Santa Clara University: Translation Requirements for Documents in Another Language

Worth knowing about Santa Clara

Santa Clara requirements in detail

High school records: one sentence, many applicants

Santa Clara's international application requirements split applicants into groups: non-US citizens in high school, US permanent residents in high school, US or dual citizens in high school outside the US, international transfer students, and US or dual citizens at a university outside the US.

Every group gets the same line about language: if your official high school transcript is not in English, submit the original and an English translation.

Transfer applicants send the high school transcript too, for grades nine through twelve.

The transcript itself should come from your counselor or an administrator, preferably uploaded through the Common Application or another secure platform, along with the Secondary School Report and one teacher evaluation.

International applicants also send proof of English proficiency and the SCU Financial Resource Statement.

Because the translation goes with an official record your school uploads, ask your counselor whether they will attach it or whether you should send it to Undergraduate Admission.

University work abroad: WES only

Applicants who attended a foreign university need an official course-by-course evaluation of all international coursework by WES; Santa Clara will accept no other agency's evaluation, and no credit is considered for transfer without it (International application requirements).

That makes WES's translation rule the one that matters for your university records: an exact, word-for-word translation by a professional translator, such as a certified translation agency, uploaded in your WES account; translations made by applicants are not accepted (WES).

Order the translation first, then the WES evaluation. If you were still enrolled when you applied, WES charges an additional fee to evaluate your final transcript, so plan the translation of the final record as well.

Graduate engineering: SpanTran, WES or ECE

The School of Engineering requires every applicant with a degree from outside the US to have official transcripts evaluated by SpanTran, WES or ECE, with no exception (School of Engineering: international graduate students).

SpanTran, now The Evaluation Company, is the recommended service and has a custom, discounted application for Santa Clara Engineering.

The agency attaches your transcripts to the report, so you do not send them to Santa Clara yourself.

The three agencies treat translations differently.

The Evaluation Company accepts outside translations only from ATA-certified translators, or sells its own (TEC); eVerbary can assign an ATA-certified translator on request through a free quote.

WES requires a professional translation (WES). ECE accepts any complete, word-for-word translation, including your own, and sells an $85 waiver under which it translates for its report only (ECE).

Documents applicants usually translate

• High school transcripts, grades nine through the latest term
• Secondary school leaving certificates and national exam results
• University transcripts and degree certificates, for the WES evaluation
• Final university transcripts, if your studies were in progress when you applied

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 Santa Clara

• Undergraduate applicants: your counselor uploads the transcript through the Common Application or another secure platform (International application requirements); send the original and the English translation together.

• University records go to WES (undergraduate transfer) or to SpanTran, WES or ECE (graduate engineering) with the translation, and the agency sends Santa Clara the evaluation with your transcripts attached (transfer, engineering).

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