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AlmaSpire

Waltham, MA · Private · 4,474 undergraduates · urban

Bentley University

Selective

Bentley combines business education with an arts-and-sciences foundation and gives every first-year a common seminar built around complex real-world problems.

Institutional profile

Highly regarded Exceptional in career outcomes, and strong in academic standing.
Academic Strong Affordability Steady Career Exceptional Mobility Steady Experience Solid
Academic standing Strong
Affordability Steady
Career outcomes Exceptional
Mobility Steady
Student experience Solid
Admission
48.4% admitted

10,482 applicants in the reported year

Price by income
Varies across five income ranges

Compare recent average annual costs by household income

Completion
89%

$120,959 median earnings 10 years after enrollment

What sets Bentley University apart

Academic design

The first-year curriculum mixes business, communication, technology, quantitative work, and liberal-arts study rather than postponing business courses until later years.

Campus pattern

Bentley's residential Waltham campus is suburban and self-contained, with Boston reachable for internships, events, and professional experiences rather than surrounding daily campus life.

A signature opportunity

Falcon Discovery Seminar places every first-year in a small faculty-led course, often with the same cohort formed during orientation.

Can I get in?

48.4% admitted

Start with the academic record, then make the intended direction and school-specific fit concrete.

Recent applicant pool

10,482

About 48 in every 100 applicants were admitted.

Admission rate 48.4%
Entering class

Academic range

SAT middle 50%1250–1410
11401520
ACT middle 50%29–32
2734

Of admitted students, 25% submitted an SAT, and 4% submitted an ACT. Because ACT scores came from few admitted students, the range describes that self-selected group rather than the full class.

Academic benchmarkSelective

In the season card

Where your GPA sits in the entering class

The full entering-class GPA distribution for Bentley University, in nine bands from 4.0 down, with your own record marked on it.

See where I land

In the season card

What Bentley University weighs when it reads a file

See how this college describes the role of grades, testing, essays, recommendations, activities, and demonstrated interest.

  • Course rigor  
  • GPA  
  • Test scores  
  • Essay  
  • Recommendations  
  • Extracurriculars  
  • Demonstrated interest  
See what counts here

What moves the application

The evidence that separates a strong file

01

Show preparation for this curriculum

The first-year curriculum mixes business, communication, technology, quantitative work, and liberal-arts study rather than postponing business courses until later years.

02

Make institutional fit specific

Bentley combines business education with an arts-and-sciences foundation and gives every first-year a common seminar built around complex real-world problems.

03

Use the application route carefully

Keep academic direction and school-specific choices coherent across the application.

How to apply

Rounds, route, and required materials

Build the calendar around the earliest realistic application round and assemble each required item once.

Early DecisionNov 15
Early Decision IIJan 15
Regular DecisionJan 15
Fee and waiver$75 application fee

Fee waiver: accepted

Can I afford it?

Compare annual cost by household income.

Start with the average net price for your income range, then set that estimate beside your other realistic options.

Published annual cost$91,390
Average annual cost after aid$38,000
Affordability profileSteady

College funding

Scholarships and financial aid

Review available aid, application requirements, and renewal terms.

Bentley University publishes two merit awards, the largest reaching full tuition or more. one require a separate scholarship application. All of them renew past the first year.

Automatic consideration An award reaching full tuition or more

Open across the university · Merit · Competitive · Renews

Separate scholarship application An award reaching $10,000 to $20,000 a year

Open across the university · Merit · Competitive · Renews each year

In the season card

These two awards, by name

What each one is called, what it pays, the grades and scores it asks for, and what to send.

  • The name of each award 
  • What it pays 
  • The grades and scores it asks for 
  • How to be considered 
  • What to send, and where 
See the full read
Open financial aid plan

In the season card

Average annual cost by household income at Bentley University

Compare recent average net prices across five federal income ranges and estimate a 4-year cost for yours.

  • $0–30k 
  • $30–48k 
  • $48–75k 
  • $75–110k 
  • $110k+ 
Open the price by income

Is it worth it?

Completion, debt, and earnings

Read completion, borrowing, field mix, and earnings together. One university-wide earnings figure does not describe every student path.

Complete within 8 years89%

Degree completion across the reported entering cohort

Return after year one92.8%

First-year students who return for year two

Median federal debtWhat students owe on the way out

And what that comes to against what they earn.

Median earnings$120,959

Reported 10 years after enrollment

Academic portfolio

Largest bachelor’s fields

How many students finish in each field, and median earnings four years after completing the program.

Finance and Financial Management Services

Recent graduates256
Median earnings$113,795

Admits separately

Accounting and Related Services

Recent graduates180
Median earnings$108,343

Admits separately

Business Administration, Management and Operations

Recent graduates108
Median earnings$99,514

Admits separately

Marketing

Recent graduates108
Median earnings$88,461

Admits separately

Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services, Other

Recent graduates106
Median earnings$109,922

Admits separately

What is campus life like?

Bentley University beyond the classroom

Bentley's residential Waltham campus is suburban and self-contained, with Boston reachable for internships, events, and professional experiences rather than surrounding daily campus life.

Academics

A defining academic feature

The first-year curriculum mixes business, communication, technology, quantitative work, and liberal-arts study rather than postponing business courses until later years.

Campus setting

What shapes an ordinary week

Bentley's residential Waltham campus is suburban and self-contained, with Boston reachable for internships, events, and professional experiences rather than surrounding daily campus life.

Signature opportunity

A reason to look closer

Falcon Discovery Seminar places every first-year in a small faculty-led course, often with the same cohort formed during orientation.

4,474 undergraduatesNew Englandurban setting94% of first-year students live on campus