CAS Transfer Student Registration Checklist

1. Create your BU login & email account (skip if you have already created your BU login and email):

This login will not only be your primary method of communication at BU, but also your login for BU portals and many resources. You must activate this account before completing any of the steps below. You will receive an email with instructions to set up your email account after paying your enrollment deposit. If you run into any issues setting up your account, please contact BU IT at ithelp@bu.edu.

2. Sign up for Orientation:

Please sign up for Orientation by July 1st, 2025. If you are trying to register for Orientation after the 7/1 deadline, please email orientation@bu.edu.

3. Set up academic and/or housing accommodations for qualified students with disabilities:

If you are eligible for academic and/or housing accommodations, you should begin working with Disability & Access Services (DAS) as soon as possible. To begin:

• Fill out the DAS New Student Intake Form.
• Submit documentation of your disability. You can email (access@bu.edu), fax (617-353-9646), or drop off a copy in person (25 Buick Street, ste. 300, Boston, MA, 02215).
  • DAS has gone paperless, so any physical copies will be returned to you. Please note that DAS receives faxes by email.
• Schedule an intake appointment with a DAS staff member by calling 617-353-3658.
• For more information, please see the DAS website and their recommendations for those transitioning to college.

 

You will need to complete all of the following requirements in order to earn your Bachelor of Arts from CAS. Please use the links below to further explore these degree requirements. We want you to have a general understanding at this time; don’t worry about trying to memorize every minute detail.

1. A minimum of 128 academic units
2. BU Transfer Hub – The Hub is BU’s general education requirements. As a transfer student, your Hub requirements must be fulfilled with BU coursework, not transfer credit. You are therefore held to the abridged Transfer Hub requirements that are linked above.
3. Language Requirement – CAS requires all students to demonstrate or develop proficiency at or above the fourth-semester level in one language other than English. There are multiple ways to fulfill this requirement, including external credit. 
4. Natural Science Requirement – CAS requires all students entering Fall 2025 and later to complete one natural science course with a lab component. This can be fulfilled through BU coursework, advanced credit (such as AP or IB scores), or transfer credit.
   
5. Major Program Requirements – Use the Academic Bulletin to explore the requirements for the major(s) you are interested in. You can also visit the program or academic department webpage to explore program resources and course recommendations.  Your general education/Hub requirements will be interwoven throughout your coursework at BU; this means your major courses may also fulfill Hub requirements.
   • Use the Major + Hub Guides to gain a better understanding of what courses to take this semester and which Hub requirements you will/won’t complete within your major. (If you are not sure what you’d like to major in, look through the Undeclared Transfer Guide for Registration.)

 

BU offers a variety of specialized courses and academic programming that may be of interest to you. Use the links below to explore these opportunities:

• Pre-Professional Programs: Pre-Health and Pre-Law – Recommended if you are interested in law, dentistry, nursing, medicine, optometry, physician assistant studies, veterinary medicine, or other related health fields.
• Core Program – Join a community of readers, thinkers, creators, and doers through this comprehensive and interdisciplinary curriculum. This is a wonderful opportunity as a new transfer student to meet peers who love books, ideas, and intellectual discussion!
• Transfer First Year Seminar – To get the most from your first year at BU, consider a transfer seminar course centered on developing relationships, skills, and campus knowledge with fellow transfers: HUB FY 101. This course also fulfills a single Hub requirement in Individual In The Community.
• BU Hub Opportunities – In addition to Hub courses, there are several distinct and innovative Hub learning experiences that encourage exploration and allow students to engage with faculty, staff, and students across the University.

 

Interpreting Transfer Course Evaluations

You should have already begun the transfer course evaluation process to determine BU course equivalencies. You can track this transfer evaluation on MyBU Student. To expedite this process, please make sure you have submitted all syllabi and official transcripts with final grades to BU.

Your transfer credit is listed in MyBU Student under MyAcademics. Review the information below to determine the status and/or your next steps regarding your transfer credit:

• If a course’s evaluation decision is marked as T, you received transfer units for it. 
• If the evaluation decision is marked as TX, you did not receive transfer units.
• Your evaluation decision indicates how many Boston University units (aka credits) it is worth and the specific BU course it has been equated to (if applicable).
• Some evaluation decisions may still be pending – these are marked with TP or TS (instead of T or TX). Please use the key below to determine the status of any such courses and next steps you may need to complete:

• Sometimes courses are valid, college-level courses, and up to the standard of our academic departments, but they do not have an exact course match to be equated to. Those courses are given an evaluation of “T” and are then given a generic course number.  
  • For example, a course called “Authors of California” could be evaluated by our English department as appropriate to transfer in, but we don’t offer a course with that subject, so it could be equated to “CAS EN 2TR” which means it’s equivalent to a 200-level English course.
• As your external courses are being evaluated, you can review the Transfer Equivalency Site (TES) for US-based institutions. You can search for your previous institution to see what courses may have been previously evaluated and the potential BU credit.

If you have questions about your evaluations:

• For US-based institutions – you can contact the Credit Evaluation Office at credeval@bu.edu.
• For an institution outside of the US – you can contact International Admissions at intadmis@bu.edu.

External Units through Examination Scores or Dual Enrollment:

You may be entering BU with AP, IB, GCE, or other exam scores, or you may have taken college-level courses while in high school through a dual enrollment program. You can review how this external credit may count towards your degree here.

You must send an official score report to Boston University in order to have your test scores reviewed for BU credit.

• All Advanced Placement (AP) reports should be sent to the Admissions Office directly from CollegeBoard (CEEB code – 3087).
• All international score reports (such as IB, GCE, etc.) should be sent to the International Admissions Office at intadmis@bu.edu. 
• Dual enrollment forms are available through the link above and should be emailed to credeval@bu.edu with an official transcript.

Please note: the information above is to guide you through the initial steps of advanced credit or dual enrollment. You should also work with your academic advisor to determine if and how this may count towards your overall degree and how it may impact your course registration.

 

Once you have read through all the information provided in the steps above, you are ready to register for your four, 4-unit academic courses.

A typical first-semester schedule looks like:

1. Major required course
2. Major required course or Course of interest
3. Language course or Course of interest
4. Hub course
5. Optional add-on: HUB FY 101 First-Year Seminar

In more detail, this means:

• Major required course: Aim for 1-2 major courses this semester. Consider your major requirements and expected external credit as you select these. Directions on how to review your external credit are in Step #4.
• Course of interest: Select a course that interests you – perhaps based on subjects you’ve enjoyed in the past or a new subject you’re excited to try for the first time!
• Language course: If you plan to fulfill this language requirement through coursework at BU, you’ll likely want to take a language course this semester.
  • If you’re new to the language, start with the first-semester level (usually coded as 111 – for example, Spanish 1 is CAS LS 111, Arabic 1 is CAS LY 111, etc.). 
  • If you have previously studied the language, take a placement test to determine what level to start with (for instance, CAS LS 112 Spanish 2, CAS LY 211 Arabic 3, CAS LK 212 Korean 4, etc.). Please review the CAS Language Requirement page for detailed information about placement tests and appropriate levels.
  • If you’ll fulfill the language requirement through transfer credit, advanced credit (such as AP/IB scores), or through native proficiency of another language, you have fulfilled your language requirement and can instead take a course of interest (as seen below). 
• Hub course: When selecting Hub courses or other electives outside your major, focus on what subjects interest you – perhaps based on classes you’ve enjoyed in the past or a new subject you’re excited to try for the first time! 
  • If you’re not sure where to start, you can review our registration instructions for tips on browsing by topic or Hub requirement.

We encourage you to register as soon as you are able. Be sure to keep the following in mind:

• Four, 4-unit courses is the standard course load for each semester in CAS.
• Utilize the Major + Hub Guides to gain a better understanding of which courses to take this semester and which Hub requirements you will/won’t complete within your major.
• Remember, course registration is an ongoing process – once you’ve selected classes, an advisor will review your schedule to make sure it meets your needs and goals. You may also continue to add and revise your schedule between now and the beginning of the semester.

Ready to register?  Let’s go – click here!