BU Global House Living-Learning Community
Want to join Global House: APPLY HERE!
Global House hosts frequent cultural events that are open to all BU students. Check out our calendar or follow us on social media to find out about upcoming events. Register for events on our linktree. Please remember to bring your BU student id.
Instagram: @globalhousebu Linktr.ee: globalhousebu
Past Cultural Events: Check out recorded presentations from past events.
Discover Global House: Global House – Your New Home
The Global House Living-Learning Community is a specialty housing experience for students who are passionate about languages and cultures. Global House residents live together at 610 Beacon St, 4th floor. In our multicultural, multilingual community, students explore what it means to be globally diverse and build on Boston University’s commitment to engage with our city and the world.
In the true spirit of a Living-Learning community, learning extends to all aspects of residents’ experiences in Global House. Members connect with each other through weekly meetings with their Language Cluster and frequent community events. Students also collaboratively develop their own cultural and linguistic programming to foster intercultural literacy and engage with the wider BU community. Students are expected to adhere to the Global House Language Pledge while in Global House spaces. Language learners and native speakers alike grow by building relationships across proficiency levels and cultures.
Our community includes the following Language Clusters: African Languages, Arabic (Modern Standard), Chinese (Mandarin), French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish.
Global House also offers a Hub co-curricular experience. Students who successfully complete the Global House co-curricular program will earn one Hub unit in either Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy OR in Individual in Community. Students may only earn one (1) Hub unit through Global House.
Eligibility: Applicants must be proficient in one of the following languages at the second-semester level (112) or above: African Languages (see list below), Arabic (Modern Standard), Chinese (Mandarin), French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, or Spanish.
The composition of our African Languages Cluster varies from year to year. During AY2026-27, the cluster included speakers of Akan Twi and Kiswahili. For AY27-28, speakers and learners of any language taught at the BU African Studies Center are welcome to apply.
Students must have sophomore standing or above during their residency in Global House. Freshmen may apply if they will be sophomores by the time they move into Global House.
Native speakers may apply to the language cluster of their native language. However, students with sufficient proficiency in more than one Global House language should apply to the language cluster for the language in which they would most like to build proficiency.
Advanced and native speakers are also eligible to serve as the Language Cluster Leader for their language. Click here to find out more about this paid position.
Have more questions about Global House? Visit our FAQ page.
Still have questions? Make an appointment with the Director! Email ghdirect@bu.edu
Read more about Global House’s origins in BU Today.
