Boston College: Statistics
Updated:
| Position | Category |
|---|---|
| #284 of 14,131 | In the World |
| #125 of 2,597 | In North America |
| #110 of 2,496 | In the United States |
| #7 of 88 | In Massachusetts |
| #3 of 24 | In Boston |
| #58 of 1,063 | For Social Work |
| Top100 | For 17 other topics |
Quick Review
- Religion
- Roman Catholic
- Acceptance rate
- 16%
- Undergraduates
- 10,314
- Graduates
- 5,118
- Male:Female Ratio
- 45:55
- Control
- Private
not-for-profit - Highest Degree
- Doctor's degree
- Website
- bc.edu
Boston College Acceptance rate and admissions statistics
Boston College has an acceptance rate of 16% and is among the top 5% of the most difficult universities to gain admission to in the United States. The university reports the admission statistics without distinguishing between local and international students.
| Total | Men | Women | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acceptance Rate | 16% | 20% | 14% |
| Applicants | 35,037 | 14,202 | 20,829 |
| Admissions | 5,755 | 2,853 | 2,902 |
| Freshmen enrolled full time | 2,394 | 1,193 | 1,201 |
| Freshmen enrolled part time | 107 | 47 | 60 |
2,039 students enrolled in some distance education courses.
732 enrolled exclusively in distance education.
SAT scores
Among admitted applicants
711 or 30%
submitted SAT
25% of them
had 1440
or below
75% of them
had 1540
or below
Typical SAT scores of first-years in Boston College are 1440-1540 (middle 50% range).
ACT scores
Among admitted applicants
366 or 15%
submitted ACT
25% of them
had 33
or below
75% of them
had 35
or below
Typical ACT scores of first-years in Boston College are 33-35 (middle 50% range).
Admissions requirements
| College-preparatory program | Required |
|---|---|
| Recommendations | Required |
| Secondary school record | Required |
| TOEFL | Required |
| Formal demonstration of competencies | Considered but not required |
| Other Tests | Considered but not required |
| SAT/ACT | Considered but not required |
| Secondary school GPA | Considered but not required |
| Secondary school rank | Considered but not required |
Enrollment demographics by race or ethnicity
| White | 8539 (55%) |
|---|---|
| Hispanic | 1685 (11%) |
| Nonresident Alien | 1628 (11%) |
| Asian | 1456 (9%) |
| Black or African American | 836 (5%) |
| Two or more races | 667 (4%) |
| Race or Ethnicity unknown | 603 (4%) |
| Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander | 9 (0.1%) |
| American Indian or Alaska Native | 3 (0%) |
Costs per year: Tuition, Housing, Fees
The average net cost to attend Boston College is $32,519 per year, calculated as the sum of the average cost of tuition, room and board, books, and supplies, reduced by the amount of average financial aid received.
The final cost of attendance varies for each student based on household income, residency, program, and other factors.
Average costs by household income
| <$30K | $4,284 |
|---|---|
| $30-48K | $7,304 |
| $48-75K | $13,112 |
| $75-110K | $19,999 |
| $110K+ | $60,308 |
Tuition and fees
| Undergraduates | Graduates | |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition in-district | $69,400 | $37,404 |
| Tuition in-state | $69,400 | $37,404 |
| Tuition out-of-state | $69,400 | $37,404 |
| Fee in-district | $1,302 | $116 |
| Fee in-state | $1,302 | $116 |
| Fee out-of-state | $1,302 | $116 |
Room and board costs
| Dormitory capacity | 7,732 |
|---|---|
| Combined charge for room and board | $18,916 |
| Room charge | $10,730 |
| Meal charge | $8,186 |
Boston College majors
Boston College has granted 2,391 bachelor's degrees across 53 programs, 1,504 master's across 53 programs, and 587 doctorate degrees across 27 programs. Below is a table with majors that lead to degrees at Boston College.
| Major | Bachelor | Master | Doctoral |
|---|---|---|---|
| Econometrics and Quantitative Economics | 324 | 82 | 14 |
| Law | 341 | ||
| Social Work | 273 | 5 | |
| Finance, General | 209 | 45 | 3 |
| Business Administration and Management, General | 8 | 209 | |
| Biology & Biological Sciences, General | 185 | 1 | 4 |
| Speech Communication and Rhetoric | 172 | ||
| Registered Nursing & Registered Nurse | 95 | 56 | |
| Accounting | 127 | 6 | 2 |
| Computer Science | 128 | ||
| Psychology, General | 127 | 1 | |
| Political Science and Government, General | 113 | 5 | 5 |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods, Other | 112 | ||
| Applied Psychology | 111 | ||
| Neuroscience | 105 | 1 | 2 |
| Developmental and Child Psychology | 95 | 8 | |
| Educational Leadership and Administration, General | 77 | 25 | |
| Theology & Theological Studies | 3 | 74 | 20 |
| Nursing Practice | 85 | ||
| Curriculum and Instruction | 65 | 6 | |
| English Language and Literature, General | 56 | 12 | 1 |
| Financial Mathematics | 66 | ||
| History, General | 44 | 17 | 3 |
| International & Globalization Studies | 62 | ||
| Philosophy | 31 | 24 | 7 |
| Organizational Leadership | 60 | ||
| Higher Education & Higher Education Administration | 34 | 22 | |
| Sport and Fitness Administration & Management | 50 | ||
| Entrepreneurship & Entrepreneurial Studies | 49 | ||
| Environmental Studies | 46 | ||
| Marketing & Marketing Management, General | 36 | ||
| Health & Health Care Administration & Management | 34 | ||
| Sociology, General | 26 | 5 | 2 |
| Management Science | 32 | ||
| Mathematics, General | 28 | 1 | 3 |
| Elementary Education and Teaching | 12 | 19 | |
| Chemistry, General | 19 | 2 | 9 |
| Computer and Information Systems Security & Auditing & Information Assurance | 23 | ||
| Special Education and Teaching, General | 23 | ||
| Biochemistry | 22 | ||
| Business Administration, Management and Operations, Other | 22 | ||
| Information Science & Studies | 19 | ||
| Art History, Criticism and Conservation | 14 | ||
| Divinity & Ministry | 14 | ||
| Physics, General | 3 | 7 | 3 |
| Legal Professions and Studies, Other | 12 | ||
| Data Analytics, General | 9 | ||
| Education, General | 9 | ||
| Educational Assessment, Testing, and Measurement | 9 | ||
| Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General | 7 | 1 | |
| English & Language Arts Teacher Education | 8 | ||
| Economics, General | 7 | ||
| Educational & Instructional Technology | 7 | ||
| Liberal Arts and Sciences & Liberal Studies | 7 | ||
| Spanish Language and Literature | 2 | 5 | |
| African-American & Black Studies | 6 | ||
| Criminal Justice & Safety Studies | 6 | ||
| Fine & Studio Arts, General | 6 | ||
| History Teacher Education | 6 | ||
| International and Comparative Education | 6 | ||
| Counseling Psychology | 5 | ||
| Geology & Earth Science, General | 1 | 4 | |
| Mathematics Teacher Education | 1 | 4 | |
| Multi- & Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | 5 | ||
| Early Childhood Education and Teaching | 4 | ||
| Educational Statistics and Research Methods | 4 | ||
| German Language and Literature | 4 | ||
| Italian Language and Literature | 1 | 3 | |
| Linguistics | 4 | ||
| Nursing Science | 4 | ||
| Organizational Behavior Studies | 4 | ||
| Educational Evaluation and Research | 1 | 2 | |
| Film & Cinema & Media Studies | 3 | ||
| Operations Management and Supervision | 3 | ||
| Drama and Dramatics & Theatre Arts, General | 2 | ||
| Music, General | 2 | ||
| Natural Sciences | 2 | ||
| Near and Middle Eastern Studies | 2 | ||
| Russian Studies | 2 | ||
| Biology Teacher Education | 1 | ||
| Chemistry Teacher Education | 1 | ||
| French Language and Literature | 1 | ||
| Geophysics and Seismology | 1 | ||
| Islamic Studies | 1 | ||
| Multi- & Interdisciplinary Studies, General | 1 | ||
| Physics Teacher Education | 1 | ||
| Public Health, General | 1 | ||
| Social Psychology | 1 | ||
| Social Sciences, General | 1 | ||
| Spanish Language Teacher Education | 1 | ||
| Grand Total | 2,391 | 1,504 | 587 |
Boston College has a graduation rate of 91%, which is among the 4% highest for universities in the US.
| Total | Men | Women | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Graduation rate | 91% | 90% | 92% |
| |||
Publications & Citations
Boston College is a world-class research university with 44,762 scientific papers published and 1,563,601 citations received. The research profile covers a range of fields, including Liberal Arts & Social Sciences, Political Science, Law, Biology, Environmental Science, Sociology, Philosophy, Computer Science, Physics, and Medicine.
Publication / Citation count by topic
Annual publication & citation counts
| Year | Publications | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | 368 | 2515 |
| 1994 | 424 | 2951 |
| 1995 | 456 | 3181 |
| 1996 | 566 | 3937 |
| 1997 | 618 | 4359 |
| 1998 | 583 | 5281 |
| 1999 | 675 | 6133 |
| 2000 | 688 | 8134 |
| 2001 | 756 | 9230 |
| 2002 | 833 | 11683 |
| 2003 | 801 | 14498 |
| 2004 | 852 | 16302 |
| 2005 | 983 | 19293 |
| 2006 | 951 | 22487 |
| 2007 | 1071 | 26028 |
| 2008 | 1051 | 30809 |
| 2009 | 1174 | 35807 |
| 2010 | 1163 | 40853 |
| 2011 | 1441 | 48943 |
| 2012 | 1476 | 55062 |
| 2013 | 1492 | 59907 |
| 2014 | 1495 | 67814 |
| 2015 | 1644 | 70900 |
| 2016 | 1578 | 72877 |
| 2017 | 1576 | 76709 |
| 2018 | 1619 | 82717 |
| 2019 | 1667 | 92015 |
| 2020 | 1925 | 105211 |
| 2021 | 1746 | 114627 |
| 2022 | 1793 | 109108 |
| 2023 | 1887 | 114981 |
| 2024 | 1531 | 112465 |
| 2025 | 1210 | 98149 |
Boston College alumni
-
Amy Poehler
- Enrolled in Boston College
- In 1993 graduated with Bachelor of Arts in communication studies
- Occupations
- film directortelevision actorvoice actortelevision producerfilm actor
- Biography
-
Amy Meredith Poehler is an American actress and comedian. Known for her roles in sketch comedy, sitcoms and comedy films, she has earned acclaim and several accolades including a Primetime Emmy Award (out of 26 nominations) and two Golden Globe Awards as well as nominations for a Peabody Award and a Grammy Award. Poehler was included on Time's list of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2011 and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her contributions to comedy in 2015.
-
Leonard Nimoy
- Occupations
- photographeracting instructormusicianvoice actorfilm director
- Biography
-
Leonard Simon Nimoy was an American actor and director, famous for playing Spock in the Star Trek franchise for almost 50 years. This includes originating Spock in the original Star Trek series in 1966, then Star Trek: The Animated Series, the first six Star Trek films, Star Trek: The Next Generation, the 2009 Star Trek film, and Star Trek Into Darkness. Nimoy also directed films, including Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984), Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986), and Three Men and a Baby (1987), and his career included roles in music videos and video games. In addition to acting and filmmaking, Nimoy was a photographer, author, singer, and songwriter.
-
John Kerry
- Enrolled in Boston College
- Studied in 1976
- Occupations
- climate activistpeace activistnaval officerdiplomatlawyer
- Biography
-
John Forbes Kerry is an American attorney, politician, diplomat, and former naval officer who served as the 68th United States secretary of state from 2013 to 2017 in the administration of President Barack Obama. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously represented Massachusetts in the United States Senate from 1985 to 2013 and later served as the first U.S. special presidential envoy for climate from 2021 to 2024. Kerry was the Democratic nominee for president of the United States in the 2004 election, losing to then-incumbent president George W. Bush.
-
Chris O'Donnell
- Occupations
- voice actorstage actormodelactortelevision actor
- Biography
-
Christopher Eugene O'Donnell is an American actor. After modeling and acting in numerous commercials as a teenager, he made his film debut in the comedy-drama film Men Don't Leave (1990). Following supporting roles in the films Fried Green Tomatoes (1991) and School Ties (1992), O'Donnell had his breakout with a starring role in the drama film Scent of a Woman (1992), which earned him a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture.
General info
| Alternative names | BC |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1863 |
| Motto | Ever to Excel |
| Colors | maroon, gold |
| Academic calendar | September to May |
| Total FTE staff | 4,028 |
| Carnegie classification | Doctoral Universities: Very High Research Activity |
Location and contacts
| Address | 140 Commonwealth Avenue Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, 02467 United States |
|---|---|
| City population | 676,000 |
| Phone | 6175528000 |