In an effort to reduce financial barriers to attending graduate school, the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GRS) offers application fee waivers to qualifying applicants.
If the application fee waiver request is for a PhD or MFA program, please visit the PhD & MFA Application Fee Waiver page.
If you are inquiring about an application fee waiver for a program not offered by GRS , please consult Boston University’s Graduate Education page for contact information.
To apply for a fee waiver for a Master’s program, please review your eligibility and fill out the form below. Once the information submitted is reviewed and verified (which may take up to five business days), we will provide a fee waiver code via email.
All requests must be received at least five business days prior to the application deadline. You must follow the instructions within the email in order to submit your application. Do not submit your application with a payment, as paid application fees cannot be refunded. Non-degree applicants are ineligible for application fee waivers.
We are pleased to offer application fee waivers to those who have participated in the following qualified programs, events, and fellowships. You will need to provide documentation of your participation or affiliation with your request.
*Current participant or recent alumni (within the last two years)
Participation in a program not listed above may still qualify you for an application fee waiver, provided it meets the following criteria:
Included in this group are domestic ( citizens of the United States, including permanent residents) first-generation students (where neither parent(s) nor grandparent(s) have obtained a four-year degree).
You will need to provide a current copy of your resume and a brief statement supporting your request.
*Included in this group are women-identified individuals and/or persons assigned female at birth (AFAB) who are applying to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) programs, which include Artificial Intelligence, Biology, Biostatistics, Chemistry, Computer Science, Energy & Environment, Remote Sensing & Geospatial Sciences and Statistical Practice), or Economics.
You will need to provide a current copy of your resume and a brief statement supporting your request.
Domestic applicants ( citizens of the United States, including permanent residents) with documented financial hardship will be required to provide supporting documentation for one of the following, along with a brief 100-250 words explanation:
Please do not send copies of tax returns, bank statements, or any document that contains your social security number.
If you are applying through an outside fellowship organization, you will need to provide documentation of your participation (current, or within the past two years) with your request.
Eligible outside organizations include:
Current students and alumni of a US institution:
Included in this group are U.S. military veterans with Honorable Discharges or those who are on active duty in U.S. Armed Forces.
If you do not meet the criteria to request a standard fee waiver above, you may request a fee waiver under extenuating circumstances.
The Graduate School of Arts & Sciences will consider a waiver of the application fee for applicants who are currently experiencing a personal hardship, or other circumstances that make paying the application fee unduly onerous. You will need to provide a brief statement supporting your request, and upload additional documentation, such as letters from your university or other financial documents to support your petition.
Please do not send copies of tax returns, bank statements, or any document that contains your social security number or other sensitive data.