Incoming Students – Spring 2021
New Student Information
We look forward to you joining our community!
This page includes all of the information you need to get started as a student at the STM. If you have any questions or concerns, contact the Admissions Office at stmadm@bc.edu or 617-552-6506. Please read all of the information included below and take note of important dates and deadlines.
STM Orientation (mandatory)
STM New Student Orientation is Wednesday, January 27, 2021, 10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m., Eastern Time (the US and Canada) via Zoom. Please register in advance for this meeting: https://bccte.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJMrd-ugqDorHte5TACHtYfPRClMheuf0-uf. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. Please have your Boston College Zoom account set up by that date so that we can let you into the orientation. During this orientation session, you'll hear from STM faculty and administrators about STM academic programs, spiritual and liturgical formation, and community life.
You have been assigned an advisor and may contact your advisor at any time to discuss your course selection. Once you have selected the courses that you want to enroll in, you may contact Donna DeRosa (derosado@bc.edu) or Steve Cote (stephen.cote@bc.edu) to register you for your courses.
STM Opening Liturgy
Thursday, January 28, 2021 @ 12:15 p.m. at St. Ignatius Church.
The STM community will gather for the first Thursday Liturgy of the spring semester, following BC and Archdiocesan Covid-19 protocols. The Liturgy will also be live streamed. More information and a YouTube link will be included in the weekly STM newsletter on January 20 & 27.
Boston College Credentials
Your BC credentials (Agora portal username, Eagle ID number) are important pieces of personal information used at Boston College. Your credentials were assigned to you in your Slate application portal. These confidential credentials are your keys to many electronic services at the University, including class registration and email through the Agora Portal. You will also be able to access information such as course grades and accounts payable. If you need help accessing your account, please contact the Help Center (617-552-HELP).
BC Email
As soon as you are formally transferred to 'student' status, you will receive a letter containing your BC username and BC password. Use your BC password to sign in to http://portal.bc.edu to create your Secondary Password, which is used to sign in to your BC email. If you lost or did not receive the letter containing this information contact the Help Center at help.center@bc.edu or 617-552-HELP (4357). This will be the primary way the University will contact students throughout your time at Boston College. If students prefer they may forward this account to another email system. Additional information can be found here.
BC Licensed Zoom Account
Boston College supplies every registered student with a licensed Zoom account. Please be sure to activate this account and use it to access courses and meetings held with BC faculty and staff. Using your BC Zoom account ensures that proper security measures are in place. To activate your BC Zoom account, please follow the instructions found here.
STM Facebook Group
Connect with STM students and staff in the BC STM Online Community to ask questions about living in Boston, finding roommates, as well as finding out other helpful information about the STM, BC, and Boston.
BC Eagle-One ID Card
To obtain an Eagle-One (ID) Card, download the application (PDF), include your picture and mail it to the Boston College Office of Student Services, Lyons Hall, 140 Commonwealth Avenue, Chestnut Hill, MA, 02467. The $45 fee will be applied to your student account. All new students are required to have and will be charged for an ID card.
Immunization Requirements
Massachusetts State Law requires all registered full-time, part-time, and part-time visa-carrying students to show proof of required immunizations by completing the Immunization Form. All information must be submitted 30 days prior to the start of classes. Failure to do so will result in a $85 administrative fee and you won't be able to register for courses the next semester. If you are unable to document your immunizations, University Health Services can provide this service for a fee. Please contact University Health Services at (617) 552-3225 if you have any questions. The pre-entrance forms and requirements are available online.
Medical Insurance Coverage
All students enrolled in a degree program, regardless of credit hours, and non-degree students enrolled at least 7 credits will be automatically enrolled and billed for the Student Health Insurance Plan. Students who plan to enroll in BC's comprehensive health insurance plan, Blue Cross Blue Shield Student Blue, will be enrolled after registering for classes. Insurance coverage is effective January 15, 2021 through August 6, 2021. The cost for U.S. citizens and permanent residents is $1,918 for the spring semester. The cost for international students is $1,931 for the spring semester. The policy for international students includes coverage for medical evacuation and repatriation (more details available online).
Students who are enrolled in a health plan that is comparable to the Student Blue Plan may waive the BC coverage through their Agora Portal. To provide proof of comparable coverage, a student will need to have information about his or her current health insurance plan readily available. Incomplete waivers will not be processed. Waivers must be completed every year. All waivers must be submitted through the Agora Portal by January 29, 2021. Students who do not complete a waiver prior to the deadline will automatically be enrolled in and charged the student-only premium for the Student Blue Plan. Please note that international students are not eligible to waive the BC’s Student Health Insurance Plan. If you are insured through (1) your own or a parent/guardian/spouse’s health insurance plan offered through a U.S. employer or (2) a government sponsored program, (for example Government of Kuwait/UAE or Government of Saudi Arabia), you may be eligible for a waiver.
Eagle or Dining Bucks
Eagle or Dining Bucks can be used for purchases everywhere the Eagle-One Card is accepted, including on-campus restaurants, many vending and snack machines, contracted food delivery services, Boston College bookstores, residence hall laundry facilities, and off-campus vendors like City Convenience. To add money to Eagle or Dining Bucks, log on to your Agora Portal account. Your credit card (Visa or MasterCard only) will be charged for the amount you wish to add.
Update Your Contact Information
U.S. Veterans
Are you a veteran? If you would like your veteran status noted on the University Information System, please contact Linda Malenfant at malenfan@bc.edu.
Financial Literacy — Successful Start Program
University Communication Policy
STM Classes begin on Thursday, January 28, 2021.
Boston College Academic Calendar
Registration Deadlines
Students may continue to register and drop/add courses through Friday, February 5th. Thus, you may make changes to your registration through the first week of classes.
Undergraduate Transcripts
Students who are completing their undergraduate degrees at the end of the current academic year must have your undergraduate institution send an original transcript, indicating the successful completion of the baccalaureate degree, to the STM before registering for classes for your second semester of study. Students will not be able to register until the transcript is received.
Canvas Course Pages
Canvas is the learning management system of Boston College. Teachers use this to post resources for classes, including the syllabus, assignments, readings, discussion groups, etc. Any fully online asynchronous class is conducted exclusively on Canvas. You must log in to Canvas using your BC username and password, so be sure to activate your BC credentials as soon as possible. Canvas can be accessed by logging into your Agora Portal. Instructions can be found here.
Professional Ethics in Ministry Workshop
Professional Ethics in Ministry Workshop is a two-part workshop required for all new STM degree and certificate students. For students enrolled in programs with a contextual education or supervised ministry requirement, a student will not be allowed to enroll in such a course unless they have taken the workshop. This Spring, Part II of the workshop will be offered fully online in an asynchronous format during the week of Feb 22 - 26, 2021. Registered students are expected to be active in the course throughout the week. All new degree and certificate students should enroll in the Professional Ethics in Ministry II Workshop this spring.
Academic Integrity Tutorial
All new STM degree and certificate students are required to complete the online academic integrity tutorial in their first semester of study. This tutorial will introduce you to the academic culture here at STM and serve as an invitation to enter the scholarly conversation as well as a guide on how to distinguish your own voice from those of others. More information about this will be given at orientation and by email.
Student Mentor
In the beginning of the spring semester, you will have the opportunity to be paired with a current STM student for one-on-one guidance and practical help during your transition to Boston and the STM. For more questions, please email Barb Quinn, RSCJ at barbara.quinn.3@bc.edu
Academic Advising Student Resource Guide
Academic advising is integral to the life and mission of the STM. Advisors support and guide students as they clarify their academic goals, and situate those goals in the context of the aspirations that brought them to the STM. In this way, advising is an aspect of the cura personalis that is at the heart of the school’s Jesuit and Catholic ethos. Through their connection with students, advisors offer a venue to raise concerns outside of the classroom, a sounding-board for ideas about possible academic choices, and a resource to help students as they negotiate the details of degree programs and explore opportunities that are accessible through the STM.
The STM Academic Advising Student Resource Guide contains links to all the information students need to create a successful advising relationship with their advisors at the STM, including tips and tools on how to prepare for your first meeting, links to forms and resources and to course schedules and degree requirements. Be sure to visit this page prior to your first meeting with your academic advisor.
STM Courses and Degree Requirements
The STM course and degree requirements sheet for each semester are posted online. This sheet will assist you in making sure the courses you select fulfill a requirement or elective for your particular degree.
Course Schedules and Course Descriptions for the STM and other BC Graduate schools
You can find course schedules and course descriptions through your Agora Portal. Once you sign into your Agora Portal, under “My Services” Click on “Course Information and Schedule”. Visit BC Course Information and Schedule for more information.
Boston Theological Institute (BTI)
The BTI Catalog is available on the BTI website. Information regarding cross-registration can be found on the BTI portal. However, new students are generally encouraged to begin their studies with courses through the School of Theology and Ministry and the BC Theology Department and should also be aware that most of the BTI schools follow a different academic calendar than Boston College.
Spiritual Formation for Ministry
Enrollment in Spiritual Formation for Ministry is required for M.A.T.M. students. Students who study during the academic year should enroll during the first full academic year of study (one credit). You should register for a section of the one-credit Spiritual Formation for Ministry course, TMPS7080, in the fall 2021 semester. Several course sections are available on varied days and times. These groups meet with a facilitator six times per semester, September-May. As a part of this one-credit course, students are required to complete a personalized Spiritual Formation Plan (SFP) during their program of study at Boston College. More information will be given about the SFP at the New Student Orientation.
Research and Writing Policy
To assist students in achieving competency in theological research and writing in a welcoming atmosphere of colleagueship and collaboration, the STM offers TMST7081: Research and Writing in Theology and Ministry in the fall and spring semesters. It is a year-long, one-credit course and is open to all students and is recommended for anyone wishing to become familiar with the various kinds of writing assignments assigned by STM faculty. It is highly recommended that incoming students take the course in their first semester of study. For students with a limited background in the humanities or for whom English is a second language, TMST7081 may be required as a condition of admission. Students for whom TMST7081 is a condition of admission to their degree program will not be allowed to graduate until the requirement is completed. Faculty will also alert the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs when any student’s work clearly indicates that the student would benefit from participating in TMST7081. In such cases, the Associate Dean may strongly encourage a student to take TMST7081 if it has not already been required as a condition of admission.
Boston College Payment Plan (BCPP)
Online Billing and Payment Information
Verify or authorize your Third-Party Payer through My Bill
Federal Funds Authorization (optional)
Federal regulations require that Title IV funds credited to your student account be applied only to cover allowable charges, unless Boston College obtains authorization through your Agora Portal account to apply these funds to all other charges on your student account.
Health/Infirmary Fees
All students who pay the Campus Health fees are eligible for health services through the campus infirmary located on the first floor of Cushing Hall on the Chestnut Hill campus. The fee is $540 for coverage from September to June, or you may pay a per-visit fee of $105-$115. Additional information can be found here.
International Wire Payments
To make international wire payments, Boston College has partnered with Flywire and Western Union to offer an innovative and streamlined way to make international tuition payments. Additional information can be found here.
Tuition and Fees
Tuition and fees are billed upon registration for classes. Payment is due by January 15, 2021. If you are receiving a scholarship, it will not be reflected in your account until you register for classes. You may wait to pay your bill until your scholarship is reflected on your account. Please note: there may be late fees if your bill is not resolved by the deadline, and, in severe cases, students whose accounts are not resolved by the due date may be withdrawn from the University. Questions regarding billing and payment should be directed to the Office of Student Services, Lyons Hall, at 617-552-3300 or 800-294-0294.
Loan Certification
A borrower may defer repayment if he or she is enrolled and in attendance as a student in a course of study that is part of a graduate fellowship program approved by the Department of Education. To receive deferment for enrollment in a graduate program, the borrower must provide certification that he or she is engaged in full-time study in an approved graduate fellowship program (or has been accepted by the program). Information and forms can be found here.
Housing
The BC Office of Residential Life offers assistance to graduate students, who are seeking housing in the local area. Visit the Off-Campus Housing webpage for helpful information about the local housing market, apartment listings, roommate finder, and housing fair announcements.
Students are also encouraged to join the STM Facebook Page to connect with other current and incoming students. Students interested in community living have a number of options for the summer and academic year.
The Newman House Newman House Student Community is an informal community of graduate students rooted in the Catholic intellectual tradition. The Newman House serves as a space of friendship, academic and spiritual encouragement, and mutual learning.
The Assumptionist Center The mission of the Assumptionist Center is to provide housing and hospitality for laymen studying graduate theology. Students can engage in the community as much or as little as they want. Mass, morning prayer, and evening prayer happen daily, and numerous other events occur throughout the semester. Contact Br. Blair Nuyda at: blair.nuyda@gmail.com.
MBTA
For anyone planning on regularly using public transit, semester-long MBTA passes at an 11% discount are available for purchase beginning Tuesday, through BC. Passes are available for purchase now and the deadline to purchase a pass is January 10, 2021.
BC Shuttle
For students living near campus, BC operates several free shuttle services.
Parking Permits
If you are interested in a BC campus parking permit, read the Student Parking Permit Instructions on the Transportation website. You may order your parking permit by logging into your Agora Portal account and selecting "Parking Permits and Citations" under the "My Services" tab. Once ordered, you may pick up your parking permit in the Office of Student Services in Lyons Hall during normal office hours.