Loyola Marymount University: Translation Requirements for Documents in Another Language

Worth knowing about LMU

LMU requirements in detail

Undergraduates: certified translations, LMU evaluates

LMU's international first-year page asks for transcripts in English from all secondary schools attended, full transcripts for each school year, official records showing all work in detail, and certified English translations of all documents not presented in English (International first-year applicants).

Documents become university property and are not returned. LMU may grant advanced standing for certain foreign examinations and diplomas, so translate exam certificates as well as transcripts.

Transfer applicants need certified English translations of their official transcripts when they submit the application, not later (International transfer applicants).

Unlike many universities, LMU does not send undergraduates to an outside agency: its Office of the Registrar evaluates international transcripts for transfer credit.

The coursework must appear on an official record from an institution recognized by the Ministry or Department of Education; if originals are not available, LMU accepts photocopies notarized as true copies, and it asks for results of standard examinations given by government or certifying agencies in your home country.

Graduate applicants: translated and evaluated before review

For graduate programs, LMU requires a degree from a university recognized by the Ministry of Education and transcripts translated and evaluated by a US evaluation service before the application is considered; it names ECE, International Education Evaluation, IERF, SpanTran and WES as examples (Graduate Admission: international students).

Seaver College of Science and Engineering, the School of Film and Television, the MA in Theology, the MA in Pastoral Theology and the School of Education need a course-by-course evaluation with GPA submitted with the application.

The agencies set the translation rule.

WES requires a professional translation and not your own (WES); ECE accepts any complete, word-for-word translation and sells an $85 waiver to translate for its report only (ECE); IERF wants line-by-line, word-for-word translations and does not require certified or sworn ones (IERF); IEE wants a certified translator, not the applicant (IEE); SpanTran, now The Evaluation Company, accepts outside translations only from ATA-certified translators (TEC), which eVerbary can assign on request through a free quote. Order the translation first, then the evaluation.

School of Education: an evaluation, not just a translation

The School of Education's international transcript directions require both an international evaluation of transcripts and an official set of transcripts, and state that a translation-only service is not accepted.

The agency sends the evaluation, with official transcripts if it can, to graduateadmission@lmu.edu; otherwise your institution sends the transcripts.

Ask for US degree equivalency and a GPA, plus a course-by-course itemization for credential students. Evaluations can take months, and WES is named as a frequently recommended agency.

Applicants to California credential programs must use an agency approved by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing.

Documents applicants usually translate

• Secondary school transcripts for every year, and diplomas
• National or government exam results, which LMU may use for advanced standing
• University transcripts, for transfer credit or a graduate evaluation
• Degree certificates for graduate applicants

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 LMU

• Undergraduates send official transcripts and the certified translations to the Office of Admission; transfer translations must be in when the application is submitted (first-year, transfer).

• Graduate applicants send the translation to the evaluation agency with their records; the agency sends the evaluation to LMU Graduate Admission, by email to graduateadmission@lmu.edu or by mail (School of Education: international transcript evaluation and English proficiency (PDF)).

How to order

1. Scan or photograph every page of the document, front and back, including any stamps on the reverse.
2. Upload it, choose the language and "certified", and see the price before paying.
3. 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.

Frequently asked questions