Boston University

Yes, Boston University is highly selective. It admitted about 12.8% of applicants in the most recent cycle, offering admission to roughly 9,853 of 76,776 first-year applicants and enrolling about 3,449 students. Admission is holistic, with the rigor of your high school course load and your academic GPA weighed as the two most important factors.

Admitted first-years at Boston University carry an average high school GPA of about 3.9 on a 4.0 scale. There's no published cutoff, but the bar is high: among the 14% of enrolled students who reported a class rank, 86% were in the top tenth of their graduating class. Academic GPA and the rigor of your coursework are BU's two most important admission factors.

A 1490 is competitive at Boston University: it sits above the median of 1470 among enrolled first-years and just below the 75th-percentile mark of 1510. The middle 50% of enrolled first-years who submitted scores ranged 1420 to 1510 on the SAT and 33 to 34 on the ACT, with 88% scoring at least 1400. BU is test-optional, so a score in this range strengthens your file but isn't required.

No. Boston University is test-optional through the Fall 2028 application cycle, so you can apply without submitting SAT or ACT scores. Among enrolled first-years who did submit, the middle 50% scored 1420 to 1510 on the SAT and 33 to 34 on the ACT. Test scores are only 'considered' in BU's review, ranking below academics, essays, and recommendations.

Boston University offers two binding Early Decision rounds (ED I and ED II), and the early round is admitted at a notably higher rate than the overall 12.8%. BU received 6,907 Early Decision applications and admitted 2,165 of them, an Early Decision admit rate near 31%. ED is binding, so apply early only if BU is clearly your first choice.

Tuition and required fees at Boston University run about $71,372 a year, with on-campus housing and food adding roughly $19,970 before books and personal expenses. About 39% of first-years receive need-based aid, the average need-based package is around $70,629, and BU meets about 98% of demonstrated financial need on average.

Boston University's most-conferred bachelor's degrees are in business (about 16%), communications and journalism (14%), and the social sciences (13%), reflecting the strength of the Questrom School of Business and the College of Communication. Biological and life sciences (12%), computer and information sciences (10%), engineering (9%), and psychology (5%) round out the most popular fields.

Yes. Boston University rates the application essay as an 'important' factor in its holistic review, on par with recommendations and extracurriculars and above standardized test scores, which are only 'considered.' With a 12.8% acceptance rate and most applicants clearing a high academic bar, a specific, well-revised essay is one of the clearest ways to stand out.

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