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Frequently Asked Questions: Testing Requirements

  1. Do I have to take the GRE?
  2. Do I have to take the TOEFL?
  3. What is the institution code number (CEEB) for the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences?
  4. Do I need to provide a department code when taking the GRE?
  5. I sent my test scores to a different school at Boston University. What should I do?
  6. I already took the test but did not send my scores to the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. What do I do?
  7. Do you accept the IELTS instead of the TOEFL?
  8. For how long are my test scores valid?
  9. I sent my test scores with a previous application. Do you still have them on file?
  10. What are your minimum test score requirements?

  1. All applicants must submit an official test result of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) as required by the department to which you are applying. Check departmental requirements for the GRE and the GRE Subject Test in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Bulletin or the Department/Program Information Sheet portion of the application. http://www.bu.edu/grs/academics/admissions/paperapp.html. The MAT is not an acceptable substitute.



  2. Official results of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) are required of all applicants whose native language is not English. This requirement is waived only if you have received, or expect to receive, an undergraduate or graduate degree from a college or university in any of the following countries prior to enrollment in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences: The United States of America, Canada, The United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, or Ireland.



  3. The institution code for the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences is 3087.



  4. You do not need to specify a department code when requesting test scores be sent to the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.



  5. If you sent the score report to another school within Boston University, you should contact the Admissions Office of that school and request that the score report be forwarded to the Admissions Office of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. If you do not know which school you sent it to, please contact ETS for the institution code.



  6. If you did not request that your test scores be sent to GRS when you took the test, you can do so at a later date. For the GRE, go to their website at www.gre.org. On their home page you will see a link for test takers that states, “order additional score report.” The TOEFL website is www.toefl.org. You will see a link for test takers that states, “order TOEFL score reports.”



  7. Yes.



  8. The GRE program will not send official score reports for tests taken more than five years previously. The TOEFL program will not send official score reports for tests taken more than two years previously.



  9. All applications are held on file for one year. If you submitted your test results with an application within the past year, we can retrieve them from your file.



  10. Many factors influence the admission decision and the Graduate School does not set minimum test score requirements for the GRE. Individual departments may have a minimum score so you should consult the home page of the department to which you are applying for more information: http://www.bu.edu/academics/depts/.

    The TOEFL minimum requirements are listed below:|

Official results of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), as administered by the Educational Testing Service (ETS), are required of all applicants whose native language is not English. Unless otherwise required by the department/program, the minimum score requirement is 213 (computer-based test), 550 (paper-based test), or 84 (internet-based test**). This requirement is waived only if an applicant has received, or expects to receive, an undergraduate or graduate degree from a college or university in any of the following countries prior to enrollment in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences: The United States of America, Canada, The United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, or New Zealand.

** If an applicant has taken the new internet-based test, the scores on the individual sections should be, at a minimum, the following:

Reading - 21*
Listening - 18*
Speaking - 23*
Writing - 22*
Total Score - 84

* The GRS Policy requires that applicants meet the minimum requirements of each section on the internet - based test.

For students taking the IELTS, a score of 6.5 or higher is required for admission.

 

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