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Houston Community College: Translation Requirements for Documents in Another Language

Houston Community College asks for an evaluation by an accredited credential evaluation agency of any high school, college or university record from outside the US: for admission (F-1 applicants under 18 must show the equivalent of a US high school diploma) and, course-by-course, for transfer credit. HCC's evaluation agencies, such as WES, ECE, FCSA and SDR, accept certified translations from professional services such as eVerbary. The translation comes first, because the agency needs it to read a document not in English; the agency then sends its report to HCC, and that report is not something we produce.

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Evaluation, not translation

HCC asks for an agency report and sets no translation rule.

Under 18 on F-1

A high school equivalency evaluation goes with the application.

Canada exempt

Canadian and US-accredited schools need no foreign evaluation.

HCC requirements at a glance

Houston Community College: requirements for documents in another language
	What HCC asks for
Translation	No HCC rule of its own. The transfer credit page asks for a course-by-course evaluation, "not a translation" (Transferring credits); the translation is what the evaluation agency needs before it can evaluate.
Evaluation	Required for high school, college and university transcripts from outside the US, by an accredited evaluation agency (Foreign credentials (International Student Services, hccs.edu)); course-by-course when you want transfer credit (Transferring credits).
Agencies HCC lists	International office: Foreign Credentials Service of America (Austin), GCE, IACEI, SDR Educational Consultants, The Evaluation Company (TEC), World Credential Diagnostics and Worldwide Education Consultant Services, plus out-of-state agencies such as ECE and IEE; other US companies case by case (Foreign credentials (International Student Services, hccs.edu)). Transfer page: TEC, SDR, WES, ECE, Josef Silny, FCSA, Validential, GCE, Transcript Research and Atlas (Transferring credits).
F-1 applicants under 18	A transcript evaluation showing the equivalent of a US high school diploma, submitted with the application (International student application).
How the report reaches HCC	As a PDF from the provider to admissions@hccs.edu, by mail to the Office of Student Records, or in a sealed envelope at HCC Admissions (Foreign credentials (International Student Services, hccs.edu)).
Exempt	Records from Canadian institutions, and from institutions with US regional accreditation (Transferring credits, Foreign credentials (International Student Services, hccs.edu)).
Timing	Unofficial transcripts can be used for advising and placement in the first semester only; a hold stays until the official one arrives (Transcripts (Admissions)).
Does it accept eVerbary?	Yes. HCC asks for an evaluation from the agencies on its lists (foreign credentials, transfer credit), and WES accepts a certified translation from a professional translation service (WES rule), as do FCSA (FCSA rule) and ECE (ECE rule). TEC, GCE and IACEI, also on HCC's list, take an outside translation only from a translator certified by ATA. Policy checked on October 12, 2026.

Checked on October 12, 2026. Sources are listed at the end of this page. Policies change: confirm on HCC's own page before you submit.

What each evaluation agency asks for the translation

HCC leaves the translation to the agency you choose, and the agencies on its lists do not agree. WES wants a word-for-word translation by a professional translator, in the same order as the original, uploaded in your WES account; it does not accept translations made by applicants and does not translate. FCSA, in Austin, asks for a certified English translation, accepts one from most professional agencies in the US or abroad, and lets you, a friend or a relative translate Spanish documents; it does not translate. ECE wants a complete, literal, word-for-word translation in the same format; it also lets applicants translate their own documents, and for $85 it waives the translation and translates internally for its report, without giving you a translation you can use elsewhere.

SDR Educational Consultants, in Houston, accepts translations by its own translators or by another certified translator, and notes that English translations, while accepted, may not be used to prepare its report. IEE wants a certified translator and refuses translations by the applicant or a notary public; it sells its own translations.

Four agencies on HCC's lists take an outside translation only from a translator certified by the American Translators Association: The Evaluation Company (which also translates in-house, after the application is complete), GCE (which also accepts the issuing university or the Ministry of Education), IACEI, and, for translations made in the US, Josef Silny. If you pick one of them, ask eVerbary for a translator individually certified by ATA (see below).

Where HCC's pages differ

HCC publishes two agency lists. The international office's Foreign Credentials page names World Credential Diagnostics and Worldwide Education Consultant Services, which the transfer credit page does not; the transfer page names WES, Josef Silny, Validential, Transcript Research and Atlas, which the international page does not. The international page also says other US evaluation companies are considered case by case. The pages do not say which list governs; if your agency is on only one of them, confirm with HCC before you order.

The two pages also give different names for the mailing office, Office of Student Records on the Foreign Credentials page and Office of Admissions & Records on the Transcripts page, with the same P.O. Box.

High school equivalency and transfer credit

F-1 applicants under 18 must prove the equivalent of a US high school diploma with a transcript evaluation sent along with the application (International student application). For applicants 18 and over, the first-time F-1 page does not list a high school evaluation among the admission documents; it points to foreign transcripts and asks for evaluated credentials to be sent as the Transcripts page explains (First-time F-1 student).

For foreign college work, HCC wants a course-by-course evaluation and then reviews how the evaluated courses apply to its own certificates and degrees (Transferring credits). The order is: translate the transcript if the agency asks for it, send the documents and translation to the agency, and have the agency send its report to HCC.

Documents applicants usually translate

High school transcripts and the diploma or leaving certificate, for a high school equivalency evaluation
College or university transcripts, all years, for a course-by-course evaluation
Degree or diploma certificates from the college or university
Any other record the agency's country list asks for

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 HCC

The translation does not go to HCC. Send it to the evaluation agency with your documents, in the way that agency asks (WES, for example, through your WES account). Then have the agency send its report to HCC: as a PDF to admissions@hccs.edu, by mail to the Office of Student Records, or in a sealed envelope delivered to HCC Admissions (Foreign credentials (International Student Services, hccs.edu)).

F-1 applicants apply online with an HCC account (W number) and upload supporting documents after the conditional approval letter; evaluated credentials follow the Transcripts page instructions (First-time F-1 student).

If you need a translator certified by ATA

Some offices accept only a translator who is personally certified by the American Translators Association (ATA). eVerbary assigns one on request, for the languages ATA certifies into English: Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Italian, Chinese, Arabic, Russian and Ukrainian at $34.95 per page, and Japanese, Korean, Polish, Dutch, Swedish, Croatian, Danish and Persian at $44.95 per page.

To order it, ask for a free quote and write in the notes that the translation is for HCC, which program it is for, and that you need a translator individually certified by ATA, plus anything else the office asks for (notarization, delivery by email to the office). We confirm the price and the translator before you pay. ATA does not certify other languages into English, so no translator anywhere holds ATA certification for them. For those languages we provide a notarized certified translation instead, at $44.95 per page plus notarization ($34.90 per order); ask the office to confirm it accepts that, and write its answer in the quote notes.

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 HCC that means we translate your foreign records for the evaluation agency; the evaluation itself, general or course-by-course, is ordered from the agency after the translation, and the agency sends it to HCC.

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

Houston Community College's own pages, read on October 12, 2026. Enrollment figure: Open Doors (IIE), community colleges hosting the most international students in 2023/24: number 1, with 3,629 students.

Frequently asked questions

Does HCC ask for a certified translation of my foreign transcript?

Not directly. HCC asks for an evaluation by an accredited agency, and its transfer page asks for a course-by-course evaluation "not a translation" (Transferring credits). The agency you choose sets the translation rule; WES, ECE, FCSA and SDR accept a certified translation from a professional service.

Which agency should I use to transfer foreign college credit to HCC?

One on HCC's list, with a course-by-course report: the transfer page names TEC, SDR, WES, ECE, Josef Silny, FCSA, Validential, GCE, Transcript Research and Atlas (Transferring credits). The international office's list differs (Foreign credentials (International Student Services, hccs.edu)); confirm with HCC if your agency is on only one.

I am an F-1 applicant under 18. What do I need for my high school?

A transcript evaluation showing the equivalent of a US high school diploma, sent with your application (International student application).

Do I need an evaluation for credits from a Canadian university?

No. HCC exempts Canadian institutions and institutions with US regional accreditation from the foreign evaluation (Transferring credits).

I chose TEC, GCE or IACEI. Can eVerbary translate for it?

Yes, with a translator individually certified by ATA, which these agencies require for outside translations (TEC, GCE, IACEI). Ask for a free quote and write the agency's name and the ATA requirement in the notes. ATA certifies only some languages into English; the section above lists them.

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 HCC?

Upload a scan of your transcript or diploma and see the price and delivery time before you pay.