How to Apply to Business at Bentley University: A Business-Focused University With 18 Business Majors, and Requirements and Timelines for Chinese and Canadian High School Students and Transfer Students

Bentley University, in Waltham, Massachusetts, near Boston, is a business-focused university that combines business with the arts and sciences. Here is what you need to know for 2027 entry, based on Bentley’s official information, for students at high schools in China (including A-level, IB and AP students), students at Canadian high schools (including BC and Vancouver students), and transfer students.

1. The university and curriculum

• Business focus: every first-year student takes five foundation courses: the Falcon Discovery Seminar, Critical Reading & Writing, Multimodal Communications, Solving Business Problems with Information Technology, and Mathematics (several options).
• Business core: all students take Financial Reporting and Analysis, Business Law, Introduction to Finance, Microeconomics, Human Dynamics in Organizations and Business Statistics; business majors also take Business Processes & Systems and Strategic Management.
• Arts and sciences: one course in each of six areas: Institutions and Power; Values, Ethics and Society; Scientific Inquiry; Race, Gender and Inequality; Culture, Change and Behavior; and Globalization.
• 18 business majors: Accounting, Artificial Intelligence for Innovation, Business Economics, Business Law, Computer Information Systems, Corporate Finance and Accounting, Creative Industries, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Economics-Finance, Experience Design, Finance, Finance and Technology, Information Technology in Accounting, Management, Marketing, Professional Sales, Public Relations and Quantitative Economics. Bentley marks several (such as Computer Information Systems, Finance and Technology and Quantitative Economics) as STEM-eligible CIP codes.
• Arts and sciences majors and combinations: majors such as Actuarial Science, Data Analytics, Psychology, Public Policy and Sustainability can be combined with business majors, and a Business Administration major can be added with a few extra courses. There are also the International Business Program, the Honors Program and accelerated graduate study.
• When to declare: the admission and program pages do not say whether you choose a major on the application or when you declare; ask ugadmission@bentley.edu.
• International students: Bentley says international students make up about 16% of the student body, from nearly 100 countries.

2. Deadlines and materials (2027 entry)

• Early Decision I (binding): apply by 15 November, materials by 2 December, decision in late December, deposit by 20 January.
• Early Decision II (binding): apply by 15 January, materials by 26 January, decision in early February.
• Regular Decision: apply by 15 January, materials by 11 February, decision in late March, deposit by 1 May.
• Spring 2027 entry: apply by 1 November (2026), decision in late November.
• Materials: Common App or Coalition App with a US$75 fee; official high school transcripts including senior first-marking-period grades (with official translations if not in English); a college essay; one counselor and one teacher recommendation. After submitting, you may answer up to three optional 250-word questions and an optional video question in BentleyConnect.
• Testing: the SAT/ACT requirement is suspended through fall 2027; applying without scores is not a disadvantage.
• Financial documents: international applicants submit bank statements and sponsorship forms.

3. Students at high schools in China

• Gaokao: Bentley does not say how Gaokao results are used; email ugadmission@bentley.edu before applying.
• A-level and IB: Bentley considers predicted grades for IB and A-level candidates.
• English: non-native speakers submit a test taken within two years. Bentley lists preferred overall scores and minimum sub-scores:
  • TOEFL iBT: from 21 January 2026, 4.5 preferred with 4.5 minimum sub-scores; earlier tests, 90 preferred with 20 minimum sub-scores;
  • IELTS 6.5; Duolingo 120–130 (Literacy 120, Conversation 115, Comprehension 125, Production 100); Cambridge English C1; Michigan English Test C1.
• Waivers: SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing 650+ or ACT Reading and English 29+ (official scores), or English courses in the IB, AP or A-level curricula, which are considered for an automatic waiver. Self-reported English scores are not accepted and results are not superscored.
• Credit: AP scores of 4 or 5 earn credit in most subjects (not AP Precalculus, Research or Seminar); IB HL 5+ in most subjects except Business and Management; A-levels at C or better. Up to 30 credits earned before high school graduation.

4. Students at Canadian high schools (including BC and Vancouver)

• Apply as a first-year with the same materials and deadlines; Bentley publishes no grade requirements for Canadian provincial curricula.
• Non-native English speakers also need an English test or one of the waivers above; the four-year schooling waiver applies to schools in the US only, so ask admissions about Canada.
• For credit, Bentley lists only Quebec’s two-year CEGEP.

5. Costs and aid

• 2026-27 first-year cost: tuition and fees US$65,860, housing and food $22,010, books about $1,200, personal expenses about $1,550, new student fee $250 and student activity fee $520; international students add a $230 international student fee and $2,650 health insurance, for a total of about $94,270.
• Need-based aid: only for US citizens and eligible permanent residents.
• Merit scholarships: all applicants, including international students, are automatically considered in the admission review, with awards from $10,000 to full tuition.

6. Transfer students

• Deadlines: spring 2027 entry by 1 November (decision by 1 December); fall 2027 entry by 1 April (decision by 15 May).
• Materials: US$75 fee; official transcripts from every college and a final high school transcript; a midterm report if currently enrolled; a Transfer College Report from each institution; one academic recommendation from a college instructor.
• Encouraged prerequisites: one of pre-calculus, calculus, finite math or business math.
• Credit: all courses are evaluated for comparability, and Bentley offers a course equivalency estimator.
• English: the same scores as first-years; transfer applicants may request a waiver case by case.
• Testing (inconsistent on the site): the transfer page says testing “remains optional at this time” in one place and “optional through 2026” in another, while the first-year page says suspended through fall 2027. Confirm with admissions.

Checklist

Students at high schools in China:

• Submit via the Common App or Coalition App by 15 November (ED I) or 15 January (ED II and RD)
• IELTS 6.5, TOEFL 4.5 (new scale) or Duolingo 120–130, or a test or coursework waiver
• Prepare bank statements; testing optional; A-level and IB predicted grades are considered

Students at Canadian high schools (including BC and Vancouver):

• Apply by the first-year deadlines and ask about Canadian curriculum and English waiver rules

Transfer students:

• Apply by 1 April (fall) or 1 November (spring); ideally complete a calculus-type math course

Sources: Bentley University, First-year applicants; Transfer applicants; Advanced standing credit; Tuition and financial aid; Undergraduate programs; Undergraduate majors; International community. Information is for 2027 entry (costs are 2026-27 rates). Check Bentley for the latest details.