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George Mason University: Translation Requirements for Documents in Another Language
George Mason University asks for a certified English translation of every document not in English; its graduate admissions guidelines accept translations issued by the school or by a professional translating service, require them to be literal and complete with a signed certification statement, and reject self-translations. George Mason University accepts certified translations from professional services such as eVerbary. International transfer students also need a course-by-course evaluation from a named agency or a NACES member, which we do not provide.
Word-for-word
Graduate translations must be literal, complete and certified.
Never self-translated
Mason rejects translations made by the applicant.
Five named evaluators
Transfer credit: EP, ECE, WES, TEC/SpanTran, IEE or NACES.
George Mason requirements at a glance
| What George Mason asks for | |
|---|---|
| Translation | Freshman: a certified English translation of any document not in English, with certified official original transcripts and exam results (source). Graduate: every transcript, mark sheet and degree certificate in the original language plus an English translation of each (source). |
| Who may translate | Graduate: the institution or a professional translating service; self-translations are not acceptable. Mason points applicants to the ATA and University Language Services to find a translator (source). |
| What the certification must say | The translator's status and qualifications, that the translation is complete and accurate, which document and language it covers, and the translator's name, signature and date (source). |
| International transfer | A certified translation prepared by the university attended, an American Translators Association-certified translator, a government-certified translator (case by case), or included with the NACES evaluation (source). eVerbary is an ATA corporate member (#273062). |
| Evaluation | Freshman: none mentioned. Transfer: course-by-course with GPA and degree equivalencies for study at institutions without a Mason-recognized US accreditation (source). Graduate: a NACES evaluation or Mason's own evaluators (catalog). |
| Graduate submission | Unofficial scans for the decision; after admission, official records from the school in sealed envelopes or through TrueCopy, the only electronic channel for international documents (source). |
| Not accepted | Notarized copies, documents attested by local notaries, portal screenshots, and documents marked unofficial (source). |
| Does it accept eVerbary? | Yes. Mason's graduate guidelines accept translations "issued by the institution or a professional translating service" (international transcript guidelines, PDF), and its freshman page asks for a certified English translation without limiting who makes it (freshman requirements), so a certified translation from a professional service such as eVerbary meets them. Policy checked on October 13, 2026. |
Checked on October 13, 2026. Sources are listed at the end of this page. Policies change: confirm on George Mason's own page before you submit.
Three translator rules at one university
Mason's pages set the bar differently by level. The freshman page asks only for a certified English translation. The graduate guidelines are the most detailed: translations from the issuing institution or a professional translating service, literal and word-for-word, each with a certification statement covering the translator's qualifications, completeness and accuracy, the document and language, and a dated signature. Mason reserves the right to reject a translation that falls short. The same guidelines say the translator should give you the translations in sealed envelopes to send unopened with your official copies; eVerbary delivers a certified PDF, so ask masongrad@gmu.edu how it wants a PDF translation delivered at that stage.
The international transfer page is the narrowest: the university you attended, an ATA-certified translator, a government-certified translator accepted case by case, or a translation included with the NACES evaluation. eVerbary is an ATA corporate member; if you are transferring, confirm with Admissions that a certified translation from a member company meets that line, or ask your evaluator to include the translation.
Transfer credit: evaluation first, then syllabi in English
For study at a foreign institution without accreditation from a Mason-recognized US accreditor, you need a certified course-by-course evaluation that includes GPA and degree equivalencies, from Educational Perspectives, ECE, WES, The Evaluation Company (SpanTran), IEE or any NACES member (source). Credit comes only from institutions recognized by their Ministry of Education, with grades equal to a US C or better; Pass/Fail courses do not transfer.
To get a Mason course equivalent rather than elective credit, the Admissions Transfer Credit team needs catalog descriptions or syllabi in English; if your school does not issue them in English, Mason says you may use a certified translator (source). At most 75 lower-level credits, or 90 with upper-level courses, transfer. Students coming through ADVANCE with NOVA or another Virginia community college should note that credit earned at international colleges counts toward ADVANCE's 30-credit limit (source).
Graduate applicants from India and China
The graduate guidelines add country rules. India: final degree or convocation certificates (provisional ones only within a year of issue), the back of each mark sheet, and the grading ordinance; mark sheets from non-autonomous affiliated colleges are not accepted (source). China: copies of both the Degree Certificate and the Graduation Certificate, all documents in Chinese and English, and the university's grading scale; a CSSD verification report is supplemental and does not replace them.
If your institution issues its official documents only in English, Mason accepts them as they are (source). If it does not, the translation should reproduce every certificate title, seal and grade, because the same documents, in both languages, are required again as official records after admission.
Where Mason's pages differ
The catalog says every transcript from a college outside the US must be translated officially and evaluated by a NACES agency before an admission decision, while the transfer page and the transfer credit page require the evaluation only for institutions without Mason-recognized US accreditation, and name the fourth agency as The Evaluation Company on one page and SpanTran on the other. The graduate guidelines give two deadlines for official documents: the end of the first semester, and the last day to add classes. We have not resolved these differences; ask Admissions which applies to you.
Documents applicants usually translate
- Secondary school transcripts, leaving certificates and university entrance exam results
- University transcripts or mark sheets for every semester, and the degree certificate or diploma
- Chinese Degree Certificate and Graduation Certificate, for graduate applicants
- Course descriptions or syllabi, for transfer credit toward a Mason course equivalent
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 George Mason
Freshman and transfer applicants send certified official records with their translations; transfer transcripts come directly from each institution, and final ones can be sent electronically to ugtrans@gmu.edu (freshman, transfer credit).
Graduate applicants upload unofficial copies of the original-language records and their English translations with the application, then, if admitted, have the official documents sent by the school in sealed envelopes or through TrueCopy (guidelines, transcripts).
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 Mason that means we translate the records and the syllabi; the course-by-course evaluation for transfer credit comes from one of the agencies Mason names.
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
George Mason University's own pages, read on October 13, 2026. Enrollment figure: Open Doors 2025 fact sheet for Virginia (IIE), leading institutions in Virginia in 2024/25: number 1, with 5,694 international students.
- International freshman requirements
- Catalog: admission of international students
- International transfer requirements
- International transfer credit
- Community college partnerships (ADVANCE)
- Graduate international transcript guidelines (PDF)
- Graduate admissions: submitting transcripts
Frequently asked questions
Can I translate my own transcripts for a Mason graduate program?
No. Mason's guidelines say self-translated documents are not acceptable; the translation must come from the institution or a professional translating service (source).
What must the translator's certification include?
A statement of the translator's qualifications, a statement that the translation is complete and accurate, the document and language translated, and the translator's name, signature and date (source).
Do international transfer students need a WES evaluation?
A course-by-course evaluation with GPA and degree equivalencies is required for study at institutions without Mason-recognized US accreditation, from WES or another listed agency or NACES member (source).
Can I send notarized copies of my documents?
No. Mason's graduate guidelines say notarizing a document is not acceptable, even for unofficial copies (source).
How do I send official international documents electronically?
For graduate admissions, TrueCopy is the only electronic option; otherwise the school mails them in a sealed envelope (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 George Mason?
Upload a scan of your transcript or diploma and see the price and delivery time before you pay.