Home / Universities / UIUC
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign: Translation Requirements for Documents in Another Language
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign requires an English translation of every academic record not issued in English, sent with the original-language document, at both undergraduate and graduate level. Undergraduate Admissions lists licensed translation services among acceptable translators, and the Graduate College accepts certified public translators and ATA translators while preferring a translation from your own university. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign accepts certified translations from professional services such as eVerbary. UIUC evaluates foreign records itself and tells applicants not to send WES or ECE evaluations, so you need the translation and not a paid evaluation.
No WES or ECE
Both levels evaluate in-house and refuse third-party evaluations.
Self-report first
First-year applicants send no official records until they enroll.
Faculty-verified option
Graduate applicants may self-translate if UIUC staff verify it.
UIUC requirements at a glance
| What UIUC asks for | |
|---|---|
| Translation | Any record not issued in English needs an English translation, certified by a school official, an official translator or a US embassy or consulate official (admission policies). The original must accompany the translation. |
| Who may translate (undergraduate) | The issuing school, a licensed translation service, a US embassy, or UIUC professors and graduate assistants who teach the language. An independent translator must give name, title, signature, date, contact details and a statement of accuracy, and must not convert grades or credits to US equivalents (source). |
| Who may translate (graduate) | Preferably your university; also a certified public translator, a government agency or an ATA translator (source). eVerbary is an ATA corporate member. |
| Evaluation | None. Undergraduate Admissions says not to send transcripts evaluated by ECE, WES or similar firms (source); the Graduate College does not accept their credentials or evaluations (source). |
| Notarization | Not needed for undergraduate translations (source). The Graduate College does not accept notarized copies of credentials; attestation must come from your university or a government agency in its country (source). |
| Where records go | First-year: the Self-Reported Academic Record at application, official records only if you enroll (international requirements). Graduate: scans uploaded with the application, final attested credentials after admission (source). |
| Graduate deadlines | Final credentials during your first term: November 1 for fall and summer admits, April 1 for spring admits; registration for later terms is blocked until they arrive (source). |
| Does it accept eVerbary? | Yes. Undergraduate Admissions accepts translations by licensed translation services (admission policies), and the Graduate College accepts translations by a certified public translator or an ATA translator (admitted students), so a certified translation from a professional service such as eVerbary meets both. Policy checked on October 12, 2026. |
Checked on October 12, 2026. Sources are listed at the end of this page. Policies change: confirm on UIUC's own page before you submit.
First-year, transfer and graduate: three different moments
First-year applicants do not send official transcripts with the application. They self-report every course and exam result in the Self-Reported Academic Record, and the official records, with their translations, are needed only if they decide to enroll (source). Transfer applicants are different: they must send official transcripts with the application (source), and Chinese, British and Malaysian transfers have extra items, such as a Chinese graduation certificate or SPM scores.
Graduate applicants upload scans of their transcripts and degree certificates with English translations to the application; if admitted, they send final credentials in both the native language and English, on official paper with the original seal and the Registrar's signature, in a sealed envelope from the institution, with electronic delivery preferred (source). For China, the Graduate College always wants both the transcript and the degree certificate in the native language and in English, and accepts CSSD verification reports (China page).
Translating your own records for the Graduate College
UIUC's Graduate College has a route few universities offer. You may prepare the English translation yourself, as an exact word-for-word version in the same format as the original, and have a UIUC faculty or staff member who is fluent in the language verify it on the English Translation Verification Form. The form is meant for applicants who cannot otherwise obtain a translation, and family members, teaching assistants and notaries cannot act as verifiers.
Undergraduate Admissions has its own version: professors and graduate assistants at UIUC who teach the language may translate a record (source). If you cannot reach one in time, a translation from a licensed translation service is listed alongside it.
Do not buy an evaluation for UIUC
Many universities ask for a WES or ECE report. UIUC asks you not to: its admissions officers set US equivalencies themselves, and undergraduate policy says not to send third-party-evaluated transcripts (source). The Graduate College does not accept WES or ECE credentials or evaluations either; it may accept a true English translation of an attested credential made by such a company, but the native-language credential must still come from your university (source).
If you are applying to several schools and one of them requires WES, that report will not help with UIUC; what UIUC reads is the original record and its English translation.
Where UIUC's pages differ
The Graduate College's information for admitted students accepts translations issued by a certified public translator, while the instructions on its English Translation Verification Form say translations verified by certified public translators will not be accepted. The form governs the self-translation route, but the two sentences read differently on their face.
For transfer applicants, the international requirements page says transcripts sent from international institutions cannot be accepted, while the general admission policies treat international records as official when the issuing institution sends them directly and describe paper transcripts mailed by that institution. We have not resolved either difference; ask the relevant office before you send.
Documents applicants usually translate
- Secondary school transcripts or mark sheets, for enrollment after a self-reported first-year application
- University transcripts and mark sheets, for transfer and graduate applications
- Degree certificates and diplomas, in the native language and in English for the Graduate College
- Chinese graduation and degree certificates, when not covered by a CSSD report
- Bank statements and other proof of funding for the I-20, if not in English
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 UIUC
Undergraduate records reach Admissions through approved electronic vendors (Common App, Parchment, CSSD, Digitary, My eQuals, TrueCopy and others) or by mail from the issuing institution, with the original document accompanying the translation; transcripts emailed by students are not accepted (source, source).
Graduate applicants upload scanned credentials and translations with the application. Final credentials go to the Graduate College by email from the institution to its admissions address, through an e-transcript service, by mail or through the Graduate College mail slot (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 UIUC that means we translate your records; we cannot provide the faculty verification used in the Graduate College self-translation route, nor the attested native-language credential, which comes from your university.
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
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign's own pages, read on October 12, 2026. Enrollment figure: Open Doors 2025 (IIE), institutions hosting the most international students in 2024/25: number 6, with 16,144 students.
- General admission policies (Undergraduate Admissions)
- International requirements (Undergraduate Admissions)
- Information for admitted students (Graduate College)
- English Translation Verification Form (Graduate College)
- Country requirements: China (Graduate College)
Frequently asked questions
Can I use a professional translation service for my UIUC undergraduate transcripts?
Yes. Undergraduate Admissions lists translations by licensed translation services among acceptable translations, and the original must accompany the translation (source).
Does my translation need to be notarized for UIUC?
No, for undergraduate admission notarization is not necessary (source). The Graduate College separately refuses notarized copies of credentials; your university or a government agency must attest them (source).
Can I translate my own transcript for UIUC graduate admission?
Only through the English Translation Verification Form: a word-for-word translation in the same format, verified by a UIUC faculty or staff member fluent in the language, and meant for applicants who cannot obtain a translation otherwise.
Should I send a WES or ECE evaluation to UIUC?
No. Undergraduate Admissions asks you not to send third-party-evaluated transcripts (source), and the Graduate College does not accept WES or ECE evaluations (source).
When are final translated credentials due for UIUC graduate students?
During your first term: by November 1 for fall and summer admits, by April 1 for spring admits; the Graduate College recommends sending them a month earlier (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 UIUC?
Upload a scan of your transcript or diploma and see the price and delivery time before you pay.