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Cornell University: Translation Requirements for Documents in Another Language
Cornell wants every academic document that is not issued in English translated and sent with the original-language document: undergraduate admissions ask for an official translation and say they accept one done by a teacher or school official, and the Graduate School asks for a certified or notarized English translation. Cornell University accepts certified translations from professional services such as eVerbary. Cornell evaluates foreign transcripts itself, so undergraduates do not need an evaluation agency, and it wants grades kept in their original system, which is how we translate them.
No evaluation agency
Cornell reads foreign transcripts in their original grading system.
Certified or notarized
Graduate School: either kind of English translation, with the original.
Oct 1 / Mar 1
Official graduate records, sent electronically, never by the student.
Cornell requirements at a glance
| What Cornell asks for | |
|---|---|
| Translation (undergraduate) | Documents not issued in English need an official translation of all documents, provided with the original-language documents (source); the enrollment FAQ asks that all transcripts be translated into English (FAQ). |
| Who may translate | Undergraduate: Cornell says it accepts translations done by a teacher or school official and sets no other condition (source). Graduate School: a certified or notarized translation, translator not specified (source). |
| Evaluation | Not needed for undergraduates: Cornell says it is familiar with all educational systems and evaluates credentials itself, from transcripts in their original grading system, not converted to a US GPA (FAQ). |
| How transcripts arrive (undergraduate) | From your school official: through the Common App high school official tool, Parchment (including eSCRIP-SAFE and Naviance), or by mail in an envelope sealed by the school; photocopies are not accepted (high school, college, FAQ). |
| Graduate application | Upload an unofficial copy of each official transcript (PDF, TIFF, JPEG or GIF, up to 10 MB), with the records in the original language and a certified copy of the diploma or degree certificate for any conferred degree (source). |
| Graduate official records | After admission, electronically from your institution or a verification service (Parchment, National Student Clearinghouse, TEC, WES, NACES or AICE members), before October 1 for summer and fall admits or March 1 for spring; Cornell does not accept transcripts from students (source). |
| Deadlines (undergraduate) | Required materials by November 13 for Early Decision and January 19 for Regular Decision; portal updates can take two weeks near deadlines (source). |
| Does it accept eVerbary? | Yes. Cornell's undergraduate rule asks for an official translation of every non-English document, provided with the original, and names teacher or school-official translations as acceptable without limiting the translator to them (transfer requirements); the Graduate School asks for a certified or notarized English translation without naming who makes it (Graduate School transcripts). A certified translation from a professional service such as eVerbary meets both; notarization can be added at checkout for $34.90 per order. Policy checked on October 13, 2026. |
Checked on October 13, 2026. Sources are listed at the end of this page. Policies change: confirm on Cornell's own page before you submit.
Undergraduate: a translation that travels with the school's transcript
Cornell's undergraduate pages put the translation and the transcript in the same package. The enrollment FAQ asks that all transcripts be translated into English and sent online by your school official, or mailed by that official if online submission is not possible (FAQ). The transfer requirements add that an official translation of all documents must be provided along with the original-language documents, and that Cornell accepts translations done by a teacher or school official (transfer requirements). The first-year page itself has no separate translation rule.
In practice that means the school official who uploads your transcript through the Common App, Parchment or a sealed envelope (submission instructions) should send the translation with it. If your school has no English-speaking teacher available to translate, a certified translation from a professional service is the other route; give it to the school official so both documents reach Cornell together.
Why Cornell does not want an evaluation or a converted GPA
Cornell's admissions office says your transcripts do not need to be evaluated by a credential evaluation service: it reviews the classes you took and the grades you received, rather than an overall GPA, and it wants transcripts in their original grading system, English translations included, with grades not converted to a US GPA (FAQ). Paying WES or ECE for an undergraduate application to Cornell buys nothing Cornell asks for.
The exception is inside Cornell Engineering's M.Eng. application, where international applicants are asked to upload translated unofficial transcripts and to convert their GPA to a 4.0 scale themselves (M.Eng. application guide). That conversion is your entry in the application form; the translation keeps the grades exactly as your university recorded them, so the committee can check one against the other.
Graduate School: certified or notarized, then electronic records
The Graduate School wants academic records issued by the college or university in the original language, accompanied by a certified or notarized English translation, plus a certified copy of the diploma or degree certificate for each degree conferred (Graduate School). At application you upload unofficial copies; after admission, official records must come electronically from the institution or a credential verification service, before October 1 for summer and fall admits or before March 1 for spring admits.
Cornell Tech's admitted master's students submit official records with an official English translation before matriculation and do not need another evaluation from WES, Spantran or ECE (Cornell Tech). Other Cornell professional schools were not part of our review.
Documents applicants usually translate
- Secondary school transcripts and leaving certificates
- College or university transcripts with the grading scale
- Diploma or degree certificate (Graduate School: certified copy for each conferred degree)
- Final grades, which admitted students have their school send directly to Cornell
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 Cornell
Undergraduate applicants do not upload transcripts themselves: the school official sends the transcript, with its translation, through the Common App high school official tool, Parchment, or a sealed envelope; college transcripts follow the same rules (source, source).
Graduate applicants upload an unofficial copy of each transcript and its certified translation to the online application; after admission the official records go to the Graduate School electronically from the institution or a verification service, not from you (source).
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 Cornell that means we translate and, if you choose, notarize; the transcript itself comes from your school official, and after graduate admission the official record comes electronically from your institution or a verification service.
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
Cornell University's own pages, read on October 13, 2026. Enrollment figure: Open Doors 2025 (IIE), institutions hosting the most international students in 2024/25: number 21, with 8,790 students.
- Transfer applicants: requirements (admissions.cornell.edu)
- Enrollment FAQ: how do I get my international transcript evaluated?
- Enrollment FAQ: can international applicants submit photocopies?
- Submit your high school transcript
- Submit your college transcript
- Graduate School: transcript requirements
- Cornell Engineering M.Eng.: application guide
- Cornell Tech: submit your official academic records
Frequently asked questions
Can my teacher translate my transcript for Cornell undergraduate admission?
Yes. Cornell says it accepts English translations done by a teacher or school official, provided with the original-language document (source). A certified translation from a professional service is also an official translation.
Do I need a WES or ECE evaluation to apply to Cornell?
Not for undergraduate admission. Cornell evaluates foreign transcripts itself and asks for them in the original grading system, with English translations (source).
Does the Cornell Graduate School want a certified or a notarized translation?
Either: it asks for a certified or notarized English translation with records in the original language (source). eVerbary translations are certified, and notarization can be added at checkout for $34.90 per order.
Can I send my official graduate transcripts myself?
No. After admission, records must reach the Graduate School electronically from your institution or a verification service such as Parchment, TEC or WES, by October 1 or March 1 depending on your start term (source).
Should I convert my grades for Cornell Engineering's M.Eng.?
The M.Eng. application asks international applicants to convert their GPA to a 4.0 scale and to translate transcripts into English (source). The conversion is yours to enter; the translation keeps the original grades.
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 Cornell?
Upload a scan of your transcript or diploma and see the price and delivery time before you pay.