Diploma & Transcript Translation

What are the diploma and the transcript, and what do they prove?

The diploma certifies that a level of education has been completed successfully; the transcript shows the courses taken, the credits and the marks. Italian universities read the candidate’s academic past and grade average (GPA) from these two. Master’s applications rest on the bachelor’s diploma and transcript; bachelor’s applications on the high-school diploma and transcript.

What is it needed for in an Italian application?

The sworn translation of the diploma and transcript is asked for in the pre-enrolment on Universitaly, in the university’s admission file, and in the recognition run through the consulate’s Dichiarazione di Valore (DoV) or CIMEA’s Statement of Comparability. It is presented in MAECI and DSU scholarships too, to prove academic achievement.

Where and how do you get the document?

Obtain the high-school documents from your school or, via e-Devlet, from the Ministry of National Education’s e-Okul records; the university documents from the relevant faculty’s student office, wet-signed/certified. The apostille is generally taken through the Governorate for MEB-sourced documents, and through the university’s parent authority for university documents.

The apostille and sworn-translation process

The general order: take the document wet-signed/certified, have it apostilled, then have the notarised sworn Italian translation made from the apostilled version. The translation is delivered in the form the consulates accept — with signature, stamp and the original/certified copy attached. Carrying the course names and the marking system correctly into the Italian system is critical at the recognition and admission stage.

What to watch in the sworn translation

The marking scale on the transcript (a 4-point or 100-point system, say) must be stated clearly in the translation; because Italian universities can convert to the 30-point system, the scale needs to be plain. The technical/academic equivalents of the course names must translate consistently; the graduation grade and the date on the diploma must be preserved exactly.

Frequently asked questions