FAQs

The School of Music, School of Visual Arts, and the School of Theatre accept applications for Fall only.

It depends on the applicant! Ensuring that your application is complete and that we have all of your required documents will provide an efficient application process. Once your application is complete, you should expect a decision between February 15 and April 1.

Decisions are sent via email only, so please be sure to check your spam folder.

Late application requests are handled on a case-by-case basis. Please contact us to request permission to apply late.

No, please do not send us transcripts. Rather, please upload your unofficial transcript(s) to your application.
* If you are accepted and choose to enroll, BU will  then require Official Final Transcripts from all institutions attended.

No. Recommendations should be submitted electronically through the application.

Seek out recommenders who are familiar with your artistry and who can speak to your abilities in your area of interest.

The GRE is OPTIONAL for both the MA and PhD in Musicology. No programs require the GRE.

A BFA or BM is not a prerequisite for admission, and we invite applications from students with a variety of academic backgrounds to apply for our graduate programs. However, most successful applicants have prior degrees in their field of application. Applicants admitted to graduate music programs with deficiencies in theory or history may be required to take review courses that will not confer graduate credit.

Accepted master’s level applicants may petition to transfer up to 8 credits and accepted doctoral applicants up to 16 credits.

BU College of Fine Arts offers merit scholarships based on the strength of each candidate’s artistic promise and program needs. Financial need is not a factor. As there is no separate application process for scholarship consideration, all graduate students (both domestic and international) admitted to an on-campus program are automatically considered for scholarships. More detailed information about merit-based scholarships can be found here

The tuition charge depends on your school of enrollment. Visit the tuition page to determine the individual costs for each program.

Any changes in enrollment can impact your financial aid due to changes in your overall cost of attendance. The cost of attendance is determined by the number of credits and/or length of courses. Email artaid@bu.edu for more information.

Please refer to our Student Health Insurance Plan page for information regarding insurance coverage requirements and waiving the student health insurance charge.

Please note: Full-time students are charged a Health & Wellness Fee each semester. This mandatory fee is unrelated to the student health insurance and cannot be waived. For more information, please refer to the Fees Explained section.

You can locate your BU ID on the MyBU Student Portal under Academics, Transcript Preview, and Ordering. Click the link for your BU school or college, then click Login under Current Students. Enter your Kerberos ID and password. Click View: With Name and ID in the upper right corner of the window, and your BU ID will appear on the page.

To learn more about payment plan options, please visit Student Accounting Services.

You can view your account balance and student account activity at the MyBU Student Portal (click on “My Bill & Aid”).

Yes. Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan and Graduate PLUS Loan request forms are required for summer term. When these seasonal forms are available, they will be found here.

Your scholarship may or may not be taxable. Generally speaking, a scholarship is tax free if you are a degree candidate and the award is used to pay for tuition and required fees, books, supplies and equipment. However, there are some scholarship opportunities that are not tax exempt. Any amount used to pay for room and board or a stipend for living expenses is taxable, for example. Go to IRS.gov and view Tax Benefits for Education: Information Center for more guidance.

Contact your lender or loan servicer and request an In-School Deferment Form. To find contact information for your federal loan servicer, log on to Federal Student Aid. To obtain loan deferment request forms for private loans (like Sallie Mae or College Ave), contact the agency or lender directly.

• Fill out the student section of the form then email it to the BU Registrar at registrar@bu.edu for completion.

Contact Information below:

Office of the University Registrar
881 Commonwealth Avenue
Second Floor
Boston, Massachusetts 02215

Email: registrar@bu.edu

Fax: 617-358-1689

While International students are not eligible for Federal work-study, they are considered equally for merit-based scholarship at the time of admission.

The College of Fine Arts accepts TOEFL iBT, TOEFL Essentials, IELTS and Duolingo from graduate applicants. Please review requirements here.

Once you have declared your intention to attend BU, you will be informed about what documents are needed to process your I-20. When your I-20 documents are received and deemed to be complete, we will forward them to the BU International Students Office. That office will need up to three weeks to generate your I-20. It will then be sent to you via secured email.

Your acceptance letter is the best reference for what specific steps you should follow to confirm your enrollment. If you have specific questions, please email arts@bu.edu. 

For questions about deferring your admission, please contact arts@bu.edu.