The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences has the same requirements for application from Internationals Students with one addition, the TOEFL test scores.The following information is meant to help clarify and answer common questions we have received from international applicants.

Application Form

If you do not have a U.S. Social Security Number, DO NOT enter one on the application. You will be assigned an Applicant ID number to use to identify your other application materials. This Applicant ID number will allow you to access the Web Status Check of your application materials and to submit the online application fee. Please keep the name you use as your last name or surname the same on everything you submit to the Graduate School.

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Application Fee of $75

Your application will not be reviewed without the application fee. Acceptable payment methods include check, money order, or bank draft in U.S. dollars drawn on an American bank. If a friend or relative in the U.S. is able to pay this fee for you, it's best to include the check with your application. If that is not possible, please ask your sponsor to write "Application fee for (your full name)" on the check before mailing it to the Office of Graduate Admissions. If you submitted the application form online, and you have a valid credit card you may submit the online application fee.

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College Transcripts

Submit official academic records (transcripts or mark-sheets) for each year of post-secondary education (college/university), as well as official copies of degrees awarded. Copies of credentials must be validated by a school administrative officer such as a registrar or an official of the issuing body, and must be attached to a certified English translation.

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Evidence of English Proficiency (TOEFL)

Students who speak a native language other than English must provide evidence of English proficiency. A score of 600 on the paper-based test, or 100 on the iBT test (Internet-Based Test) or higher on the Test of English, as a foreign language (TOEFL) is required. TOEFL scores are considered valid from exams taken a maximum of two years prior to application program deadlines. Remember to enter the Boston College School Code 3083 to ensure that the score report is sent to us; Student copies or photocopies of TOEFL scores are not accepted.

You can get application forms and information about testing dates for the TOEFL from many U.S. consulates, USIA Centers, and TOEFL centers overseas by writing to: TOEFL Registration CN 6152 Princeton, New Jersey 08541 USA, or www.toefl.org.

The TOEFL score is not required if:

• You are a citizen of Australia, Canada (except Quebec), Great Britain, Ireland, New Zealand, Guyana, an Anglophone country of Africa, or an English-speaking country of the Caribbean.
• You earned your prior college or university degree in the U.S. or one of the countries listed above.
• You are currently enrolled as a full-time student in a U.S. degree-granting program or at an American or English-speaking school in one of the countries listed above and will have completed two academic years of college/university work before beginning your studies at Boston College.

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Admission Decisions and Visa Authorizations

Official offers of admission and the award of Graduate School financial aid, if any, will be conveyed by letter.

Note: Your application for admission also serves as your application for department-based financial aid. Admitted students must then notify the Graduate School of their intention to attend BC, and must submit a Certification of Finances form verifying the student's ability to cover his/her educational and living expenses. The Graduate School will supply this form upon offer of admission. Provided all is in order, BC will issue a Certificate of Eligibility form for the student's use in obtaining a Visa. Do not submit this form until you have received an offer of admission form the Graduate School.

The Office of International Students and Scholars can provide you with valuable information about students visas, regulations, and events.

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Non-Degree Students (Special Students)

Only international applicants who are currently enrolled full-time at another U.S. institution will be considered for admission as a Special Student.

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Declaration of Finances

Estimated school and living expenses for the 2013-2014 academic year are $55,888 exclusive of travel expenses. In order to attend the Graduate School you must certify that you will have this sum on hand. Upon admission (not application), the student will need to complete the Confidential Declaration and Certification of Finances form. This form requires you to specify the amounts and sources of funds including any BC financial aid, accompanied by documentation. Generally, not all expenses can be covered by BC financial aid; therefore, students must have personal resources to support their graduate study.

The Graduate School will not issue a Certificate of Eligibility (Form I-20 for an F-1 Student Visa or a Form DS2019 for a J-1 Exchange Visitor Visa) unless this form is completed and the necessary certifications are obtained and returned by the date requested.

Note: The estimate of student expenses for the 2014-2015 academic year will increase by approximately five percent.

If your spouse will be joining you in the United States you will need to add at least $5,000 to the amount you will be required to certify; if your children will be joining you add at least $3,000 per child.

Students holding the Student (F-1) or Exchange Visitor (J-1) Visas will not be authorized to work except under extraordinary circumstances; therefore, the applicant should not look to employment, either part-time during the academic year or full-time during the summer, as a means of support while at BC. Spouses who accompany students to the U.S. on the F-2 Visa are not permitted to accept any kind of employment in the U.S.

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Estimate of Student Expenses for Academic Year 2013/2014

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