January 15 – Priority Admissions Deadline

January 15 – Final Deadline for international applicants

May 15 – Final Deadline for domestic applicants

January 15 – Priority Admissions Deadline

January 15 – Final Deadline for international applicants

May 15 – Final Deadline for domestic applicants

January 1 – Final Deadline for all other application materials to be received, same deadline for both domestic and international applicants

May 15 – Final Deadline for domestic applicants

• In the online application, under the “Supporting Information” square, you will click on the “documents” section. Here you will be able to upload a digital copy of all of your transcripts using the “Any Additional Supporting Document” link.
• The online application system limits the size of your uploaded document. For this reason we recommend uploading each institution’s transcript separately as a PDF, if you attended more than one institution.
• Please see below this chart for Frequently Asked Questions about transcripts.
• Please note that all PhD applicants must have a previous theological master’s degree, such as the MDiv or its equivalent.

Strong letters of reference will be from former professors, supervisors, or mentors who can speak in detailed ways about the contributions you would make to the Boston University School of Theology community, and how STH might contribute to empowering you to reach your personal and professional goals.

Letters of reference should, wherever possible, be presented on formal letterhead with all relevant contact information for your referrer listed.

MDiv and MSM Applicants:

• One Pastoral Reference: Reference may be from a pastor, ecclesiastical superior, or denominational administrator. In the case of an applicant who is not connected with a faith community, a general character reference from a colleague, mentor, or professor may be substituted for the pastoral reference.
• Two Academic References: Two of your references should be from a previous college professor, academic advisor, or Dean/President. If you have been out of college for a number of years, you may substitute work supervisors, colleagues, or other appropriate persons for academic references.

MTS, STM, MARPL, and PhD Applicants:

Your three academic references may be from a previous college or seminary professor, academic advisor, or Dean/President. You may choose to have one professional reference in exchange for an academic reference if that person can speak to your abilities as a scholar, researcher, or teacher.

DMin Applicants:

• One Pastoral Reference – Reference may be from a pastoral colleague, ecclesiastical superior, or denominational administrator (In the case of an applicant who is not connected with a church, a general character reference from a colleague, mentor, professor, or church member may be substituted for the pastoral reference.)
• One Reference from a parishioner or someone who has experienced your ministry – The goal of this reference is to have a sense of your ministerial work from someone you have cared for, worked alongside, and/or served in some way.
• One Academic Reference – Reference may be from a previous college or seminary professor, academic advisor, or Dean/President. If you have been out of school for a number of years you may substitute work supervisors, colleagues, or other appropriate persons for this academic reference.

The Admissions Committee also reviews personal statements to evaluate the strength of an applicant’s voice as a writer and their compositional skills. For this reason, applicants should refrain from using large-language models or other artificial intelligence writing tools to generate their essays. (Spell and grammar checkers are encouraged, but the bulk of the personal statement must be composed in the applicant’s voice.)

Essays written in an applicant’s unique authorial voice will receive better reviews than even the most polished AI generated essays.

Lastly, the personal statement is a chance to show the Admissions Committee a bit of your unique character. Don’t be afraid to be yourself (though still with strong grammar and essay structure)!

Master’s program applicants answer the following question:

In 500 words that reflect your authorial voice, tells us about your vocational journey thus far and discuss why you believe pursuing this degree at Boston University School of Theology is the right next step for you.

(Note: Vocation here can mean more than just your job or career. It invites discussion of your sense of calling or purpose.)

All doctoral program applicants answer the following question:

In a statement of 1,500 words, please describe your goals in undertaking doctoral study in your given field, including an indication, even if only general at this point, of your proposed focus and research. Also, how have your experience and study to this point helped prepare you for this doctoral program and your proposed research focus?

Note for Transfer Students:

Applicants seeking to transfer from another institution must include in their personal statement the reasons they are seeking a transfer, and must upload a recently-issued letter of good standing from their previous institution to the online application. Please see the “Transfer Students” section below.

The Admissions Committee views the application essay as a chance for applicants to demonstrate their compositional skills, showcase their unique authorial voice, and speak to their willingness to learn and adapt in challenging academic environments.

Like the personal statement, application essays should be entirely an applicant’s unique composition. Therefore, applicants must refrain from generating their application essays using artificial intelligence writing tools. (Applicants should exercise and demonstrate sound judgment on discerning the line between grammar-check tools and text-generation tools.)

All MDiv, MTS, MSM, & MARPL program applicants are asked to write a 500 word essay in response to the following prompt:

Engaging in graduate-level theological education can be a challenging endeavor; expanding your intellectual and spiritual horizons may be equal parts exhilarating and disorienting.As such, the STH Admissions Committee would like to learn more about your experience engaging similar challenges in the past.

In 500 words that reflect your authorial voice, tell a story about a time you encountered a challenging idea in an academic or professional setting. How did you handle this experience and what did you learn from it?

STM applicants answer a related but distinct prompt:

To qualify for the Master of Sacred Theology degree, you must already have engaged in significant graduate-level theological education. As such, the Admissions Committee knows that you’ve been through a rigorous process of intellectual formation, academic challenge, and spiritual discernment. We would like to read your reflections on a formative moment from your previous graduate work. We would love to hear about what you learned through this process and how it helped shape your current academic interests.

In 500 words that reflect your authorial voice, tell a story about a time during your previous graduate-level theological education when you experienced a surprising or challenging moment of intellectual, spiritual, or personal formation. How did you navigate this experience and what did you learn from it?

To ensure students are prepared to succeed in an academic environment that assumes students possess graduate-school English proficiency, the School of Theology requires international students for whom English is not a native language to submit a TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) score taken within the past two years.

The required minimum scores are:

• • IBT (internet-based test): 89, with at least 22 in each of the four areas
  • CBT (computer-based test): 230
  • PBT (paper-based test): 570
  • The IELTS can be substituted for the TOEFL. The minimum necessary score is a 6.5.

• All standardized tests must be received directly from the testing organization (ex. Educational Testing Service)
• Applicants should request that the testing organization forward a copy of their scores to Boston University’s code: 3087.

NOTE: If you have completed a previous degree in English, you can have your institution’s Registrar Office send a letter to the Enrollment Office (sthadmis@bu.edu) confirming that the medium of instruction was English. This will allow you to have the English proficiency requirement waived.

The School of Theology does not require and will not accept the GRE for any of its master’s or doctoral programs. 

DMin applicants’ writing samples should not exceed 10 pages in length, and should be scholarly in nature, rather than a sermon-style piece. It should include a bibliography and reflect the applicant’s ability to do solid independent research in their field of interest. Feel free to excerpt from a larger work or thesis, including an abstract of the entire piece and an indication that the sample is an excerpt from the whole.

• The International Student Data Form – This form includes basic information about you and your family, your country of origin and visa history, your previous academic institutions, and your financial declaration.
• Copies of Previous Visa Documents – You will need to provide scanned copies of your passport and previous immigration documents for you and any family members accompanying you to the U.S. on your student visa.
• Financial Sponsorship Documents – As an international student you must show the U.S. government that you have adequate funding for your tuition, fees, and living expenses to attend Boston University. Boston University’s International Students and Scholars Office (ISSO) has a helpful Estimate of Expenses for BU’s Charles River Campus, showing the total amount one must have in sponsorship to obtain a US visa for study. Financial sponsorship can come from one’s own personal funds or from an external sponsor. Again, please see ISSO’s website to complete the required financial documentation.
  • International applicants should be aware that the U.S. Government restricts the number of hours students can work while studying in the United States. These restrictions mean that securing external financial sponsorship is often crucial for international students to live comfortably in the beautiful and historic, but expensive, city of Boston. Learn more about the U.S. Government’s restrictions on international student work opportunities here and about opportunities for on-campus work for international students at Boston University here.