Boston College
Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
- Private nonprofit
- City
- 10,085 undergrads
- Admit rate
- 16%Source: College Scorecard
- Average net price
- $38,930per year, after grantsSource: College Scorecard
- Graduation rate
- 90%within 6 yearsSource: College Scorecard
- Median earnings
- $112,17810 years after startingSource: College Scorecard
What's special
PULSE is a yearlong, 12-credit philosophy and theology course paired with 12 hours a week of service at places like shelters, clinics and after-school programs. It fulfills BC's entire philosophy and theology core requirement.
Source: Boston College, PULSE
Getting in
- Admit rate
- 16%About 2 in 10 applicants get in.Source: College Scorecard
- Test policy
- Test-optionalScores are considered if you send them, but not required.Source: College Scorecard
- SAT (middle 50%)
- 1440–1540Reading + math, enrolled first-years who sent scoresSource: College Scorecard
- ACT (middle 50%)
- 33–35Composite, enrolled first-years who sent scoresSource: College Scorecard
From Boston College's own report
These numbers come from the school's Common Data Set for 2024–25, a standard report colleges publish about their applicants and first-year students. Open the report.
- Admit rate in this report
- 14%5,632 admitted of 39,686 first-year applicants
- Early decision admit rate
- 33%1,434 admitted of 4,288. Early decision is binding: you commit to attend if admitted.
- SAT, middle 50%
- 1440–1520First-years who sent scores
- ACT, middle 50%
- 33–35First-years who sent scores
- Top 10% of their class
- 90%97% were in the top quarter.
Early applicants often include recruited athletes and students who knew this was their first choice, so a higher early rate doesn't mean applying early raises any one student's odds by that much.
What the admissions office says it weighs
Very important
- How challenging your classes were
- GPA
Important
- Class rank
- Test scores
- Essay
- Recommendations
- Activities
- A talent or ability
- Character and personal qualities
- Volunteer work
Considered
- Being first in your family to go to college
- Family who went there (legacy)
- Where you live
- Religious affiliation
- Work experience
Not considered
- Living in the state
- Showing interest in the school
Where you'd stand
Enter your numbers to see where they'd fall among Boston College's first-year students. This isn't a prediction: it shows how you compare with students who enrolled, using the sources linked below.
Leave out anything you don't have. Your numbers stay in this browser and fill in on other school pages. See my list
Sources: Boston College Common Data Set 2024–25. Test ranges describe enrolled students who sent scores.
What it really costs
Most families pay less than the sticker price. Net price is what's left after grants and scholarships.
- Average net price
- $38,930full-time first-years who got grant aidSource: College Scorecard
- Total cost of attendance
- $93,039sticker price incl. housing, per yearSource: College Scorecard
- Tuition
- $73,508Source: College Scorecard
After you enroll
- Graduation rate
- 90%first-time, full-time students finishing within 6 yearsSource: College Scorecard
- Came back for year two
- 96%full-time first-year studentsSource: College Scorecard
- Median earnings
- $112,17810 years after starting, for students who got federal aidSource: College Scorecard
- Median debt at graduation
- $19,000federal loans, students who finishedSource: College Scorecard
Students
- Undergraduates
- 10,085Source: College Scorecard
- Receive Pell grants
- 17%a sign of economic diversitySource: College Scorecard
- First-generation students
- 13%parents didn't go beyond high schoolSource: College Scorecard
Similar schools
Similar, and easier to get into
- Worcester Polytechnic Institute Worcester, MA — admits 60%
- Bentley University Waltham, MA — admits 45%
- Berklee College of Music Boston, MA — admits 44%
- Texas Christian University Fort Worth, TX — admits 44%
Also worth a look
- Tufts University Medford, MA — admits 11%
- Boston University Boston, MA — admits 11%
- College of the Holy Cross Worcester, MA — admits 18%
- Tulane University of Louisiana New Orleans, LA — admits 14%
- University of Miami Coral Gables, FL — admits 19%
- Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh, PA — admits 12%
Where these numbers come from
Every number on this page comes from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard page for Boston College, which draws on what the school reports to the federal government and on federal student aid and tax records. We last pulled the data on November 4, 2026. Different measures cover different years; here's how each one works.
Spot something wrong? Report a data error.