With over 700 transfer students joining BU each year, BU welcomes transfer students who will thrive in our community—a mix of students with a wide variety of interests, talents, and goals.
We know that as a transfer student you are looking for a university that will open doors, and BU has many pathways to help you achieve your goals. We believe that transfer students provide a unique perspective on the college experience and the kind of drive that is the hallmark of a BU student.
A Guide for Transfer Students
Transfer Applicant Checklist
In addition to the credentials, below, international applicants must also submit the credentials listed on the International Applicants page.
Transfer students must select a BU school or college when applying, and may not apply undeclared. Please refer to our list of majors. Some programs may not offer January admission.
Essay: Boston University welcomes hundreds of transfer students to campus each year. We want to learn more about you and your reasons for transferring, in particular what you hope to accomplish at Boston University. We require one essay of no more than 600 words, which gives you the chance to tell us your story as a transfer applicant.
Application fee and fee waivers: Our application fee is $80 and can be paid via the Common Application.
Fee Waivers: BU Admissions is here to support students and families and to make sure that an application fee does not pose a barrier to anyone who wishes to apply for admission. If you are interested in a fee waiver, please begin by reviewing the eligibility guidelines on the Common Application website. Additionally, BU is pleased to accept the NACAC Transfer Fee Waiver, and only requires the first page of the waiver to be completed. Your request for a fee waiver will not impact your admissions decision. If you have any questions about this process or your eligibility, please contact BU Admissions at admissions@bu.edu or 617-353-2300.
College Transcript(s)
When applying, please submit official transcripts of all college or university coursework completed for each college or university you have attended.
Transfer Applicants from Chinese Universities: In order to be considered for admission and/or transfer credit, we require the following documents to be sent directly from Center for Student Services and Development, Ministry of Education, P. R. China (CSSD).
Verification Report of China Higher Education Student’s Academic Transcript – in English
Official Transcripts – English and Chinese from CSSD
This report may be sent electronically via email from CSSD directly. Please contact BU International Admissions at intadmis@bu.edu or 617-353-4492 with any questions after you have reviewed these steps.
Transfer Report(s)
The Transfer Report can be found here, or on the Common Application. Please ask a dean, registrar, or other college official with access to your disciplinary record at each institution you attended as a degree candidate to complete and submit this form to schforms@bu.edu.
High School Transcript and Proof of Graduation
You must submit official copies of your secondary school transcript(s) that document high school graduation.
If you have not graduated from high school, submit results of your Test of General Education Development (GED) or high school equivalency exam.
If you enrolled in a college degree program before graduating high school (such as Early Admission, Dual Enrollment, or Running Start), indicate your enrollment on your application. If you are currently enrolled in one of these programs and have not yet earned a high school diploma, GED, or HS equivalency, you should apply as a first-year applicant.
Submit Your Course Syllabi
To receive your credit evaluation in a timely manner, please submit syllabi as soon as you apply for admission to BU. Please upload PDFs to the MyBU Applicant Portal on the “Application Status” page, and include your name and date of birth at the top of each page. When choosing how to upload your documents, select “Admissions” documents, and then choose “Syllabi” from the document type drop-down menu. Before submitting, you can log in to Transferology to see how your courses will transfer to BU.
Standardized Tests
BU does not require standardized test scores (SAT/ACT) for transfer admission.
College of Fine Arts Applicants
Applicants to the College of Fine Arts must complete an audition, submit a portfolio, or both. For more information and to schedule an audition or portfolio review, go to the College of Fine Arts Undergraduate Admissions Information pages for each school:
Applicants to the Questrom School of Business need to have taken a college-level Calculus course or completed an AP/IB-level Calculus course in high school.
Previous applicants
If you previously applied and were denied admission to BU, you may reapply only after completing one full academic year of coursework elsewhere. If you were offered but did not accept admission to the College of General Studies, you can reapply to the University after one semester of coursework elsewhere.
Deferring Admission
Admitted transfer students cannot defer their offer of admission to a future term. If unable to attend, students must reapply for a future term.
A Life-Changing Application
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