The short answer: Most university applications need two things from you: official transcripts and, for any document that isn’t in English, a certified translation. Many US universities also ask for a credential evaluation. An apostille, or legalisation for countries outside the Hague Apostille Convention, is needed far more often later, when you use a qualification abroad for work, a visa or professional registration. Get each step only when a university or authority asks for it in writing.
The four document steps
| Step | What it proves | Usually needed when |
|---|---|---|
| Official transcripts | What you studied and the results | You’ve studied before and want credit or entry on that basis |
| Certified translation | That a translation is complete and accurate | A document isn’t in English |
| Apostille or legalisation | Where a public document came from: that its signature and seal are genuine | A university or authority abroad asks for authenticated documents |
| Credential evaluation | How your qualification compares with the local system | A university asks for an equivalence report |
Which steps you really need
Every university sets its own rules, but the pattern is consistent:
- Applying to a UK university: transcripts and certificates, with certified translations where needed. Apostilles are rarely required to apply.
- Applying to a US university: official transcripts, translations and, often, a credential evaluation from a service the university accepts.
- Applying to an Australian university: transcripts and certificates, with translations, often by a NAATI-certified translator.
- Using your degree abroad later, for a job, a visa or professional registration: this is when apostilles or legalisation, and sometimes a formal evaluation, are most often required.
Official transcripts
Start here, because transcripts often take longest. Contact the registry or records office of every college or university you attended, and ask how they send official transcripts. Many send them electronically, straight to the receiving university; some only issue sealed paper copies.
- Ask for your degree certificate too if you graduated. Universities usually want both: the certificate shows the award, and the transcript shows the subjects and results.
- If your name has changed since you studied, include proof, such as a marriage certificate or a legal change-of-name document, so the university can match your records.
- If the institution has closed or merged, ask the relevant education ministry, regulator or successor institution where its records are kept.
Certified translations
If any document isn’t in English, the university will usually want a certified translation: a complete, accurate translation with a signed statement from the translator or agency confirming it’s correct, plus their contact details and the date.
- Australia: official bodies commonly require translators certified by NAATI.
- United Kingdom: universities usually accept a certified translation from a professional translator or translation company, often a member of a professional body such as the ITI or the CIOL. A few ask for a notarised translation.
- United States: many universities accept a translation that carries the translator’s signed statement of accuracy. Requirements vary, so check each one’s admissions page before you order.
- Translate the whole document, including stamps, seals and notes on the back. Partial translations are a common reason for delays.
- Keep each translation together with a copy of the original, so the reader can compare them.
In some countries, translations for official use are made by sworn or court-appointed translators. A sworn translation from your home country is often accepted abroad, but confirm with the university before you rely on it.
Certified copies
Many universities accept scans when you apply, then ask to see originals or certified copies when you enrol. A certified copy is a photocopy that an authorised person has compared with the original and signed as a true copy. Who may certify depends on the country and the university: often a solicitor, a notary public or the institution that issued the document. Don’t post your only original certificate unless a university insists, and if it does, use a tracked service.
Apostilles and legalisation
An apostille is a certificate that confirms where a public document came from: that the signature on it, the signer’s capacity and any seal or stamp are genuine, so it can be accepted in another country. It usually works between countries that have joined the Hague Apostille Convention, which has more than 120 contracting parties. The apostille is issued in the country where the document came from:
- United Kingdom: the FCDO Legalisation Office
- United States: usually the Secretary of State’s office in the state where the document was issued or notarised, or the US Department of State for federal documents
- Australia: the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
An apostille confirms the signature, the seal and the signer’s capacity, not the content. It doesn’t show that a degree is accredited, or what it’s worth. For academic documents, the apostille authority often needs a notary or solicitor to certify the document first, so that there’s a signature it can verify. This is common for UK and US degree certificates. Some countries also issue electronic apostilles that can be checked online.
If the destination country isn’t part of the convention, documents go through legalisation instead: usually authentication by your home country’s authorities, then legalisation by the destination country’s embassy or consulate.
Save money: most universities don’t ask for apostilles at the admission stage. They’re more often needed later, when you use your qualification abroad for work, a visa or professional registration. Only get one when a university or authority asks for it in writing.
Credential evaluations
A credential evaluation explains how a qualification from one country compares with another country’s system.
- United States: universities often ask for an evaluation from a member of NACES, and some also accept members of AICE. A document-by-document evaluation states the US equivalent of your qualification. A course-by-course evaluation also lists each subject with US credits and grades, and is the type usually needed for transfer credit.
- United Kingdom: UK ENIC issues statements of comparability, though many universities make their own assessment.
- Australia: universities generally assess overseas qualifications themselves as part of admission.
Before you order an evaluation, check which services the university accepts and which type of report it wants. A report from a service it doesn’t accept may have to be done again. Our guide on foreign degree equivalency explains how evaluators reach their conclusions.
Do the steps in the right order
When a document needs both an apostille and a translation, the usual order is:
- Get the original document, or an official copy from the institution.
- Have it certified by a notary or solicitor, if the apostille authority needs that first.
- Get the apostille or legalisation on that document.
- Translate the document and the apostille together, so the translation covers everything the reader will see.
Getting steps the wrong way round, such as authenticating a translation when the original was needed, can get documents sent back. When in doubt, ask the receiving university or authority which order it expects.
A realistic timeline
- Week 1: request transcripts and references.
- Weeks 1 to 4: get any apostille or legalisation you’ve been asked for, then order translations of the final documents.
- Weeks 3 to 6: credential evaluation, only if required.
- Before the deadline: submit everything together, with copies saved.
Times vary a lot by country and office, so start as early as you can.
How we help
For the universities on your shortlist, we list exactly which documents each one needs, so you don’t pay for steps you won’t use. Then we arrange translations, apostilles or legalisation and evaluations for your own documents, and quote every third-party fee before you commit. See our fees.
Official sources
- Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH), Apostille Section and status table of the Apostille Convention
- GOV.UK, Get your document legalised (FCDO Legalisation Office)
- US Department of State, Office of Authentications
- Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Australia), legalising documents
- National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI)
- National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES)
- UK ENIC, the UK national information centre for international qualifications