Applying to Boston College?
Our Admissions FAQ page provides up-to-date answers to the most common questions about the application process, requirements, deadlines, financial aid, and more.
Whether you're a first-year, transfer, or international applicant, this resource is designed to help you navigate each step with confidence.
Application deadlines are listed in the “Apply” section toward the bottom of each program’s webpage. We always recommend completing your application by a program’s Priority Deadline for the best chance at both admission and scholarship consideration. If your program of interest offers Rolling Admission after the deadline, please note that consideration for rolling admission is always on a space available basis, so it is generally best to apply as early in the rolling period as possible.
Each program’s webpage includes an “Apply” section near the bottom of the page where you can view information on deadlines, prerequisites, and required application materials. Please review this information carefully prior to applying.
For degrees from the U.S. and Canada: Either unofficial or official transcripts are accepted for the application review process. If you enroll in the program and have only submitted unofficial copies of your transcripts, you will need to send your official and final transcript showing the degree conferred and date conferred.
For international degrees (not from the U.S. or Canada): We require an official course-by-course credential evaluation from a NACES member organization indicating that you have earned the equivalent of a U.S. Bachelor’s degree (and Master’s degree, if required by your program). This is a required application component and your application will not be reviewed without it. Degrees from international institutions with U.S. accreditation are generally exempt from this requirement.
Yes, you can submit your application once you have entered contact information for the required number of recommenders. Please note, however, that it is not possible to edit your recommender information once you have submitted the application. For this reason, we advise you to verify your recommender’s contact information and take care when typing in their email address.
Applications are forwarded for committee review only after all required application materials have been received. Please consult the admissions section of your program of interest’s page to confirm all required materials and program deadlines. For programs with only one deadline and no rolling admission (example: doctoral programs), please note that we generally offer a one-week grace period after the deadline for application completion. We suggest that applicants plan to submit all required items by the stated deadline, and reserve this one-week grace period for any unforeseen delays.
We require a record of all college or university level work. If the course titles and grades for all study abroad and/or transfer credits are included on your degree transcript, that is generally acceptable. If course titles and/or grades for transfer or study abroad courses are not included on the degree transcript, we will need each individual transcript.
There is no separate “transfer” admissions process at the graduate level. Students who have begun graduate work elsewhere would follow the standard admissions process. Students may transfer in a maximum of 2 graduate-level courses (up to 6 credits) relevant to their course of study. These courses must not have counted towards another degree program, and the grade earned must be a B or better. Transfer credits require approval from the academic advisor. The evaluation of transfer credits takes place after enrollment.
Priority consideration for fee waivers is given to those who meet our stated partnership affiliations and other criteria. Please know that we are unfortunately unable to accommodate the majority of fee waiver requests that don’t meet the stated criteria. To request an application fee waiver, please email gsoe@bc.edu for the current fee waiver request form.
After submitting your application, you will be able to check its status by logging into the application portal. Application review begins on the deadline and proceeds on a rolling basis after that date. Review timelines can vary by program and time of year, but the average is around 6-8 weeks. When your admission decision is available, you will receive an email prompting you to log in to the portal to view the decision.
Program cost is calculated by multiplying the total number of required credits by the current per credit tuition rate.
There is no separate application for scholarships. All applicants will be considered for available scholarship aid based on the application materials submitted. If you are awarded a scholarship, that information will be included in your admission letter.
This is generally not possible. Particularly for programs with hard deadlines, it is never possible to change materials after the deadline has passed. Please double-check your materials for typos before uploading and submitting to avoid any disappointment or issues.
Our master’s programs generally allow admitted students to defer enrollment for up to one calendar year. Deferring students will pay the $250 enrollment deposit to hold their space. Our doctoral programs do not offer automatic deferral and instead consider extenuating circumstances on a case-by-case basis.