PhD & MFA: The Application Process

Most departments adhere strictly to the application deadline. In order to apply after the deadline, you will need to contact your prospective department and receive written permission via email to apply. This email correspondence must be forwarded to the GRS Admissions Office, and instructions on how to apply will be given to the applicant at that time.

The central admissions office of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GRS) cannot confirm whether your application is complete, we can only confirm what has been received (which you can also verify in the “Check Status” section of your application).  Do not email the central admissions office asking us to confirm completeness.  Applicants are responsible for monitoring the status of an application. Notifications are not sent for any missing items. To help you keep track of your application and all materials, click Check Status at the top of the application dashboard. Keep in mind that it takes at least five to ten business days from the date of receipt to post official test scores to your application. Recommendations are immediately updated once received from your recommender regardless of whether you have or have not submitted the application.

Your Application Status may be:

• In Progress: You have not yet paid the application fee and your application has not yet been submitted.
• Received/Complete: This is your application’s final status. Note that electronic recommendations are immediately updated in the application once received from your recommender. Materials that are emailed directly to the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences admissions office may not be reflected in the application dashboard.  A Complete Status does not suggest that all required documents and scores were received as some documents and answers are optional, it only indicates that the applicant provided an answer to all questions and that the applicant uploaded a document to each section requiring a document to be uploaded.  The applicant is responsible for making sure that the application is complete when submitting it.

Your Recommendation Status may be:

• Requested: This status indicates that the request was sent to the recommender, but they have not accepted or declined it. They must accept your request before they can submit their recommendation.
• Accepted: This status indicates that the recommender accepted your request but has not yet submitted their recommendation.
• Completed: This status indicates that the recommender completed and submitted their recommendation and it was sent to your program.
• Declined: This status indicates that the recommender declined your recommendation request. You can click on Update Recommenders to add a new recommendation request.
• Expired: This status only appears once the admission cycle closes in mid-August. Recommendations can no longer be submitted.

The only section you may edit after submitting your application is your contact information. You will not be able to edit any other information after submission. If you have questions about making a change to other sections of your application, please contact the Graduate School Admissions office via email at grsphd@bu.edu (please include your full name, name of program & degree, and Application ID or BU ID).

All applications are reviewed by members of the programs’ admissions committee, who look for evidence of a strong academic record and interests in the core research areas of program faculty. Some programs may invite a small number of applicants for a virtual interview, please contact the program directly if you have any questions.

No.  All credentials, including transcripts and reference letters, submitted in support of an application become property of Boston University. Neither originals nor copies may be returned.