Graduate Certificate Application Requirements

Applicants who have not submitted their application and attend a graduate admissions event will be eligible for an application fee waiver. You can register for an upcoming event here.

• Domestic Transcripts: Unofficial copies of your undergraduate and graduate transcripts, if applicable, are a required part of your admissions portfolio. If you are admitted and decide to enroll, we will ask for an official copy of your undergraduate transcript at that time. 

• International Transcripts: Unofficial copies of your undergraduate and graduate transcripts, if applicable, are required as part of your admissions portfolio. For the purpose of application review, transcripts may be submitted in English in either unofficial or official format. If your transcripts are already issued in English, no additional evaluation is required at this stage.
  • If available, we encourage applicants to include a grading scale or any information that helps contextualize your academic performance, such as how your grades compare to a U.S. 4.0 GPA scale.
  • If your transcripts are not in English, you may still upload them as part of your application and email shagrad@bu.edu to notify our office. Our team will follow up with next steps and work with you directly to determine what additional documentation, if any, may be needed.
  • At this time, third-party transcript evaluations (e.g., NACES) are not required for initial application review. If you are admitted and choose to enroll, we will provide guidance on submitting official final documents at that time.

We accept academic and professional Letters of Recommendation. If you are currently enrolled in a bachelor’s degree program, or have completed a bachelor’s degree program within the past two years, ONE LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION MUST BE FROM AN ACADEMIC SOURCE (professor or academic advisor). Letters must be submitted directly to our Admissions Office through our online application system.

We require the most up-to-date resume or CV for all applicants.

The personal statement is considered not only an opportunity for the admissions committee to get to know you, but it will also be reviewed for writing quality. Please be detailed in your responses. In 500 words or less, please discuss the following:

• Why are you interested in pursuing the Graduate Certificate in [Program of Interests]?
• What are your career goals?
• What excites you most about the hospitality industry?

Communication and presentation skills are an instrumental part of hospitality. In this video, we encourage students to be creative in their responses and presentation style. You are also asked to refrain from reading a script or your personal statement. Please post your video on Vimeo, YouTube or Google Drive, and ensure the URL provided is viewable. We prefer if you do not use a password to protect your video. If you must use a password, please use SHAGrad2026. Applications will not be reviewed without a video essay.

In one to three minutes, please address the following:

• How do you hope to innovate the hospitality industry?
• What excites you most about the Graduate Certificate program?

If your first language is not English, you must take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), International English Language Testing System (IELTS), or the Duolingo English Test (DET). International students who have completed or will complete their undergraduate degree in the United States or at a university where the main language of instruction is English do not need to submit language proficiency scores.

• Minimum TOEFL Score – 4.5 (New Score Scale – 90 on Old Score Scale) Please self-report your IELTS scores in the “Standardized Tests” section of the application. The ETS TOEFL institution code for all Boston University Graduate Programs is 3087.
  • On January 21, 2026, TOEFL has introduced an updated score scale (from 1 – 6 in increments of 0.5)
  • Comparing TOEFL Scores Across the 1 – 6 and 0 – 120 Scales
    To help you interpret scores from TOEFL exams taken before January 21, 2026 – and since TOEFL scores stay active for two years, you may still have the old score range through late 2027 – the chart here compares the two sets of scores.
• Minimum IELTS Score – 7.0 Please self-report your IELTS scores in the “Standardized Tests” section of the application. Please include your IELTS Test Report Form (TRF) number (15–18 digits) located in the bottom right-hand corner of your score report. You can submit your official scores through the IELTS website by selecting “Boston University Graduate Programs.”
• Minimum Duolingo Score – 125 BU accepts results for the Duolingo English Test (DET) as evidence of English proficiency, which combines an English proficiency test with a brief video interview. Please submit your scores through the Duolingo Dashboard by selecting “Boston University School of Hospitality Administration” as your institution of choice. We require a minimum overall score of 125.