Boston University

Private · Highly Selective · MA

Photo: 4300streetcar (CC BY 4.0)

School data & stats

TypePrivate

LocationMA · Northeast

SettingUrban

Undergrads18,248

Student:faculty10:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate74.7%

6-yr grad rate88.7%

Drop-out rate5.3%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$68k

Out-of-state tuition$68k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity67.8%

Gender diversity58.1%

International21.2%

Identity—

Overview

BU stretches along Commonwealth Avenue beside the Charles River, a campus woven directly into Boston's streetscape rather than set apart from the city. It's a large private research university whose identity is inseparable from being in Boston — students are city residents as much as they are college students, split loosely between a West Campus and Central/East Campus along the same avenue.

Academics

Questrom School of Business, the College of Communication, the College of Engineering, and pre-med preparation are particular strengths, and BU's study-abroad network is one of the most extensive of any American university, with programs across essentially every continent. The Kilachand Honors College offers a smaller, more intensive track for top students. The academic environment mixes large introductory courses typical of a university this size with smaller upper-level seminars in most majors.

Campus & student life

There's no traditional quad-centered campus — student life plays out along Comm Ave and throughout Boston's neighborhoods, with the T's Green Line running directly through campus, making the rest of the city, and its dozens of other colleges, easily accessible. BU hockey is a genuine campus institution, anchored by the annual Beanpot Tournament against Harvard, Boston College, and Northeastern. Boston's dense concentration of students, hospitals, and startups gives BU students an unusually rich set of internship and social opportunities right outside the dorm.

Getting in

BU's applications are read holistically, with essays and demonstrated interest in a specific school — communications, business, engineering — carrying real weight given the university's large applicant pool and range of programs. Because BU admits into specific colleges, applicants benefit from articulating a clear sense of what they want to study rather than a generic interest in the university, and the size of the applicant pool means polish and specificity both matter.

After graduation

Graduates place well into media and communications, business, healthcare, and technology, aided heavily by Boston's dense professional ecosystem and BU's own extensive internship connections throughout the city. Many students secure internships at Boston-area hospitals, media companies, and startups well before graduation, and a meaningful share of graduates simply stay in the city to build their careers.

Worth knowing

Students who want a traditional, self-contained campus feel should know BU deliberately isn't that — it's a city school through and through, which is a major draw for some students and a real adjustment for others. The Beanpot and BU hockey culture is one of the few unifying campus-wide traditions in an otherwise dispersed, urban student experience.

bu.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate11.1%

Enrolled mid-50%SAT 1420–1530 · ACT 32–34

Test policyoptional

Rec letters2

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

Early decisionNov 2

Regular decisionJan 5

Verified from the school’s admissions page ↗

Applying (2026-27 cycle)

Apply through Common App or QuestBridge.

Early decision IIJan 5

Priority / scholarshipDec 1

Financial aid formsJan 5

Early Decision I and II are both binding; Boston University does not offer Early Action, and Early Decision II shares its January 5 deadline with Regular Decision.

Verified from the school’s admissions pages ↗