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Northwestern University: Translation Requirements for Documents in Another Language
Northwestern does not accept academic records in other languages on their own: undergraduate applicants with foreign credentials must provide certified English translations of their original transcripts and may use any transcript translation service, including one in their home country, while The Graduate School asks for an official translation by a neutral third party and recommends a certified translation from ATA, ECE or WES. Northwestern University accepts certified translations from professional services such as eVerbary. Neither office requires a credential evaluation; The Graduate School suggests ECE or WES only to confirm the equivalency of a degree from a country it does not list, and that report is not something we provide.
Any translation service
Undergraduate admission keeps no approved list; home-country services count.
Neutral third party
The Graduate School rules out translating your own records.
No evaluation required
TGS suggests ECE or WES only for an unlisted degree.
Northwestern requirements at a glance
| What Northwestern asks for | |
|---|---|
| Translation (undergraduate) | Certified English translations of the original transcripts; documents in other languages are not accepted on their own (source). |
| Who may translate (undergraduate) | Any transcript translation service, including one in your home country. The FAQ points to the NACES list and to EducationUSA advising centers as places to find one (source). |
| Translation (graduate) | An official English translation, uploaded with the application, made by a neutral third party: your institution, a credential evaluation service or an independent translator. TGS recommends a certified translation from ATA, ECE or WES (source). |
| Evaluation | Undergraduate: none asked. Graduate: optional, recommended (ECE or WES) only when your degree's country is not on TGS's equivalency list (source). |
| Graduate documents | Personal copies of the official records in the original language, a certified copy of the diploma or degree certificate, one file per set of records, 10MB at most per upload (source). |
| Official records (graduate) | After you enroll, the issuing institution sends official transcripts before your first term (source); the TGS FAQ asks for translations mailed sealed or emailed directly by whoever translated them (source). |
| Transfer | International students who earned post-secondary credits after secondary school apply as transfers and send all official university transcripts (source). |
| Does it accept eVerbary? | Yes. Undergraduate Admission says applicants "may use any transcript translation service," including one at home (international FAQ), and The Graduate School accepts an independent translator and recommends a certified translation (TGS transcripts); 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 Northwestern's own page before you submit.
Undergraduate admission: any translation service
Northwestern's international FAQ answers the language question with a flat no: applicants with foreign academic credentials must provide certified English translations of their original transcripts (source). It then leaves the choice of translator open. Any transcript translation service may be used, including one in your home country, and the FAQ suggests the NACES member list and local EducationUSA advising centers as places to find an affordable one. NACES appears here as a list of companies that translate, not as an evaluation requirement: first-year and transfer applicants are not asked for a credential evaluation.
All applications are for a fall quarter start, through the Common Application or Coalition with Scoir. Results from international curricula other than AP and IB are reviewed for credit one by one, and you must arrange for the final results to be sent if you enroll (source). International students who have already earned college credits apply as transfers; Northwestern converts transfer credits with a formula and records them with a grade of T (source).
The Graduate School: copies, a certified diploma, a neutral translator
The Graduate School (TGS) reviews scanned copies at the application stage and asks applicants not to send official transcripts (source). Applicants with international credentials upload personal copies of the official records in the original language, a certified copy of the diploma or degree certificate for each degree conferred, and the English translation (source). A complete set shows the program name, dates of attendance, courses by year, grades and the conferral date; TGS asks for multi-page records combined into one file, under 10MB.
Whoever translates must be a neutral third party, which rules out translating your own records. The Kellogg School's PhD application repeats that rule and accepts unofficial transcripts until you enroll (Kellogg PhD). TGS does not ask for an evaluation; its international page lists, country by country, which degrees it treats as equal to a US bachelor's and recommends ECE or WES only if your country is missing from that list (source).
Where Northwestern's pages differ
TGS describes the graduate translation in three ways. Its transcripts page asks for an "official" translation by a neutral third party (transcripts page); its international applicants page asks for a "certified or notarized" translation (international page); and its FAQ asks for a "literal" translation by a verifiable, neutral third party such as ATA translators, mailed in sealed envelopes or emailed directly by the translator (FAQ). We have not resolved that difference. A certified literal translation from a professional service fits all three; notarization can be added at checkout for $34.90 per order if your program asks for it; and the FAQ's delivery instruction is worth confirming with your program before enrollment.
Documents applicants usually translate
- Secondary school transcripts for every year
- Final national or international exam results, for credit after admission
- University transcripts or academic records, with courses and grades by year
- Diplomas and degree certificates (TGS asks for a certified copy)
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 Northwestern
Undergraduate applicants apply through the Common Application or Coalition with Scoir, and Northwestern emails from ug-admission@northwestern.edu if any material is missing (source). The FAQ asks for certified translations of the original transcripts but does not describe how they are delivered; follow the instructions in that email.
Graduate applicants upload one scanned copy of each record with its English translation in the TGS application (source). After admission, the issuing institution sends the official transcript, and the TGS FAQ asks for translations to arrive in sealed envelopes or by email directly from the translator (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. For Northwestern, that includes the ECE or WES report TGS suggests for a degree from a country missing from its list; we translate the records that report, and TGS, read.
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
Northwestern University's own pages, read on October 13, 2026. Enrollment figure: Open Doors 2025 (IIE), doctoral universities hosting the most international students in 2024/25: number 34, with 7,019 students.
- Undergraduate Admission: international applicants FAQ
- Undergraduate Admission: transferring to Northwestern
- Undergraduate Admission: application requirements
- The Graduate School: international applicants
- The Graduate School: transcripts
- The Graduate School: admission FAQs
- Kellogg School of Management: PhD how to apply
Frequently asked questions
Can I use a translation company in my home country?
Yes. Northwestern's undergraduate FAQ says you may use any transcript translation service, including one in your home country (source). A certified translation from a professional service such as eVerbary qualifies as well.
Do I need a WES or ECE evaluation for Northwestern?
Not for undergraduate admission. The Graduate School recommends ECE or WES only to confirm degree equivalency when your country is not on its list (source).
Can I translate my own transcripts for a Northwestern graduate program?
No. TGS requires a neutral third party: your institution, a credential evaluation service or an independent translator (source).
Does the translation need to be notarized for The Graduate School?
TGS's international page says "certified or notarized," while its transcripts page asks for an official translation and recommends a certified one (international page, transcripts page). If your program wants notarization, it can be added at checkout.
Do I need to send my diploma too?
For graduate programs, yes: TGS asks applicants with international credentials for a certified copy of the diploma or degree certificate for every degree conferred, translated if not in English (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 Northwestern?
Upload a scan of your transcript or diploma and see the price and delivery time before you pay.