Chestnut Hill, MA · Private · 10,085 undergraduates · urban
Boston College
Highly selective
Boston College makes its Jesuit core concrete through required study and first-year cohort experiences. Its setting is residential Chestnut Hill, not merely “Boston,” with a separate Newton Campus shaping part of the first-year experience.
Institutional profile
Highly regarded Exceptional in career outcomes, and strong in academic standing.- Admission
- 15.7% admitted
- Price by income
- Varies across five income ranges
- Completion
- 91.3%
36,069 applicants in the reported year
Compare recent average annual costs by household income
$103,937 median earnings 10 years after enrollment
What sets Boston College apart
A 15-course Jesuit Core
All undergraduates complete a 15-requirement Core. Complex Problems and Enduring Questions connect disciplines, shared reading, and small cohorts.
First-year interdisciplinary cohorts
First-years live on Chestnut Hill or Newton Campus. Living Learning Communities connect residence life with academic and personal interests.
Residential Chestnut Hill and Newton
Chestnut Hill supplies a residential center with metropolitan Boston within reach; Newton is a distinct first-year residential node.
The BC spine
A core that reaches into first year
The Core shapes a broad academic base, then first-year cohorts and residential programs make that inquiry social as well.
Build a common foundation
Philosophy, theology, sciences, humanities, and social sciences remain part of the degree.
Take a shared question seriously
Complex Problems and Enduring Questions connect students across disciplines.
Carry the discussion home
Living Learning Communities extend specific interests beyond class.
Can I get in?
15.7% admitted
Applicants apply to one of four undergraduate divisions. The application should show preparation for that division and interest in a serious Core.
Recent applicant pool
36,069About 16 in every 100 applicants were admitted.
Academic range
Of admitted students, 28% submitted an SAT, and 16% submitted an ACT. Treat the ACT range as a guide to the students who submitted that test, not to everyone admitted.
In the season card
Where your GPA sits in the entering class
The full entering-class GPA distribution for Boston College, in nine bands from 4.0 down, with your own record marked on it.
See where I landIn the season card
What Boston College 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
What moves the application
The evidence that separates a strong file
Show preparation for this curriculum
All undergraduates complete a 15-requirement Core. Complex Problems and Enduring Questions connect disciplines, shared reading, and small cohorts.
Make the institutional fit specific
Applicants apply to one of four undergraduate divisions. The application should show preparation for that division and interest in a serious Core.
Use the application route carefully
Boston College offers Early Decision I, Early Decision II, and Regular Decision.
Give commitments a clear through-line
Activities and recommendations should show sustained contribution, not a collection of disconnected credentials.
How to apply
Rounds, route, and required materials
Boston College offers Early Decision I, Early Decision II, and Regular Decision.
Fee waiver: u.s. only
Major and program admission
Some fields have their own entry path.
The college admit rate above covers the university as a whole. These requirements apply only to the named program.
NursingAdmits separately
What this program asks for, and when it closes.
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.
College funding
Scholarships and financial aid
Review available aid, application requirements, and renewal terms.
Boston College publishes one merit award, the largest reaching full tuition or more. All of them renew past the first year.
Open across the university · Merit · Competitive · Renews
In the season card
This award, 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
In the season card
Average annual cost by household income at Boston College
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+
Is it worth it?
Completion, debt, and earnings
Read the outcomes panel alongside chestnut hill supplies a residential center with metropolitan boston within reach; newton is a distinct first-year residential node. Completion, borrowing, and field mix matter more than one university-wide earnings figure.
Degree completion across the reported entering cohort
First-year students who return for year two
And what that comes to against what they earn.
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
Economics
Biology, General
Political Science and Government
Communication and Media Studies
Admits separately
What is campus life like?
Boston College beyond the classroom
Chestnut Hill supplies a residential center with metropolitan Boston within reach; Newton is a distinct first-year residential node.
A 15-course Jesuit Core
All undergraduates complete a 15-requirement Core. Complex Problems and Enduring Questions connect disciplines, shared reading, and small cohorts.
The residential structure matters
First-years live on Chestnut Hill or Newton Campus. Living Learning Communities connect residence life with academic and personal interests.
Dining follows the residential map
Campus dining is part of the daily social pattern; compare the meal-plan structure and nearby options against the routine you expect.
First-year interdisciplinary cohorts
Chestnut Hill supplies a residential center with metropolitan Boston within reach; Newton is a distinct first-year residential node.
Use the institution beyond class
Student organizations, faculty programs, research, service, and campus events are most useful when they reinforce a clear academic or personal direction.
Residential Chestnut Hill and Newton
The strongest social fit comes from understanding how housing, traditions, organizations, and the surrounding setting shape an ordinary week.