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 nonimmigrant 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 or a score of 213 or higher on the computer-based exam is required for admission. If a student takes the new Internet-Based Test (iBT) a total score of 84 is the required minimum total.  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 or a TOEFL score of 600 on the written exam or a minimum score of 250 on the computer-based exam.  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.  Official test results should be forwarded directly to the College of Engineering.  For the TOEFL examination the institutional code number for the College of Engineering is 3105.  There is no institutional code for the IELTS examination.

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, 19 Deerfield Street, Boston, MA 02215 or email: isso@bu.edu  The ISSO website is located at http://www.bu.edu/isso/