Application Instructions — Transfer Applicants

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You should apply to Boston University as a candidate for transfer admission if you are or have been a degree candidate at another college or university. You are not considered a transfer student if you have only taken college classes with nondegree status.

All of the undergraduate Schools and Colleges at Boston University accept applications for transfer admission with the exception of the College of General Studies and the Science and Engineering Program at Metropolitan College. However, certain programs do not permit transfer applications, and you should check the Requirements and Standards chart to make certain you are eligible for the program in which you are interested. Applicants for September or January entrance must have completed coursework and be available to register and attend classes on the date the semester begins.
Applicants to the School of Theatre are urged to file their applications by January 1 to allow time to prepare and schedule an audition or interview.

If you have specific questions on transfer admissions, please contact the Office of Admissions at 617-353-2319 or at transfer@bu.edu.


  • Application Process


    • Boston University accepts the Common Application exclusively.

    To complete your application and the required Boston University Supplement, please visit the Common Application website. We recommend that you read the following instructions carefully before beginning your application.

    Fill out the Common Application and the Supplement completely. On the Supplement, you must apply to a specific School or College within Boston University and indicate a specific area of intended study within that School or College (please refer to the Schools, Colleges, and Programs list of the instructions for options). Transfer applicants may not apply to any undeclared major in any School or College at Boston University.

    Please note that admission requirements vary from School, College, or program based on the competition for seats in the class and the size of the program to which you apply.

    Students who previously applied for admission to Boston University and were offered admission to the College of General Studies or to the Science and Engineering Program, or who were denied admission to the University, may reapply but must complete one full academic year of coursework before being considered for admission to Boston University.

    You may pay your $75 nonrefundable application fee by credit card when you submit the Common Application online.

    Please note that all materials and documents submitted as part of an application for admission become the property of Boston University and cannot be returned to the applicant.


  • Boston University Web Account


    • In order for the Office of Admissions to remain in contact with you, it is very important that you provide us with a valid e-mail address on the application and notify us whenever you change this address. Once the Office of Admissions has processed your application, you will be e-mailed instructions on setting up a secure Web account. Once you have set up your account, this site will allow you to: In order to ensure that messages from the Office of Admissions reach your account, please add admdept@bu.edu to your contacts or approved senders list.


  • Application Review


    • The Board of Admissions carefully reviews every undergraduate application to decide whether to grant admission to Boston University. Students most competitive for admission will have excelled in the most challenging liberal arts college curriculum available to them. Ideally, students will have taken a range of courses, including mathematics, social science, natural science, and humanities.

    Please keep in mind that, for most programs at the University, the recommended high school/secondary school curriculum includes: Transfer students are expected to have exceeded these recommendations in each academic discipline with their college coursework.

    The scores of required tests (see Standardized Testing below), essays, instructor evaluations, and other personal qualifications as demonstrated by extracurricular activities are also carefully evaluated and weighed before decisions to offer admission are made.



  • Required Supporting Credentials


    • These supporting credentials may be mailed to:  Boston University Office of Admissions, 121 Bay State Road, Boston, MA 02215.


  • College/University Transcript(s)


    • All transfer applicants who have completed college or university coursework must submit official transcripts of this coursework. Any student who has enrolled with degree status at a college or university must apply to Boston University as a candidate for transfer admission. If you are not certain of your status at a college or university you have attended, please contact the registrar's office at that institution.

    For international students, the recognition status and level of a student's former institution, as judged by the most competent authority in the country in which it operates, and possibly judged by competent international and U.S. authorities, are important factors we examine in our effort to arrive at the correct placement for students. Diplomas, credentials, and degrees earned will be subjected to similar analysis.

    Students must submit original transcripts, or officially certified copies. We ask that all documents be submitted in the original language of issuance, and that translations be completed by a licensed translator.


  • Instructor Evaluation


    • All applicants must submit an Instructor Evaluation. Please print the form found on the Common Application website and give it to a faculty member who is directly familiar with your work. Please allow time for the writing of the evaluation, and please stress the importance of returning the form by the application deadline.


  • College Official's Report


    • Transfer applicants must also submit the College Official's Report from each college or university where they have been a degree candidate. Please print the form found on the Common Application website and give it to a dean or other college official at each institution who has access to your disciplinary record.


  • High School Transcript


    • All applicants must submit official copies of their secondary school transcripts. Students enrolled in a foreign curriculum with national exams should also submit these results.

    Transfer applicants should be certain that graduation from high school is documented on their transcripts. Transfer applicants who have enrolled with degree status prior to high school graduation (examples: Early Admission, Dual Enrollment, Running Start) should indicate their enrollment status in the "College Coursework" section of this application.

    Students who are offered admission are also required to submit proof of high school graduation, indicating satisfaction of all state graduation requirements. Students who are not graduating from a regionally accredited high school must submit results of the Test of General Education Development (GED).

    International applicants should refer to the Secondary School Credentials and Advanced Credit Policies chart to find the United States equivalent of a secondary school diploma for the country (or countries) in which they have studied.


  • Standardized Testing


    • Transfer applicants are required to submit results of the SAT or the ACT. (See the Requirements and Standards chart for further testing details.) Please have your official score report sent directly to Boston University. For the SAT, the College Board number for Boston University is 3087. The ACT code number for Boston University is 1794.

    Your application will not be considered complete until we have received official score reports directly from the College Board or ACT, even if your scores are recorded on your high school transcript.

    If English is not your first language, or if English is not the primary language spoken in your home, you must take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).

    The following are test scores required on the different types of TOEFL exams. Students should indicate on the TOEFL registration form that they wish the test results to be sent directly to Boston University. The TOEFL code for Boston University is 3087. To receive information about the TOEFL, applicants should contact: For testing in the U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico, and U.S. Territories, telephone: 1-800-468-6335. Other countries, telephone: 609-771-7100. Information may also be found online at www.toefl.org.

    In lieu of the TOEFL exam, students may submit the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). A score of 7 or higher on this exam will also satisfy our English Language proficiency requirement for all programs. Information on IELTS may be obtained from the system's website at www.ielts.org.


  • Essays


    • All applicants are required to submit one long essay in the space provided on the Common Application as well as a short essay on the Supplement. Some programs require supplemental essays. Please see the Supplement for further information.


  • Portfolios and Auditions


    • A portfolio or an audition is a required component of an application for admission to the College of Fine Arts. Students who wish to study theatre, music, or visual arts must satisfy both academic and artistic entrance standards of the University. For more information about auditions and portfolios, please visit the College of Fine Arts website.

    If you are not an applicant to the College of Fine Arts, please do not submit portfolios, videotapes, CDs, tapes, or other samples of personal work. These materials will not be considered by the admissions committee or be reviewed by the faculty.


  • Interviews


    • Interviews are not required for admission with the exception of all students applying for the nonperformance majors in the School of Theatre. These students must schedule an interview with that program as part of the application process.



  • January Admission


    • If you are applying for January admission, please check the Requirements and Standards chart to be certain that the program to which you are applying allows January admission.



  • Second Bachelor's Degrees


    • Second Bachelor's Degree candidates must apply as freshman applicants. Please use the Common Application for freshman admission.



  • Part-time and Evening Programs


    • If you are interested in part-time or evening study, you should request information by calling Boston University's Metropolitan College at 617-353-6000. International students are not eligible for part-time study. International students interested in full-time degree programs of Metropolitan College should contact the Office of Admissions at 617-353-4492 or intadmis@bu.edu.



  • Visiting Students


    • Students may apply to spend one semester or academic year at the University's College of Arts and Sciences or School of Management. The deadline for January admission is November 1; for September admission, the deadline is April 1. Interested students can download a Visiting Student application from our website.



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