For all policies and procedures within the GPR, please see the GPR Student Handbook.
Registration Information:
Please take note of the semester’s registration deadlines, and see the Office of the University Registrar for more general information about registration.
*Please note some of these instructions may differ due to COVID-19 Restrictions*
Steps to Successfully Register:
1) Check your Compliance Status on the Studentlink to make sure that your tuition has been settled, your immunizations are up to date, and that you have no other administrative holds on your student account.
Common reasons for holds on student accounts include:
A) Failure to update emergency alert phone numbers on the Student Link. This must be done every semester.
B) Non-compliance with Massachusetts Motor Vehicle law. All students moving to Massachusetts from out of state, whether they own a car or not, must read and acknowledge the Mass Motor vehicle Law. In addition, all non-resident students bringing cars to Massachusetts from out of state must complete the Non-resident Driver Statement form and return it to the Registrar’s office.
2) Find Courses
Check the department website for graduate level courses in the Department of Religion. Use the Course Description Search to find courses outside the department or browse by topic.
Visit the Boston Theological Institute page to find out more about the participating schools and courses offered.
3) Fill out a registration form, fill out the form completely and obtain your advisor’s approval (emails suffice).
4) Registering for Fall Semester Only: All current students are required to submit a GPR Student Progress Report each Spring Semester before their registration for the proceeding Fall semester.
5) Obtain your Academic Advising Code: In order to register for your classes online, you will need your academic advising code. To obtain this code, please see the Department Administrator with a completed registration form that is approved byyour adviser. Upon review of the form and approval, the Administrator will provide you with your academic advising code label and a copy of your form so that you can register yourself online. The Administrator will keep a copy of your form(s) for our files.
6) Register using WebReg on the Studentlink.
Students Beyond Coursework
See the Continuing Student Registration form.
Summer Registration
Many Ph.D. students are eligible for Summer Registration. Though not required, students may choose to register over the summer if they are doing full-time research related to their degree and need access to BU’s facilities. Please read the GRS summer registration website carefully before completing this form. Summer Registration forms must be turned into Wendy no later than Thursday, March 30th so that she may obtain the endorsement of the Director of Graduate Studies prior to the April 1st deadline.
Keep in mind that you must register each semester in order to remain in good standing. Students who can not fulfill their obligations due to personal circumstances can take a Leave of Absence. Students are automatically granted 2 semesters leave during the course of their degree.
GRS Emergency Funding Information:
In situations where a graduate student in the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences (GRS) is receiving University fellowship funding (e.g. a research fellowship, teaching fellowship, Dean’s fellowship, etc.) and has need for access to their funds before the normal pay period or disbursement, the student may request an advance or no-cost emergency loan from GRS. Advances or emergency loans are available only after the first day of classes each semester. In order to be eligible, the student must be registered for the current semester and must not owe a previous semester balance on their student account.
Depending on the type of funding, these emergency funds are in the form of an advance from the student’s stipend check or a short term no-interest loan.
For graduate students who might be dealing with food insecurity, the GRS office is able to offer assistance. For students with non-service stipends, GRS can provide early partial payments of their monthly stipends, which can be directly deposited into their bank accounts as long as they have already set up direct deposit with BU. For those receiving weekly salaried service stipends, the GRS office can provide no-interest short terms loans. While we are 100% supportive of our students, our office does not have the funds to deal with the entirety of many types of problems. For this reason, the maximum amount available per student is $1,000.
To request emergency funds, please complete the following form, keeping in mind that you must:
- be a registered student for the current semester
- not owe a previous semester balance on your student account
- provide a brief statement (100-250 words) explaining your situation