 Learning
About and Applying to Boston University |
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| Q: |
How does Boston University
communicate with students interested in the University? |
| A: |
Students expressing an interest in Boston
University can expect to receive publications, letters,
and e-mails explaining programs that may interest them,
scholarship opportunities, and more. Boston University
does prefer to e-mail students, so we recommend that families
establish an e-mail account to use solely for the college
search and to check it often. It's important that the
University has current e-mail addresses for applicants
as we will notify students about receptions in their area,
application materials that may be missing, and important
deadline reminders. Applicants can choose to view their Boston University admission decisions online. They will be notified by e-mail between mid-March
and mid-April that their decisions are available. |
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| Q: |
Does Boston University have
Early Decision, Early Admission, and Early Action? |
| A: |
Boston University recognizes both Early Decision
and Early Admission. Early Decision applicants apply to
Boston University by November 1 knowing that Boston University
is their first choice institution. Early Decision is a
binding program, and students who are accepted must withdraw
their applications to any other college or university
and pay a deposit to Boston University. Early Admission
applies to high school juniors who leave high school after
their junior year and complete their senior year of high
school as freshmen at Boston University. Boston University
does not offer an Early Action option. |
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| Q: |
How do students submit the application
and supporting materials? |
| A: |
Boston University accepts the Common Application exclusively. For more information on the application
process, please see our application instructions |
|
| Q |
How does my child know if Boston
University has received all of his/her application materials? |
| A: |
The online Application
Status Check system is an easy way to see if the University
has received all of your student's credentials and if
his or her application is complete. In order to use this
system, your student will need to establish his or her
Boston University Web Account. Instructions detailing
the setup of this account are sent to your student via
e-mail after we process the application. Please know that
due to the high volume of applications Boston University
receives, students should allow up to three weeks for
processing from the time they mail their applications. |
|
| Q: |
Could you give me a timeline
of what happens after my child submits an application
for September admission? |
| A: |
Early Decision applications are due November
1. Accelerated Medical and Dental Programs, Trustee
Scholarship, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholarship applications are due December 1; all others
are due January 1. These are submission deadlines. Your
child should plan to take standardized tests well in advance
of these deadlines. Once received, applications are reviewed
by members of the Board of Admissions. The deadline for
applying for financial aid is February 15. In order to
apply for financial assistance, you must complete a Free
Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and register
online for the College Scholarship Service (CSS)/Financial
Aid PROFILE. CSS must receive your PROFILE application
and the federal processor must receive your FAFSA by the
February 15 deadline. In mid- to late March, Boston University
offers applicants the option of viewing their admission decisions online. Students are notified by e-mail when their decisions are available. If your student is admitted, a non-refundable
enrollment deposit of $650 is required by May 1. Information
regarding housing and dining options will be made available
online. We encourage students who plan to attend Boston
University to submit their Housing Interests Survey as
early as possible. |
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| Q: |
Are auditions or portfolios
required for students applying to the College of Fine
Arts? |
| A: |
Yes. All applicants to the College of Fine
Arts must prepare either an audition or a portfolio of
original work that will be evaluated by the appropriate
School within the College. Students must first submit an application to Boston
University, then schedule an audition or portfolio review.
Auditions and interviews for candidates to the Schools
of Music and Theatre Arts are typically held in January and
February in Boston and select cities nationwide. Students
applying to the School of Visual Arts may either schedule
a portfolio review in Boston or send their work to the
School. Please see the College of Fine Arts’ website
for more detailed information about applying to the School
of Music, School
of Theatre Arts, or the School
of Visual Arts. |
|
| Q: |
What are the requirements for
the Seven-Year Liberal Arts/Medical Education and Dental
Education Programs? |
| A: |
The Seven-Year
Liberal Arts/Medical Education and Dental Education Programs
allow academically talented and highly motivated students
to begin taking medical school courses at the Boston University
School of Medicine or dental school courses at the Goldman
School of Dental Medicine in their senior year of college,
thereby receiving a bachelor’s degree and completing
medical or dental school in seven years instead of the
normal eight. To apply, students must take the SAT I or
ACT and the following SAT II exams: Chemistry, Writing,
and Mathematics Level IIc. No substitutes for these required
tests will be accepted. In addition, applicants must submit
a counselor recommendation and three specific teacher
recommendations: one each from a teacher of English, laboratory
science, and either history or a foreign language. The
application deadline for the Accelerated Programs is December
1. Students selected as finalists for these programs will
be contacted and are required to interview on campus in
January or February. These interviews are conducted by
both the Medical or Dental School faculty and the College
of Arts and Sciences faculty. |
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| Q: |
What is the Trustee Scholarship?
|
| A: |
The Trustee
Scholarship is Boston University's most prestigious
merit-based award, offering full tuition for four years
to outstanding high school seniors. Students are nominated
by their principals or headmasters and submit an application
for admission as well as a supplementary essay, SAT or
ACT scores, SAT II: Writing scores, and any other SAT
II test scores required by the School or College to which
they are applying. Trustee Scholars are an academically
gifted group of students, typically in the top 1 percent
of their high school classes—many with perfect 4.0
grade point averages. Their average scores on the SAT
I: Reasoning Test is 1517, on the SAT II: Writing Test
is 770, and the ACT average score is 32. Their average
high school GPA is 3.90. The deadline for Trustee Scholarship
applications is December 1. |
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| Q: |
What is the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholarship? |
| A: |
The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholarship acknowledges those students who have embraced the memory and ideals of one of Boston University's most prominent alumni, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (STH '55). The scholarship provides renewable full-tuition awards for academically gifted students with proven leadership abilities and a strong commitment to social justice and community involvement.
Each candidate must submit a complete application for admission to one of the undergraduate degree programs at Boston University together with a recommendation from a teacher, mentor, or advisor assessing the student's potential to contribute significantly to the Boston University community and to society, and a 500-word essay. The application for admission, essay, and recommendation form must all be submitted by December 1. |
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| Q: |
What other scholarships are
available? |
| A: |
Boston University offers a variety of scholarships
to entering freshmen. Most of these merit awards are academic
in nature, and some are awarded to talented athletes,
performers, and artists. Many merit
scholarships do not require a special application
process; however, certain scholarships require students
to write essays or take tests in order to apply. Boston
University also offers ROTC scholarships in all four branches
of the United States Armed Forces. Students seeking athletic
scholarships should contact the coach of their sport for
more information. |
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| Q: |
How do we apply for financial
assistance? |
| A: |
To apply for need-based aid, you must complete
two financial aid forms: the Free Application for Federal
Student Aid (FAFSA) and the College Scholarship Service
(CSS)/Financial Aid PROFILE. (The CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE
is filed by first registering with CSS and then completing
the customized application sent to you.) We recommend
that you prepare your 2004 income tax returns and use
them to complete the PROFILE and FAFSA, if possible. However,
if the tax returns cannot be completed early, it is better
to estimate carefully than to delay filing the financial
aid forms. CSS must receive your PROFILE application and
the federal processor must receive your FAFSA by February
15. More information about application procedures
is available on the Office
of Financial Assistance website.
Once you have submitted a financial aid application and
have been admitted to Boston University, your need will
be determined by the Office
of Financial Assistance. If you are determined to
be eligible, the Office of Financial Assistance will develop
a customized package including funds from those programs
for which you qualify. In addition to awarding funds from
Boston University, we also administer certain federal
and state grant and loan programs and may include these
funds as well. As a result, your financial aid package
from Boston University may include one or a combination
of University grants, federal or state grants, federally
subsidized or unsubsidized loans, and/or on-campus student
employment. |
|
| Q: |
My child has a learning disability.
How will this affect the admissions process? Do I need
to submit documentation of the disability? |
| A: |
Each year, Boston University receives applications from students with learning disabilities. The Board of Admissions maintains the
same academic standards for all applicants (please see
Admissions Requirements and Standards), and documentation
of a learning disability does not play a role in the review
of applications. When applying for admission, students with learning
disabilities may choose to volunteer their disability
status, but they are not required or expected to provide
that information. Once students enroll at the University,
they may take advantage of services offered by the Office
of Disability Services, provided they have submitted documentation
of the learning disability and have been approved to receive services.
For more information, please visit the Office of
Disability Services website. |
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| Q: |
What is Boston University's
policy for admission of homeschooled students? |
| A: |
Boston University encourages applications
from students with a wide variety of backgrounds, including homeschooled
students. The Board of Admissions attempts to be as fair
as possible in evaluating these applicants and ensuring
that they are given every consideration in the application
process. It is important to note that we maintain the
same academic standards for all applicants (please see
Admissions Requirements
and Standards). However, we acknowledge that the transcripts
of homeschooled students may be different than those of
traditional high school students. Along with their applications,
homeschooled students should submit as much information
as possible describing their curriculum, which may include
course descriptions, texts read, and skill levels completed.
While these are not requirements, this information can
be very helpful to the Board as we examine a student's
ability in the five academic areas of math, science, social
science, English, and foreign language. For more information
regarding the review of homeschooled applicants, please
contact the Office of Admissions at 617-353-2300. |
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|
| Your
Child at Boston University |
|
| Q: |
Our family wants to visit campus.
Where should we stay? What’s the best time of year
to visit? |
| A: |
Visiting campus is the best way to get a
feel for a school, and Boston University encourages all
interested students to tour campus any time of the year.
Our Admissions
Reception Center offers information sessions, tours,
lunch with a current student, and more to help visitors
acquaint themselves with the University and our programs.
Our Admissions
Calendar details our schedule and allows students
and their families to create an itinerary for their visit.
Boston has hundreds of hotels, but please be advised that
certain times of the year will be more expensive than
others. In April (usually the second or third week), people
from all over the world flood the city for the
Boston
Marathon and in October (usually the third weekend)
Boston again fills up with rowing teams for the Head
of the Charles Regatta. Please consult Boston tourism
sites for more information. We have compiled a
list of hotels closest to
campus, but this is only a starting
point and not an endorsement. We encourage you to visit
Campus
Visit Boston and travel sites for other accommodation,
visiting, and discount information. |
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|
| Q: |
Where do students live at Boston
University? Is housing guaranteed? |
| A: |
Housing is guaranteed all four years for
all entering freshmen, as long as they remain on-campus.
More than 75 percent of all students choose to do so. There are
many on-campus housing options here: large
residence halls, quaint
brownstones, suite-style
accommodations, and apartments.
There are also specialty
houses and specialty
floors in the large residence halls. Freshmen are
required to live on campus, but after their first year,
students may opt to live off-campus in one of the many
apartments and houses surrounding the University. For
more information, please visit the Office
of Housing website. |
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|
| Q: |
How is the food at Boston University?
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| A: |
Students often tell us how much they love
the food at BU, especially after visiting friends at other
schools and sampling that fare. Of course, nothing will
convince students like trying it for themselves, and students
who visit campus while classes are in session can opt
to have lunch with a student at one of our dining halls.
Please see our Admissions
Calendar for more information and to create an itinerary
for your student's visit to campus. Most dining halls
are located within on-campus residence halls (students
can dine wherever they choose) and offer many options,
including vegan entrees. A kosher dining room is also
available for students. Please see the Dining
Services website for more information and to view
a
video of one of our dining halls. |
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| Q: |
What kind of academic advising
is available to students? |
| A: |
All Boston University students receive academic
advising through their School or College. Students who
have chosen a major concentration are assigned faculty
advisors and must confer with them before course registration
each semester. Students who are undecided about their
majors will be paired with either a faculty member or
a professional academic advisor for the same guidance.
Often, advisors provide career and professional advice
in addition to academic counsel. There are also peer advisors—upperclassmen
who help guide students through the course selection process—available
to students, and campus offices, like the Educational
Resource Center, designed to help students at every
stage of their academic career. |
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| Q: |
How safe are Boston University
and Boston? |
| A: |
Boston University's safety program has been nationally recognized and has been featured on several television documentaries. Boston University has also received the Jeanne Clery National Safe Campus Award. The University takes proactive steps to ensure student
safety and has its own fully deputized police force of 60 academy-trained police officers, some of whom are
also emergency medical technicians. There are more than 60
"blue light" emergency call boxes on campus. Each large
residence hall is manned by security guards 24 hours a
day ensuring that only residents and their guests may
enter the building. There is also an escort
security service that walks and drives students around
campus at night. |
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| For more information on undergraduate
admissions at Boston University, visit the Apply
section. |
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