First-year applicants

A business education at Bentley is more than just a degree. Our students come from a variety of experiences, backgrounds, and cultures — aspects that are important to a rich educational experience and your success in college and beyond. There’s no better place to start your college adventure.

Apply online as a first-year student

Test Optional Policy Extended through 2025

The standardized test score requirement for first-year and transfer students remains optional through 2025. This applies to both domestic and international applicants applying for admission for spring 2025 and fall 2025. You may choose to submit standardized test scores if you want them to be considered in the review for admission and scholarship programs. However, if you are not able to submit test scores, or choose not to, your application will not be disadvantaged. Test scores have always been just one of several factors taken into consideration in the admission decision. Your secondary school curriculum and the grades you earn carry more weight in the admission review process as they represent your achievements over a sustained period of time.

If you are a non-native English speaker, you are still required to demonstrate English language proficiency through your results of the TOEFL, IELTS, Cambridge English Assessment, Michigan English Test (MET) or Duolingo exam; all of which offer online testing.

Key application deadlines

Early Decision I and Early Decision II are both binding programs, where you'll receive an earlier admission decision and be required to withdraw applications to all other colleges if you are admitted to Bentley. By signing the Early Decision Agreement, you are committing to enroll at Bentley and paying the enrollment deposit by the deadline given. (Please note that if you apply for need-based financial aid and your aid package does not make Bentley affordable, you may request a release from the Early Decision Agreement).

A few notes about applying Early Decision (ED):

• You will be evaluated for eligibility for an academic scholarship through the admission process. There is no separate application.
• If you are a U.S. citizen or permanent resident of the U.S. and you apply for financial aid, you will receive a financial aid decision prior to the deposit deadline, provided your financial aid application was submitted on time.
• If you are an international applicant (not a U.S. citizen or permanent resident of the United States), you must submit the Visa Information and Certification of Financial Resources (VICFR) Form to complete your application to Bentley University. This form can be found in your BentleyConnect account.
• Please inform your school counselor that you are applying Early Decision to Bentley so that we receive your transcript and recommendations by the deadlines. Your school counselor will also need to sign your Early Decision Agreement.

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

  Exam Type	Preferred Overall Score	Sub Score Minimum Requirement
  TOEFL Internet-based	90	20
  TOEFL Essentials	10	Reading: 10 Writing: 10 Listening: 9.5 Speaking: 9
  IELTS	7	6.5
  Duolingo	120-130	Literacy (reading and writing) = 120; Conversation (listening and speaking) = 115; Comprehension (reading and listening) = 125; Production (writing and speaking) = 100
  Cambridge English C1 or C2	C1	-
  Michigan English Test (MET) 4-skill	C1	-

  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.