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What is the rate per credit for 2008-2009? What is the application fee amount for 2008-2009? Can my application fee be waived? May I apply to more than one program? May I apply for admission in any academic quarter? Can I apply directly to a Ph.D. program, or must I apply to study toward a Master’s degree first? What do I need to do to be considered for departmental financial aid? If my transcripts are in a foreign language, do I have to send the original copy of my transcripts as well as the English translation? Will I receive confirmation once I submit my application materials to the Graduate School? What is the GRE Institutional Code for the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences? If I take the GRE in November, will my scores arrive in time for the deadline? My name has changed since taking a required test for admission. What should I do? What will happen to my application if I miss the deadline? If I meet the required deadlines, when can I expect to receive a decision?
ANSWERS What is the rate per credit for 2008-2009? As of April 2008, the rate per credit for 2008- 2009 will be $1148 in the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. What is the application fee amount for 2008-2009? A non-refundable $70 application fee is required for each application you submit to the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. If you submit the online application form, you will be directed to a page where you can pay the application fee by credit card. If you do not pay online immediately after submitting our online form, you have the following options. You may return to our website after you apply and pay by credit card (you will need your nine-digit confirmation number to do this). You may also mail us the application in the form of cash or a check (made payable to Boston College). If you submit a check, please include your nine-digit confirmation number on the check. If the check is in someone else’s name besides the applicant, please provide the applicant’s full name on the check as well. Can my application fee be waived? The application fee requirement is not usually waived. The Graduate School of Arts & Sciences will waive an application fee for current Boston College undergraduate students, McNair Scholars, IRT participants and current JVC members. Applicants, who are currently undergraduate students, may request a fee waiver if the $70 application fee would constitute a serious financial hardship. Such requests will be considered only if they are received by the Associate Dean of Admission & Financial Aid in the form of a written letter sent directly from the chief financial aid officer of the applicant’s college or university. An applicant may not obtain a fee waiver directly from an academic department. May I apply to more than one program? Yes, you may to more than one program of study for the same entrance term. To do this, you must submit separate application forms and submit separate application fees. If there are pieces of your application, besides the application form and fee, that would be the same for multiple applications (transcripts, resume, GRE scores), you need only submit one copy, but you must notify the Admissions Office so this material can be included in all files. I applied to the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences last year but did not get in. Can I reuse my application materials if I reapply for this year? All students must reapply with new and revised application materials. May I apply for admission in any academic quarter? Most departments admit students only for the fall term. Departments may consider applications to a Master’s program for the spring. Non-degree applications may also be filed in the spring. In these cases, it is advised to contact the Graduate Program Director before filing an application for the spring in order to confirm that the department will review your application. The deadlines published by the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences pertain to admission for the fall only. If you apply for spring admission, application materials should be received in the Graduate School by the beginning of December. The Graduate School offers a small number of courses for the summer term as well. If you plan to apply as a non-degree student for summer study, you must have all application materials submitted by the beginning of May. I would like to take graduate-level classes at Boston College, but I am not interested in pursuing a degree at this time. May I do this? Students interested in non-degree coursework may apply to the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences as Special Students Status. To apply for Special Student Status, the applicant must submit the application form, the non-refundable application fee of $70, all transcripts, and a statement of purpose. Admission as a Special Student does not guarantee subsequent admission to a degree program. A Special Student is admitted for one semester and may only take courses in the department in which admitted. Permission to continue to take courses as a Special Student beyond the semester for which admission was originally gained must be obtained from the Graduate Program Director. Special Student’s are not eligible for departmental financial aid. International students will not be considered for Special Student Status unless they are currently enrolled full-time at another U.S. institution. Can I apply directly to a Ph.D. program, or must I apply to study toward a Master’s degree first? Yes, you can directly apply to a Ph.D. degree program. You do not necessarily need a Master’s degree to enter into a Ph.D. program. However, the faculty will look for the proper coursework, experience, and maturity when admitting applicants into a Ph.D. program. The successful applicant may have these qualities with or without previously obtaining a Master’s degree. What do I need to do to be considered for departmental financial aid? In order to be considered for department academic awards, you must ensure that your application is complete and received by the Graduate School by the appropriate deadline. There is no additional form to fill out to qualify for departmental funding. My former school will not send me transcripts in sealed envelopes to enclose with my self-managed application. What should I do? Some schools will issue a transcript directly to a student. If your school does this, make sure that you keep the transcript in an officially sealed envelope when you submit it with your application materials. If your school will not issue you a transcript directly, you may have the school send the transcript directly to our admissions office. If your transcript arrives before your application, it will be kept on file. I took one course during the summer from a different university. Do I have to send the transcript for that one course? Yes, you must send transcripts from each institution where you have done coursework. This would include transcripts containing non-degree coursework and, if applicable, the transcript containing marks from a study abroad program. If my transcripts are in a foreign language, do I have to send the original copy of my transcripts as well as the English translation? Yes, you must send both the official transcript in the foreign language and a certified English translation of the transcript, as well. Back to top Yes. If your supplemental materials arrive at the Graduate School before you have filed your application form, we will keep them on file. To make the process of matching up miscellaneous documents with your application form, please include the following information on all documents you submit: full name, date of birth, social security number (if applicable), department and program of study, and intended entrance term. Will I receive confirmation once I submit my application materials to the Graduate School? No. The Graduate School of Arts & Sciences maintains a self-managed application process. This requires the applicant to follow-up with the Admissions Office to confirm that all required documents have been received by the appropriate deadlines. An applicant may contact the Admissions Office at any time to inquire about which documents have been received (by phone: 617-552-3265 or by email: gsasinfo@bc.edu). If an applicant submits the application form and/or the abstract of courses form via the internet, he or she will receive a confirmation page immediately following the submission of the form. This confirmation page alerts the applicant that the form has been successfully received by the Admissions Office. I have been out of school for several years and there is no one left who can write an academic recommendation for me. May my employer write one? If you have been in the workforce, it is required that one of your letters of recommendation comes from your employer. However, the faculty committee that reviews your file is most interested in your intellectual abilities, and therefore you should attempt to have at least one of your remaining recommendations comment on your academic interests and capabilities. What is the GRE Institutional Code for the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences? 3083. As long as you fill out this school code, your GREs should correctly arrive in the Admissions Office of the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. If I take the GRE in November, will my scores arrive in time for the deadline? Usually GRE scores arrive 3 weeks after the test date. If you take the GRE in November there is a strong chance that the scores will arrive in plenty of time before the deadline. However, in case of a delay, the Graduate School strongly recommends that you plan ahead. Take the GREs as early as possible. If you know that your scores will not reach us in time to meet the deadline, please contact us so we can indicate in your file that your scores are on their way. I sent my GRE score to Boston College, but the institution code I used was not 3083. Can you retrieve my scores from the other school? The Admissions Office is not responsible for tracking down GRE scores. If you know which school the scores were sent to, it is up to you to contact them and see if they can campus mail them to the GSAS office. My name has changed since taking a required test for admission. What should I do? Please alert the Admissions Office if your name has changed. This would also apply if your name is different on any previous collegiate transcripts. You will need to submit documentation, proving the name change. I asked ETS to send official GRE scores four weeks ago and The Graduate School has not received them yet. What should I do? After you have double-checked with the Admissions Office that your scores have not been received, you should contact ETS to have them resend the scores. Make sure you use the code 3083. I am a foreign student. My TOEFL score is more than two years old, so ETS will not send official scores to you. Will you accept a photocopy? TOEFL scores are only valid for two years and therefore must be taken again after that date. I am a foreign student who attended a Master’s level program in the United States although my undergraduate work was taken at a non-English speaking institution abroad. Because I have a U.S. Master’s degree, will the TOEFL score requirement be waived? TOEFL scores can be waived if the student has studied for two years at an institution where English is the language of instruction. What will happen to my application if I miss the deadline? Applications will be held on file for up to a year before they are cleared out of the system. If I meet the required deadlines, when can I expect to receive a decision? Each department has their own timeline of when decisions are made. Once the Department meets in early January/February and makes a decision, the Admissions Office will send out an official letter within 48 hours of notification. PhD students usually will receive a decision by the middle of March so they can respond by April 15th. Generally speaking, most MA decisions are made before the first of April. |
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