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Purdue University: Translation Requirements for Documents in Another Language
Purdue requires transcript documents that are not in English to come with certified English translations, and its undergraduate admissions office does not say who has to make them; Purdue even sells translations in nine languages through its own School of Languages and Cultures. Purdue accepts certified translations from professional services such as eVerbary. Graduate applicants upload a translation certified by their university or by the translation service that made it, although two graduate pages mention only the issuing university, and Purdue does not ask for a credential evaluation at either level.
Certified translation
Required for every transcript document not in English.
Purdue translates too
Paid service in nine languages, through its School of Languages and Cultures.
No evaluation report
The graduate office reads records itself; it pays WES when it needs help.
Purdue requirements at a glance
| What Purdue asks for | |
|---|---|
| Translation (undergraduate) | Transcript documents not in English must be accompanied by certified English translations (source). |
| Who may translate (undergraduate) | Not restricted. Purdue adds that it offers paid translation through its School of Languages and Cultures in Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese and Spanish (source). |
| Translation (graduate) | Upload an English translation certified by the college or university, or by the translation service which issued it (How to Apply). The country table and upload tips name only the issuing college or university (country table, upload tips). |
| Evaluation | Undergraduate: none mentioned. Graduate: credential evaluation reports are not accepted as official academic records (source); in rare cases the graduate office consults WES and pays for it (FAQ). |
| Copies or originals (graduate) | Uploads may be the official or unofficial version and count as unofficial; a printout from your school's student system is not acceptable (source). Official transcripts are due before you register for your second session. |
| Transfer | Official transcripts from every college attended. Applicants from Chinese universities need a China Credentials Verification report sent to admissions@purdue.edu (source). |
| Transfer credit | Purdue evaluates official college transcripts itself, at no fee; they must come from the college, not copied, scanned, faxed or sent from a personal email (source). |
| Does it accept eVerbary? | Yes. Purdue's undergraduate admissions office requires "certified English translations" without limiting who makes them (international requirements), and the graduate office's How to Apply page accepts a translation certified by the translation service that issued it (graduate How to Apply). A certified translation from a professional service such as eVerbary is that kind of translation. Policy checked on October 13, 2026. |
Checked on October 13, 2026. Sources are listed at the end of this page. Policies change: confirm on Purdue's own page before you submit.
Purdue sells translations too, in nine languages
Purdue's international admissions page does something unusual: right after asking for certified English translations, it offers paid translation through Purdue's School of Languages and Cultures in Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese and Spanish (source). When we checked on October 13, 2026, the page that link points to returned "not found", so prices and turnaround could not be read.
The offer does not narrow the rule. The requirement itself asks only that the translation be certified; it does not say it must come from Purdue, from your school or from a translator in your country. The Purdue service also stops at nine languages: records in Turkish, Vietnamese or Russian, for example, are outside its list.
Which records Purdue wants from your country
Undergraduate applicants send at least three consecutive years of courses and grades and, before enrolling, proof of graduation (source). Purdue's country table then lists the exact documents: for Brazil, the year 9 and years 10 to 11 transcripts, then years 10 to 12 and the certificado de ensino médio once you graduate; for China, the final senior high transcript and the senior secondary exam certificate (huikao); for France and francophone systems, the lycée transcripts, the Baccalauréat and the relevé de notes; for Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and other Russian-pattern systems, the Attestation of Education with its record. Each of those, if not in English, needs its own certified translation.
The graduate office keeps a separate country list. For most non-English systems, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Iran, Vietnam among them, it asks for original-language transcripts from every university attended, with English translations, plus the diploma and its translation; China adds the graduation certificate. For India, Japan, South Korea and Saudi Arabia it expects transcripts already issued in English.
Where Purdue's graduate pages differ
Purdue's graduate How to Apply page says a non-English document must be uploaded with an English translation "certified by the college/university or translation service which issued it" (source). Two other graduate pages are narrower: the Documents Required by Country page says translations should be certified by the issuing college or university, and the Transcript Upload Tips say the same. We have not resolved that difference. If your university does not translate records, ask Graduate Admissions (gradadm@purdue.edu) which wording applies to your program before you submit.
Two graduate points are not in dispute. The office does not take a credential evaluation report as an official academic record (source), so paying for one does not replace the transcript and translation. And Purdue's applicants authorize it to share records with World Education Services, which it consults "in rare instances" at its own cost (FAQ).
Documents applicants usually translate
- Secondary school transcripts for at least three consecutive years
- High school diploma or graduation certificate, and national exam certificates
- University transcripts from every institution attended (graduate and transfer applicants)
- Degree certificate or diploma, if the transcript does not show the degree
- Graduation certificate for Chinese universities (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 Purdue
First-year applicants apply through the Common App and follow the required items in Purdue's application portal; the certified translation goes with the transcript document it belongs to (source). Transfer applicants send official transcripts from every college; for credit, Purdue needs them from the college itself (source).
Graduate applicants upload the transcript and its translation in the graduate online application, and can add documents later through the applicant status portal (FAQ). Official records go to gradadm@purdue.edu electronically from the school, or by mail to the Office of Graduate Admissions; Purdue says a registrar may mail the English translation, or you may send it yourself (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 Purdue that means we translate the records; China Credentials Verification reports for Chinese universities come from that agency, not from us.
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
Purdue University's own pages, read on October 13, 2026. Enrollment figure: Open Doors 2025 (IIE), institutions hosting the most international students in 2024/25: number 8, with 12,874 students.
- International students: requirements and transcript translations (admissions.purdue.edu)
- Transfer students: requirements
- Transfer credit
- Graduate admissions: How to Apply (OGSPS)
- Graduate admissions: documents required by country
- Graduate admissions: transcript upload tips
- Graduate admissions FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Who can translate my documents for Purdue undergraduate admission?
Purdue asks for certified English translations and does not limit who makes them (source). A certified translation from a professional service such as eVerbary qualifies; Purdue's own School of Languages and Cultures also offers paid translation in nine languages.
Do I need a WES evaluation for a Purdue graduate application?
No. The graduate office does not accept credential evaluation reports as official academic records (source). In rare cases it consults WES itself and pays for that evaluation (source).
Can my translation come from a translation service for graduate admission?
Purdue's How to Apply page says yes, certified by the translation service which issued it, but its country table and upload tips mention only the issuing university (How to Apply, upload tips). Ask Graduate Admissions if your university does not translate records.
When does Purdue need official graduate transcripts?
When your program asks for them, and in any case before you can register for your second session (source).
I studied at a Chinese university. What does Purdue need for a transfer application?
A verification report of your university transcript from China Credentials Verification, sent directly to admissions@purdue.edu; it includes copies of the transcript (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 Purdue?
Upload a scan of your transcript or diploma and see the price and delivery time before you pay.