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University of Pennsylvania: Translation Requirements for Documents in Another Language
Penn's undergraduate admissions office asks for certified translations of any application material not originally printed in English, does not say who must make them, and says international transcripts should not be evaluated by a third party or recalculated. The University of Pennsylvania accepts certified translations from professional services such as eVerbary. Graduate rules are set by each school: Penn Engineering encourages a translation service for the transcript you upload but requires admitted students with non-US degrees to send a NACES course-by-course evaluation, which we do not provide.
Certified translations
For any application material not originally printed in English.
No third-party evaluation
Undergraduate transcripts are read as issued, grades not recalculated.
Engineering: NACES if admitted
A course-by-course report for each non-US institution.
Penn requirements at a glance
| What Penn asks for | |
|---|---|
| Translation (undergraduate) | Certified translations of any application materials not originally printed in English (source). |
| Who may translate | Not stated in the undergraduate rule (source). Penn Engineering encourages a transcript evaluation or translation service (source); Wharton asks for an "authorized" English translation (source). |
| Evaluation (undergraduate) | None: international transcripts do not need to be evaluated by a third party, and grades, GPAs and test scores should not be recalculated (source). |
| Transfer | Records from summer school, study abroad or special college programs must be official transcripts with certified English translations, if applicable (source). |
| Who sends the transcript | A school counselor or other school official, for every high school (and, for transfers, every college) attended (first-year, transfer). |
| Deadlines (first-year) | November 1 for Early Decision, January 5 for Regular Decision (source). |
| Penn Engineering (graduate) | Unofficial transcripts in English with a grade key at application; if admitted, a NACES course-by-course evaluation for each non-US institution, sent electronically by the agency (source). |
| Wharton MBA | The official record plus an authorized, complete and literal English translation; do not convert grades to a GPA (source, FAQ). |
| Does it accept eVerbary? | Yes. Penn asks for "certified translations" of application materials not printed in English, without naming who makes them (international applicants FAQ), and Penn Engineering points graduate applicants to a translation service (Penn Engineering). A certified translation from a professional service such as eVerbary meets that rule. Policy checked on October 13, 2026. |
Checked on October 13, 2026. Sources are listed at the end of this page. Policies change: confirm on Penn's own page before you submit.
Undergraduate: translate, but do not evaluate
Penn's international applicants FAQ answers two questions back to back (source). Do records need translating? Yes: Penn wants certified translations of any application material not originally printed in English. Do transcripts need a third-party evaluation or recalculation? No: international transcripts do not need to be evaluated by a third party, and grades, GPAs and test scores should not be recalculated.
In practice that means the certified translation is the only extra document Penn needs for a foreign record, and it should keep the grades exactly as your school issued them. If your secondary school lasts three years, Penn asks for complete official records for every grade level it includes. The transcript itself is sent by a school counselor or another school official, together with the School Report on the Common App or Coalition Application (source).
Transfer applicants and study-abroad records
Transfer applicants send official transcripts from every high school and college they attended, again through a school official (source). Penn adds a rule many applicants miss: records from summer school, study-abroad programs or special college programs must be submitted as official transcripts with certified English translations, if they are not in English. A semester at a university abroad that issues its transcript in another language is one example.
Transfers also need a College Report confirming enrollment and academic standing, completed by an advisor, administrator or registrar through the Penn Portal or as a PDF, or, where the college does not complete such forms, a signed verification letter from an authorized official (source). If that letter is in another language, it is one more application material that needs a certified translation.
Graduate schools: Penn Engineering and Wharton
Penn has no single graduate admissions office; each school sets its own rule. Penn Engineering wants the unofficial transcript you upload to be in English, with a grade key, and encourages a transcript evaluation or translation service if it is not (source). If you are admitted and enroll, it requires, for each university attended outside the US, a NACES course-by-course evaluation showing course titles, grades, GPA and US degree equivalency, sent electronically by the agency; it names Educational Perspectives, ECE, IEE, The Evaluation Company and WES among those applicants use (source).
The Wharton MBA asks, when records and diplomas are not issued in English, for the official record and an authorized English translation, complete and literal, showing dates of enrollment, courses, credits, marks and class rank if available (source). Wharton also tells applicants not to convert grades from other scales into a 4.0 GPA (source), which matches how a certified translation reproduces grades as issued.
Documents applicants usually translate
- Secondary school transcripts for every grade level of your system
- Secondary leaving certificate or diploma and exam results
- Study-abroad, summer school or special program transcripts (transfer applicants)
- College Report or verification letter, if issued in another language (transfer applicants)
- University transcripts and diplomas (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 Penn
Undergraduate and transfer applicants: the school official who sends the transcript sends the certified translation with it; on the Common App a counselor can submit the transcript through the "high school official reference" option (source, first-year).
Graduate applicants upload transcripts and translations in each school's application. Penn Engineering takes unofficial English transcripts at application and official records only from admitted students (source); Wharton takes unofficial uploads or self-reported grades and asks for official transcripts 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. At Penn that means we translate the records; the NACES course-by-course evaluation Penn Engineering requires from admitted students comes from an evaluation agency.
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 Pennsylvania's own pages, read on October 13, 2026. Enrollment figure: Open Doors 2025 (IIE), institutions hosting the most international students in 2024/25: number 19, with 9,143 students.
- International applicants FAQ (admissions.upenn.edu)
- First-year application requirements
- Transfer application requirements and deadlines
- Penn Engineering graduate admissions: how to apply
- Penn Engineering graduate admissions: FAQ
- Wharton MBA application guide
- Wharton MBA admissions FAQs
Frequently asked questions
Who can translate my documents for Penn undergraduate admission?
Penn asks for certified translations of any application material not originally printed in English and does not say who must make them (source). A certified translation from a professional service such as eVerbary meets that rule.
Do I need a WES or ECE evaluation to apply to Penn as an undergraduate?
No. Penn says international transcripts do not need to be evaluated by a third party, and grades, GPAs and test scores should not be recalculated (source).
Do my study-abroad grades need a translation for a transfer application?
Yes, if they are not in English: summer, study-abroad and special program records must be official transcripts with certified English translations (source).
Does Penn Engineering need a credential evaluation?
Only if you are admitted and enroll: a NACES course-by-course evaluation for each institution outside the US, sent electronically by the agency (source). At application, an English transcript with a grade key is enough.
What translation does the Wharton MBA ask for?
The official record plus an authorized English translation that is complete and literal (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 Penn?
Upload a scan of your transcript or diploma and see the price and delivery time before you pay.