Boston University

Boston University Overview

Boston University is a private, nonprofit school in the city of Boston, Massachusetts. BU was founded in 1839 and the school presently has around 36,104 students a year, including 18,229 undergraduate students. BU offers housing for up to 11,305 students. The majority of students live on campus, and first year-students are required to live in campus housing. On the weekends, about 80% of students stay on-campus and participate in campus events and social life.

📆 Mark your calendar! January 4, 2023 is the final deadline to submit an application for the Fall 2023 semester. Regular decision applicants for Fall 2023 should receive admissions decisions by April 1.

Student Activities at BU

Are you interested in music or performing? Join a campus band, sing in a chorus, or perform with one of the school's theater groups.

Interested in journalism or communications? BU students can write for the campus newspaper, host a radio show or be a producer for the student-run television channel.

Interested in Greek life? BU has both fraternities and sororities.

Planning to play sports? BU has many options for athletes. See them all and learn more about life at BU on the Student Life page.

Is BU a Good School?

There is no one way to define a "good" college or university. Admissions difficulty, admitted student statistics, tuition, and financial aid can give you a sense of how selective a university is.

Let's take a look at these areas to get a better view of what BU offers and if the school could be the right college for you.

2022 Acceptance Rate for Boston University

It is very difficult to get into BU. BU admitted 19% of all applicants in 2022. Last year, 75,778 students applied to BU and 14,129 were admitted.

Retention and Graduation Rates at BU

Retention refers to the number of students that stay enrolled at a school over time. It gauges how satisfied students are with their school experience, and if they have the support necessary to succeed in college.

About 94% of students who start at BU return for their second year of college. 89% of BU undergrads graduate within six years. Compare this to the average six-year graduation rate for colleges and universities in the U.S., which is around 61% for public schools and 67% for private.

Job Outlook BU Graduates

Job placement rates after graduation and average starting salaries can all give important clues about the value of a degree from a specific school. 60% of graduates from BU recieve at least one full-time job offer within six months of graduating.

The average starting salary for recent BU grads is $60,317 a year. Average starting salaries vary by discipline, but the average starting salary for all 2021 graduates was around $60,000 a year.

Boston University's Endowment

An endowment is the total value of a school's investments, donations, and assets. Endowment is not necessarily an indicator of the quality of a school, but it can give you a sense of how much money a college can afford to invest in expanding programs, improving facilities, and support students.

BU's endowment was valued at $3.4 billion in 2022, compared to a national average of $905 million. The school spends $38,479 for each full-time student enrolled.

Tuition and Financial Aid at BU

Tuition cost is another important factor when choose a college. Some colleges may have high tuition, but do a better job at meeting students' financial need.

BU meets 88% of the demonstrated financial need for undergraduates. First-year students that attend BU full-time are awarded $57,519 a year in financial aid, on average.

The average student debt for graduates in the class of 2022 was around $40,944 per student, not including those with no debt. For context, compare this number with the average national debt, which is around $36,000 per borrower.

The 2023-2024 FAFSA Opened on October 1st, 2022

Some aid is available on a first-come, first-served basis, so fill out the FAFSA as soon as you can. Visit the FAFSA website to apply for student aid. Remember, the first F in FAFSA stands for FREE! No one should ever pay to fill out the FREE Application for Federal Student Aid, (FAFSA), so don't give your money (or info!) to any website that claim you do.

Learn more about Tuition and Financial Aid at BU.

Based on this information, how does BU sound? Remember, the best school for one person may be a terrible fit for another! So ask yourself: Is BU a good school for you?

If Boston University seems like a school you want to apply to, click the heart button to save it to your college list.

Still Searching for Colleges?

To learn more about BU, choose from the options below:

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Then use the college admissions predictor to calculate your chances of getting admitted to some of the top colleges and universities in the U.S.

Where is Boston University Located?

BU is located in the city of Boston, Massachusetts, less than an hour from Boston.

If you want to see BU for yourself, plan a visit. The best way to reach campus is to take Massachusetts Turnpike to Boston, or book a flight to the nearest airport, Logan International.

You can also take a virtual campus tour to get a sense of what BU and Boston are like without leaving home.

Considering Colleges in Massachusetts?

See a full list of colleges in Massachusetts and save your favorites to your college list.