Tufts University: Translation Requirements for Documents in Another Language

Worth knowing about Tufts

Tufts requirements in detail

Who may translate for Tufts, and who may not

Tufts is one of the few admissions offices that names its acceptable translators.

Its international FAQ lists English teachers or other school officials, professional translators, and a local EducationUSA office, and it rules out two groups in capital letters: the student and any member of the student's family (International students FAQ).

The same answer says all credentials must arrive in English, so a recommendation letter written in Spanish or Mandarin by a teacher needs an English version too, not only the transcript.

Tufts adds that applicants do not need credential evaluation companies of any sort (International students FAQ).

Admissions reads your record within your country's own system, and says it is familiar with the GCSE and A-levels, the French Baccalaureate, the IB and the Abitur, among others (Applying as an international student).

That leaves the translation as the version of your marks the committee reads, so every subject, grade and grading note on the original should be in it.

Four years of results, sent by your school

Tufts asks for four years of internal academic results: three years of grades plus any marks from the current year, official results of national exams already taken, and predicted marks when available (International students FAQ).

A-levels or the IB do not replace the yearly transcripts unless your school has no periodic grades.

The school official who completes the Secondary School Report sends it with the transcript, electronically, by fax or by mail, and Tufts wants original copies sent directly from the school, not photocopies (International students FAQ).

If your teachers do not write in English, the translations of their letters and of the transcript travel through the same school channel.

Transfer applicants follow the same idea: college reports, college transcripts and secondary transcripts should be emailed by a college or school official (Applying as a transfer candidate).

Graduate applicants: English to apply, a certified translation to enroll

Graduate Programs in Arts, Sciences and Engineering let you apply with unofficial copies, but the transcripts you upload must be in English and show your name, the institution, the courses and the grades (Graduate Arts, Sciences and Engineering: application requirements).

After admission, the final official transcript must come directly from your institution, and if it is not in English you must submit a certified translation; the page notes that many students use WES, without requiring it (Graduate Arts, Sciences and Engineering: application requirements).

The FAQ asks for final official transcripts by August 1 (Graduate Arts, Sciences and Engineering: FAQs).

The School of Engineering's online programs ask for an official translation and say no degree evaluation is needed: the transcript only has to be translated into English by a certified translator, who can be the degree-granting institution itself (School of Engineering online programs: admissions).

Documents applicants usually translate

• Secondary school transcripts for the last four years, with current-year marks
• National exam results and predicted marks
• Letters of recommendation written in another language
• College transcripts and course lists, for transfer applicants
• University transcripts and degree certificates, for 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 Tufts

• Undergraduate records reach Tufts from your school: through the Common App, Scoir or QuestBridge, or emailed by a school official (first-year, transfer). Give your counselor the certified translation so it is sent with the transcript it belongs to.

• Graduate applicants upload English versions in the online application; enrolling students have the official transcript sent directly by the institution and send the certified translation to the Office of Graduate Admissions (Graduate Arts, Sciences and Engineering: application requirements).

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