German College Application Translation
German college application translation for students in Germany, Austria and Switzerland applying to US colleges. We translate the school reports an admissions office asks for, the Abiturzeugnis or Matura certificate, and recommendation letters teachers wrote in German, each with a signed certification.
- Up to 250 words per page
- $25 per page
- Standard turnaround
- From 24 hours
- Certificate of accuracy
- Signed & stamped
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Written for German college application records
What a US admissions office wants from a German school
US colleges ask for four years of grades, and German students apply before they have the Abitur, so the file is built from school reports.
Halbjahres- and Jahreszeugnisse
German schools issue a report at mid-year and at the end of each school year. Admissions offices usually want the reports from Klasse 9 or 10 onward plus the latest Halbjahreszeugnis. Below the Oberstufe, grades run from 1 to 6, where 6 (ungenügend) is the bottom, and the Oberstufe switches to points. We translate each report with the grading key the school uses.
Remarks, absences and versetzt
Many reports carry Bemerkungen, written remarks on Arbeitsverhalten and Sozialverhalten, absences counted in days or lessons, and a line saying versetzt (promoted) or nicht versetzt (must repeat the year). A US reader cannot guess what versetzt means, and a repeated year left unexplained raises questions. We translate every remark, the absence count included.
Gymnasium, Realschule and Matura
The type of school decides what the reports mean. A Gymnasium leads to the Abitur after Klasse 12 or 13, depending on the state, while a Realschule ends with the Mittlere Reife after Klasse 10. Austrian students sit the Matura, called Reifeprüfung on the certificate, and Swiss students the Maturität. We translate the school's name and type as printed so your counselor letter can explain it.
Who is asking for your German college application translation?
The translation is the same. What changes is whether the recipient wants anything added to it.
Universities and admissions offices
Admissions offices accept a certified translation they can read next to the original. A PDF is usually enough; ask for a hard copy if they want one.
Credential evaluators
WES, ECE and similar services ask for a word-for-word certified translation of each page, sent alongside the official transcript.
ECFMG and medical boards
Applicants to US medical programs send transcripts and diplomas through ECFMG, which asks for an English translation of every document that is not in English.
Before you upload
Three things that save a day of back and forth on a German college application.
Send the whole packet in one order
Transcripts, the diploma, recommendation letters and the grading scale travel together. One order keeps the names, dates and course titles consistent across every page.
Separate the records from your essays
Admissions offices want official records translated word for word. Essays and statements are usually written in English by the applicant, so upload only what the school will read as evidence.
Count on more than one page per sheet
A transcript or a course description holds a lot of text. The quote counts words, not sheets, so a dense sheet may price as two or three pages.
Details and pricing
What is included in a German college application translation
One price per page covers the translation and its certification. A page is up to 250 words, and the quote tells you the page count before you pay.
Everything on the college application is translated, including stamps, seals and handwritten notes. Tell us the English spelling you use for each name when you order.
Certified Translation
Word-for-word translation with a certificate of accuracy for official use.
$25
USD / page
up to 250 words per page
Included
- Signed & stamped certification of translation accuracy
- Certified by a professional translator
- Digital delivery via PDF
- Review and approve final translation
- 100% Guaranteed Acceptance
- Standard turnaround starting at 24 hours
Optional services
- Expedited turnaround
- Priority handling when your deadline is shorter than the standard turnaround.
- By deadline
- Notarization
- A notary public signs and stamps the certification statement.
- $20 per order
- Physical copy
- A wet-ink original of your translation, mailed by express courier.
- $35 per order
- Apostille
- Authenticates the notary’s signature and seal for use in Hague Convention countries.
- $180 per document
What the certificate of accuracy states
Your translation arrives with a Certification of Translation Accuracy issued by ImmiTranslate. It is the page the receiving organization checks first.
- The translation is complete and accurate.
- The document title and the language pair.
- The translator is competent in both languages.
- A signature and the ImmiTranslate certification stamp.
- Our American Translators Association corporate membership.
Our translation process
Our goal is to make the translation process as simple as possible for you. Our service is streamlined specifically for documents of this nature.
German College Application FAQ
Most questions about pricing and turnaround can be answered faster by requesting a quote.
- My teacher wrote my recommendation in German. Can you translate it?
- Yes. Colleges want the letter to come from the school, not from you, so the usual route is for your counselor to upload the German original with our certified translation. We translate the letter in full and keep the teacher's name, subject and school exactly as signed.
- Do you translate the Abiturzeugnis after I am admitted?
- Yes. Most US colleges admit German students on their school reports and then ask for the final Abiturzeugnis, or the Austrian or Swiss Matura certificate, before enrollment. It usually runs to two or three pages. We can translate it as soon as the school issues it, with standard turnaround from 24 hours.
- Do you translate US application documents into German?
- Yes, though it is rarely needed. Applicants to German universities usually go through uni-assist or the university directly, and most accept US transcripts and diplomas in English. Where a Studienkolleg, a scholarship body or a school asks for German, we translate the US records into German.
- How much does a certified translation cost?
- Certified translation is $25 per page, with a page counted as up to 250 words. Notarization, a mailed physical copy and an apostille are optional and priced separately.
- How long does a certified translation take?
- Standard turnaround starts at 24 hours and depends on the length and language of your documents. If you have a deadline, include it in your quote request.
Other German documents we translate
College application translation in other languages
Each of these pages is written for that language's college application records.
Sending it with an application? Read the Certified translations before you order.