Undergraduate Studies
Apply to an undergraduate program through BU Admissions.

After receiving your acceptance letter from the International Admissions Office, you will be required to submit the Confidential Statement for Financing Studies along with the rest of the application. The International Admissions Office will review these documents and produce your Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant Student Status (Form I-20 or Form DS-2019). If you wish to know the status of your document, please contact the International Admissions Office by telephone at 617-353-4492 or via email at intadmis@bu.edu

In limited circumstances, some schools and colleges will permit enrollment as a non-degree student.  Please consult with the school or college for additional information.

Graduate Studies
The graduate admissions office of the school you wish to attend will be able to provide you with detailed information about academic programs, admission requirements, and potential scholarships or fellowships.  After you have been academically admitted to the University your admission office in your school or college will work with you to gather documentation that are necessary to obtain your immigration document from ISSO.

In limited circumstances, some schools and colleges will permit enrollment as a non-degree student.  Please consult with the school or college for additional information.

Summer Studies
For additional information on attending BU in the Summer, please visit the Summer Term website.

• Summer Term will collect documents from you and will forward them to ISSO for review.  The ISSO will communicate directly with you after your file has been reviewed.
• Students taking a part-time course of study do not meet minimum immigration requirements for sponsorship in a student immigration classification.
  • If your primary purpose for visiting the U.S. will be to engage in activities other than study (for example, tourism, or a visit with friends or family) and your summer studies will be secondary or incidental to those activities, you may be eligible to enter the U.S. on a visitor visa or the visa waiver program.
  • If your primary purpose for visiting the U.S. will be to study at Boston University, you should enroll in full-time study (a minimum of 8 credits in one summer session or 12 credits over two summer sessions) and plan to enter the U.S. in a student immigration classification.

English Language Courses

BU offers English language classes.  For information on attending BU’s English language programs offered at the Center for English Language and Orientation Program (CELOP), please visit the CELOP website.

There are four main categories of positions at BU.  The process for establishing your affiliation will depend on the type of position or affiliation you are looking for.  The ISSO cannot place you in a position or recommend a specific job or department to work in – so it will be up to you to take the necessary steps in order to obtain an appointment at BU.  The information below will help you determine what steps you need depending on the type of position:

Research
Research positions at BU include paid postdoctoral level positions as well as uncompensated research appointments.  The procedures for obtaining research positions are specific to each individual school or college.  Therefore, in order to establish an affiliation you should first make contact with a faculty member who shares a common research interest or focus.  Review BU’s research page to determine if there is a department or discipline that fits your research interests.  Once you determine what area(s) align with your research goals, you can reach out to faculty or administrators to introduce yourself and your skills and to inquire on possible opportunities.  A letter of appointment will be issued to confirm the arrangement.  This is typically done by the Dean’s Office, but the process varies per individual school or college.  Many research positions qualify for immigration sponsorship at BU

Faculty
Faculty positions are typically posted in professional publications in that particular field – you can start your search by checking in publications and job boards that are common in your field. There is a formal nomination and approval process for faculty hires at BU and once we are notified of your hire, the ISSO will work with you to make sure the proper paperwork is filed so that you can commence your faculty appointment.

Staff
Staff positions consist of all ‘other’ positions that are not classified as research or faculty.  Open staff positions are advertised via BU’s Human Resources Office. Individuals who have been offered a BU staff position receive an employment offer letter from Human Resources.  Please note that BU policy limits immigration sponsorship to research and teaching positions.  Sponsorship for staff positions is reviewed on a case-by-case basis and requires approval at the Provost level.

Casual [Temporary] Positions
Casual positions are research and graded staff positions that are temporary in nature (no more than nine months) and non-benefits eligible.  Casual research positions may be eligible for immigration sponsorship, however, BU policy does not permit sponsorship for casual staff positions.