Colleges Attended

Requirements

  • Report all institutions attended regardless of their relevance to the programs you are applying to. Report all institutions attended, including but not limited to:
    • courses taken in high school for college or university credit
    • summer courses
    • community college courses
    • US military academies (note that this does not include courses on SMART or JST transcripts)
    • post-baccalaureate, graduate, and doctoral work
    • study abroad, Canadian, and foreign work, etc.
  • List all institutions on your application even if the coursework completed there was transferred to another institution.
  • Report each institution only once, regardless of the number of degrees earned or gaps in the dates of attendance.

Adding a College or University

  1. Click Add a College or University.
  2. Type and select your college or university. It may take several tries to find your school, especially if it shares its name with others or could be spelled differently. For example, if you attended "Saint John's University," you may need to try "Saint John," "St. John," or "St John" (no period) to bring the school up on the list. If you exhausted all options and it does not appear, select Can't find your school?
    • If you select Unlisted French Speaking Canadian Institution or Other Foreign Institution, select the school's country from the drop-down.
  3. Select if you obtained (or plan to obtain) a degree from the selected institution.
    • If you earned or plan to earn a degree, provide details about the earned or expected degree.
    • If you have a double major, select the checkbox to enter your second major. Note that you can only enter one minor.
    • Click Add another Degree to add additional degrees for this same college or university.
  4. Select your college's or university's term system. You can usually find this on the back of your official transcripts, or you can contact your college's registrar.
    • Term system refers to the type of hours your credits are worth, not the length of the term or how many terms a year your college or university offered.
    • If your transcript lists some courses as quarter and others as semester, enter the term type that is most common (i.e., if you have six quarter terms and two semester terms, enter quarter).
  5. Select if you are still attending your institution. Enter dates of the first and last (if applicable) terms you attended. Be sure to only enter each college or university you attended once, regardless of gaps in your attendance there.
  6. Click Save to complete the entry.

Transcript Requirements

On-campus Boston Programs

You are required to upload unofficial transcripts. Once you enter a college or university, upload any associated transcripts using the Upload Transcript button. If offered admission, you are required to provide an official transcript directly to BU College of Fine Arts. Your official transcript will then be verified against the transcript you uploaded to your application. Any falsified transcripts provided through the application upload is a violation of Boston University’s Certification and Authentication statement.

Important Note: do not mail of email transcripts.

Transcripts From Foreign Colleges or Universities

International transcripts should be official as issued from the college or university, be translated into English (if applicable), and carry the appropriate university seal(s).

BU College of Fine Arts also accepts World Education Services (WES) evaluations in lieu of transcripts. Contact our Admissions Team for more information.

Online Masters and Certificate Programs

Online programs require electronic transcripts to be sent directly from your registrar’s office to cfaapply@bu.edu. If electronic transcripts are not available, request that your college or university mail your official transcript in a sealed and stamped envelope directly to: BU College of Fine Arts, Online Programs – Admissions, 855 Commonwealth Ave, Room 230, Boston, MA 02215. Contact our online programs Admission Team (617-358-1122 or cfaapply@bu.edu) for more information.

Online Doctor of Musical Arts in Music Education Program

You are required to upload unofficial transcripts. Once you enter a college or university, upload any associated transcripts using the Upload Transcript button. If offered admission, you are required to provide an official transcript directly to BU College of Fine Arts. Your official transcript will then be verified against the transcript you uploaded to your application. Any falsified transcripts provided through the application upload is a violation of Boston University’s Certification and Authentication statement.