Stairly

Transferring to Boston University: your chances, deadlines and credits

2027 application cycle. Last updated . By The founders of Stairly

Boston University transfer acceptance rate

Boston University's transfer acceptance rate for fall 2025 was 35.7%. 840 transfer students enrolled. The first-year rate the same year was 12.8%.

Source: Official school data report, section D, 2025-2026

Transfer applicants, fall 2025
  • Applied6,761
  • Admitted2,416
  • Enrolled840
Share admitted, same year
  • Transfer applicants35.7%
  • First-year applicants12.8%

The Common Data Set is the official data report colleges publish each year.

Transfer and first-year applicants are different groups. Use the first-year rate as context only.

One rate covers every college and major here. Your program may be more or less competitive than this.

The report counts Fall 2025 transfers only. BU also takes transfers for January, and the report does not count them in this total.

Source: Boston University Common Data Set 2025-2026, section D, 2025-2026; Boston University transfer applicants, undated page

The report gives one total for the whole university. It does not split by school or college, and BU says some programs may not offer January admission.

Source: Boston University Common Data Set 2025-2026, section D, 2025-2026; Boston University transfer applicants, undated page

Our read: Your odds depend on the school and major you pick, and you cannot apply undeclared. A program that is open to transfers and has room is a different case from a crowded one. BU does not publish that split, so we cannot give you one.

What GPA do you need?

BU's report lists no minimum college GPA for transfers and no minimum high school GPA. It does not give a typical GPA range.

Source: Boston University Common Data Set 2025-2026, section D, 2025-2026

A GPA that matches past admits is not a cutoff, and it does not mean you are in.

What Boston University looks for

Our read: No posted floor does not mean no bar. Take it as BU not telling you where the line is. Aim for strong grades in courses that match your major.

You must choose a BU school or college and declare a major. BU says transfers may not apply undeclared, and its report tells you to check the list of majors to make sure your program is open to transfer students.

Source: Boston University transfer applicants, undated page; Boston University Common Data Set 2025-2026, section D, 2025-2026

Questrom School of Business asks for a college-level calculus course, or AP or IB calculus from high school. College of Fine Arts applicants need an audition, a portfolio, or both, depending on Music, Theatre or Visual Arts.

Source: Boston University transfer applicants, undated page

You need at least one full-time semester, 12 or more credits, as a degree candidate at another college before you transfer. Students in dual enrollment apply as first-years.

Source: Boston University transfer applicants, undated page

If BU denies you, you may reapply only after one full academic year of coursework elsewhere. If you were offered the College of General Studies and did not accept, you can reapply after one semester elsewhere.

Source: Boston University transfer applicants, undated page

Our read: That reapply rule means one application, not a trial run. Send it when your record and your choice of major are ready.

Will your credits transfer?

BU's report says undergraduates may transfer in at most 68 credits, and the lowest transferable grade it lists is C. BU says it generally awards credit for liberal arts courses with a C or higher at regionally accredited schools.

Source: Boston University Common Data Set 2025-2026, section D, 2025-2026; Boston University transfer credit review process, undated page

Professional courses may or may not transfer, at the discretion of the school or college you were admitted to.

Source: Boston University transfer credit review process, undated page

In Transferology, a course marked as a match needs no syllabus. A course marked maybe does. Each syllabus goes to a faculty evaluator in the BU department that offers a similar course, and that department can be outside your own school.

Source: Boston University transfer of credit, undated page; Boston University transfer credit review process, undated page

Final decisions are made after you are admitted, and BU needs official transcripts covering your final semester at every college before it decides. The final deadline for credits to transfer is one year after you begin at BU.

Source: Boston University transfer of credit, undated page

Transfer courses, even ones BU treats as equivalent, do not earn BU Hub general education units. Transfers follow a separate Hub curriculum.

Source: Boston University transfer of credit, undated page

Our read: The Hub rule is the quirk to plan around. A course that matches a BU class still may not clear a general education requirement, so ask what you will owe in the Hub before you count your remaining semesters.

Our read: BU asks for syllabi as soon as you apply, so gather them before you submit. Its page requires them only for courses marked maybe, so check each course in Transferology first.

Transfer requirements

Boston University requires an essay.

The fee is $80, through the Common App. A fee waiver is available through the Common App or the NACAC Transfer Fee Waiver, and BU says asking for one will not affect your admission decision.

Source: Boston University transfer applicants, undated page

BU wants official transcripts from every college, your high school transcript and proof of graduation, and a Transfer Report from each college completed by a dean, registrar or similar official and sent to schforms@bu.edu.

Source: Boston University transfer applicants, undated page

Upload your course syllabi as PDFs to the MyBU Applicant Portal, with your name and date of birth on every page. BU asks for them as soon as you apply.

Source: Boston University transfer applicants, undated page

BU does not require SAT or ACT scores for transfers. Admitted transfers cannot defer.

Source: Boston University transfer applicants, undated page

Transfer deadlines

  • You send or do something
  • The school answers
  1. January

    January 1

    School of Music and School of Theatre

    Source, undated page
  2. March

    March 15

    Fall entry: application and CSS Profile and FAFSA (US citizens and permanent residents)

    Source, undated page
  3. April

    Mid-April to mid-June

    Fall entry: notification

    Source, undated page

The deadlines page does not say which year its dates apply to. Check it again before you rely on a date. The 2025-2026 report lists November 1 for spring entry, while the page says November 2.

Source: Boston University important deadlines, undated page; Boston University Common Data Set 2025-2026, section D, 2025-2026

Our read: If you are reading this in November 2026 and want January entry, the posted spring date has likely just passed or is about to. Email admissions@bu.edu before you give up on January.

Music and Theatre applicants should file by January 1 to leave time for auditions or interviews.

Source: Boston University important deadlines, undated page

Other terms and dates

Transfer essays and supplements

  • Transfer essay, 600 words

    We want to learn more about you and your reasons for transferring, in particular what you hope to accomplish at Boston University.

    Source: Boston University transfer applicants, undated page

BU requires one essay of no more than 600 words.

Source: Boston University transfer applicants, undated page

Our read: The prompt has two halves: your reasons, and what you will do at BU. Spend about equal space on both. Name the BU school and major you chose, and one or two things in it you cannot get now.

Our read: Because you must declare a major, the essay should make that choice make sense. If your major differs from what you are studying now, say what happened in between.

Grades carry most of the weight here. A vague essay can still hurt. Get a free review before you send it.

AI models process your essay. See how we handle it.

If it does not work out

BU says it meets the full demonstrated need of admitted transfers who are US citizens or permanent residents. You must submit both the FAFSA and the CSS Profile. Need-based BU aid is not currently available to international students.

Source: Boston University scholarships and financial aid, undated page

BU lists merit scholarships for transfers on a separate page. The page we opened gives no amounts or criteria for transfers.

Source: Boston University scholarships and financial aid, undated page

Our read: Plan for the aid forms to be due on the same date as the application. Do not apply first and file aid later.

Questions students ask

Can I start in January?

Yes. BU has a spring entry deadline and notifies mid-November to mid-December. Some programs may not offer January admission.

Source: Boston University important deadlines, undated page; Boston University transfer applicants, undated page

Can I apply undeclared?

No. Transfers must declare a major.

Source: Boston University transfer applicants, undated page

Do I need test scores?

No. BU does not require SAT or ACT for transfer admission.

Source: Boston University transfer applicants, undated page

How many credits can I bring?

BU's report says at most 68 credits.

Source: Boston University Common Data Set 2025-2026, section D, 2025-2026

Who sends my Transfer Report?

A dean, registrar or similar official at each college you attended, sent to schforms@bu.edu.

Source: Boston University transfer applicants, undated page

Sources

Numbers come from official reports, read by our tools and checked. Notes were drafted with AI tools from the official pages linked beside them. A person has not reviewed this guide yet. Admission decisions belong to each college, and no one can promise one.

Tell us what you found