Information for International Students

Boston University
College of Engineering

Information for International Students

For purposes of admission, an international student is not a United States citizen or documented U.S. permanent resident. An international student 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.

In addition to the normal requirements for admission, international students must demonstrate an understanding of English, including the ability to read and write with facility. International students whose native language is not English must submit scores from either the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) or the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). 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 the required minimum total. The scores on the TOEFL iBT individual sections should be, at a minimum, Reading - 21, Listening - 18, Speaking - 23, and Writing - 22.

Students who seek financial assistance as research assistants or graduate teaching fellows must obtain a minimum score of 6.5 on the IELTS exam. The minimum TOEFL scores must be 600 on the written exam, 250 on the computer-based exam, or 100 on the iBT (Internet based). Information on these tests may be obtained at United States embassies, consulates, U.S. Information Service Offices and Information Agency offices, or by visiting the IELTS website at www.ielts.org or the TOEFL website at www.toefl.org. Please note that the institutional code for the College of Engineering is 3105 for the TOEFL report. Students who take the IELTS test should arrange for the College of Engineering to receive an official score report; there is no institutional code.

All credentials supporting an application must be submitted in English. Students must make their own arrangements for travel to and from Boston and for adequate financial resources while at Boston University.

Arrangements regarding visas, U.S. government or University requirements are made through the International Students and Scholars Office, 888 Commonwealth Ave, 2nd Floor, Boston, MA 02215 or email: isso@bu.edu The ISSO website is located at http://www.bu.edu/isso/

When admission is offered to international students, an acceptance response must be received by the engineering Graduate Programs Office within two months unless stated otherwise.