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Columbia University: Translation Requirements for Documents in Another Language
Columbia wants every non-English document translated into English and sent with the original: the undergraduate colleges ask for an official translation of transcripts and recommendations alike, GSAS for a translation certified as accurate and notarized or otherwise authenticated, and Columbia Engineering's graduate programs for a notarized translation from a reputable service. Only Engineering says who may translate (a service of your choice, showing its full contact details), so for Engineering graduate programs Columbia University accepts certified translations from professional services such as eVerbary; the undergraduate and GSAS rules do not restrict the translator, and eVerbary can add notarization at checkout ($34.90 per order). After admission, GSAS wants a course-by-course evaluation from an approved agency for study outside the US, which we do not provide.
Recommendations too
Every non-English document in the undergraduate file, sent with its original.
Notarized for GSAS
Certified, and notarized or otherwise authenticated, at application.
Electronic only
Final evaluations and transcripts must arrive electronically at GSAS, Engineering and SPS.
Columbia requirements at a glance
| What Columbia asks for | |
|---|---|
| Translation (undergraduate) | Any document in the application file not in English, recommendations included, must be officially translated and submitted with the original (source). |
| Who may translate | Not stated by the undergraduate colleges, GSAS or SPS. Engineering: your university if it translates, otherwise a translation service of your choice, described as a reputable provider (FAQ, requirements). |
| Notarization | GSAS: notarized or otherwise authenticated (source). Engineering: notarized (source). eVerbary can add notarization at checkout ($34.90 per order). |
| Evaluation | Undergraduate: none; transfer credit is evaluated only at acceptance (source). GSAS: a WES, ECE, IEE or TEC evaluation may replace the translation at application, and a course-by-course evaluation is required after you accept an offer (source). Engineering and SPS: WES with ICAP if your university has no secure e-transcripts. |
| Where to upload (GSAS) | Educational History page: the foreign-language transcript and the translation, each transcript as a separate PDF under 2 MB; do not email or mail transcripts at application (source). |
| Official delivery | Engineering wants transcripts electronically from the registrar to finaldocs@columbia.edu and refuses those mailed or delivered by students (source); GSAS refuses evaluations sent by post, email attachment or upload (source). |
| Timing | Undergraduate final transcripts: late June (source). GSAS final documents for 2026 admits: December 15 (spring), June 1 (summer), August 1 (fall) (source). |
| Does it accept eVerbary? | It depends on the school. Columbia Engineering graduate admissions lets you choose any translation service when your university does not translate, if the translation is notarized and shows the provider's full contact details (Engineering FAQ); a certified translation from eVerbary, notarized at checkout, fits. The undergraduate colleges (international applicants) and GSAS (GSAS FAQ) do not say who may translate; GSAS asks for a certified translation that is also notarized or otherwise authenticated, and a certified translation from a professional service such as eVerbary, with notarization added, is that kind of translation. SPS asks for official translations without naming the translator (SPS). Policy checked on October 12, 2026. |
Checked on October 12, 2026. Sources are listed at the end of this page. Policies change: confirm on Columbia's own page before you submit.
Columbia College and Columbia Engineering: the whole file, with its original
Columbia's undergraduate rule is about the file, not just the transcript: any document in another language, a teacher's recommendation as much as a transcript, must be officially translated and sent with the original (international applicants). The page gives no criteria for the translator. Your transcript reaches Columbia inside the Secondary School Report that a school official completes, and staff read applications by region with your school's profile. National or external exam results (A Levels, IB, French Baccalaureate, national finals) are needed only when they are required to finish secondary school.
Transfer applicants follow the same translation rule. Columbia does not review courses before applying: transfer credit is evaluated only once you are accepted (transfer). Documents supplied by your school may arrive after the deadline without an extension.
GSAS, Engineering and SPS: notarized, electronic, and agency routes
GSAS asks for a translation certified as accurate and also notarized or otherwise authenticated; if you have none, you may upload an evaluation from WES, ECE, IEE or TEC in its place (GSAS FAQ). Scanned and web-based records are reviewed as unofficial. Once you accept an offer, study outside the US needs a course-by-course evaluation that the agency sends electronically, and final transcripts must include proof of degree and official English translations (final transcript instructions).
Columbia Engineering asks for a notarized translation for each non-English transcript, with proof of graduation and the service provider's full contact details, and leaves the choice of service to you (Engineering FAQ). If your university cannot send transcripts through a secure electronic system, a WES Course-by-Course evaluation with ICAP is the route; Chinese degrees need CHESICC verification reports, and admitted students sign a verification authorization. The School of Professional Studies certificate program we read reviews official translations for accuracy and authenticity, accepts only WES ICAP course-by-course reports when no e-transcript exists, and needs official documents before review, with verification taking at least 7 to 10 business days (SPS). The Business School, SIPA and Teachers College were not covered in our review.
Where Columbia's pages differ
Two points. First, GSAS's current Final Transcript Instructions list four agencies for the course-by-course evaluation (WES, ECE, IEE and TEC), while the still-live 2025 version tells students who studied abroad to order WES Course-by-Course with ICAP specifically. Second, the Engineering FAQ tells international students to mail an official notarized translation, while the same FAQ says it will not accept transcripts mailed by students and wants official transcripts electronically from the registrar. We have not resolved either difference; ask the office concerned before you order.
Documents applicants usually translate
- Secondary school transcripts and any required national exam results
- Teacher and counselor recommendations written in another language
- University transcripts with the grading legend
- Degree certificate or other proof of graduation
- Indian semester mark sheets (SPS)
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 Columbia
Undergraduates apply through the Common App or Coalition Application; the school official who completes the Secondary School Report sends the transcript, and the translation goes with the original (source).
Graduate applicants upload the original-language transcript and the translation to the online application: GSAS on the Educational History page (source), Engineering with all other materials, no exceptions (source). After admission, official records and evaluations arrive electronically from your registrar or the agency, not from you.
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. At Columbia that means we translate and can notarize the translation at checkout; the course-by-course evaluations GSAS, Engineering and SPS ask for come from WES, ECE, IEE or TEC, Chinese verification reports from CHESICC, and official transcripts from your registrar.
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
Columbia University's own pages, read on October 12, 2026. Enrollment figure: Open Doors 2025 (IIE), institutions hosting the most international students in 2024/25: number 3, with 20,733 students.
- Undergraduate admissions: international applicants
- Undergraduate admissions: first-year
- Undergraduate admissions: transfer
- GSAS admissions FAQ
- GSAS final transcript instructions
- GSAS final transcript instructions (2025 version)
- Columbia Engineering graduate application requirements
- Columbia Engineering graduate admissions FAQ
- School of Professional Studies: program admissions
Frequently asked questions
Do my teacher recommendations need translating for Columbia College or Columbia Engineering?
Yes. Any non-English document in the application file, recommendations included, must be officially translated and sent with the original (source).
Does Columbia GSAS require a notarized translation?
Yes. The translation must be certified as accurate and notarized or otherwise authenticated; without one, you may upload a WES, ECE, IEE or TEC evaluation instead (source). eVerbary can add notarization at checkout.
Do I need a WES evaluation to apply to Columbia GSAS?
Not to apply. After accepting an offer, students who studied outside the US need a course-by-course evaluation sent electronically by the agency, by August 1 for fall admits (source).
Can I use any translation company for Columbia Engineering graduate admission?
Yes, if your university does not translate the transcript. The translation must be notarized and show the provider's full contact details, and the original-language transcript is still required (source).
My university cannot send electronic transcripts. What does Columbia Engineering accept?
A WES Course-by-Course evaluation with ICAP, sent electronically to finaldocs@columbia.edu; for Chinese institutions, CHESICC verification reports (source).
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 Columbia?
Upload a scan of your transcript or diploma and see the price and delivery time before you pay.