Graduate Admission Information
Qualifications for Admission
Any person with an appropriate baccalaureate degree in engineering from a recognized college or university, or with equivalent education, may apply for admission to an engineering graduate program.
Applications
The College of Engineering website features an online application as well as downloadable application forms and instructions. Electronic applications, with all additional credentials submitted and mailed in one packet, will be given priority. Online applications require payment by credit card. If applicants choose to submit a paper application, the application and other forms must be downloaded from our website. If applicants do not have access to the web, an application and instructions may be obtained from the College of Engineering, Graduate Programs Office, 44 Cummington Street, Boston, MA 02215; tel: 617-353-9760; email enggrad@bu.edu.
The following credentials are required:
- An online application or a completed paper Application for Admission form (three pages) indicating major field of study and degree program desired.
- $70 application fee, payable via credit card for online applications; or via a check drawn on a U.S. bank for paper applications.
- A certified copy and official English translation of an academic transcript (if original is not in English) from each college or university attended. Transcripts should be submitted in an envelope sealed and signed by the registrar.
- Two or more letters of recommendation are required. Up to three recommendations may be submitted online. Any additional recommendations must be submitted on paper.
- An official score from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test. A GRE score is valid for six years. The six-year expiration date is based on January for fall applicants and October for spring applicants. For example, if an applicant is applying for Fall 2012, a GRE test taken prior to January 2006 is expired.
- An official IELTS or TOEFL score is required of all applicants whose native language is not English. An IELTS or TOEFL score is valid for two years. The two-year expiration date is based on January for fall applicants and October for spring applicants. For example, if an applicant is applying for Fall 2012, an IELTS or a TOEFL test taken prior to January 2010 is expired.
- Statement of purpose (essay)
- Résumé (optional).
- International Student Data Form (only needed from international students who submit a paper application.
- Additional Requirements of International Applicants:
International applicants who have a passport are requested to send a copy of their passport page(s) with their name, date of birth, and expiration date along with their supplemental materials.
The Educational Testing Service offers the GRE General Test. The GRE should be taken no later than October for admission consideration for the following fall semester. For GRE application materials and information, contact the Educational Testing Service, P.O. Box 6000, Princeton, NJ 08541-6000; 1 800 GRE-CALL; email: gre-info@ets.org; or www.gre.org.
For the GRE examination, the institutional code number for the College of Engineering is 3105 (no department code is necessary).
Application Deadlines—if students are relying on financial aid, it is best to apply for the Fall semester.
Spring semester:
October 1 for all applicants, those seeking and not seeking financial aid. Please note that the Biomedical Engineering Department does not accept applications for the Spring semester.
Fall semester:
December 15 for international applicants seeking financial aid.
January 15 for U.S. citizens and permanent residents of the U.S. seeking financial aid.
NOTE: The Biomedical Engineering department requests that all applications, those seeking and not seeking financial aid, be received by January 15.
February 15—LEAP applications for U.S. citizens and permanent residents of the U.S. for consideration of LEAP scholarship.
International applicants to LEAP cannot be considered for LEAP scholarship and should submit financial documentation with their supplemental materials. A copy of applicants’ passport page(s) with their name and picture also needs to be submitted.
March 15 for applicants to all other departments and LEAP who are not seeking financial aid.
Matriculation
Students are admitted to a program for a specific entry date. Students requesting an extension of the specific matriculation date may be permitted to defer for a maximum of one year. Beyond one year, a new application and supporting credentials must be submitted. When an application is deferred to a new semester, the admission and/or financial aid decisions are not guaranteed/held for the new semester.
International Students
For purposes of admission, an international student is a student who is not a United States citizen or documented U.S. Permanent Resident and who will need a non-immigrant student visa to study at Boston University. All international students are required to be enrolled full time in order to maintain their student visas. Permanent Residents of the United States and refugees are treated as U.S. citizens in the admission process and should follow the application procedure outlined for U.S. citizens. All credentials supporting an application must be in English.
In addition to the normal requirements for admission, applicants whose native language is not English must demonstrate an understanding of English, including the ability to read and write with facility. All applicants whose native language is not English must submit either an International English Language Testing Systems (IELTS) or a Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) unless they have been studying in an English-speaking country for a minimum of two years. An IELTS score of 6.0 or higher is required for admission. A TOEFL score of 550 or higher on the written exam, 213 or higher on the computer-based exam, or 84 or higher on the new Internet-Based Test (iBT) is required for admission. The scores on the individual sections should be, at a minimum, Reading—21, Listening—18, Speaking—23, and Writing—22. Students who seek financial assistance as graduate teaching fellows must obtain a minimum score of 6.5 on the IELTS exam, a TOEFL score of 600 or higher on the written exam, a minimum TOEFL score of 250 on the computer-based exam, or a 100 on the iBT exam. Applicants may obtain additional information by visiting the IELTS website or the TOEFL website.
Official test results should be forwarded directly to the College of Engineering, by IELTS or ETS. For the TOEFL examination the institutional code number for the College of Engineering is 3105. No department code is necessary. IELTS does not use an institution code.
Students make their own arrangements for travel to and from Boston and for adequate financial resources while at Boston University.
Special Student Admission
Any qualified student interested in undertaking graduate-level coursework as a non-degree Special Student may register on a space-available basis, after matriculated students have registered, with approval from the Engineering Graduate Programs Office. Only three courses taken at Boston University as a Special Student may be applied to a graduate degree. Interested applicants must complete an Application for Admission as a Special Student and obtain approval.
A special non-degree student must be either a U.S. citizen or a permanent resident. International students who are already in the U.S. in a non-immigrant status must confirm their eligibility to matriculate as non-degree students by visiting the International Students & Scholars Office (ISSO) at 888 Commonwealth Ave., 2nd fl., Boston, MA 02215, phone: 617-353-3565 or email to: isso@bu.edu. Documentation must be submitted of their visa status to the ISSO to obtain a Non-Degree International Registration form (for information about the required documentation please contact the ISSO). Students must bring this form, approved and signed by the ISSO to the ENG Special Student registration.
Registration of Special Students takes place during the on-campus registration period, just before the fall and spring semesters begin. Specific information may be obtained a few weeks before the registration period by calling or writing to the College of Engineering Graduate Programs Office, 44 Cummington Street, Boston, MA 02215; 617-353-9760; email: enggradask@bu.edu.
