StudyDesk Scholarships
About the scholarship
The Boston University Presidential Scholarship is the university’s flagship merit award for incoming first-year undergraduates: half of undergraduate tuition per year. It is open to US citizens, US permanent residents and international students of all nationalities, and it is awarded on exceptional academic achievement plus leadership, talent, initiative and creativity beyond the classroom, and impact in school and community. It is a partial award — it does not cover housing, meals or other costs — and it is renewable for up to four years of undergraduate study, per third-party sources (Boston University’s page does not state duration explicitly).
The process could hardly be simpler: there is no separate scholarship application, essay or form. You apply for first-year admission to Boston University, submit the complete application and all supporting credentials by December 1, and you are automatically considered. Successful applicants are notified of the award with their admission decision.
Eligibility
- Incoming first-year undergraduate students at Boston University.
- Open to US citizens, US permanent residents, and international students (all nationalities).
- Exceptional academic achievement, plus leadership, talent, initiative and creativity beyond the classroom and impact in school and community.
- Third-party sites report typical profiles of the top 5% of the high-school class and SAT above 1500 / ACT above 33 — these are not published by Boston University as requirements, so treat them only as reported typical profiles, not cut-offs; Boston University states test scores are not required.
Benefits
- Half of undergraduate tuition per year for incoming first-year students.
- Renewable for up to four years of undergraduate study (per third-party sources; Boston University’s page does not state duration explicitly).
- No separate scholarship application — automatic consideration on the admission application.
- Open to US and international students alike.
Documents to prepare
- These are the first-year admission application documents; no separate scholarship form exists.
- The Common Application (or Coalition Application).
- Secondary school records/transcripts and senior-year grades.
- A counsellor recommendation and School Report Form, and a teacher evaluation/recommendation.
- English proficiency test results (TOEFL/IELTS) where required.
- For international applicants: a copy of the passport data page and documentation of financial support.
- Standardised test scores (SAT/ACT) if submitted — optional.
How to apply
- Apply for first-year undergraduate admission to Boston University via the Common Application (or Coalition Application).
- Submit the complete admission application and all supporting credentials by December 1.
- No separate scholarship application, essay or form is required — all applicants who apply by December 1 are automatically considered.
- Successful applicants are notified of the award with their admission decision.
FAQs
December 1 — Boston University publishes only "December 1", with no year attached. Third-party pages list 1 December 2026, which corresponds to Fall 2027 entry; for Fall 2026 entry the deadline was 1 December 2025 and has passed. This article frames the deadline as 1 December 2026 for the Fall 2027 entering class.
Half of undergraduate tuition per year. The "$25,000 per academic year" figure repeated by Bright Scholarship and other aggregators is the pre-Fall 2026 value and is superseded by Boston University’s current half-tuition figure. It is renewable for up to four years of undergraduate study, per third-party sources.
No. It covers half of undergraduate tuition only — it does not cover housing, meals or other costs.
No. There is no separate scholarship application, essay or form. You apply for first-year undergraduate admission by December 1 and are automatically considered; winners are notified with their admission decision.
Incoming first-year undergraduate students at Boston University — US citizens, US permanent residents and international students of all nationalities — with exceptional academic achievement plus leadership, talent, initiative and creativity beyond the classroom.
Boston University publishes no score cut-off and states test scores are not required. Third-party sites report typical profiles of SAT above 1500 / ACT above 33 and the top 5% of the high-school class — treat those only as reported typical profiles, not requirements.
Successful applicants are notified of the award with their admission decision.
Yes. The scholarship is open to US citizens, US permanent residents and international students of all nationalities.
Verified 28 Oct 2026 against Boston University's own merit-scholarships page (bu.edu/admissions/tuition-aid/scholarships-financial-aid/first-year-merit/, verified by direct fetch 28 Oct 2026 — confirms half tuition, December 1 deadline, eligibility, no separate application) and corroborated by Bright Scholarship (confirms the Dec 1 date and document list, but its USD 25,000 award figure is outdated): award — half of undergraduate tuition per year for incoming first-year students, effective for students entering Fall 2026 per BU's official page; renewable for up to four years of undergraduate study per third-party sources (BU's page does not state duration explicitly); not fully funded — does not cover housing, meals or other costs; eligibility — incoming first-year undergraduates, open to US citizens, US permanent residents and international students (all nationalities), exceptional academic achievement plus leadership, talent, initiative and creativity beyond the classroom and impact in school/community; documents are the first-year admission application documents (Common Application or Coalition Application, secondary school records/transcripts and senior-year grades, counsellor recommendation and School Report Form, teacher evaluation/recommendation, English proficiency test results where required, passport data page copy and documentation of financial support for international applicants, standardised test scores if submitted — optional); process — apply for first-year admission, submit the complete application and all supporting credentials by December 1, no separate scholarship application/essay/form, all applicants who apply by December 1 are automatically considered, winners notified with their admission decision. CONFLICTS: (1) The USD 25,000 per academic year figure repeated by Bright Scholarship and other aggregators is the pre-Fall 2026 value and is superseded by BU's current half-tuition figure — the article uses half tuition only. (2) Deadline year — BU publishes only "December 1" with no year attached; for Fall 2026 entry the deadline was 1 December 2025 (passed), so the article frames the live deadline as 1 December 2026 for the Fall 2027 entering class, with the caveat stated. (3) Typical profiles reported by third-party sites (top 5% of high-school class, SAT above 1500 / ACT above 33) are NOT published by BU as requirements — the article presents them only as reported typical profiles, and notes BU states test scores are not required.
