Registrar Services

Academic Advising 

All students are assigned an academic advisor upon arrival at The Boston Conservatory. That advisor works with you to provide sound advice concerning requirements and other academic and training issues. He or she may also be a good source of important career and personal assistance when necessary. Even when an advisor is unable to address a question or problem, he or she may be a good conduit toward the offices or individuals who can. 

The Office of the Registrar and the Office of Academic Affairs work closely together to coordinate academic advising at The Boston Conservatory. Students first meet their advisors during New Student Orientation, and additional meetings are required prior to pre-registration for subsequent semesters. Beyond those required meetings, all advisors are available for guidance when a student asks for help. 

Students should recognize that academic advising can only go so far to ensure that individuals remain on track in the very demanding curricula of the Conservatory. Pre-professional programs in Music, Dance and Theater involve many different, required experiences each semester, arranged in defined sequences and with little room for elective choices. Students need to move through their requirements semester-by-semester and year-by-year. An advisor is there to help keep students on track and to offer help when they choose to step off the defined path. However, it is always a student’s responsibility to be familiar with his or her graduation requirements and to ask any questions necessary to clear up uncertainties.  

Advising Manual

The undergraduate and graduate advising manuals contain official statements of curricular requirements and/or policies that pertain to all Conservatory degree and diploma programs. Advising manuals are distributed to each student during their New Student Orientation upon entering The Boston Conservatory. Students entering the Conservatory are subject to the curricular requirements and policies defined in the Advising Manual in effect at the time of the student’s first matriculation. Both the date of publication and the academic year covered by the manual are prominently displayed on its cover. 

Add/Drop/Withdrawal from Courses

Students may drop or add a class during the first two weeks of classes with no financial implications, as long as they remain within their allowable full time credit load. (Credit loads are detailed in the student handbook). The start and end dates of the “add/drop period” are clearly posted on the Academic Calendar which is posted both online and in the student handbook. Forms for adding and dropping courses are available at the Office of the Registrar. Adding or dropping a course requires the signature of the instructor whose course you wish to add or drop and your advisor. In the case where the student wishes to drop a course and cannot locate the instructor or advisor, the student may obtain a signature from the Division Director, the Registrar, or the Assistant Dean or Dean of the Conservatory. Such changes must be recorded with the Registrar’s Office before they become official. 

After the two week add/drop period, and up to the end of the 10 th week of a semester, students may choose to withdraw from a course without academic penalty; however, a grade of W will appear on the student’s transcript. Students may officially withdraw from a course up to the end of the 10 th week of the semester. After the 10 th week, withdrawals are no longer permitted, except by special permission of the Assistant Dean or Dean of the Conservatory. Course withdrawal deadlines are clearly posted in the academic calendar. 

Change of Address 

Name/address information can be changed through the Office of the Registrar with your written authorization/request. By completing the personal information form (PIF), you can make corrections or additions to your local, parental, billing and permanent addresses as well as phone or email changes. 

Name changes require copies of legal documentation of the change (such as a marriage certificate).  

You can make the request in the following ways:  

• Mail: Send either the personal information form (PIF) or a letter stating your request to our mailing address: Office of the Registrar, 8 The Fenway, Boston MA 02215.
• Fax: Fax the request, including information listed above, to fax number: 617.912.9221.
• Email: Send the request, including information listed above, to our email address: registrar@bostonconservatory.edu.
• In Person: Come to the office and drop off your request.

Enrollment Verification 

Verification of enrollment may be necessary for a variety of reasons (health and car insurance, travel discounts, immigration purposes, financial aid/scholarship). 

The Enrollment Verification Form can be requested in a variety of ways. In each case, please include your full name, Social Security number and address to which you would like the verification mailed. You can request verification via the following: 

• Mail: Send either the Enrollment Verification Request Form or a letter stating your request to our mailing address: Office of the Registrar, 8 The Fenway, Boston MA 02215.
• Fax: Fax the Enrollment Verification Request Form or a letter stating your request to our office fax number 617.912.9221.
• Email: Send the request, including information listed above, to our email address: registrar@bostonconservatory.edu.
• In Person: Come to the office and drop off your request. 

Grades 

Grade reports are mailed to students after the end of each semester. Fall & spring grade reports will be mailed to the student’s grade delivery address. Grades will be released only if all financial obligations to The Boston Conservatory have been satisfied. 

Identification Cards

During orientation, all new students are issued a Boston Conservatory photo ID card, which provides access to Boston Conservatory buildings, dorms as assigned and use of locked practice rooms. (Students must leave their ID with security when signing out keys for locked practice rooms).  

Your Boston Conservatory ID card can also be used for gym access and the meal plan issued through Northeastern University. Students are not issued new cards between academic years and therefore should be mindful to keep it in a safe place during the summer. The replacement fee for lost, broken or stolen cards is $20.00. Students seeking a replacement card should first pay the bursar then come to the Office of the Registrar with the receipt. Activation of the new card may take 12 to 24 hours, so students should plan accordingly. 

Leave of Absence 

Students in good standing may request a leave of absence (LOA). LOA policy information and readmission forms are available online or from the Office of the Registrar. A leave of absence allows a student to return to the Conservatory at any registration period for up to one year from the start of the leave without the necessity of re-applying and re-auditioning. Students on scholarship who are in good academic standing will retain their award when returning to the Conservatory from a leave of absence not greater than one year. 

Practice Room Reservations 

Practice rooms are reserved through the Registrar’s office.  Practice needs at the Conservatory may be met by using both reserved and unreserved time. Pianists may make advance reservations for up to 3 hours per day, and all other instrumentalists may reserve up to 2 hours per day. These reservations can be made within one day in advance. Established chamber groups enrolled in chamber music may reserve one two-hour block per week for the entire semester. In addition to this regular rehearsal/coaching time, chamber music groups may reserve up to two hours per week, within one week in advance, for a total of four hours of reserved time per week. Chamber groups that do not require a piano will be booked in grand-piano studios only if there is no other space available.

To reserve a locked practice room or an unlocked classroom, see the Scheduling Coordinator in the Registrar’s Office at 8 The Fenway. 

Available rooms will be assigned on a first-come, first-served basis.  Preference is given to piano majors with respect to reserving all rooms with grand pianos. Non-piano students not rehearsing with accompanists may only reserve grand piano studios when no other space is available for the time they are requesting. 

Before reserving a practice room, please review the Practice Room Policies.

Registration 

Students are responsible for registering in the courses necessary for the completion of their degree requirements. Department chairs in Music, Division Directors, the Registrar, the Assistant Academic Dean, Academic Advisors and the Dean of the Conservatory are all available for advice and consultation. However, students must take responsibility for verifying that requirements are being met and that they are making appropriate progress towards their degree. Degree requirements can be seen both online and in the Advising Manual. 

Each semester there is a designated two to three week period for advising and pre-registration for the following semester’s courses. Students are required to meet with their advisors during this time; this represents an important opportunity for all students to become aware of where they stand on the path toward degree completion. By the end of the formal advising period, all students submit to the Office of the Registrar a pre-registration form signed by his or her advisor. Failure to submit this form by the required deadline will bring with it a significant fee for late registration. 

Transfer Credit Evaluations 

Students wishing to transfer credits to The Boston Conservatory from other accredited collegiate institutions must submit transcripts from the post-secondary schools they have attended, together with a catalog showing course descriptions. In some cases, the student may be asked to submit a course syllabus. 

The maximum number of credits that may be transferred from other institutions toward an undergraduate degree is 75; no more than 6 credits may be used toward a graduate degree. Only courses with grades of C or better will be considered for undergraduate transfer credit. Graduate courses will not be accepted toward a Boston Conservatory degree unless the grades earned were B or better. 

All courses in traditional arts and sciences disciplines may be accepted for Liberal Arts elective credit. New matriculates and/or transfer students should have a full transfer credit evaluation completed by September 1, unless the Conservatory does not have full transcript documentation of previous work. In the event that official documentation is missing, the Registrar will work with the student to procure such documentation as soon as possible. 

Upon completion of the evaluation, a letter will be given to the new student explaining the number of credits and the courses fulfilled to meet the degree requirements according to the student’s curriculum. In the event that the student believes the transfer evaluation is inaccurate or incomplete, he or she may speak with the Registrar to go over the evaluation. 

In general, transfer students matriculating at The Boston Conservatory should anticipate that their class standing will not be the same as it was at their previous institution. Students wishing to clarify questions of class standing should meet with the Dean or Assistant Dean of the Conservatory in the first weeks of their first semester. Once enrolled, transfer students must assume responsibility for verifying that credits have been transferred and requirements are being addressed. All previous work must be evaluated and processed within one year or enrollment at the Conservatory. Students already enrolled in a degree or diploma program at the Conservatory who wish to earn credits through courses at other institutions are encouraged to seek prior approval of the courses to be taken from the Registrar. This will ensure clarity both as to whether or not the course(s) in question can be accepted for credit toward a Conservatory degree and as to whether or not they will satisfy specific Liberal Arts or Major requirements. 

Transcripts 

Transcripts can be retrieved through the Registrar’s office.  In order to protect the confidentiality of your records, your written authorization/request and signature are required to release your transcript. You can do this in two ways:  

• Mail: Send either the TRANSCRIPT REQUEST FORM or a letter stating your request, to our mailing address: Office of the Registrar, 8 The Fenway, Boston MA 02215.
• In person: Come to the office and drop off your request.  Transcript Request Forms are available in the literature rack just outside the office.

Please include the following information:  

• Full name (including last name when you attended The Boston Conservatory)
• Signature
• Dates of attendance
• Program you were in or Degree you received. Please reference the class(es) you took if you were not enrolled in a degree program.
• Daytime phone number
• Number of transcripts you would like
• Address(es) to which you would like them mailed 

There is a charge of $5.00 per transcript, payable via check or money order, payable to The Boston Conservatory. Cash payments must be made in person at the Bursar’s Office and payment receipt brought to the Registrar’s Office. 

For FedEx request within the United States, please add $25. For FedEx request outside of the United States, you will either have to create a FedEx account number to be submitted with your request or include the proper FedEx rate amount with your payment. You can go to http://www.fedex.com/ratefinder/home to determine the proper FedEx rate. Incorrect payment amounts will NOT be processed.

Transcript requests take a minimum of one week to process upon receipt and up to three weeks depending on the time of year. 

Please note that all financial obligations to the college must be resolved before transcripts may be released. You will be contacted should outstanding financial obligations prevent the release of your transcripts.