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Virginia Commonwealth University: Translation Requirements for Documents in Another Language
Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) wants original or officially certified copies of every grade report, diploma, certificate and exam result in the native language, with an official English translation, for undergraduate and graduate applicants; it does not say who must translate, and it does not accept notarized copies of records. Virginia Commonwealth University accepts certified translations from professional services such as eVerbary. Transfer credit for study abroad also needs a course-by-course evaluation from a NACES or AICE member, and the Pharm.D. program wants WES to translate and evaluate, neither of which we provide.
No notarized copies
Copies count only if signed and sealed by the school.
Hours per week
Records must show weeks and weekly hours for each course.
NACES or AICE
Course-by-course evaluation before you arrive, for credit.
VCU requirements at a glance
| What VCU asks for | |
|---|---|
| Translation | Every grade report, diploma, certificate and national exam result in the native language, with an official English translation, for undergraduate and graduate international applicants (undergraduate, graduate). |
| Who may translate | Not stated. VCU asks for an "official" translation without naming a translator type. |
| Copies of records | Originals or officially certified copies. Notarized copies are not accepted; photocopies count only if signed and sealed by the school or a government official (source). |
| What the records must show | Dates of attendance, every course and grade with weeks and hours per week of lecture or lab, degrees with class or division, and exam names with grades and minimum and maximum marks (source). |
| Transfer credit | A course-by-course evaluation in English, with GPA and degree equivalencies, from a NACES or AICE member, before arriving on campus; up to 90 credits (source, admissions). |
| Graduate | Unofficial transcripts with the application; if admitted, official ones in a sealed envelope from the school or through an electronic service such as Parchment, each foreign-language transcript with an official English translation (source). |
| Residents and US applicants | Applicants to MCV Campus programs send official foreign transcripts in the original language with an English translation, sealed in the original envelope (source). |
| Does it accept eVerbary? | Yes. VCU's international admissions pages ask for "an official English translation" with each native-language record and do not limit who makes it (undergraduate, graduate); a certified translation from a professional service such as eVerbary is that kind of translation. The Pharm.D. program is the exception: it wants transcripts translated and evaluated by WES (School of Pharmacy). Policy checked on October 13, 2026. |
Checked on October 13, 2026. Sources are listed at the end of this page. Policies change: confirm on VCU's own page before you submit.
What a VCU record, and its translation, must show
VCU asks more of the documents than most universities. Each school record has to show the dates you attended, a complete list of courses and grades including the number of weeks and the hours per week of lecture or laboratory for each course, every degree or diploma with its class or division, and the names of examinations passed with the grade and the minimum and maximum possible marks (source).
Many transcripts print that information in a legend, a footnote or on the back of the page. The translation has to carry all of it, legends and reverse sides included, so the admissions office can read hours and grading limits without the original language. When your school does not print weekly hours, ask it for a letter or course record that does, and have that translated too.
Certified copies, not notarized ones
VCU wants originals or officially certified copies of records, and states that notarized copies will not be accepted; a photocopy counts only if the school or a government official has signed and sealed it (undergraduate, graduate). This rule is about the copy of the record, not the translation, and VCU does not ask for the translation to be notarized.
Graduate applicants can upload unofficial transcripts and are reviewed on them; if admitted, they send official transcripts in a sealed envelope from the school or through an electronic service such as Parchment, and anyone who uploaded an unofficial evaluation must send an official external evaluation no older than two years (source). Documents sent to VCU are not returned.
Transfer credit and the Pharm.D. exception
The VCU Transfer Center considers courses from institutions that their Ministry of Education (or another government agency) has authorized, at university level, with grades equivalent to a C- or higher. Unless the institution holds US regional accreditation, it needs an official course-by-course evaluation in English from a NACES or AICE member, with GPA and degree equivalencies, before you arrive on campus (source, admissions). Pass/Fail courses and English language or writing courses from institutions without US accreditation do not transfer.
To earn a VCU equivalent instead of elective credit, the Transfer Center needs catalog descriptions or syllabi in English; if your school does not issue them in English, VCU says you may use a certified translator (source). The Pharm.D. program sets a stricter rule for foreign college transcripts: WES translates and evaluates them course by course, ordered through PharmCAS.
Documents applicants usually translate
- Secondary school grade reports and the diploma or leaving certificate
- National examination results, with minimum and maximum marks
- University transcripts, degree certificates and diplomas
- Course descriptions or syllabi for transfer credit, with weekly lecture and lab hours
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 VCU
First-year international applicants apply through the Common Application, transfer applicants through VCU's online application; other materials, translations included, can be uploaded to the VCU applicant portal, and official transcripts are mailed to International Admissions, Grace Street Center, 912 West Grace Street, Richmond (source).
Course descriptions for transfer credit go to the Transfer Center (transferinfo@vcu.edu) in time, since delays can affect registration (source). Graduate applicants upload with the online application and send official documents only if admitted (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 VCU that means we translate the records, exam results and syllabi; the NACES or AICE course-by-course evaluation, and the WES evaluation for the Pharm.D., come from those 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
Virginia Commonwealth University's own pages, read on October 13, 2026. Enrollment figure: Open Doors 2025 fact sheet for Virginia (IIE), leading institutions in Virginia in 2024/25: number 5, with 1,314 international students.
- International undergraduate applicants
- International graduate applicants
- Graduate application checklist
- First-year requirements
- Transfer Center: international transfer credit
- School of Pharmacy: international Pharm.D. applicants
Frequently asked questions
Can I send notarized copies of my transcripts to VCU?
No. VCU does not accept notarized copies; it wants originals or copies signed and sealed by the school or a government official (source).
Who can translate my documents for VCU?
VCU asks for an official English translation and does not name a translator type (source). A certified translation from a professional service such as eVerbary qualifies.
Which evaluation agency does VCU accept for transfer credit?
Any member of NACES or AICE, with a course-by-course report in English that includes GPA and degree equivalencies (source).
Who can translate my course descriptions?
If your school does not issue English-language course descriptions, VCU says you may use a certified translator (source).
Is a translation enough for the VCU Pharm.D.?
No. The School of Pharmacy requires foreign transcripts to be translated and evaluated course-by-course by WES through PharmCAS (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 VCU?
Upload a scan of your transcript or diploma and see the price and delivery time before you pay.