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The Ohio State University: Translation Requirements for Documents in Another Language
Ohio State's undergraduate admissions office, in Columbus, requires foreign-language documents to be translated into English by the issuing institution, an authorized translator or a teacher of the language, for first-year and transfer applicants alike. The Ohio State University accepts certified translations from professional services such as eVerbary. Graduate and Professional Admissions is stricter: transcripts and diplomas go in the original language with a certified word-for-word English translation by the university or a certified translator, never by the applicant, and neither office asks for a credential evaluation.
A language teacher counts
For undergraduates, alongside the school or an authorized translator.
Word-for-word
Graduate translations must be certified and literal.
Never the applicant
Graduate admissions rejects translations you make yourself.
Ohio State requirements at a glance
| What Ohio State asks for | |
|---|---|
| Translation (undergraduate) | Foreign-language documents must be translated into English by the issuing institution, an authorized translator or a teacher of the language; the rule is the same for first-year and transfer applicants (first-year, transfer). |
| How records arrive (first-year) | Your counselor uploads transcripts and official copies of exam certificates for grades 9-12 through the Common App, Naviance or another secure service, or mails them (source). |
| Graduation certificate | If your final transcript does not show your graduation date, send a copy of your graduation certificate with an English translation, in person or by mail (source). |
| How records arrive (transfer) | Each university sends its official transcript with diplomas or diploma statements, by mail or as an encrypted file sent by university officials (source). |
| Translation (graduate) | Transcripts and diplomas in the original language with a certified word-for-word English translation, made by the university or a certified translator, never by the applicant (source). |
| Graduate timing | Scans of official documents are enough to apply; if admitted, each institution sends official final transcripts and proof of degree directly to Ohio State (source). |
| Evaluation | Neither office asks for an outside credential evaluation; transfer credit is evaluated by Ohio State and shown in Buckeye Degree Planner (source). |
| Does it accept eVerbary? | Yes. Undergraduate Admissions accepts translations by "an authorized translator" (first-year steps, transfer steps), and Graduate and Professional Admissions accepts translations "made by the university or a certified translator" (graduate 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 Ohio State's own page before you submit.
Undergraduates: the school, an authorized translator or a teacher
Ohio State's undergraduate rule is short and the same on the first-year and transfer instructions: any foreign-language document must be translated into English by the institution that issued it, by an authorized translator, or by a teacher of the language. That list applies to undergraduate admission only; graduate admission, below, accepts fewer translators.
Records still have to come from the source. First-year applicants ask their high school or secondary school to send transcripts, documents and official copies of exam certificates for the last four years; transfer applicants ask each university to send its official transcript with any diploma or diploma statement. After admission, first-year students send the final transcript or graduation certificate, and if the final transcript does not show a graduation date, a copy of the graduation certificate with an English translation (source).
Graduate and Professional Admissions: certified and word-for-word
For graduate and professional programs, the transcripts page asks for official, final transcripts and proof of degree from every college where you earned credit, in the original language with a certified word-for-word English translation. The university or a certified translator may make it; the applicant may never. If you are already on campus, a university-affiliated person may translate for you by completing the Translation Verification Form.
You may apply with scans of official transcripts, diplomas and degree certificates. If admitted, each institution must send official documents directly to Ohio State, electronically with encryption or by mail to the address on the page; documents sent to any other address do not count. Graduates of institutions outside the US have one more option once they are on campus: an appointment with an admissions counselor to present one-of-a-kind originals, or official copies stamped and sealed by the institution, together with English translations.
Documents applicants usually translate
- Secondary school transcripts for grades 9-12 and official copies of exam certificates
- The graduation certificate, when the final transcript has no graduation date
- University transcripts with diplomas or diploma statements, for transfer applicants
- Mark sheets, degree certificates and diplomas for graduate applications
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 Ohio State
Undergraduate applicants send the translation with the records it belongs to, through the counselor's upload or by mail to the address on the instructions (first-year, transfer).
Graduate applicants upload scans of the records and their word-for-word translations with the application or later through the Admissions Uploader; official records follow from each institution after admission (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 Ohio State that means we translate; the transcripts, diplomas and proof of degree themselves must come from your school, and we cannot send them on its behalf.
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
The Ohio State 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 30, with 7,409 students.
- Undergraduate Admissions: international first-year, step by step
- Undergraduate Admissions: international first-year, after you are admitted
- Undergraduate Admissions: international transfer, step by step
- Undergraduate Admissions: international transfer, after you are admitted
- Graduate and Professional Admissions: transcripts
Frequently asked questions
Who can translate my documents for Ohio State undergraduate admission?
The issuing institution, an authorized translator or a teacher of the language (source). A certified translation from a professional service such as eVerbary qualifies.
Can I translate my own documents for Ohio State graduate admission?
No. Graduate and Professional Admissions says translations may never be made by the applicant; use the university or a certified translator (source).
Does my graduate translation have to be word-for-word?
Yes. Ohio State asks for a certified word-for-word English translation of transcripts and diplomas (source).
My final transcript has no graduation date. What does Ohio State want?
A copy of your graduation certificate with an English translation, or your final examination certificate, in person or by mail (source).
Do I need a credential evaluation for Ohio State?
Neither the undergraduate nor the graduate pages ask for one; Ohio State evaluates transfer credit itself (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 Ohio State?
Upload a scan of your transcript or diploma and see the price and delivery time before you pay.