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Florida State University: Translation Requirements for Documents in Another Language
Florida State University asks for academic records issued in the native language and accompanied by a certified, literal English translation, and its pages do not say who must make the translation. Florida State University accepts certified translations from professional services such as eVerbary. Most applicants schooled abroad, first-year students included, also need a report from a credential evaluation agency (FSU recommends a NACES member), which we do not provide.
Native language + English
Records in the original language, with a certified translation.
Evaluation for high school
A Secondary School Evaluation with a US GPA, unless waived.
Notaries do not count
Signatures with no educational affiliation are rejected.
FSU requirements at a glance
| What FSU asks for | |
|---|---|
| Translation | Every academic record issued in the native language and accompanied by a certified English translation; literal, not interpretive (first-year, transfer). |
| Who may translate | Not stated (source). |
| What FSU calls "certified" | True copies signed and dated by an educational official familiar with academic records; documents signed by a notary or other public official with no educational affiliation are not accepted. The page does not say whether this definition also covers translations (source). |
| First-year evaluation | A Secondary School Evaluation from an independent agency, showing degree equivalency and a US GPA, sent directly by the agency; NACES members recommended (source). |
| Transfer evaluation | Course-by-course for college records and a US-equivalent GPA for high school records, from an agency, preferably NACES (source, FAQ). |
| Official delivery | Records count as official only when the school, exam board or a school official sends them, by email to admissions@fsu.edu or in a sealed envelope (source). |
| Transfer deadlines | October 1 (spring), March 1 (summer), June 1 (fall); some programs close earlier (source). |
| Graduate | Same certified-translation rule; transcripts go through The Evaluation Company's FSU pathway portal or another NACES evaluator (source). |
| Does it accept eVerbary? | Yes. FSU's international first-year and transfer pages ask for "a certified English translation" and do not restrict who makes it (first-year, transfer); a certified translation from a professional service such as eVerbary is that kind of translation. Policy checked on October 13, 2026. |
Checked on October 13, 2026. Sources are listed at the end of this page. Policies change: confirm on FSU's own page before you submit.
First-year applicants: usually an evaluation, not only a translation
FSU asks international first-year applicants who studied outside the US, or in a curriculum that does not follow the US system, for official records plus a Secondary School Evaluation with degree equivalency and a US grade point average (source). The certified-translation sentence sits inside those evaluation instructions, so in practice your translation goes to the evaluation agency with your records, and the agency sends its report straight to FSU.
The evaluation can be waived if your school follows a US grading scale, if you are in the IB Diploma Programme with its 1-7 scale, if a US high school has already evaluated your foreign coursework, or if you follow one of the listed exam curriculums: British-pattern GCSE, IGCSE, AS and A levels, CXC, CSEC and CAPE, the Bahamas BGCSE, WASSCE or Nigeria's NECO, whose official results go in with your records (source). After you apply, the International School Form on the Admissions Portal can add requirements to your list. Agencies set their own translation rules; see translation for credential evaluation.
Graduate School: the same rule and a preferred evaluator
FSU's Graduate School repeats the undergraduate wording: certified English translations for records not in English, literal rather than interpretive, and the same definition of "certified" (source). Applicants with international degrees send official transcripts through The Evaluation Company's FSU pathway portal, which FSU recommends and which offers a discounted rate, or through another NACES evaluator.
If you want credit for coursework completed abroad, FSU requires an official course-by-course evaluation of every non-US record and awards no credit for technical, vocational or below-college coursework (source). If a transcript does not show the degree earned and its date, separate proof of degree is required.
Where FSU's pages differ
The international first-year page says applicants schooled abroad "should submit" a Secondary School Evaluation and that non-US credentials must be evaluated before the deadline, while Step 3 on the same page says those applicants are "encouraged" to use an evaluation agency. The page also says records "must" be issued in the native language in one place and "should" in another (source). We have not resolved either difference; check your Admissions Portal checklist for what applies to you.
FSU's definition of "certified" (a true copy signed by an educational official) follows the translation sentence on the first-year, transfer and graduate pages without saying whether a translation must also carry such a signature. If you are unsure, ask the Office of Admissions before you submit.
Documents applicants usually translate
- Secondary school transcripts and graduation certificate
- Official results of exams such as WASSCE, NECO, CXC or IGCSE
- College or university transcripts, for the course-by-course evaluation
- Separate proof of degree when the transcript does not show it
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 FSU
Apply with FSU's institutional application or the Common App, then complete the International School Form, test scores, essay and resume on the Admissions Portal, which tracks your personal requirements (source). Your school, exam board or a school official sends the records; the evaluation agency sends its report.
Graduate applicants with international degrees submit transcripts through The Evaluation Company pathway portal or another NACES evaluator (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. For FSU that means we translate your records; the Secondary School Evaluation or course-by-course evaluation comes from an evaluation agency.
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
Florida State University's own pages, read on October 13, 2026. Enrollment figure: Open Doors 2025 fact sheet for Florida (IIE), leading institutions in Florida in 2024/25: number 5, with 2,966 international students.
- International first-year applicants (admissions.fsu.edu)
- International transfer applicants
- International admissions FAQ
- Graduate School: international admissions
Frequently asked questions
Who can translate my records for FSU?
FSU asks for a certified, literal English translation and does not name a translator (source). A certified translation from a professional service such as eVerbary is that kind of translation.
Do I need an evaluation for my foreign high school record?
Usually yes: a Secondary School Evaluation with a US GPA. It can be waived for US-grading schools, the IB Diploma, listed exam curriculums, or coursework already evaluated by a US school (source).
Will a notarized translation help?
Not for FSU. Documents signed by a notary or another public official with no educational affiliation are not accepted (source).
Where do I send the translation?
FSU puts the translation requirement in its evaluation instructions; send it with your records to the evaluation agency, which reports directly to FSU (source, FAQ).
Which evaluator does the Graduate School prefer?
The Evaluation Company, through its FSU pathway portal; another NACES evaluator is also accepted (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 FSU?
Upload a scan of your transcript or diploma and see the price and delivery time before you pay.