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Harvard University: Translation Requirements for Documents in Another Language
Harvard College lets applicants send translated credentials and recommendations as long as they did not translate them themselves: a professional is not required, an English teacher will do, and the translator's name and relationship to you go on the translation, with the original attached. Harvard University accepts certified translations from professional services such as eVerbary. The Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS) is stricter: after acceptance it wants a professional, certified, literal translation that reaches the admissions office directly from the translator or in an envelope the translator sealed, together with the copy of the transcript the translator worked from.
Not by you
College: any translator but the applicant; a teacher is fine.
Sealed by the translator
GSAS: sent directly from, or sealed by, the translator.
July 31, 2026
GSAS deadline for official transcripts and translations.
Harvard requirements at a glance
| What Harvard asks for | |
|---|---|
| Translation (Harvard College) | Optional: if you choose to send translated credentials or recommendations, you must not translate them yourself; the original goes with the translation (source). Transfer applicants follow the same process (source). |
| Who may translate (College) | Anyone other than you; a professional is not needed and an English teacher is given as an example. The translation names the translator and their relationship to you (source). |
| Translation (GSAS, application) | Transcripts in English or with a certified English translation, literal and complete, uploaded as unofficial copies; mailed or emailed transcripts are discarded during review (source). |
| Translation (GSAS, after acceptance) | A professional, certified, literal English translation; student-created translations are not accepted; sent directly from, or sealed by, the translator, with the copy of the transcript the translator used (source). |
| Evaluation | College: none. GSAS: a WES Course-by-Course ICAP report sent by WES may stand in, if it contains the verified transcripts and translations; other WES reports are not accepted (source). |
| Graduate School of Education | Certified, word-for-word translation uploaded with the Ed.L.D. or Ed.M. application, no self-translation; after admission, verification through WES, ECE or SpanTran (source). |
| Financial aid documents | Need an English translation, but not by an official translator; students may write it on the documents (source). |
| Does it accept eVerbary? | Yes. Harvard College accepts translations by anyone other than the applicant and says a professional translator is not required (international applicants), and Harvard Griffin GSAS requires a professional, certified, literal English translation and does not accept student-made ones (GSAS terms of acceptance); a certified translation from a professional service such as eVerbary meets both. Policy checked on October 13, 2026. |
Checked on October 13, 2026. Sources are listed at the end of this page. Policies change: confirm on Harvard's own page before you submit.
Harvard College: anyone but you, and the original attached
Harvard College treats translation as your choice: if you send translated academic credentials or recommendation letters, you should not have translated them yourself, but you do not need to hire a professional translator either; the admissions office says it is happy to receive letters translated by an English teacher. Every translation should state the translator's name and their relationship to you, and a copy of the untranslated original should always go with it (international applicants). The process and timetable are the same for every applicant, wherever you went to school.
Transfer applicants follow the same rules, and their college transcripts must come directly from a college official by email to adm-tran@fas.harvard.edu or through networks such as Parchment, Scrip-Safe or the National Student Clearinghouse; Harvard cannot open personal links such as Google Drive or OneDrive, or zip files (transfer). The Visiting Undergraduate Students program is stricter than both: credentials must be in English or come with a certified translation (VUS).
GSAS: professional, certified, literal, and sealed
At application, Harvard Griffin GSAS asks you to upload unofficial transcripts, in English or with a certified English translation that is literal and complete, showing courses, seminars and examinations, grades and grading scales, and the degree and its date (transcripts). Do not mail or email anything during review; GSAS discards it.
After you accept an offer, the rules tighten (terms of acceptance). Official transcripts must arrive by July 31, 2026, from the registrar, by secure electronic service to gsas_apphelp@fas.harvard.edu or in a sealed envelope. If your university does not issue official English translations, you arrange a professional, certified, literal translation that is sent to the Office of Admissions directly from the translator, or in an envelope the translator sealed, which must stay unopened, together with the copy of the transcript the translator used. GSAS may rescind an offer if the official versions or translations differ from what you uploaded, so keep the translation you upload at application consistent with the one you send later. Agree with whoever translates how it will reach GSAS before you order.
HGSE and the Extension School
The Graduate School of Education asks Ed.L.D. and Ed.M. applicants to upload each transcript with a certified English translation that is literal and complete; students cannot translate their own. If admitted, you send official transcripts for verification through WES, ECE or SpanTran, which forward them with an evaluation; HGSE does not accept evaluations sent by students and may withdraw an offer if the uploaded and official versions differ (HGSE).
Harvard Extension School degree candidates take a different route: an evaluation from International Education Evaluations (IEE) before starting degree coursework, with two official transcripts, one sent to IEE and one to the Extension School; in most cases the translation goes to the evaluation company, under its rules (Extension School). We did not review the Business School, Kennedy School, Law School or Medical School.
Documents applicants usually translate
- Secondary school transcripts and national exam results
- Recommendation letters written in another language (Harvard College)
- University transcripts with grading scales, and degree certificates (GSAS, HGSE)
- Financial aid documents, such as tax and income statements
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 Harvard
Harvard College applicants send translations with the originals they belong to; school documents come from school officials, and college transcripts for transfer applicants from a college official by email or a credential network (source).
GSAS applicants upload unofficial transcripts and translations to the application; after accepting an offer, the official transcript comes from the registrar and the professional translation directly from the translator or sealed by the translator, by July 31, 2026 (source, 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 Harvard that means we translate your records; official transcripts come from your registrar, the HGSE verification from WES, ECE or SpanTran, and the Extension School evaluation from IEE or CED.
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
Harvard 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 24, with 8,110 students.
- Harvard College: international applicants (translated materials)
- Harvard College: transfer applicants
- Harvard College: visiting undergraduate students
- Harvard College FAQ: financial aid documents in English
- Harvard Griffin GSAS: transcripts
- Harvard Griffin GSAS: terms and conditions of acceptance
- Harvard Graduate School of Education: international applicants
- Harvard Extension School: verifying international credentials
Frequently asked questions
Can my English teacher translate my documents for Harvard College?
Yes. Harvard College says you do not need a professional translator and welcomes letters translated by an English teacher, as long as you did not translate them yourself (source).
Does Harvard GSAS accept a translation I made myself?
No. After acceptance, GSAS requires a professional, certified, literal English translation and does not accept student-created translations (source).
How does the GSAS translation have to be delivered?
Directly from the translator, or in an envelope the translator sealed and you do not open, with the copy of the transcript the translator used, by July 31, 2026 (source).
Can a WES evaluation replace the translation at GSAS?
Only a WES Course-by-Course ICAP report sent by WES that includes verified transcripts and English translations; other WES reports are not accepted (source).
Do my Harvard financial aid documents need a certified translation?
No. They need an English translation, but not by an official translator; most students write it on the documents (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 Harvard?
Upload a scan of your transcript or diploma and see the price and delivery time before you pay.