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We welcome your interest
in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
(GRS) at Boston University, and we encourage
you to use our online
application to expedite your
admission process. What follows are general
procedures that concern all GRS students.
Please see the Graduate
School of Arts and Sciences Bulletin
online or the Degree Programs and Application Requirements section of our website for specific requirements of each
department, division, or program, which
may exceed or supplement the GRS standards.
If you require
a paper copy of the Bulletin, you may request
that one be sent to you (within the United
States) by submitting this online
form. Direct any questions about
the procedures below to grs@bu.edu.
Qualifications
for Admission
Any well-qualified person
with a baccalaureate degree from a recognized
college or university or with equivalent
international education may apply for admission
to the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.
A student's undergraduate program should
include introductory studies in the humanities,
social sciences, and natural sciences. The
student may be required to make up any deficiencies
in his or her academic background by completion
of specified courses without credit. Boston
University does not permit a student to
enroll simultaneously in more than one graduate
program, unless those programs have been
previously approved by the Trustees of Boston
University as a combined degree program.
Application
Applications may be submitted
via the online
application or via mail by downloading
a printable PDF
version. If you need a paper
version of the application mailed to you,
contact Bulletin Requests at grartsci@bu.edu.
Note that only application requests can
be received at this requests; all other
inquiries should be directed to grs@bu.edu.
Please be sure to provide a name and mailing
address for any application request, and
please indicate an intended area of study.
As always, we encourage you to use our online
application for expedited processing.
For paper versions of the
application, both the School Copy and the
Department Copy of the Application for Admission
must be completed, signed, and submitted
to the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
Admissions Office, 705 Commonwealth Avenue,
Boston MA 02215.
A nonrefundable application
fee of $70 must be submitted with each
application. If using a paper version of
the Application for Admission, this fee
must be paid in U.S. currency or check,
international money order, or an international
check in U.S. funds drawn on a bank in
the United States. Credit card payment
or Traveler's Checks cannot be accepted
with the paper application; however, when
submitting the online application, payment
is required by credit card. This fee cannot
be waived or deferred. Applications
will not be considered without the application
fee.
All applicants must
also submit the following credentials:
- official transcripts
or records of each college or university
attended. A college senior should submit
an official report of the work completed
through the first semester of the senior
year as early as possible.
- letters of recommendation
in English from at least two faculty
members in the proposed field of graduate
study who are familiar with American
higher education.
- official
test results of the Graduate Record
Examination (GRE) (General Test
and Subject Test) and/or the Miller
Analogies Test (MAT), as required
by the department to which the student
is applying. Check departmental
requirements in the bulletin or
the Department/Program Information
Sheet portion of the application.
For GRE application materials
and information, contact the Educational
Testing Service, P.O. Box 6000, Princeton,
NJ 08541-6000; 609-771-7670; E-mail:
gre-info@ets.org
Information about the MAT
may be obtained at most universities or
by writing to the Psychological Corporation,
Miller Analogies Test, 19500 Bulverde Road,
San Antonio, TX 78259. Telephone: 800-622-3231
All credentials submitted
in support of an application become property
of Boston University. Neither originals
nor copies may be returned.
Application Deadlines
For most programs,
the deadlines for admission with full consideration
for all available forms of Graduate School
merit-based financial aid are January 15
for Fall admission and October 15 for Spring
admission. Adhering to these deadlines will
ensure that you are considered for all available
forms of merit-based financial aid, both
University-wide and departmental. However,
individual programs may have earlier deadlines.
Read more.
Application
Submission
The completed Application
for Admission and supporting credentials
should be directed to:
Admissions Office
Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
Boston University
705 Commonwealth Avenue, Suite 112
Boston, MA 02215
U.S.A.
Note: In addition to the
above, applicants who have twice been rejected
for admission to the same degree program
must submit a letter of approval for application
from the current director of graduate studies
for the department to which they seek admission.
International
Applicants
In addition to following the
procedures outlined above, applicants who
are not citizens of the United States or
who do not hold official United States Permanent
Residency status must submit the following:
- A completed, signed International
Student Data Form, including the financial
support and visa documentation requested
on the Form. This form is available as
part of the Application for Admission.
- Certified English translations
of all transcripts and academic records.
- Official results of the
Test of English as a Foreign Language
(TOEFL) are required of all applicants
whose native language is not English.
Unless otherwise indicated on Department/Program
Information Sheet, the minimum score requirement
is 213 for the computer-based
test and 550 for the paper-based test. The internet-based test requires minimums in each of the four sections**.
**If an applicant has taken the internet-based
test, scores on individual sections should
be, at a minimum, the following:
Reading - 21
Listening - 18
Speaking - 23
Writing - 22
* GRS policy requires that applicants
meet the minimum requirements of each
section on the internet-based test.
The TOEFL requirement is waived only if
you have received, or expect to receive,
an undergraduate or graduate degree from
a college or university in any of the
following countries prior to enrollment
in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences:
The United States of America, Canada,
The United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand,
or Ireland.
The TOEFL Bulletin of Information
and registration form can be obtained at
American embassies and consulates, offices
of the United States Information Service
(USIS), U.S. education commissions and
foundations abroad, binational centers,
and certain private organizations. Applicants
who cannot obtain a TOEFL Bulletin and
registration form locally should write
for them well in advance to TOEFL/TSE Services,
P.O. Box 6151, Princeton, NJ 08541-6151,
USA; 609-771-7975.
International students must
provide evidence of financial resources
adequate to cover travel to and from Boston
and for tuition
and living costs for at
least one full year at Boston University.
A limited number of appointments
to teaching fellowships and assistantships
are available for qualified international
students with superior fluency in English.
Immigration regulations prohibit most international
students from accepting any employment
except University appointments during
the first year of study in the United
States. Information and assistance regarding
governmental regulations and University
services may be obtained by writing to
the International Students and Scholars
Office, 19 Deerfield Street, Boston, MA
02215.
Because of the relatively
small amount of time available for processing
and reviewing applications for admission
to the spring semester, international students
are strongly advised to apply only for fall
semester admission.
For further advice
and assistance in seeking admission, international
students should consult the nearest U.S.
embassy, consulate, or information center.
Frequently
asked questions about GRS admissions by
international students >>
Frequently
asked questions about travel and visa issues
>>
Nondegree Applicants
A person with an accredited
bachelor's degree or its foreign equivalent
who is qualified for graduate work, but
who does not wish to enter a degree program,
may apply to a department or program in
the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
for admission as a special student with
nondegree status. The completed application
and a transcript of the most recent degree
awarded should be submitted along with the
application fee. Results of the Graduate
Record Examination or the Miller Analogies
Test are not required.
Application for a change from nondegree
to degree status must be made before the
admission deadline for the semester of intended
enrollment. No more than two courses for
a degree program of eight semester courses,
or four courses for a degree program of
16 semester courses, may be credited toward
the degree, and only if the grades received
are B or higher.
Financial assistance is not
available to nondegree students.
Reconsideration Requests
The Graduate School of Arts
and Sciences does not defer admissions.
You may, however, request admission reconsideration
for a future semester that is up to one
year beyond your initial semester of admission.
Your original application will be reviewed
along with all other applications for admission
for the requested semester of reconsideration,
taking into account present competition
and work undertaken by you in the interim.
The Admissions Committee will review, rate,
and reach an admissions decision as if it
were the first time you were applying. You
need not submit a new application, set of
credentials, or application fee. (Your original
application credentials are kept on file
for one year.) It is important to understand
that the department is not obligated to
re-offer admission. You may make a request
for admission reconsideration by submitting
this online form:
Reconsideration
Request Form
You may also make your request
in writing to the Graduate School of Arts
and Sciences Admissions Office at 705
Commonwealth Avenue, Suite 112, Boston,
MA 02215 or email grs@bu.edu.
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