Documents for studying abroad: school certificate, transcript and a case of grade conversion
A school leaver was applying to a university in the Netherlands. Her certificate of secondary education and transcript of grades were translated and certified. The admissions office replied with a question: what does "5 (excellent)" mean and how do these grades relate to the Dutch 1–10 scale? Without an answer the application could not be considered.
What is translated
The certificate of secondary general education and the transcript with final grades in all subjects. The translator renders subject names and grades as they appear: number and word. The translator should not convert grades to a local scale — that is interpretation, not translation, and the university will not accept it.
Who converts the grades
Conversion to the local system is done either by the university itself or by an authorised credential evaluation body: national ENIC-NARIC centres in Europe, credential evaluation services in the US. Such a body issues a statement of the level and grades to which the Russian certificate corresponds. Some universities require such a statement, others convert grades themselves. In our case the university referred the applicant to a local evaluation centre.
Apostille
The apostille on a school certificate is affixed by the education authority of the region where it was issued. Many foreign universities require it; some accept scans at the application stage and ask for apostilled originals at enrolment. Check in advance: an apostille on a school certificate takes from a few days to several weeks.
What helped
We added a translator's note describing the Russian grading scale: "5 — excellent, the highest grade; 2 — unsatisfactory". This is not conversion but an explanation of the system, and it is acceptable. Together with the evaluation centre's statement, the application was accepted for review.
Tip: prepare the apostilled certificate and translation six months before applying, and check on the university website whether a credential evaluation is required — it takes several more weeks.