Application Credentials

First-year applicants must submit all of the following credentials to Boston University. After you have read the instructions below, if you have questions, please email us at admissions@bu.edu.

To be submitted by your teachers and guidance counselors

HIGH SCHOOL TRANSCRIPT

Official copies of your secondary school transcripts for all grading periods completed at the time of application. If you are enrolled in an international curriculum with national exams, submit these results as well.

GUIDANCE COUNSELOR RECOMMENDATION AND SCHOOL REPORT FORM

You’ll find the Guidance Counselor Recommendation form and School Report Form on the Common Application website.

TEACHER EVALUATION

The Teacher Evaluation form is available on the Common Application website.

COLLEGE/UNIVERSITY TRANSCRIPT(S)

If you’re applying to BU as a first-year undergraduate student and have completed college or university coursework, you must submit official transcripts from these courses. If you’ve enrolled at a college or university as a candidate in a degree program, you must apply to Boston University as a transfer student. If you’re not sure of your status at the school you attended, please contact the registrar’s office at that institution.

SENIOR YEAR GRADES

Early Decision Applicants

All Early Decision applicants are expected to submit first marking period grades, which may be first quarter or first trimester grades, as soon as they are available. Please ask your guidance counselor to submit an updated transcript or progress report through one of the methods outlined below.

Early Decision 2 and Regular Decision Applicants

If you are on a semester schedule, please have your counselor send your first marking period or first quarter grades if available. Your counselor must also submit full first semester grades once they are available. They may use the Mid-Year Report Form through the Common Application.

If you are on a trimester schedule, please have your counselor submit your first trimester grades once they are available. They can use the Mid-Year Report Form through the Common Application.

If you have already graduated from high school/secondary school, please have your final grades and proof of graduation sent to BU.

The documents listed above should be submitted by your teacher or guidance counselor as follows:

• Through a vendor such as Common Application, Docufide, SCOIR, or Naviance
• Via email to schforms@bu.edu
• By postal mail to:

Boston University Admissions
881 Commonwealth Avenue, 6th Floor
Boston, MA 02215

Standardized Tests

Submission of an SAT or ACT test score is not required to complete your application. While the SAT or ACT is no longer an application requirement, standardized test scores may be submitted with your application if you feel they are reflective of your academic ability.

Boston University accepts self-reported standardized test scores on your application. You may submit your official test scores via College Board or ACT, or through the self-report form on the MyBU Applicant Portal.

Please note: If you submit self-reported standardized test scores, an official score report from the testing agency will be required before enrolling at Boston University. If there are discrepancies between self-reported and official standardized test scores, your enrollment at Boston University may be rescinded.

When sending official scores, the BU codes are:

• SAT: 3087
• ACT: 1794

Early Decision Applicants

Students applying for admission under the Early Decision Program must select the Program on the BU questions section of the Common Application. This outlines the binding nature of this option and must be signed by the applicant, a parent or guardian, and a guidance counselor.

Applicants to the College of Fine Arts

Students applying to the College of Fine Arts must submit a portfolio or audition for consideration.* Visit the College of Fine Arts website for more information.

*Students applying to Music Non-Performance Programs are not required to submit a portfolio or audition for consideration.

Transfer applicants must submit all of the following credentials to Boston University. After you have read the instructions below, if you have questions, please email us at admissions@bu.edu.

To be submitted by your school officials and instructors

COLLEGE/UNIVERSITY TRANSCRIPT(S)

Submit official transcripts of all college or university coursework completed at the time of application.

International transfer applicants:
All documents written in a world language must be accompanied by a notarized English translation. Please note that both documents are required—the original and the notarized English translation.

Transfer applicants from Chinese universities: In order to be considered for admission and/or transfer credit, we require the following documents to be sent directly from the China Higher Education Student Information and Career Center (CHESICC).

1. Verification Report of China Higher Education Student’s Academic Transcript – in English
2. Official Transcripts – English and Chinese from CHESICC

This report may be sent electronically via email from CHESICC directly, or mailed to Boston University Undergraduate Admissions from CHESICC. Please contact BU International Admissions at intadmis@bu.edu or 617-353-4492 with any questions after you have reviewed these steps.

College Report

The Transfer Report can be found here, or on the Common Application. Please ask a dean, registrar, or other college official with access to your disciplinary record at each institution you attended as a degree candidate to complete and submit this form to schforms@bu.edu.

Course Syllabi

To facilitate our review of courses for credit evaluation, we request that transfer applicants submit syllabi for all courses taken. To receive your credit evaluation in a timely manner, please submit syllabi as soon as you apply for admission to BU. Please upload PDFs to the MyBU Applicant Portal on the “Application Status” page, and include your name and date of birth at the top of each page. When choosing how to upload your documents, select “Admissions” documents, and then choose “Syllabi” from the document type drop-down menu.

High School Transcript

All transfer applicants must submit official copies of their secondary school transcripts.

Make sure your transcript documents that you graduated from high school. If you enrolled in a college degree program before graduating high school (such as Early Admission, Dual Enrollment, or Running Start), indicate your enrollment on the Common Application.

Proof of High School Graduation

You must submit proof of high school graduation, showing that you satisfied all state requirements. If you haven’t graduated from a regionally accredited high school, submit results of your Test of General Education Development (GED) or high school equivalency exam.

International transfer applicants:
If you were enrolled in a world curriculum with national exams, submit these results as well as your transcripts. Please refer to the Secondary School Credentials chart to find the US equivalent of a secondary school diploma for the country (or countries) where you studied.

All forms listed above may be submitted by college officials as follows:

• Through a vendor such as Common Application, Docufide, SCOIR, or Parchment
• Via email to schforms@bu.edu
• By postal mail to:

Boston University Admissions
881 Commonwealth Avenue, 6th Floor
Boston, MA 02215

English Proficiency Exams

If your first language or the primary language spoken in your home is not English, you must take the Test of English as a World Language (TOEFL), International English Language Testing System (IELTS), or the Duolingo English Test (DET). (See English Proficiency in the International Applicants section.) However, an applicant may request an English proficiency waiver. Waiver requests must be received by the application deadline and must accompany a complete application. The decision to waive the English proficiency requirement is at the discretion of the Board of Admissions. To submit a waiver request, please email intadmis@bu.edu.

Portfolios and Auditions

The College of Fine Arts requires a portfolio or an audition as part of its application. Visit the College of Fine Arts website for more information.

International applicants should follow the application credentials instructions listed above for either freshman or transfer applicants. In addition, international applicants must submit the items outlined below. After you have read the instructions below, if you have questions, please email us at intadmis@bu.edu.

Secondary School Records

Along with your application, you must submit official secondary school academic records of the last four years of study, plus a copy of any terminating or qualifying examination results or certificates. Check the Required Secondary School Credentials to see the specific requirements for your own country.

All documents written in a world language must be accompanied by a notarized English translation. Please note that both documents are required—the original and the notarized English translation.

Your teachers, guidance counselors, or headmasters can submit your secondary school records as follows:

• Through a vendor such as Common Application, Docufide, SCOIR, or Naviance
• Via email to schforms@bu.edu
• By postal mail to:

Boston University Admissions
881 Commonwealth Avenue, 6th Floor
Boston, MA 02215

Financial Documentation

To complete your application and receive the necessary papers for obtaining a visa, you must submit:

a) the completed Confidential Statement for Financing Studies & Sponsorship Support Confirmation form

b) documents confirming available funds for the annual costs of study (such as savings deposits, checking accounts, or a signed bank letter verifying the ability to pay educational expenses). All documented sources of support must be:

• photocopies or original documents
• current (within 12 months of starting date at Boston University)
• written in English and documented in US Dollars
• signed and stamped by a bank official

You may submit this form and supporting documentation as PDFs with your Common Application. Applicants should use the previous year’s form when estimating the cost of attendance for their academic year. On the My Colleges tab, select Boston University. You will find the link to upload your documents in the Other Information section of the Application Questions. Make sure your documents are less than 500 MB in size.

You may also upload these documents and view a comprehensive list of all required, received, and uploaded materials for your application in the MyBU Applicant Portal under the “Application Status” page. The MyBU Applicant Portal opens to applicants in early October each year.

Be sure to keep copies of all documents sent to the University. You will need this information for: 1) getting a student visa from the US Consulate, 2) US Customs and Border Protection upon entry to the United States, or 3) transferring from another US school.

Please note that the Board of Admission will not be able to proceed with an academic review of your application without the above documents.

English Proficiency Exams

If your first language or the primary language spoken in your home is not English, you must take the Test of English as a World Language (TOEFL), International English Language Testing System (IELTS), or the Duolingo English Test (DET).* However, an applicant may request an English proficiency waiver. Waiver requests must be received by the application deadline and must accompany a complete application. The decision to waive the English proficiency requirement is at the discretion of the Board of Admissions. To submit a waiver request, please email intadmis@bu.edu. 

Test results must be sent to the University directly from TOEFL or IELTS. The TOEFL code for Boston University is 3087.

*BU accepts scores from the TOEFL iBT Special Home Edition. We are unable to accept the IELTS Indicator and TOEFL ITP Plus at this time.

Passport Requirements

All international students must supply a photocopy of the photo/data page of their current, valid passport. This can be uploaded via the Common Application website, uploaded to the MyBU Applicant Portal under the “Application Status” page, or faxed to 617-353-5334.