Boston College: Statistics

Boston College logo
EduRank.org best universities badge
Position Category
#265 of 14,131 In the World
#121 of 2,597 In North America
#105 of 2,496 In the United States
#7 of 88 In Massachusetts
#3 of 24 In Boston
#50 of 1,052 For Law Enforcement
Top100 For 30 other topics
Subject rankings

Quick Review

Religion
Roman Catholic
Acceptance rate
19%
Average SAT
1475
Average ACT
34
Avg. cost to attend
$30,159 /y
Aid receiving
51%
Undergraduates
9,955
Graduates
5,622
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 19% 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 19% 23% 17%
Applicants 39,846 15,491 24,355
Admissions 7,587 3,509 4,078
Freshmen enrolled full time 2,516 1,173 1,343

6,590 students enrolled in some distance education courses.

650 enrolled exclusively in distance education.

SAT scores

Among admitted applicants
764 or 30%
submitted SAT

25% of them
had 1420
or below

75% of them
had 1530
or below

Typical SAT scores of first-years in Boston College are 1420-1530 (middle 50% range).

ACT scores

Among admitted applicants
503 or 20%
submitted ACT

25% of them
had 33
or below

75% of them
had 34
or below

Typical ACT scores of first-years in Boston College are 33-34 (middle 50% range).

Admissions requirements

College-preparatory program Required
Recommendations Required
Secondary school GPA Required
Secondary school record Required
TOEFL Required
Secondary school rank Recommended
Formal demonstration of competencies Considered but not required
Other Tests Considered but not required
SAT/ACT Considered but not required

Enrollment demographics by race or ethnicity

White 7759 (50%)
Race or Ethnicity unknown 2103 (14%)
Nonresident Alien 1924 (12%)
Hispanic 1365 (9%)
Asian 1300 (8%)
Black or African American 615 (4%)
Two or more races 498 (3%)
American Indian or Alaska Native 4 (0%)
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander 3 (0%)

Costs per year: Tuition, Housing, Fees

The average net cost to attend Boston College is $30,159 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.

Net average cost to attend
$30,159/year
Average aid awarded
$48,693
Students receiving aid
51%

Average costs by household income

<$30K $12,320
$30-48K $14,368
$48-75K $12,780
$75-110K $22,303
$110K+ $52,580

Tuition and fees

UndergraduatesGraduates
Tuition in-district $60,530$32,616
Tuition in-state $60,530$32,616
Tuition out-of-state $60,530$32,616
Fee in-district $1,176$106
Fee in-state $1,176$106
Fee out-of-state $1,176$106

Room and board costs

Dormitory capacity 7,602
Combined charge for room and board $15,602
Room charge $9,780
Meal charge $5,822

Boston College majors

Boston College has granted 2,452 bachelor's degrees across 47 programs, 1,437 master's across 40 programs, and 355 doctorate degrees across 25 programs. Below is a table with majors that lead to degrees at Boston College.

Major Bachelor Master Doctoral
Finance, General 319 49 5
Econometrics and Quantitative Economics 299 67 6
Social Work 264 9
Law 228
Biology & Biological Sciences, General 212 1 7
Business Administration and Management, General 8 210
Political Science and Government, General 187 5 7
Speech Communication and Rhetoric 144
Curriculum and Instruction 125 8
Psychology, General 119
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing, Other 113
Theology & Theological Studies 4 96 6
Registered Nursing & Registered Nurse 104
Applied Psychology 97
Computer Science 97
Marketing & Marketing Management, General 95
Accounting 62 31
English Language and Literature, General 65 16 2
International & Globalization Studies 80
Neuroscience 68 2 2
Financial Mathematics 71
History, General 59 5 5
Organizational Leadership 63
Mathematics, General 61 1
Philosophy 25 22 7
Mental Health Counseling & Counselor 53
Information Science & Studies 48
Sociology, General 39 5 2
Chemistry, General 17 6 21
Higher Education & Higher Education Administration 42 2
Biochemistry 41
Sport and Fitness Administration & Management 41
Business Administration, Management and Operations, Other 37
Elementary Education and Teaching 34
Health & Health Care Administration & Management 26
Computer and Information Systems Security & Auditing & Information Assurance 25
Educational Leadership and Administration, General 25
Environmental Studies 23
Developmental and Child Psychology 18 1
Physics, General 13 2 4
Secondary Education and Teaching 17
Operations Management and Supervision 15
International and Comparative Education 14
Environmental Science 13
Nursing Science 12
Educational Evaluation and Research 5 6
Economics, General 10
Legal Professions and Studies, Other 7
Counseling Psychology 6
Criminal Justice & Safety Studies 6
Art History, Criticism and Conservation 5
Drama and Dramatics & Theatre Arts, General 5
Educational Statistics and Research Methods 5
Film & Cinema & Media Studies 5
Italian Language and Literature 5
Religious Education 5
French Language and Literature 1 3
Geology & Earth Science, General 1 3
Linguistics 2 2
Natural Sciences 4
Educational & Instructional Technology 3
Islamic Studies 3
Spanish Language and Literature 1 2
Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General 2
Russian Studies 1 1
Social Sciences, General 2
Education, General 1
Geophysics and Seismology 1
German Language and Literature 1
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods, Other 1
Music, General 1
Organizational Behavior Studies 1
Pastoral Studies & Counseling 1
Psychometrics and Quantitative Psychology 1
Social Psychology 1
Grand Total 2,452 1,437 355

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%
  • Full-time retention rate - 95%

Publications & Citations

Boston College is a world-class research university with 25,757 scientific papers published and 1,169,841 citations received. The research profile covers a range of fields, including Liberal Arts & Social Sciences, Business, Psychology, Economics, Medicine, Political Science, Chemistry, Physics, Law, and Sociology.

Publications
25,757
Citations
1,169,841

Publication / Citation count by topic

Liberal Arts & Social Sciences
9,038 / 237,236
Business
4,380 / 283,550
Psychology
4,109 / 297,578
Economics
3,371 / 159,810
Medicine
3,206 / 107,170
Political Science
2,684 / 32,040
Chemistry
2,448 / 156,777
Physics
2,232 / 140,192
Law
2,160 / 7,632
Sociology
2,038 / 88,250
Biology
1,943 / 160,086
Engineering
1,830 / 114,479
Mathematics
1,677 / 87,480
Computer Science
1,676 / 181,168
Social Psychology
1,308 / 145,859
Environmental Science
1,246 / 37,369
Materials Science
1,058 / 79,578
Demography
990 / 36,993
Investment Banking and Stock trading
970 / 62,411
Child Psychology
956 / 73,226
Finance
929 / 48,792
Art & Design
858 / 29,604
Communications and Public Relations
737 / 51,543
Philosophy
668 / 919
Condensed Matter Physics
662 / 37,494
Econometrics and Mathematical Economics
648 / 38,868
Public Policy / Administration
601 / 14,628
Theology / Divinity / Religious studies
530 / 383
Education Majors
518 / 28,912
History
509 / 2,675
Health Science
501 / 12,654
Cognitive Science
494 / 51,800
Clinical Psychology
471 / 23,464
Organic Chemistry
461 / 37,238
Biochemistry
444 / 16,541
International Business
441 / 10,581
Actuarial Science
428 / 15,891
Nursing
389 / 7,910
Development Studies
388 / 20,223
Marketing
383 / 82,227

Annual publication & citation counts

Year Publications Citations
1991 283 2248
1992 307 2561
1993 296 2943
1994 339 3463
1995 318 3839
1996 427 4691
1997 453 5045
1998 448 6217
1999 530 7119
2000 562 9411
2001 556 10756
2002 687 13438
2003 656 16162
2004 688 19324
2005 837 23804
2006 794 28275
2007 871 33462
2008 878 40080
2009 1002 47627
2010 1014 53903
2011 1125 64152
2012 1272 71806
2013 1256 81155
2014 1256 90680
2015 1446 94686
2016 1392 94375
2017 1259 94802
2018 1293 91026
2019 1327 102746
2020 1558 117074
2021 1473 128694
Academic rankings

Boston College alumni

  1. Amy Poehler

    Amy Poehler
    Born in
    United States Flag United States
    Years
    1971-.. (age 52)
    Enrolled in Boston College
    In 1993 graduated with Bachelor of Arts in communication studies
    Occupations
    actorfilm actorscreenwritertelevision directortelevision actor
    Biography

    Amy Poehler is an American comedian, actress, writer, producer, and director. After studying improv at Chicago's Second City and ImprovOlympic in the early 1990s, Poehler co-founded the improvisational-comedy troupe Upright Citizens Brigade. The group moved to New York City in 1996, where their act became a half-hour sketch-comedy series on Comedy Central in 1998. Along with other members of the comedy group, Poehler is a founder of the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre.

  2. Leonard Nimoy

    Leonard Nimoy
    Born in
    United States Flag United States
    Years
    1931-2015 (aged 84)
    Occupations
    actorfilm producerwriterscreenwriterphotographer
    Biography

    Leonard Simon Nimoy was an American actor, famed 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, and Star Trek: The Next Generation. Nimoy also directed films, including Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984) and Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986), and appeared in several films, television shows, and voice acted in several video games. Outside of acting, Nimoy was a film director, photographer, author, singer, and songwriter.

  3. John Kerry

    John Kerry
    Born in
    United States Flag United States
    Years
    1943-.. (age 80)
    Enrolled in Boston College
    Studied in 1976
    Occupations
    international forum participantpeace activistnaval officerdiplomatlawyer
    Biography

    John Forbes Kerry is an American attorney, politician and diplomat who currently serves as the first United States special presidential envoy for climate. A member of the Forbes family and the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 68th United States secretary of state from 2013 to 2017 under Barack Obama and as a United States senator from Massachusetts from 1985 to 2013. He was the Democratic nominee for president of the United States in the 2004 election, losing to incumbent President George W. Bush.

  4. Chris O'Donnell

    Chris O'Donnell
    Born in
    United States Flag United States
    Years
    1970-.. (age 53)
    Occupations
    modelfilm actortelevision producerstage actorfilm producer
    Biography

    Christopher Eugene O'Donnell is an American actor. He played Charlie Sims in Scent of a Woman, Chris Reece in School Ties, D'Artagnan in The Three Musketeers, Jack Foley in the drama film Circle of Friends, Dick Grayson/Robin in Batman Forever and Batman & Robin, Jason Brown in Robert Altman's Cookie's Fortune, Peter Garrett in Vertical Limit, and Wardell Pomeroy in Kinsey. O'Donnell stars as special Agent G. Callen on the CBS crime drama television series NCIS: Los Angeles, a spin-off of NCIS.

All 100 notable alumni

General info

Alternative names BC
Founded 1863
Motto Ever to Excel
Colors maroon, gold
Academic calendar September to May
Total FTE staff 3,790
Carnegie classification Doctoral Universities: Highest Research Activity

Location and contacts

Address 140 Commonwealth Avenue
Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, 02467
United States
City population 676,000
Phone 6175528000

Boston College in social media