Admissions FAQ’s

• Complete all sections of the online application.
• Upload all required credentials to your online application before submitting the application.
• Review your “Recommenders” tab on your online application to confirm that your recommenders have submitted their recommendations. You can send reminder emails to any recommender who has not submitted a recommendation using the “Recommenders” tab.

• All applications that are submitted are reviewed by the Graduate Programs Office to ensure that they are complete. If additional documentation is required or if there was a problem with one of the uploaded documents, applicants will be notified via the email address they provided.
• Once the application is complete, the Graduate Programs Office will forward the entire application to the respective admissions committee to review. Applicants will be notified when their application is complete and forwarded via email. Please do not assume your application is complete until you receive an email notifying you it is complete from the Graduate Programs Office.
• Admissions Committees will review each individual application. We ask that all applicants have patience while this review is occurring. Unfortunately there is no way to check the status of your application online.
• When the decision is made, the Graduate Programs Office will notify applicants of the decision via email.

We cannot evaluate students’ transcripts and/or test scores to determine if students are qualified for admission. We strongly suggest that students look at both our admissions site, as well as the departmental site for specific details about the program(s) they’re interested in.

Our programs are not restricted to students who have an undergraduate degree in Engineering fields, and if you feel that you have an exemplary background in your desired field, we encourage you to apply to our program. While most of our students enter with a specific engineering background, we also often see students coming from math and science fields that align to the particular area of interest. If your application is submitted and complete by the application deadline, you will receive a thorough review for admission to our program. Our faculty look at the application as a whole and your previous background will not automatically limit your options.

The cost of tuition and fees is listed on our registrar’s website. Full time students are charged the full tuition amount per semester; any student taking 12 or more credits will be charged as a full-time student. Future tuition and fees are released by the University in the Spring before that academic year. If your tuition and fees are not listed yet, we advise students to allow for a small increase (approximately 4%) for the full tuition fees cost in the future year.

There is a limited amount of merit¬-based tuition scholarship available each semester. Therefore we are unfortunately unable to offer scholarship to all of our qualified applicants as we would like to. If you do not initially receive a tuition scholarship award, keep in mind that opportunities for scholarship may surface at any time throughout the course of your studies. Networking is crucial for this reason among many others.

Federal loans are available for US citizens and permanent residents who demonstrate financial need via the FAFSA (www.fafsa.gov) and pursue at least half-time study. The BU code for submitting the FAFSA is 002130. Both domestic and international students may also qualify to receive credit-based private loans.

We also keep a list of fellowships offered from Federal Government agencies on our Fellowships and Financial Aid page.

Note: International students applying to LEAP are not eligible to receive Tuition Scholarship from the College. However they are eligible to receive aid once they are enrolled in their master’s program.

All transcripts should be uploaded directly to the application and you should not plan on mailing any documents to our offices. Students should request transcripts directly from your previous school. You can scan and upload these transcripts to the application in the designated place.

Test scores should be submitted electronically to institution code 3087.

Recommendations should be submitted electronically through the recommendation portal.

International students will be notified when and how to submit any additional documents that will assist in issuing a visa and should not mail any documents to the College of Engineering prior to being notified.

IELTS scores should be sent electronically using the IELTS system. All IELTS test centers worldwide are able to send scores electronically to our institution.

E-download Account Name: Boston University Graduate Programs

Please be sure to report your IELTS TRF number in the application (in Standardized Tests or in Additional Documents).

Our student body here at the College is a traditionally welcoming and social community. Our Student Association of Graduate Engineers (SAGE) hosts a variety of events throughout the year and largely facilitates this sense of community shared among our graduate engineering students. In the past, SAGE has hosted a wide array of activities including hiking, rafting, and ski trips, soccer and basketball tournaments, and trips to Foxwoods and Six Flags. They also host a pub night every other week as well as a SAGE JAM performance night each semester where all engineering graduate students, faculty, and staff are invited to perform a song, play an instrument, or dance. There is free pizza in addition to prizes for performers and audience members. For more information, please visit the SAGE website.

Graduate Women in Science and Engineering (GWISE) is another supportive, social organization for our students. In the past, they have held luncheons, happy hours, book club meetings, workout groups, guest speakers, workshops, and seminars. For more information, please visit the GWISE website.

We invite you to explore both on- and off-campus housing options during your graduate study at BU.

Students can apply online and pay the $95 application fee with a credit card.

To apply for admission to a graduate degree program through the College of Engineering, all students will need to submit the following official credentials: a completed application and pay the application fee, transcripts from each college or university they have attended, letters of recommendation, GRE general test results (if required) , statement of purpose, and resume.

International students will also need to provide a TOEFL or IELTS score that meets our minimum requirement. English Proficiency Requirements can be seen on the International Student page.

For more information about the Late Entry Accelerated Program (LEAP) and the application process, please visit our LEAP FAQ’s page. 

The file size limit for individual uploaded documents is 5 MB. All files should be in .doc, .docx, .rtf, .txt, or .pdf format. We strongly recommend previewing your documents prior to submitting your application. If you continue to have trouble with your uploads, please contact application support. They can be reached by email, eng.bu@liaisoncas.com, or by using the question mark icon at the top right of the application.

No. Students who are interested in applying to more than one department/division must submit an application for each department/division and pay the application fee.

Transcripts and test scores will be shared for all applications and you will not need to submit more than one copy of these documents.

Students will have to upload the personal statements, CV, any additional information you wish to share, and request recommendations for each individual application to which you apply.

With each document upload you will have an option to preview the document. Students should preview all of their documents to ensure the upload is legible and correct.

Once the application is submitted, there will be no way to delete or change these documents, or test scores. Please ensure you have reviewed all sections of the application prior to submission. If you have a document or test score that you wish to add to your application after submission, and you have not used up all 3 additional document slots, you may send to enggrad@bu.edu with your Name, BU ID or CAS ID and program of enrollment and we will add to your application.

The College of Engineering offers application fee waivers to the following applicants:

• Current BU Engineering Students
• Veterans
• BU Employees
• Peace Corp Volunteers
• FEM and Project 1,000 applicants
• McNair Scholars
• MARC Undergraduate Student Training in Academic Research (U-STAR) Awards
• GEMS (Please provide ID number with your request)
• Fulbright
• Other students with approval of BU College of Engineering

Applicants that would like to request a fee waiver may do so by completing the form on our website at: Fee Waiver Request. Any questions may be directed via email to: enggrad@bu.edu.

You can check the status of some materials of your application after you submit.

Recommendations can be monitored by logging into the application portal and returning to the recommendations page. You will see if the recommendation is completed or requested. You can send a reminder email to your recommender from this screen or edit any information if the recommender has not yet submitted the recommendation.

You will receive a system-generated email when the recommendation is completed and submitted. If, for any reason, the recommender is unable to submit the recommendation and declines the recommendation, you will receive a critical alert email and can return to the application to request a new recommendation.

Once the application is e-submitted, the Graduate Programs Office will review each application to confirm the documents submitted and complete the application. When we review your e-submitted application, you will receive either a notification that it is complete and has been forwarded for review or a notification that it is incomplete with information on how to submit the missing documents.

You can report your ETS test scores to institution code 3087 before you submit your application.

Almost all of the application materials should be uploaded to the application or reported electronically.

Please do not mail anything to the departments or the College of Engineering addresses directly.

This varies according to what semester students apply for and when the supporting credentials are received. Applications are not reviewed by the Admission Committees until ALL necessary credentials are received. Therefore, we highly encourage all students to upload the required credentials prior to submitting your application. This includes submitting GRE scores (and TOEFL/IELTS scores if required).

More information on the timeline of the application process can be seen on our Admissions Timeline above.

Students should request recommendations from faculty and/or employers who are familiar with the applicant’s desired course of study, academic prowess, and career goals. Applicants should not request personal recommendations.

If you are unable to provide recommendations from professors or have been out of school for an extended period of time, you should provide professional recommendations from a supervisor who can speak to the aforementioned attributes.

All applications that are received and completed prior to the Scholarship deadline will be thoroughly reviewed for admission and scholarship opportunity. There is no specific application to apply for financial aid.

Please remember that financial aid deadlines are typically prior to the deadline for consideration without financial aid. Please review our application deadlines on our How to Apply page.

We highly recommend that students submit all required documents prior to the application deadline. However, we understand that some of this may be out of your control— specifically the test scores and recommendations. Because of this, departments will sometimes allow a grace period after the deadline to allow for required documents to arrive and be matched to your application.

Unfortunately, if documents arrive after the application deadline, we cannot guarantee that faculty will review your application. This is dependent on when the faculty start the admissions review. If your application remains incomplete at the time the admissions reviews are complete, your application will be withdrawn from consideration.

We can match test scores and recommendations after your application is submitted and you should not delay submitting your application because you are waiting for these to arrive. The Graduate Programs office will continue to check applications that have been received and marked incomplete. When your application is reviewed in the future, we will update you on any new documentation that has been received, or notify you if your application has been completed.

Yes! It is not necessary to wait until your recommenders have responded to submit your application. We can match recommendations after your application is submitted, and you should not delay submitting your application because you are waiting for these to arrive. Designate your recommenders early in the application process. We strongly encourage you to enter your recommenders’ information first to expedite their receipt of the recommendation request. Because BU College of Engineering recommendation requests may be caught by spam filters, applicants are encouraged to contact their recommenders to ask them to allow their email systems to “permit” the BU College of Engineering recommendation email address: eng.bu@liaisoncas.com
Finally, we encourage applicants to submit their application as early as possible in the cycle, this can avoid any processing delays. For further questions about Reccomendations, please visit our Help website here: https://help.liaisonedu.com/BU_College_of_Engineering_Applicant_Help_Center

We keep application records on file for one academic year. If you have previously applied and would like to re-use materials, the application system should prompt you when you first log in. If you wish to re-use materials that do not attach to your application, please contact the graduate programs office at enggrad@bu.edu. You should include your full name, when you previously applied, and your BU ID number in this email, along with a list of documents you wish to re-use.

If you do wish to upload new materials, you can do so as part of your new application. Transcripts, personal statements, and CVs can be uploaded to the application portal, GRE and TOEFL scores should be reported to institution code 3087, and recommendations can be submitted through the online application system.

It is imperative that your application to Boston University and your test score report have your name written the same. A general guideline is to apply using your name exactly as it is written on your passport.

The electronic match of scores to applications only occurs if students’ names are written in the exact manner on their online application as on the GRE and/or TOEFL report. If your name is written differently on your score report from your application, you must notify our office.

To ensure your test scores are matched quickly to your application, you can report the registration number for your GRE and TOEFL on your application. This will ensure that the electronic delivery of your score from ETS is matched to your application. It is incredibly important that you log this number correctly into you application. If you take another test in the future, please return to your application and input your new test information and registration number onto the application as well.

GRE tests are valid for 5 years. For example, a student applying for Fall 2023 semester must have taken the test after January 1, 2018.

TOEFL and IELTS tests are valid for 2 years. For example, a student applying for Fall 2023 must have taken the test after January 1, 2021.

A general rule: if ETS is still able to report the test scores electronically, we will match them to your application. Our faculty; however, reserve the right to request more up to date scores as part of the review process.

Students applying to a master’s degree program who have earned, or will earn, a 4-yr degree from an accredited institution in the US are not required to submit GRE scores. All LEAP applicants must submit GRE scores.
Please do not submit any subject test scores.

The College of Engineering does not set a minimum GRE requirement. Each application is evaluated in its entirety and GRE scores, while an important part of the admissions review, is not the only determining factor for admission.

The GMAT cannot be substituted for the GRE.
GRE Requirements
Applicants to Master’s Degree Programs (except LEAP):

• GRE scores are required for ALL Masters Programs
• EXCEPTION: The GRE is NOT required from applicants who have earned, or will earn prior to the start of the master’s program, a 4-yr bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution located within the United States.

Applicants to LEAP:

• GRE scores are required from ALL applicants. There is no exception for this requirement.

Applicants to PhD Programs:

• Please refer to our Application Deadlines and Requirements for specific PhD program GRE requirements.

Overall: 90

We are unable to mix and match sections from multiple tests in order to meet the minimum requirement of English Proficiency.

Please note, the most recently taken test score is what will be considered the official score report when considering applications for admission. If you have one score report from January 2014 and a second score report from March 2014, the March score report will be considered official. These scores are based on when the exam was taken, not when it was reported to Boston University.

More information about English Proficiency requirements can be found on our International Students page.

I am applying for a Teaching Fellowship or Research Assistant, what is the minimum requirement for the TOEFL?
International students who are applying for financial aid must meet the minimum TOEFL requirements as listed above. Scores of over 100 in the TOEFL are recommended for Teaching or Research Fellowships.

Applications that are completed with a TOEFL/IELTS score below our minimum requirements will be eligible for review by our admissions committees. If your TOEFL/IELTS score is below our minimum requirements, we strongly recommend that you re-take the exam prior to an admissions decision. A TOEFL/IELTS score below the minimum requirements will not automatically deny you admission to the program; if the review committee deems you to be academically qualified for the program, you may be required to submit a new exam prior to an official offer of acceptance.

Students can take the TOEFL/IELTS as many times as necessary to meet our minimum requirements. If you have submitted a score that is below our minimum requirements that has completed your application, we strongly recommend that you take the exam again so that you can pass the minimum requirements and be directly admitted into the program. We will take the most recent score in its entirety; we are unable to mix and match scores from different exams to meet the minimum requirements.

More information about English Proficiency requirements can be found on our International Students page.

IELTS scores must meet our minimum of 7.0 overall band score. Students seeking financial aid should have a minimum of 7.5 overall band score.

No, we do not offer conditional admission to any of our graduate programs. Your application cannot be reviewed until we receive all of the required application materials.

International students who are offered admission will be required to submit documentation to obtain a visa through Boston University. The Graduate Programs Office will contact all admitted international students to inform them of what documents are needed and how they can be submitted.

These international student and financial documents are not required at the time of the application, nor are they used in the admissions committee review. For more information on the timeline for these documents, what documents are needed, and more information on applying as an international student, please visit our International Students page.

No, international students should wait until they are contacted by the Graduate Programs office before mailing financial documentation. If you are recommended for admission, when it is time to provide international student documentation, the Graduate Programs Office will release the Gateway for international students to upload international student documents.

If you would like to prepare your documents ahead of time, you can visit our international student page for the documents that will be required. Please do not submit anything prior to being contacted.

Students’ names are entered incorrectly on the application. It is critical that students enter their name on the application in the same manner that their name is listed on their passport. Failure to do so will result in a delay in matching credentials to students’ applications.

Last name refers to the applicant’s family name and the first name refers to their given name. If students have more than one last name, the name on the application and any supporting documents should match exactly what is on the student’s passport.

All documents received for your application should be written in English. This includes transcripts and recommendations. If your original transcript is not in English, and your college or university does not provide a translation of your transcript, you can have your unofficial transcript professionally translated. For the admissions review process, please only provide the unofficial translation of your transcript. You should not upload any unofficial transcript that is in a language other than English.

All students that are offered admission and choose to come to BU are required to submit a final, official (stamped and sealed) transcript directly from your previous institution to the Graduate Programs Office. This final, official document should be received from your previous institution, and should provide a final transcript, degree certificate, or other official document from your previous educational institution indicating all coursework completed and all previous degrees conferred.

We offer a variety of ways to provide financial documentation for your studies at Boston University. For more information on Financial Documentation please visit our International Student and Scholars Office page.

Schools outside the US and Canada will not be required to report the official GPA. Our faculty reviewers will use your unofficial transcript that has been uploaded to view your coursework and grades. You will not be asked to report a GPA for any education completed outside the United States or Canada.