Home / Universities / Vanderbilt
Vanderbilt University: Translation Requirements for Documents in Another Language
Vanderbilt requires every application piece in English: transcripts and recommendation letters not in English must be translated by the high school or a certified translator, and applicants may not translate their own. Vanderbilt accepts certified translations from professional services such as eVerbary. The Graduate School asks for an English translation from a professional translation service, and the Registrar recommends a course-by-course evaluation for incoming graduate students, which we do not provide.
No self-translation
Applicants may not translate their own materials.
Letters too
Recommendation letters need a translation, not only transcripts.
August 31
Official graduate transcripts due to Vanderbilt's document office.
Vanderbilt requirements at a glance
| What Vanderbilt asks for | |
|---|---|
| Translation (undergraduate) | All application pieces in English; transcripts and recommendation letters translated by the high school or a certified translator (first-year, transfer). |
| Self-translation | Not allowed. An EducationUSA advising office can help with translation (source). |
| Translation (graduate) | Original-language transcript plus an English translation from a professional translation service; international records with a complete English translation certified by an official translator (source). |
| After graduate admission | Official documents from the issuing institution in English and the native language; if the school gives no English version, a certified word-for-word translation (Registrar). |
| Credential evaluation | Optional for the graduate application (WES or ECE, with the transcript too); the Registrar highly recommends a certified course-by-course evaluation after admission (Graduate School, Registrar). |
| Upload | Undergraduate: Common App, Coalition or QuestBridge, then the MyAppVU portal. Graduate: PDF up to 1.5 MB per file in the online application (source, source). |
| Official transcripts | Graduate admission is contingent on Centralized Document Management receiving them from your institution by August 31 of your entry year (source). |
| Does it accept eVerbary? | Yes. Undergraduate admissions accepts a translation by a certified translator (first-year process), and the Graduate School asks for an English translation from a professional translation service (graduate requirements); a certified translation from 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 Vanderbilt's own page before you submit.
Recommendation letters, and no self-translation
Vanderbilt's undergraduate rule covers more than transcripts. Recommendation letters not written in English also need a translation, by the high school or a certified translator, and the first-year and transfer pages both say applicants may not provide their own translation (first-year, transfer). If a teacher writes in Spanish or Chinese, the letter and its translation go in together.
The same pages ask for the full official high school transcript with all classes and marks to date; leaving exams alone do not complete the application (source). The translation should keep every subject and mark exactly as on the original.
Graduate School and Registrar: two stages
To apply, you upload a scanned transcript from each school, in the original language and with an English translation from a professional translation service; the international transcripts section adds that it must be complete and certified by an official translator. A third-party evaluation such as WES or ECE is optional and does not replace the transcript (source).
After admission, the Registrar takes over. It highly recommends a certified course-by-course evaluation (it lists IEE, TEC, WES, ECE and Josef Silny); without one, Vanderbilt needs official documents from the issuing institution in sealed, stamped envelopes, in English and the native language, with a certified word-for-word translation if the school issues none (Registrar).
The Registrar's country table
The Registrar publishes the documents it expects by country. Institutions in Bologna countries such as Spain, Italy or France send an official English Diploma Supplement with the transcripts; India requires marks sheets and the degree certificate attested and dated by the institution; Bulgaria and Kazakhstan need an apostille through the ministry; for Argentina, Brazil, Colombia or Mexico it asks for transcripts and the final diploma in English and the native language (source). Where the school gives no English version, the translation fills that gap.
Documents applicants usually translate
- Secondary school transcripts with all classes and marks to date
- Recommendation letters written in another language
- University transcripts and final diploma or degree certificate
- Diploma Supplement, where the school does not issue it 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 Vanderbilt
Undergraduate applicants send transcripts and their translations through the application system they chose, or upload them later in the MyAppVU portal (source).
Graduate applicants upload the original-language transcript and the translation together in the online application, as PDF files no larger than 1.5 MB (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 Vanderbilt that means the course-by-course evaluation the Registrar recommends comes from one of its listed agencies.
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
Vanderbilt University's own pages, read on October 13, 2026. Enrollment figure: Open Doors 2025 fact sheet for Tennessee (IIE), leading institutions in Tennessee in 2024/25: number 1, with 2,439 international students.
- Undergraduate application process: first-year
- Undergraduate application process: transfer
- Graduate School: application requirements
- Registrar: documents required to verify international degrees
Frequently asked questions
Can I translate my own transcript for Vanderbilt?
No. Transcripts and recommendation letters must be translated by the high school or a certified translator (source).
Do recommendation letters need to be translated?
Yes, if they are not in English, under the same rule as transcripts (source).
Who can translate transcripts for a Vanderbilt graduate application?
The Graduate School asks for an English translation from a professional translation service (source). A certified translation from eVerbary qualifies.
Do I need a WES evaluation for graduate admission?
Not to apply; an evaluation is optional and you still upload the transcript. After admission the Registrar highly recommends a certified course-by-course evaluation (Graduate School, Registrar).
My university is in Europe. What does Vanderbilt need?
Transcripts plus the official English Diploma Supplement from the institution (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 Vanderbilt?
Upload a scan of your transcript or diploma and see the price and delivery time before you pay.