Frequently Asked Questions

Got questions? Chances are you’re not alone.  You’re beginning the process of transitioning to a new place and it can get complicated.  But we’re here to help.  If you don’t see your question here, Contact us!

If you have questions on acronyms and college jargon, please see the Newbury Center’s Glossary of Terms.

Course Questions

Yes, but please let your advisor know what changes you’d like to make.  The registration system will allow you to make changes (into open courses) into the beginning of the semester.  You can add, drop, or change FY101 sections without letting your advisor know.

Students entering Questrom must receive a grade of C or better in the following courses:  SM131, AC221, EC101, MA121 or MA123, and WR120. Of these five courses, one grade can be a C-. Boston University policy also requires you maintain a cumulative GPA above 2.0 and that you earn no more than 16 credits with the grade of D.

Students must also receive grade of C- or better in all Questrom required courses and in any courses applied towards a declared concentration.

Absolutely!  In your first semester, you’re only able to take one four-credit course in Questrom–SM131.  All your other courses will be in other schools and colleges at Boston University, mostly in the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS).

MA121 is calculus for people who are not interested in continuing with calculus.  We recommend MA121 for the vast majority of Questrom students. MA123 is a pure calculus course designed for students who wish to continue in STEM coursework.

Beginning in Fall 2020, MA121 will carry the following hub units: Critical Thinking, Quantitative Reasoning II, and Social Inquiry II.  MA123 only carries Critical Thinking and Quantitative Reasoning II.

FY101 is an optional one-unit first year experience course that serves as a semester-long introduction to BU and college life. Each section is taught in combination by a BU staff member and a student peer mentor.  Look for one of the Questrom-specific sections: CAS FY101 sections Q2 or Q4

A PDP is an optional recreational class, which is offered through FitRec, at no additional cost.   You are welcome to add one or two to your course schedule! For more information check the Department of Physical Education Recreation and Dance site. 

AP credit is college credit earned before you matriculate and may be applied toward your degree requirements. Most programs at Boston University award credit for test scores of 4 or 5.  Some AP courses carry hub units and some don’t. Some AP courses, like macroeconomics, microeconomics, calculus, and statistics can meet requirements that you need for your degree. You can find the AP credit guide here.

If you don’t have your scores for your advanced credit exam, please be optimistic but realistic.  If you feel like you may have earned a 4 or 5 on the exam, I recommend that you not register for a similar course at BU.  There is no need to repeat a course you earned AP credit for.  It is much easier to pick out an elective you like, that fits in your schedule, that has hub units you need, and that has seats available and later drop it in favor of calculus (for example) than it is to register for calculus now and then need to scramble for an elective later.

Not really, no.  If you retake a course you earned AP or IB credit for, you forfeit those credits and the flexibility they give you in your schedule.  If you think you’d like to retake a course, please talk to an advisor first so we can explain why that’s not your best choice.

If you believe that you should receive credit for a Dual Enrollment class, please download this form and follow the instructions on it. You should do this as soon as possible as it might affect the courses that you take during your first year.

Yes, but there are some limitations.  Students cannot take more than specific business courses outside of BU once you matriculate and any liberal arts courses you take will not carry any hub units.  Taking a course outside of BU can be a great way to make up units towards the required 132 unit minimum, or taking courses towards a minor.

Students should be enrolled in 16 to 18 units, including ES110 if required, and an optional course like FY101.

Your tuition covers up to 18 units per semester, though a standard course load is 16 units (four 4-unit courses).  During your senior year, your tuition covers up to 20 units.  Students with a cumulative GPA of 3.00 or higher can register for up to 20 units without accompanying charges. They must submit the Tuition Waiver for Credit Overload form to obtain overload approval.

Getting help: Academic Advising

The UDC is the Undergraduate Development Center; it’s your homebase at Questrom, where your academic advisors are, and where you can go to ask questions if you’re not sure where to look.  We’re located in suite 102, the first glass-fronted office to the right as you walk into the Hariri Building at 595 Commonwealth Avenue.  You can also check out our website at questromworld.bu.edu/udc.

There are three ways to get in touch with UDC advisors once the fall semester begins. The first is coming to drop-in hours. Drop-ins are designed for quick questions and last 15 minutes or less. On the academics side, you can use a drop-in to get help with choosing classes, degree requirements, concerns about academic performance, and any other personal or adjustment topics you want to talk about. On the career side, drop-ins can help with resume/cover letter review, interview prep, and LinkedIn profile reviews. You can learn more about the Feld Center for Career & Alumni Engagement here.

You can also schedule an appointment with your academic advisor. Scheduled appointments are 30 minutes in length and are designed for those longer, more in depth conversations about your long term plans or concerns about how you’re doing in class, among other things.

Finally, you can always reach out to your advisor via email. You can find your advisor’s email here. 

Right now, Liz (lkatz@bu.edu) is your contact at the UDC for all things Orientation.  You can find your assigned advisors on the “Academics” tab on myBU, and you will be hearing from them over the summer.  One of the listed advisors is your academic advisor and the other, Lucie Levine, is your First-Year Success advisor.  Once classes start, you’re welcome to meet any of the professional academic advisors in the UDC based on our individual specialty areas, whoever is available next, or who you are assigned to on myBU.  While you have an assigned advisor you are not required to meet with that person.  We’re all available to help!

You can talk with your academic advisor about:

  • Course planning
  • Degree requirements
  • Concentration choices
  • Concerns about academic performance
  • Study abroad options
  • Adjustment and personal issues
  • Any other issues you may have

I love your enthusiasm!  You can start full four-year planning in the fall, once you’re settled in your classes.  You should plan to take your first set of exams before you come into the UDC for a full planning meeting.  October is usually a good time.

You can meet with a career advisor beginning in September, but please come prepared with specific questions.  Career advisors are here to support your search and career exploration, but it’s a personal process that you’re in charge of!

Career Advisors partner with you so that you are self-aware and market-ready as you take on your career path, offering a variety of services to support you in your internship and job searches.  Some of the services offer include:

  • Connecting concentrations to careers
  • Internship and job search support
  • Resume and cover letter critiques
  • Interview preparation and salary negotiation advice
  • Networking advice

The Hub

The BU Hub is Boston University’s university-wide general education program integrated throughout the undergraduate curriculum.  Students will take Hub courses throughout all four years of their undergraduate study. Students can explore a variety of courses and innovative learning experiences while developing six essential capacities and fulfilling Hub requirements.

There are a few ways to search for hub units:

The Hub website has a ton of great information including its own FAQ page.

Most of them!  The courses you are required to take as a part of your Questrom major cover all but the following units:

  • Philosophical Inquiry & Life’s Meaning
  • Aesthetic Exploration
  • Historical Consciousness
  • Scientific Inquiry I
  • Individual in Community
  • Writing Intensive Course

Some units are covered by CAS gateway courses taken at BU (MA121, EC101 and EC102), but not by their AP or IB equivalents.  If you have the following advanced placement credits, you will need to meet the corresponding hub units another way:

  • AP Calculus/IB Mathematics: Social Inquiry II, Critical Thinking
  • AP Macroeconomics: Global Citizenship/Intercultural Literacy
  • AP Microeconomics: Critical Thinking
  • IB Economics: Global Citizenship/Intercultural Literacy, Critical Thinking

Registration Mechanics

Registration for incoming first year students will begin on June 24th 9:00 AM EST.   

Your shopping cart and schedule builder are the places where you can add a ton of sections and see how they fit together, but adding a course to  these doesn’t reserve your seat in the course.  You have to officially register for a course in order to guarantee a space for yourself. 

Different courses have different structures.  Some courses have a lecture and a separate discussion time, while other courses have just one, independent time.  If your course has the lecture/discussion model, make sure you register for all components.

If you’d like to swap sections of a course (i.e. WR120 D4 to A7), you can do so in myBU under the Academics Enrollment tab. This feature will also help you identify the courses that are open and that fit in your current schedule.  This option doesn’t work if you’re trying to switch courses (i.e. WR120 E3 to MA121 AA).

Most CAS courses are open-enrollment, which means if you see a seat on myBU, you can register for it.  Sometimes it may appear that there are seats available but they are restricted to certain populations of students.  If there are no seats available for you, please pick an alternative option.

If you’re really set on a course that’s full, you can try to use the Add/Drop period during the first two weeks of the fall and spring semesters. During this period, you can use an Add/Drop form to get into a class if you were previously unable to because the class was full.  Just print the form, fill out the top section with your information, and ask the professor of the section you hope to add to sign you into a course.  Bring the signed form to the corresponding school or deparment. For example, if you would like to add a Philosophy course you must go to the Philosophy Department. The Add period typically ends after the second week of classes, but you can always check the weekly UDC Snapshot for the dates. The dates to drop classes will be listed in the course details when you look at your schedule. Remember that if you can’t get the course this fall, you’ll have seven other semesters to take it!

The Permission Number designation on myBU means that the class is restricted for some BU students.  If you are able to add a course to your schedule builder or shopping cart, you’ll be able to register for it on a space available basis.

The building address is listed in the course description so you are able to use Google Maps to see the distance between your classes.

Boston University Orientation

Yes. University Orientation is required for all incoming students. 

International Students

If you’re an international student, the system prohibits you from dropping below 12 units once you begin to register.  If you’d like to drop a course that would take you below 12 units, add an additional one before you drop.

ALL students who submit English language proficiency scores (IBT, IELTS, or TOEFL) are required to take the writing placement test regardless of previous study (including English-speaking schools), primary language, resident status, or how well they scored on those tests; even if they submitted the test results voluntarily and were not required by Admissions to submit them.

The Writing Program does not use standardized test or High School grades (including IB or AP scores) for placement in the Writing Program courses: these are just for admission purposes, as they reflect pre-college standards. Students with AP English Language and Composition test scores of 4 or 5 are eligible for elective credit, but are not exempt from the writing placement test or WR120.

If you don’t agree with your placement, remember that your placement isn’t a punishment; it’s designed to make sure you end up in a writing course at a level that will enable you to succeed in all your coursework at BU.  If you’re still concerned, you can schedule a consultation via the placement website.

Yes! BU accepts credit for the following international exams:

  • International Baccalaureate Examinations
  • GCE Advanced-Level Examinations
  • French Baccalaureate Examinations
  • German Abitur Examinations
  • Italian Maturita Examinations
  • Swiss Maturity Examinations

You can learn more about this here.

More information for special populations

Ascend Fellows foster their personal and professional growth through engagement with inclusive leadership skills, financial education, and identity-specific career exploration. Foundational to the program are conversations centered on race, class, and how professionals from historically underinvested communities navigate business.

Established in 2017, Ascend is the flagship program at Questrom’s Center for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Dedicated to serving all members of Questrom’s student communities, the Center for DEI offers ongoing diversity education, identity-conscious programs, community-building initiatives, and equity-focused solutions. All students are welcome. Current Ascend Fellows come from diverse backgrounds, including students who identify as first-generation, low income, immigrant, and of all racial backgrounds.

Here’s the application to join the 2025-2026 Ascend Cohort! https://tinyurl.com/ycxbzmr2! Priority will be given to those who apply by June 15.
If you have any questions about the program or application process, please reach out to Cecilia Yudin, Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, at cyudin@bu.edu.

Kilachand Honors College students will register for their CAS, Questrom, and Kilachand courses together. Please visit the Kilachand website for information about your first-semester Kilachand requirements and how your Kilachand coursework can be your pathway through the BU Hub.

You should plan to take CAS CH101 in your first semester for sequencing reasons.  You should also attend a pre-med information session, which are typically offered as a part of the continuing conversations series through Orientation.  Let Liz know if you have any questions.

Visit the pre-medical pathways website for more information.

There aren’t specific pre-law requirements or a designated track.  But you may want to be in touch with the Pre-Professional Advising Office for suggestions and help navigating the pre-law landscape.