Spring semester:

October 1 for all applicants, those seeking and not seeking financial aid. NOTE: Applications to the Ph.D. programs are not accepted by any department for the Spring semester. The Biomedical Engineering Department does not accept Master’s 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.

March 15 for applicants to all departments who are not seeking financial aid.

If students are relying on financial aid, it is best to apply for the Fall semester.

Students may use our online application – www.bu.edu/eng/admissions/grad/apply - and pay the $70.00 application fee with a credit card. Students who wish to submit a paper application may download the application and recommendation forms from the same website, and mail a check drawn on a U.S. bank for $70.00; the mailing address is listed below. International students mailing a paper application must also download and submit the International Student Data Form.

Boston University
College of Engineering
Graduate Programs Office
44 Cummington Street, Room 114
Boston, MA 02215

No. The Graduate Programs Office notifies students via email once their application is processed. Upon receipt of all missing credentials, students are notified again via email. It is very busy during the fall admission cycle, and we ask that students be patient as they wait to hear from the Graduate Programs Office regarding the status of their application.

All applicants must submit a complete application, application fee, statement of purpose, official transcripts in a sealed envelope, GRE test score report, and two letters of recommendation, submitted online or if submitted in paper format, these must be received in a sealed envelope, signed across the seal. A résumé is optional. In addition to these credentials, international applicants must submit a TOEFL or IELTS test score report. All credentials must be received in English. Transcripts from a foreign college/university must be translated into English by the school or a certified translator and both an official English translation and official transcript in the native language must be submitted. International students are asked to submit a copy of their passport page(s) with their name and expiration date.

GRE and TOEFL scores will be sent electronically to BU from ETS. Please be sure to indicate the College of Engineering as a recipient of score reports – our institutional code with ETS for both the GRE and TOEFL is 3105. The electronic scores will be considered official. Please note that the electronic match of scores to applications only occurs if students’ names are written in the exact manner on their online application as on the GRE and/or TOEFL report. If your name is written differently on your score report from your application, you must notify our office.

Students who took the GRE test within the past 5 years should request that an electronic score report be sent to Boston University. Students who took the TOEFL test within the past 2 years should request that an electronic score report be sent to Boston University.

Official GRE scores from ETS are valid for 5 years. For example, a student applying to the Fall 2013 semester must have taken the test after January 1, 2008.

The TOEFL and IELTS tests are valid for 2 years. For example, a student applying to the Fall 2013 semester must have taken the test after January 1, 2011.

Students’ names are entered incorrectly on the application. It is critical that students enter their name on the application in the same manner that their name is listed on their passport. Failure to do so will result in a delay in matching credentials to students’ applications. (Last name = family name and first name = given name). If students have submitted their application and reversed their name, they need to contact the Graduate Programs Office immediately and request that this be changed. They will need to submit proof of their correct name in order for this change to be made.

Once students select their program and major, they are unable to change it. Instead, students should log back into the online application system using the same login name and password and select ‘add application’. They can create/add a new application with the correct program or major. Students are only charged the application fee when they actually submit their application and credit card information. Students SHOULD NOT create a new BU account as this will complicate the formal admissions process. Please contact the Graduate Programs Office if there are any questions.

No. The application fee must be received in order for an application to be processed and reviewed.

No. We cannot evaluate students’ transcripts and/or test scores to determine if students are qualified for admission. We strongly suggest that students look at our website, www.bu.edu/eng/admissions/grad for details about the program(s) they’re interested in and our admission requirements.

Yes, we file all credentials. As applications are received, the files of credentials are checked and these are matched to applications. It is very important that students’ names on their application match how their names are written on their credentials. Please inform the Graduate Programs Office if there is a discrepancy with how your name is written on your application versus how it’s written on your credentials.

The GRE test is required of all applicants. (b) Only the GRE General test is required by the College of Engineering.

Yes. Applicants may submit a copy of the GRE and/or TOEFL or IELTS report along with their other application materials to the Graduate Programs Office. Internet print-outs of students’ scores are not accepted.

International students seeking admission should have a minimum of 6.5 overall band score. Students seeking admission and financial aid should have a minimum of 7.0 overall band score.

International applicants seeking admission should have a total score 84 or higher on their iBT TOEFL test. Students seeking admission and financial aid should have a total score of 100 or higher. The TOEFL requirements are: reading, 21; listening, 18; speaking, 23; writing, 22. Applications are not rejected because of low TOEFL scores. If students do not obtain these scores on their TOEFL test, the Graduate Admissions Committees may request that students spend their first semester studying intensive English as part of their condition of admission.

No. International students may wait until they know their admission decision before mailing financial documentation.

No. Students who are interested in applying to more than one department/division must submit an application for each department/division. Students must also submit original transcripts and letters of recommendation for each application.

This varies according to what semester students apply for and when the supplemental application materials are received. Applications are not reviewed by the Admission Committees until ALL necessary credentials are received.