Mt. San Antonio College: Translation Requirements for Documents in Another Language

Worth knowing about Mt. SAC

Mt. SAC requirements in detail

High school proof: only if you are under 18

Mt. SAC does not ask most F-1 applicants for high school records at all.

Its application requirements say you must be 18 by the first day of classes of your first term, or have completed high school if you are younger; only then do you submit proof of completion, such as a transcript or diploma, in English or with a certified English translation.

Cambridge IGCSE or O Level results with a C or higher in at least five subjects count as high school equivalency.

Every applicant, whatever the age, sends proof of funding: a bank letter or statement with an official signature or seal, in English or officially translated, dated within six months of the term start. A bank statement page is translated at the same price per page as a transcript.

Foreign college credit: a sealed, detailed report

Foreign college transcripts are needed only if you want your courses to count toward a Mt. SAC degree.

Mt. SAC then wants a "Detailed or Comprehensive" evaluation from an agency certified by NACES or AICE, listing lower and upper division courses, the institution and dates, semester units and grade equivalents, and an overall GPA (Foreign coursework evaluation services).

Its short list includes IERF, ERES and CAREE in California, Academic Evaluation Services, The Evaluation Company and, for AICE, ACEI and Foreign Credential Evaluations.

The agency sets the translation rule: IERF wants a literal, word-for-word translation in the same format as the original, while The Evaluation Company and ACEI take an outside translation only from a translator certified by ATA.

Mt. SAC notes that credit it grants applies only at Mt. SAC and may not transfer elsewhere, and the catalog adds that English communication (Area A) must be completed at a US institution and math credit starts at Intermediate Algebra.

Where Mt. SAC's pages differ

For F-1 applicants under 18, the application requirements ask for proof of high school completion in English or with a certified English translation, while the foreign evaluation services page says the same students must submit an evaluation showing US high school diploma equivalency.

We have not resolved this for you; if you are under 18, ask Mt. SAC's international office whether a translated diploma is enough or an evaluation is also needed.

Adults finishing a US high school diploma in Mt. SAC's Adult Diploma Program follow a third rule: foreign grades 9–12 credits need an official detailed report from an evaluation service approved by that program, in a sealed envelope; the program describes these services as translating and then evaluating the transcripts (Adult Diploma Program: high school transcript evaluation).

Documents applicants usually translate

• High school diploma or transcript, if you will be under 18 when classes start
• Bank letters or statements for the proof of funding
• University transcripts and degree certificates, for a NACES or AICE evaluation if you want credit
• Cambridge IGCSE or O Level certificates, if you use them for high school equivalency

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 Mt. SAC

• Upload the translation with the copy of the original in the F-1 International Student tab of the Mt. SAC Student Portal (International application deadlines and requirements).

• For credit, the translation goes to the evaluation agency; the sealed evaluation and official transcripts then go to Admissions and Records, Building 9B, by hand or by mail (Foreign coursework evaluation services).

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