Minnesota State University Moorhead: Translation Requirements for Documents in Another Language

Worth knowing about MSUM

MSUM requirements in detail

First-year applicants: an evaluation only if MSUM asks

MSUM looks at your records first and calculates a minimum 2.5 GPA from transcripts and, depending on the country, exit exams such as WAEC or KCSE.

Some documents may then need an external evaluation; if MSUM asks, you send official documents in both the original language and English to one of four agencies, and only transcripts sent directly by your school to the evaluator are accepted (first-year admission).

MSUM names the product for each: ECE "General with GPA", IEE "Education Document + GPA Report (US)", TEC "Course Analysis", WES "Document-by-Document Evaluation WES ICAP".

It recommends IEE for students from Nepal with secondary technical or vocational degrees.

Keep the original or certified documents yourself: MSUM may ask for them, and you will need them at the visa interview.

Applicants from Nigeria share their WAEC digital certificate, and those from Ghana, Liberia and Sierra Leone an unused scratch card; MSUM makes no decision until the score is verified (International freshman admission).

Transfers and the agencies' translation rules

With 12 or more university credits from abroad, an external evaluation is part of admission, not optional: a course-by-course report from ECE, IEE, SpanTran or WES, with official documents in both the original language and English, and only evaluations sent by the agency to MSUM count (transfer admission).

The same page lists TEC instead of SpanTran in its credit section. Applicants with fewer than 24 credits may also be asked for secondary documents.

Each agency sets its own translation rule.

WES wants a professional translator and does not accept the applicant's own translation; ECE accepts any complete, word-for-word translation or sells an $85 waiver; The Evaluation Company accepts an outside translator only if certified by the American Translators Association, and eVerbary can assign one on request through a free quote.

Documents applicants usually translate

• Secondary school transcripts and leaving certificate
• Exit exam results (WAEC, KCSE and similar)
• University transcripts, for a course-by-course report
• Bank statements for the financial documents

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 MSUM

• For an evaluation, send the translation to ECE, IEE, TEC or WES with the records your school sends them; the agency reports to MSUM (International freshman admission).

• Bank documents belong to the "verify funds" step: each must list the amount, account type and currency, and be in English or include a certified English translation (International freshman admission).

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