first use, so a course failed and retaken the next term reads correctly.
• Grades, decimal commas and dates stay exactly as printed; the date format is noted once. Converting grades is the evaluator's job.
• Terms, rows and columns follow the original line for line, so each course can be matched at a glance.

Download the sample PDF

More sample translations

Worth knowing about City College

City College requirements in detail

Who City College lets translate

City College publishes its own list of acceptable translators, and the Office of Graduate Admissions reserves the right to reject translations that do not follow it (guidelines for official translation).

A translation counts as official only when it is prepared by the consulate or embassy of the country that issued the document, by a translation service or agency or an immigration or refugee association, by the institution that granted the degree, or by a faculty member of a US university.

Faculty translations must be on school letterhead, name the translator's department and include a signed statement about the translator's knowledge of the language.

Three kinds of translation are refused outright: one by a notary public, one by the student or a member of the student's family, and one by school staff who are not faculty.

The page also asks that the translation keep the format of the original, be verbatim with nothing left out, and be typed and signed by the translator.

Graduate admission: unofficial first, official before registration

For graduate programs you upload an unofficial transcript, mark sheet or academic record from every college attended, even ones that granted no degree, with the key or legend and an English translation if it is not in English (Step 2 requirements).

Uploaded copies are for evaluation only.

Any offer is then conditional on City College receiving and verifying official transcripts, certified translations and/or credential evaluations for your whole post-secondary record before the registration deadline, and official transcripts must arrive sealed and stamped by the Registrar.

The application fee is $75, and supporting documents not uploaded go to the Office of Graduate Admissions at 160 Convent Avenue, Marshak Science Building, Room 24 (Graduate admissions: Step 2 requirements).

Discrepancies between unofficial and official records lead to revocation of the offer, so the translation you upload should be of the same document you later send officially.

Undergraduate applicants

City College counts as international anyone who completed any part of secondary or post-secondary education outside the US, whether or not they need an F-1 visa.

They submit a freshman or transfer application with official certificates, detailed transcripts and translations if necessary (international students); undergraduate applications go through CUNY's central process, described on our CUNY page.

Documents applicants usually translate

• University transcripts and mark sheets, with the grading key
• Diplomas and degree certificates
• Secondary school certificates and transcripts, for undergraduate applicants
• Provisional degree certificate, if the transcript has no conferral date

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 City College

• Graduate applicants upload the scanned transcript and its English translation with the online application; official transcripts and translations follow by mail before the registration deadline (Graduate admissions: Step 2 requirements).

• eVerbary can also mail the translation to you in a sealed, signed envelope: choose the hard copy at checkout with your address ($19.95 Priority or $37.95 Express in the US, $49.95 or $78.95 to other countries) and write in the order notes that it is for City College.

How to order

1. Scan or photograph every page of the document, front and back, including any stamps on the reverse.
2. Upload it, choose the language and "certified", and see the price before paying.
3. 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.

Frequently asked questions