Also in Admissions
Undergraduate AdmissionsAdmission to Arts & Sciences is managed through BU’s main Admissions Office.
Graduate AdmissionsLearn more about qualifications and the admissions process.
Intra-University TransferTransferring from another BU school or college to the College of Arts & Sciences
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Fellowships and Scholarships
Department-Based Fellowships, Scholarships, and Assistantships
To be considered for these appointments:
- New students: checking “yes” for the question "Do you wish to be considered for Boston University financial aid?" on the Application for Admission serves as your general application. For most degree programs, applications for the appointments listed must be received no later than January 15 for the fall semester, or October 15 for the spring semester. Some programs have earlier deadlines, as noted on the Department/Program Information Sheet; applications received after those dates are considered as departmental funds allow.
- Continuing students: you should submit a separate GRS Continuing Student Financial Aid Application each year by February 1. Forms are available in the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences Office in Room 112 or in GRS department offices.
Presidential Fellowships
These fellowships provide, for exceptionally well qualified entering PhD students, up to four years of support. The awards require no service during the first year; they include a substantial stipend, Boston University health insurance, and full-tuition scholarship for four full courses per semester during the first year. Subsequent years involve a teaching fellowship or research assistantship. Students may not apply directly for these awards. Nominees are proposed by the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences departments, divisions, and programs early in the admissions process. If you wish to be considered you should, therefore, submit your admission application well before the January 15 deadline. There are some programs which have an earlier deadline, as noted on the Department/Program Information Sheet.
Dean's Fellowships
These fellowships have the same terms and requirements as the Presidential Fellowships. They are offered to students by select departments. Students may not apply directly for these awards.
Teaching Fellowships
These fellowships are available in many departments. Instructional and other duties total approximately 20 hours per week. A stipend, tuition scholarship, and Boston University health insurance are provided; ordinarily, recipients may carry no more than four full courses per semester plus a 2-credit teaching course. Credits for this course, which is required for all teaching fellows, will not be counted toward degree requirements, but will appear on the transcript as evidence of instruction and evaluation in teaching. Specific questions regarding this course may be directed to individual departments. The University is required to report the stipend portion of the award as income to the federal government, and the student is subject to appropriate federal and state tax laws.
Department Traineeships, Research Assistantships,
and Research Fellowships
Awards are available in many departments. Duties vary but stipends are generally comparable to those of teaching fellowships. For information, consult the department chair.
Graduate Research Abroad Fellowships (GRAF)
The Graduate School of Arts & Sciences and the Humanities Foundation have established a fellowship program, Graduate Research Abroad Fellowships, to support foreign-based research by doctoral students whose research requires an extended period of residence in another country or countries. This program is primarily intended for students in the Humanities and the Social Sciences, where the opportunity to conduct foreign research is often crucial and where sources of funds are limited, but students from all Arts & Sciences disciplines will be eligible for consideration.
Recent GRAF awards have helped students to further their research abroad in subjects as varied as French Caribbean colonial society, the economic impact of railroads in China, and bird migration and climate change in Japan, to name just a few.
The Graduate Research Assistant Scholarship Program (GRASP)
Students supported by sponsored research grants may be eligible for tuition scholarships through the Graduate Research Assistant Scholarship Program. GRASP is administered by the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences (GRS) for all Charles River Campus schools and colleges.
Departments in GRS may apply for GRASP by completing a Departmental Aid Recommendation Form (DARF) for new students or a Continuing Student Financial Aid Application. Non-GRS departments or schools may complete a GRASP Application form.
Martin Luther King Jr. Fellowship
This fellowship is available to students who are U.S. citizens, new to Boston University, and beginning graduate studies in any department or school of the University, and who are committed to the principles espoused by Dr. King. It provides a scholarship for full-time tuition and fees at the GRS level, plus a stipend for living expenses and Boston University health insurance. Students may not apply directly for this fellowship but are nominated by the department of admission. To be considered for this fellowship, a student should be in contact with the department of admission to request nomination, and provide to the department a statement describing his or her accomplishments in and commitment to social justice and community involvement.
Whitney M. Young Jr. Fellowship
This one-year fellowship is open to entering and continuing graduate students who are U.S. citizens and who have displayed academic proficiency in a field related to race relations or urban problems. The fellowship provides a stipend for living expenses, Boston University health insurance, plus a scholarship for full tuition and fees. Application forms are available from the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, Room 115, beginning December 1.
African Studies Fellowships
These fellowships are awarded to qualified degree candidates in the social sciences. Recipients may be awarded stipends and/or tuition scholarships. The African Studies Center also administers National Resource Fellowships (NRF). Eligibility requirements for these government fellowships include the following:
- applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents;
- they must have been accepted for a full-time program of graduate study in the social sciences or in a graduate professional program; and
- they must enroll in an African language course and an African areas course each semester they receive the fellowship. Information and application forms for both NRF and African Studies Fellowships may be obtained from the Director, African Studies Center, 270 Bay State Road, Boston, MA 02215.