PhD & MFA: General Information

Any well-qualified person with a four-year bachelor’s degree from a recognized college or university or with equivalent international education may apply for admission to the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences (GRS). The degree needs to be conferred before the start of our program.

Applicants with a three-year bachelor’s degree from the European Higher Education Area (a.k.a. the “Bologna Process”) and applicants with a three-year bachelor’s degree earned in First Division from an institution accredited by India’s National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) with a grade of “A” or better may also apply.

If you hold a different type of three-year bachelor’s degree, you are required to complete a one-year’s master’s degree program or post-graduate diploma in a relevant subject before you can apply.

Applications and supporting documents may be submitted through the convenient online system. Visit the Admissions homepage for more information about the application process. When creating your account, please be sure to use a permanent, non-school related email address. GRS will contact you through this email address; and correspondence will continue after many school-related email addresses have been disabled, so using a permanent email address will ensure that you do not miss any important information from us. You should not submit an application or any supporting credentials to the department. All application materials must be uploaded with your online application.

You may not apply to more than one graduate program offered within a single college or school at Boston University. For example, you may not apply to the PhD program in Economics and the PhD program in Computer Science within the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences (GRS).  However, you may apply to the Master’s program in Economics within GRS and the Master’s program in Social Work within the School of Social Work (SSW).  If you are accepted to both programs, you will need to choose one program in which to enroll.  Please be aware that Boston University does not permit a student to enroll simultaneously in more than one graduate program, unless those programs have been previously approved by the Trustees of Boston University as a combined degree program.

For all department and degree program information offered by the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences (GRS), please visit our Department and Degree Requirements pages. Information regarding application deadlines for each degree program can be found on our Deadlines page. To view all departments at Boston University and links to their websites, please visit here.

No. Our PhD and MFA programs admit only full-time students.  Part-time study is not allowed.

The deadline for applying varies by department/program.  A complete list of departmental deadlines can be found on the Application Deadlines page.  Most departments adhere strictly to the application deadline so it is in your best interest to submit your application and all supporting documents well before the posted application deadline.

Yes. It is in the applicant’s best interest to upload all supporting documents well before the deadline. All applications must be complete by the deadline; any application materials received after the deadline may not be reviewed by the department.

Yes. You must submit a complete updated application, including all new supporting materials (unofficial transcripts, recommendations, personal statement, etc.) and an application fee. Please note that applicants who have twice not been offered admission to the same program must submit approval for application from the current director of graduate studies for the department or program to which they seek admission.

Students who have withdrawn or who have been terminated from a program may apply for readmission to the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. These students will be subject to the regulations specified in the Graduate School’s official readmission policy.