This is an archived copy of the 2017-2018 catalog. To access the most recent version of the catalog, please visit http://coursecatalog.bucknell.edu.

Applying for Admission

To apply for admission as a first-year student, please use the Common Application, available at commonapp.org. For your application to be complete, you must submit the following:

  • Common Application, including the non-refundable $40 application fee or fee waiver request.

  • All supporting materials, which include:

    • Questions specific to Bucknell University;

    • The personal essay (no supplementary essay is required);

    • Secondary School Report and guidance counselor evaluation;

    • Official transcript from each high school attended;

    • SAT or ACT scores (SAT Subject tests are not required);

    • At least one teacher recommendation, preferably from a core subject; and

    • The Mid-Year Report, when available.

  • If English is not your first language or if it is not the primary language of instruction you are required to submit TOEFL, IELTS, or PTE Academic scores. This requirement is waived for students whose secondary school instruction is entirely in English.

  • Early Decision applicants must submit the Common Application Early Decision Agreement form, including all required signatures (applicants, parent/guardian, and school counselor).​
  • CSS PROFILE and Free Application for Financial Aid (FAFSA), if you are applying for aid.

If you are applying as a transfer student, you must submit:

  • Common Application for transfer students, including the non-refundable $40 application fee or fee waiver request.

  • All supporting materials, which include:

    • Transfer Credit Summary Sheet, along with descriptions of all courses taken in college;

    • Common Application College Instructor Academic Evaluation for Transfers;

    • Common Application College Report;

    • Common Application Transfer Mid-Term Report;

    • Official transcript for each college attended;

    • Official secondary school transcript;

    • SAT or ACT scores; and

    • TOEFL or IELTS scores if English is not your first language or if it was not the primary language of instruction for at least three years of your secondary school education.

  • CSS PROFILE and Free Application for Financial Aid (FAFSA), if you are applying for aid.

If you applied previously to Bucknell, the application fee may be waived and the official secondary school report may be retrieved.