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Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA · Private · Small city · Carnegie R1/R2

Private institution in Chestnut Hill, MA · 9,865 undergraduates · 16% acceptance rate · $103,937 median earnings 10 years after entry.

Stats

College Scorecard figures, each with where this school sits nationally among institutions that report the same measure. A dash means the school does not report it.

Cost

Average net price
$39,8661,916th cheapest of 1,985 reporting
In-state tuition & fees
$67,6802,033rd cheapest of 2,042 reporting
Out-of-state tuition & fees
$67,6802,033rd cheapest of 2,042 reporting
Cost of attendance
$83,6831,966th cheapest of 1,985 reporting
Median graduate debt
$19,000545th lowest of 1,880 reporting

Outcomes

Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$103,93726th highest of 1,969 reporting
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$85,71742nd highest of 1,964 reporting
Graduation rate (4-year)
91.0%76th highest of 2,031 reporting
Full-time retention
95.4%128th highest of 1,853 reporting

Admissions

Acceptance rate
15.7%61st most selective of 1,608 reporting
Average SAT
150136th highest of 1,024 reporting
Median ACT
349th highest of 954 reporting

Campus

Undergraduates
9,865261st largest of 2,162 reporting
Student-faculty ratio
13.0:1993rd smallest of 2,159 reporting
Pell Grant share
12.7%2,013th highest of 2,140 reporting

Nearest large-hub airport: 8 mi (BOS)

On 13 of our 111 lists

Every published ranking this school appears on, with its rank there.

Applying

Common App member
Yes
Application fee
$80
Personal essay
Required
Writing supplement
No

Supplemental prompts (2025-26)

  • We would like to get a better sense of you. Please respond to one of the first four prompts below (400 word limit). Students applying to the Human Centered Engineering major should respond to Prompt #5 instead.
  • 1. Strong communities are sustained by traditions. Boston College’s annual calendar is marked with both long-standing and newer traditions that help shape our community. Tell us about a meaningful tradition in your family or community. Why is it important to you, and how does it bring people together or strengthen the bonds of those who participate?
  • 2. The late BC theology professor, Father Michael Himes, argued that a university is not a place to which you go, but instead, a “rigorous and sustained conversation about the great questions of human existence, among the widest possible circle of the best possible conversation partners.” Who has been your most meaningful conversation partner, and what profound questions have you considered together?
  • 3. In her July 2009 Ted Talk, “ The Danger of a Single Story,” Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie warned viewers against assigning people a “single story” through assumptions about their nationality, appearance, or background. Discuss a time when someone defined you by a single story. What challenges did this present and how did you overcome them?
  • 4. Boston College’s Jesuit mission highlights “the three Be’s”: be attentive, be reflective, be loving – core to Jesuit education (see A Pocket Guide to Jesuit Education). If you could add a fourth “Be,” what would it be and why? How would this new value support your personal development and enrich the BC community?
  • 5. Human-Centered Engineering (HCE) Applicants only: One goal of a Jesuit education is to prepare students to serve the Common Good. Human-Centered Engineering at Boston College integrates technical knowledge, creativity, and a humanistic perspective to address societal challenges and opportunities. What societal problems are important to you and how will you use your HCE education to solve them?

Source: Aristotle Circle 2025-26 supplemental prompt roundup

Deadlines and essay flags come from the Common App Requirements Grid, joined by school name. Always confirm against the school’s own admissions page before applying.

Best-paying fields of study

Median earnings one and two years after graduating, by field. Showing 12 of 46 reported programs.

FieldLevel1 yr2 yr
Computer Sciencebachelors$91,744$84,100
Entrepreneurial and Small Business OperationsBusinessbachelors$81,702—
Finance and Financial Management ServicesBusinessbachelors$75,413$75,518
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingHealth Professionsbachelors$71,144$71,015
Information Science/StudiesComputer Sciencebachelors$71,015$76,460
Accounting and Related ServicesBusinessbachelors$70,680$69,937
EconomicsSocial Sciencesbachelors$68,643$69,069
Management Sciences and Quantitative MethodsBusinessbachelors$64,196—
Business Administration, Management and OperationsBusinessbachelors$63,997$63,997
MathematicsMathematics & Statisticsbachelors$61,814$70,596
MarketingBusinessbachelors$60,226$63,005
Communication and Media StudiesCommunicationsbachelors$50,105$46,940

Campus facts

Athletics — 17 sports

NCAA Division I-FBS · NCAA Division I

Athletic scholarships allowed · Athletic aid $27,069,001 (M $14,106,996 · W $12,962,005)

Self-reported EADA participants (2024-2025). Athletic aid is institution-level, not per sport.

Notable alumni

Illustrative alumni only — not exhaustive and not a quality ranking. Affiliation claims cite Wikipedia/Wikidata; confirm on primary bios before relying on them.