First-year applicants

What you'll need to apply 

Required of all students:

• Application form with a $75 fee. Complete the Common Application* (you'll need to create an account to get started). If you have financial hardship, you can request your high school counselor to submit the College Board Fee Waiver on your behalf. *If you are a home-schooled student, use code 970000 for the secondary school block on the Common Application. 
• Official high school transcript or GED score report. Transcripts are considered official only when they are received directly from your school. Self-submitted transcripts are considered unofficial. We require an official transcript from all high schools you have attended, including your most recent grades at the time of your application. It's very important that you have your current school send us your grades from the first marking period of your senior year as soon as they are available. Once mid-year grades are released, be sure that your school sends these to us directly as well. Transcripts written in a language other than English must be accompanied by an officially translated English version and submitted by an outside organization or school official.
• College essay. You can choose from any of the topics listed in the application.
• Senior Grades. Senior grades are an important factor in our admission decision. We will not release a decision without having some indication of your academic performance from senior year; examples include, but are not limited to, first quarter, first semester or first trimester grades. If you are an International Baccalaureate or A-Level candidate, we will consider your predicted grades in the admission process. If your school does not provide senior grades prior to our notification date, please contact our office. Keep in mind, your guidance office may not automatically send your grades, so we recommend that you confirm submission with your guidance counselor.
• Two letters of recommendation. You should submit one recommendation letter from your counselor and one from a teacher who can speak to your strengths and talents. You can have them mailed or fax directly to us or submit them through Common Application.
• Standardized test scores. We have temporarily suspended the standardized test score requirement through fall 2025. If you have elected to take a standardized test and would like to share the results, official test scores may be submitted in one of the following ways: 
  • Submitted directly from the testing agency (SAT code: 3096; ACT code: 1783)
  • Included on the secondary school transcript
  • Sent directly by the student's school/college counselor or CBO advisor to ugadmission@bentley.edu or fax +1-781-891-3414
• Applicants from Puerto Rico: At Bentley University, we consider the Academic Aptitude Test (PAA) scores in the application review process. We encourage you to include self-reported scores of the PAA on the Common Application, regardless of whether or not you are submitting a standardized test score from SAT or ACT.
• Self-reported standardized test scores. We accept self-reported SAT and/or ACT scores as part of the application for admission. Students can submit self-reported test scores by entering their scores on the testing section of the Common Application and sending a copy or screenshot of the score report by email or fax +1(781)-891-3414. Enrolled students must send an official score report by June 1. Note: When self-reporting your scores, please do not re-calculate or superscore results. We encourage you to submit all scores from each of your test administrations and we will superscore results where appropriate. Any discrepancy from self-reported and official test scores may jeopardize your admission decision.
• Homeschool Applicants. In addition to all items required of first-year applicants, homeschool students must also submit a school report from their homeschool instructor and transcripts of all secondary schools attended, including non-homeschool options. Transcripts written in a language other than English must be accompanied by an officially translated English version and submitted by an outside organization or school official.  If any college courses have been completed, please request an official transcript from the college. We will not take college credits from the high school transcript. Homeschool high school transcripts should be organized by year of completion, credit system (ex. semester, trimester, quarter or full year) and should include level of study (ex. college prep, honors, advanced or Advanced Placement) and a grading scale. In order to matriculate, homeschool will need to meet the guidelines of their local district to be considered a high school graduate. This can be done by providing a final transcript from an accredited homeschool association; a letter from the superintendent or similar local school district official, confirming that the student has fulfilled the graduation requirements of that district; qualifying results from a high school equivalency examination via the G.E.D. or the HiSET Exam; or any high school diploma recognized by your state.
• English proficiency test. If English is not your first language, you will also need to submit official results from one of the following: Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), International English Language Testing System (IELTS), Duolingo, Cambridge English Assessment or Michigan English Test (MET). The preferred overall score and required minimum sub scores are noted below:

We do not accept self-reported English Language Proficiency exam scores, nor do we super score results.

Waiver Policy: The English Language Proficiency exam requirement can be waived if you meet one of the following criteria:

• Earned a score of 650 or higher on the SAT Evidenced-Based Reading and Writing section (Official exam score must be submitted)
• Earned an ACT reading and English score of 29 or higher (Official exam score must be submitted)
• You have been attending school in the U.S. (this excludes U.S. territories) for six or more years and have not been enrolled in an English as a Second Language program for a minimum of six years.
• Students enrolled in English courses in the IB, AP or A-Level curricula will be considered for an automatic waiver. Learn more about the specific waiver approval process for English courses.

Send your standardized test score results to Bentley directly from the testing agency or have them communicated by a secondary school official by email. If you are submitting a TOEFL score, use 3096 on your application materials.

In addition to submitting the above, international applicants who are admitted and elect to enroll will be required to submit the Visa Information and Certificate of Financial Resources Form for an I-20 to be issued.

Bentley encourages students to contact EducationUSA which helps international students prepare to come to the U.S., including preparation for visa interviews.

Additional information about your application

What we look for on your transcript

To have a solid foundation for Bentley’s curriculum, you will have taken the following curriculum prior to your high school graduation: Four years of English, four years of Mathematics (including pre-calculus), three years of Lab Science, three years of History/Social Science and three years of a foreign language. Not having taken the curriculum above does not necessarily preclude you from admission. There are exceptions to these requirements. For example, although we like to see pre-calculus on your transcript, there are some majors at Bentley that do not require a pre-calculus foundation. We will also take into account what your school requires for graduation, particularly with the foreign language requirement. 

Application Status

Once you have submitted your application, we'll send you an ID number for BentleyConnect, our online portal, which you can use to check the status of your application.

Advanced Standing Credit

You may be able to accelerate your degree if you have earned advanced standing credit through a number of different options. Incoming first-year students may be able to transfer up to 30 credits. More details on the Advanced Standing Credit policies are available here.

Advanced Placement (AP) Exams

If you enroll in an AP class in high school and take the official AP exam, we may award college credit for AP scores of 4 or 5 in most subjects other than AP Precalculus, AP Research, and AP Seminar. Official score reports must be received directly from the College Board. A list of AP equivalencies approved for credit at Bentley can be found here.

International Baccalaureate (IB) Exams

Credit may be awarded for International Baccalaureate (IB) higher-level subjects when a score of 5 or better is earned on the official exam. Exam results must be received directly from the International Baccalaureate Organization. We do not award credit for Business or Management courses/exams. 

College Credit

College courses taken at another college will be considered for credit under typical transfer credit guidelines. Please note that business courses taken in this context may not transfer due to our unique interdisciplinary general business core curriculum.

College courses taken at a high school or a location other than a college campus will not be considered for advanced standing credit.

Additional Examinations

If you are completing other curricula, you may be eligible to receive advanced standing credit depending on your official examination results, course syllabi, and subjects taken. Credit may be awarded for the following programs (this list may not be exhaustive):

Please note: College credit will not be given for CLEP/Excelsior (Credit by Exam or Prior Learning) exams.

January Acceptance

Our goal is to admit students to Bentley who will succeed here. However, each year we have more qualified students apply than we can admit. As a result, we may offer you admission to the January start term as an alternate pathway to enrollment at Bentley. You will be notified if you are admitted to the January start term in mid-March via BentleyConnect, followed by a notification in the mail. To accept this offer of admission, you must submit your enrollment deposit by May 1.