Boston University
Boston University is a private research university spread along the Charles River in the heart of Boston, known for its expansive urban campus, a top-ranked College of Communication, and one of the largest study-abroad programs in the country. Admission has grown highly selective — BU admitted about 12.8% of nearly 76,800 first-year applicants for its most recent class, and enrolled students carried an average high school GPA near 3.9 with middle-50% SAT scores of 1420–1510. The university has been test-optional through the Fall 2028 cycle, draws more than 80% of its first-years from outside Massachusetts, and houses 99% of them on campus. Business, communications, and the social sciences are among its most popular fields of study.
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Boston University admissions statistics
Acceptance rate
Total applicants, admitted students, and enrolled students for the most recent admission cycle.
Early decision
Boston University offers binding Early Decision. Applying early can meaningfully change your odds — but ED commits you to enroll if admitted.
Admit rate by application plan
% admitted~2.8× higher admit rate applying early.
Standardized tests
Boston University is currently test-optional — you may apply without submitting scores.
SAT Accepted?
ACT Accepted?
Test Optional?
SAT Scores
ACT Scores
Boston University supplemental essays — 2026-2027 cycle
What about being a student at BU most excites you?
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Class rank
Where Boston University's enrolled first-years placed in their high school graduating class.
Based on the 14% of enrolled students who reported a class rank. Boston University does not publish an average GPA.
Admissions factors
How Boston University weighs each part of your application.
Rigor of High School Record
Academic GPA
Standardized Test Scores
Application Essay
Recommendations
Extracurricular Activities
Character / Personal Qualities
Talent / Ability
First Generation
Level of Applicant's Interest
Class Rank
Volunteer Work
Work Experience
Geographical Residence
State Residency
Alumni Relation
Racial / Ethnic Status
Religious Affiliation
Cost of attendance
Estimated full-time annual cost from Boston University's Common Data Set.
Private universities charge the same tuition regardless of state residency.
Financial aid
Need-based aid statistics for full-time first-year students.
Frequently asked questions about Boston University admissions
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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Popular majors
Bachelor's degrees awarded in the past year by academic major.
Student-faculty ratio
The number of students for every one faculty member, indicating the average level of access students have to instructional staff.
Campus life
On-campus housing and Greek life participation rates.
Enrollment by gender
Student diversity
Racial and ethnic breakdown of enrolled undergraduate students.
Source: Boston University Common Data Set 2025-2026. Figures transcribed 2026-06-25. Esslo aggregates publicly reported data and is not affiliated with Boston University. Banner photo by Daderot, via Wikimedia Commons (CC0 1.0). Cite this page as: Esslo College Explorer, “Boston University admissions statistics, transcribed from the 2025-2026 Common Data Set,” https://www.esslo.org/colleges/boston-university (retrieved 2026-06-25).