Transfer Applicants

The Boston University School of Theology welcomes transfer students from other institutions.  Applicants for transfer into a degree program are evaluated on the same basis as other applicants. Applicants may also be eligible for consideration for merit awards based on the same criteria as other applicants for admission.  Please read the BUSTH Transfer Credit Policy, listed below:

Students may transfer credits from any graduate theological school accredited by the ATS or other comparable accrediting agency if transferring from outside of North America. In every instance, course equivalents are determined on an individual basis, by petition, and only when that coursework is demonstrated to be relevant to the course of study being pursued in the School of Theology, as determined by the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, operating on behalf of the faculty. Applicants for transfer must include in their personal statement the reasons they are seeking a transfer, and must provide a recently-issued letter of good standing from their previous institution. The following guidelines apply to all requests for transfer of credit to the School of Theology:

  • Undergraduate credits may not apply toward the fulfillment of any degree program requirement at the School of Theology. However, undergraduate credits can be used to petition for advanced standing in masters-level introductory courses.
  • Courses, when accepted, will carry the credit value equivalent to the number of contact hours the course carried (for example, 40 contact hours = 4 credits).
  • No courses for which less than a B- was received are acceptable.
  • Courses taken wholly online or mostly online will not be accepted.
  • Courses completed more than seven years prior to the intended date of enrollment will not be considered for transfer of credit.
  • Transfer credits may not normally fulfill core requirements for the MDiv degree program, but they may fulfill distributional electives and free electives:
    • Up to 32 credits for the MDiv degree
    • Up to 16 credits for the MSM degree


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