Boston UniversityBoston University
Boston, MA · Northeast
- Acceptance rate
- 11.1%
- SAT mid-50
- 1420-1530
- Cost after aid
- $24,402
- Graduation rate
- 89%
What Boston University says matters
How Boston University rates each admissions factor in its Common Data Set, with the full published numbers below.
- Acceptance rate
- 11%
- 8,749 of 78,769
- Yield
- 37%
- 3,268 enrolled
- SAT mid-50
- 1430-1510
- ACT mid-50
- 32-34
- CDS year
- 2024-25
Acceptance rate by gender
- Men
- 11%3,492 of 30,456
- Women
- 11%4,975 of 44,822
Very important
- Rigor of secondary school record
- Academic GPA
Important
- Class rank
- Application essay
- Recommendations
- Extracurricular activities
- Character or personal qualities
Considered
- Standardized test scores
- First generation
- Geographical residence
- State residency
- Volunteer work
- Work experience
- Level of applicant's interest
Not considered
- Interview
- Talent or ability
- Alumni relation
- Religious affiliation or commitment
The full Common Data Set
Every figure Boston University published for 2024-25, section by section.
First-Time, First-Year Admission80
Applications
- Total first-time, first-year men who applied
- 30,456
- Total first-time, first-year women who applied
- 44,822
- Total first-time, first-year another gender who applied
- 3,479
- Total first-time, first-year unknown gender who applied
- 12
- Total first-time, first-year men who were admitted
- 3,492
- Total first-time, first-year women who were admitted
- 4,975
- Total first-time, first-year another gender who were admitted
- 278
- Total first-time, first-year unknown gender who were admitted
- 4
- Total full-time, first-time, first-year men who enrolled
- 1,267
- Total part-time, first-time, first-year men who enrolled
- 0
- Total full-time, first-time, first-year women who enrolled
- 1,887
- Total part-time, first-time, first-year women who enrolled
- 0
- Total full-time, first-time, first-year another gender who enrolled
- 113
- Total part-time, first-time, first-year another gender who enrolled
- 0
- Total full-time, first-time, first-year unknown gender who enrolled
- 1
- Total part-time, first-time, first-year unknown gender who enrolled
- 0
- Total first-time, first-year students who applied
- 78,769
- Total first-time, first-year students who were admitted
- 8,749
- Total first-time, first-year students who enrolled
- 3,268
Admissions Requirements
- English
- 4.0
- Mathematics
- 3.0
- Science
- 3.0
- Foreign language
- 2.0
- Social studies
- 3.0
- English
- 4.0
- Mathematics
- 4.0
- Science
- 4.0
- Foreign language
- 4.0
- Social studies
- 4.0
Basis for Selection
- Rigor of secondary school record
- Very Important
- Class rank
- Important
- Academic GPA
- Very Important
- Standardized test scores
- Considered
- Application Essay
- Important
- Recommendation(s)
- Important
- Interview
- Not Considered
- Extracurricular activities
- Important
- Talent/ability
- Not Considered
- Character/personal qualities
- Important
- First generation
- Considered
- Alumni/ae relation
- Not Considered
- Geographical residence
- Considered
- State residency
- Considered
- Religious affiliation/commitment
- Not Considered
- Volunteer work
- Considered
- Work experience
- Considered
- Level of applicant’s interest
- Considered
First-time, first-year Profile
- Submitting SAT Scores
- 0.33
- Submitting ACT Scores
- 0.1
- Submitting SAT Scores
- 1,083
- Submitting ACT Scores
- 330
- SAT Composite: 25th Percentile
- 1,430
- SAT Composite: 50th Percentile
- 1,470
- SAT Composite: 75th Percentile
- 1,510
- SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing: 25th Percentile
- 690
- SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing: 50th Percentile
- 720
- SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing: 75th Percentile
- 750
- SAT Math: 25th Percentile
- 730
- SAT Math: 50th Percentile
- 760
- SAT Math: 75th Percentile
- 780
- ACT Composite: 25th Percentile
- 32%
- ACT Composite: 50th Percentile
- 33%
- ACT Composite: 75th Percentile
- 34%
- ACT Math: 25th Percentile
- 29%
- ACT Math: 50th Percentile
- 32%
- ACT Math: 75th Percentile
- 35%
- ACT English: 25th Percentile
- 33%
- ACT English: 50th Percentile
- 35%
- ACT English: 75th Percentile
- 35%
Admission Policies
- Amount of application fee:
- 80
- Can it be waived for applicants with financial need?
- Yes
- Does your institution have an application closing date?
- Yes
- Are first-time, first-year students accepted for terms other than the fall?
- Yes
- Does your institution allow students to postpone enrollment after admission?
- Yes
- Does your institution allow high school students to enroll as full-time, first-time, first-year students one year or more before high school graduation?
- No
- Does your institution offer an early decision plan (an admission plan that permits students to apply and be notified of an admission decision well in advance of the regular notification date and that asks students to commit to attending if accepted) for first-time, first-year applicants for fall enrollment?
- Yes
- Other early decision plan closing date
- January 5
- Other early decision plan notification date
- February 15
- Number of early decision applications received by your institution
- 6,854
- Number of applicants admitted under early decision plan
- 1,936
Transfer Admission16
Fall Applicants
- Men
- 3,046
- Women
- 3,568
- Another Gender
- 115
- Unknown
- 6,729
- Total
- 991
- Men
- 1,304
- Women
- 33
- Another Gender
- 2,328
- Unknown
- 401
- Total
- 502
- Men
- 12
- Women
- 915
Application for Admission
- Fall
- X
- Spring
- X
- Fall
- 15
- Winter
- 1
Annual Expenses2
Private Tuition
- Tuition
- 66670
- Tuition
- 66670
Financial Aid28
Methodology
- Both FM and IM
- 25432763
Need-based Aid Awarded
- State all states, not only the state in which your institution is located
- 404785765
- Scholarships/grants from external sources (e.g. Kiwanis, National Merit) not awarded by the college
- 436625875
- Student loans from all sources (excluding parent loans)
- 8294658
- Federal Work-Study
- 24444099
- Total Self-Help
- 5843539
- Parent Loans
- 6984890
- Tuition Waivers Note: Reporting is optional. Report tuition waivers in this row if you choose to report them. Do not report tuition waivers elsewhere.
- 2325555
- Athletic Awards
- 1288641
Non-need-based Aid Awarded
- State all states, not only the state in which your institution is located
- 27211152
- Scholarships/grants from external sources (e.g. Kiwanis, National Merit) not awarded by the college
- 35490716
- Student loans from all sources (excluding parent loans)
- 40350598
- Total Self-Help
- 15032151
- Parent Loans
- 15142727
- Tuition Waivers Note: Reporting is optional. Report tuition waivers in this row if you choose to report them. Do not report tuition waivers elsewhere.
- 14389351
Aid Available
- Federal Direct PLUS Loans
- X
- State Loans
- X
- Federal Pell Grants
- X
- State scholarships/grants
- X
- Private scholarships
- X
Institutional Aid
- Academics
- X
- Art
- X
- Athletics
- X
- Leadership
- X
- Music/drama
- X
- Academics
- X
- Art
- X
- Music/drama
- X
Disciplinary Areas of Degrees Conferred31
Diploma/Certificates
- Personal and culinary services
- 1
- Education
- 5.6
- Engineering
- 1.8
- Engineering technologies
- 0.4
- Law/legal studies
- 0.4
- English
- 9.8
- Interdisciplinary studies
- 1
- Philosophy and religious studies
- 0.4
- Theology and religious vocations
- 4.2
- Social sciences
- 26.3
- Visual and performing arts
- 2.8
- Business/marketing
- 19.6
Bachelors
- Architecture
- 0.4
- Personal and culinary services
- 1
- Education
- 1.3
- Engineering
- 7.6
- Engineering technologies
- 0.4
- Law/legal studies
- 0.4
- English
- 0.9
- Biological/life sciences
- 12.4
- Mathematics and statistics
- 2.6
- Interdisciplinary studies
- 2.3
- Philosophy and religious studies
- 1.6
- Theology and religious vocations
- 4.2
- Physical sciences
- 1.4
- Psychology
- 7.4
- Social sciences
- 13.9
- Precision production
- 7.4
- Visual and performing arts
- 3.3
- Business/marketing
- 16.2
- History
- 0.9
Enrollment And Persistence31
Graduation Rates
- Recipients of a Federal Pell Grant
- 629
- Recipients of a Subsidized Stafford Loan who did not receive a Pell Grant
- 597
- Students who did not receive either a Pell Grant or a subsidized Stafford Loan
- 2,385
- Total
- 3,611
- Recipients of a Federal Pell Grant
- 2
- Recipients of a Subsidized Stafford Loan who did not receive a Pell Grant
- 0
- Students who did not receive either a Pell Grant or a subsidized Stafford Loan
- 10
- Total
- 12
- Recipients of a Federal Pell Grant
- 627
- Recipients of a Subsidized Stafford Loan who did not receive a Pell Grant
- 597
- Students who did not receive either a Pell Grant or a subsidized Stafford Loan
- 2,375
- Total
- 3,599
- Recipients of a Federal Pell Grant
- 516
- Recipients of a Subsidized Stafford Loan who did not receive a Pell Grant
- 509
- Students who did not receive either a Pell Grant or a subsidized Stafford Loan
- 1,884
- Total
- 2,909
- Recipients of a Federal Pell Grant
- 31
- Recipients of a Subsidized Stafford Loan who did not receive a Pell Grant
- 22
- Students who did not receive either a Pell Grant or a subsidized Stafford Loan
- 172
- Total
- 225
- Recipients of a Federal Pell Grant
- 11
- Recipients of a Subsidized Stafford Loan who did not receive a Pell Grant
- 5
- Students who did not receive either a Pell Grant or a subsidized Stafford Loan
- 41
- Total
- 57
- Recipients of a Federal Pell Grant
- 558
- Recipients of a Subsidized Stafford Loan who did not receive a Pell Grant
- 536
- Students who did not receive either a Pell Grant or a subsidized Stafford Loan
- 2,097
- Total
- 3,191
- Recipients of a Federal Pell Grant
- 1,455
- Recipients of a Subsidized Stafford Loan who did not receive a Pell Grant
- 1,455
- Students who did not receive either a Pell Grant or a subsidized Stafford Loan
- 3,292
About Boston University
Boston University is a mid-sized private university in Boston, MA, in a city setting.
What Boston University looks for
Boston University accepts roughly 11%, which means a strong application is necessary but not sufficient. Most admitted students are at or above the mid-50 in test scores and have at least one extracurricular thread that AOs read as substantive. The supplements matter. The "why us" essay is where many otherwise-strong applications fall apart, because it reads as a Mad Libs of the school's website rather than a real plan.
Frequently asked
What SAT score do I need for Boston University?
Boston University's middle 50% SAT range is 1420 to 1530. A score in or above that band keeps you in the conversation; below it, the rest of your application has to do more work.
What ACT score do I need for Boston University?
Middle 50% ACT range is 32 to 34. The top of that range or above is what most admitted students submit when they choose to send a score.
What is the acceptance rate at Boston University?
Boston University admits roughly 11% of applicants. That makes it a reach for nearly everyone, regardless of stats.
What does Boston University actually cost after financial aid?
Average net cost (after institutional aid) is about $24,402 per year. Net cost varies enormously by family income; run the school's net price calculator for an estimate that reflects your situation.
Is Boston University a reach, match, or safety for me?
Compare your stats to the middle 50% above. If you are at or below the 25th percentile, treat Boston University as a reach. If you are in the middle 50%, it is a match. Above the 75th percentile and the school accepts above 25% overall, it is closer to a safety. Selectivity below 20% should be treated as a reach for everyone, period.
