You will need to send original or certified copies of your home country’s credentials as part of your application. Please refer to our Secondary School Credentials page to find the admission requirements for the country (or countries) in which you studied. You must also submit a copy of any terminating or qualifying examination results or certificates.

All documents written in a foreign language must be accompanied by a notarized English translation. Please note that both documents are required—the original in your first language and the English translation.

If your first language is not English, you must take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), International English Language Testing System (IELTS), or the Duolingo English Test (DET). If English is your first language, but you speak another language at home, you may consider submitting English proficiency results to demonstrate fluency.

Duolingo English Test (DET)

Duolingo English Test website

BU accepts results for the Duolingo English Test (DET) as evidence of English proficiency, which combines an English proficiency test with a brief video interview. Students who are most competitive for admission will have a total score of at least 120-130. Please note that BU requires both the total score and all subscores of the test. We will review your subscores for consistency within each subject area.

Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)

BU accepts results for the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) as evidence of English proficiency.* Students who are most competitive for admission will have a composite score of at least 90-100 and minimum scores of 20 in each section. The Board of Admissions looks closely at the score for each section as well as for consistency across all subscores within each single language proficiency test.

Indicate on the TOEFL registration form that you want your test results sent directly to Boston University.

The TOEFL code for Boston University is 3087.

TOEFL website
Email: toefl@ets.org

For testing in the US, Canada, Puerto Rico and US Territories, call 877-863-3546.

For testing in other countries, call 609-771-7100.

*For students applying for the 2021-2022 academic year, BU will also consider results from the TOEFL iBT Special Home Edition. We are unable to accept the IELTS Indicator and TOEFL ITP Plus at this time.

International English Language Testing System (IELTS)

In lieu of the TOEFL exam, you may submit the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). A total/overall score of 7 or higher will also satisfy BU’s English Language proficiency requirement for all programs.* BU will also review your component scores for consistency within each subject area.

IELTS website

We accept official results submitted directly from the testing service. Please provide the testing service with the following information:

Account Name: Boston University Undergraduate Admissions
Address: 881 Commonwealth Avenue, 6th Floor
City: Boston
State: MA
Zip code: 02215

*For students applying for the 2021-2022 academic year, BU will also consider results from the TOEFL iBT Special Home Edition. We are unable to accept the IELTS Indicator and TOEFL ITP Plus at this time.

English Proficiency Waiver Request

Proficiency waiver requests for undergraduate applicants must be received by the application deadline and must accompany a complete application. The decision to waive the English proficiency requirement is at the discretion of the Board of Admissions. To submit a waiver request, please complete the English Proficiency Waiver Request Form.

InitialView and Vericant Interviews

As an additional way to demonstrate your English language proficiency, BU recommends scheduling an optional interview with InitialView or Vericant. Please note that the submission of TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo English Test results are also required.

All students who will be studying on an F-1 Student Visa or J-1 Exchange Visitor Visa are required to submit financial documentation and we recommend submitting these items along with your application. Complete the Confidential Statement for Financing Studies & Sponsorship Support Confirmation and submit documents confirming available funds for the annual costs of study (such as savings deposits, checking accounts, or a signed bank letter verifying the ability to pay educational expenses). All documented sources of support must be:

• current (within 12 months of starting date at Boston University)
• written in English
• signed and stamped by a bank official

You may submit these materials as PDFs with your Common or Coalition Application. On the My Colleges tab, select Boston University. You will find the link to upload your documents in the Other Information section of the Application Questions. Make sure your documents are less than 500 MB in size.

You may also upload these documents and view a comprehensive list of all required, received, and uploaded materials for your application in the MyBU Portal under the “Application Status” page. The MyBU Portal opens to applicants in early October each year.

Be sure to keep copies of all documents sent to the University. You will need this information for:

1. Getting a student visa from the US Consulate
2. US Customs and Border Protection upon entry to the United States
3. Transferring from another US school.

Students applying Early Decision are required to submit their financial documentation by the application deadline. Please note that the Board of Admissions will not be able to proceed with an academic review of your application without the above documents.

Boston University will adopt a test optional policy for first-year applicants applying for fall 2021/spring 2022.

• This policy?applies to all undergraduate schools and colleges at Boston University as well as all scholarship programs.
• International students will be required to submit the TOEFL, IELTS, or?DuoLingo English Test?as the primary means for evaluating English-language proficiency.

Prospective students and applicants must decide for themselves whether or not to include standardized test scores with their application for admission to Boston University. When making this decision, students should consider the totality of their academic record, their contributions both in and out of the classroom and to their communities, and whether they feel confident that the sum of these experiences fully reflect their academic ability and potential.

Students will have the ability to indicate whether they would like us to consider their standardized test scores when they apply.

If you choose to submit standardized test scores:

BU does not require the optional essay on the SAT test or the optional writing component for the ACT.

Your official score reports must be sent to BU directly from the College Board or ACT. The BU codes to use are:

• SAT: 3087
• ACT: 1794

BU superscores both the SAT and ACT.?To take advantage of superscoring, we recommend submitting all your test scores if you take more than one test or take a test multiple times. For both the SAT and ACT, BU will use the highest score of each section, regardless of test date, to best represent you as an applicant.

• If you’ve taken the SAT more than once, you can select which results you want to send to us using?Score Choice. We will only review the highest SAT scores you submit.
• For the ACT, we will recalculate a new composite score using the highest score from each section, regardless of test date.