Boston College acceptance rate and your odds of getting in
Boston College is a private college in Massachusetts that admits roughly 16% of applicants, which puts it in the highly selective range. A rate like this means it turns away most applicants; the bar is less about clearing a single cutoff and more about how your full profile compares to admitted students.
Use this page to see what Boston College weighs, where it ranks among Massachusetts schools, and how a profile like yours is likely to land. Admitted students post a 75th-percentile SAT around 1520, a useful checkpoint for where your scores sit, though it is a reference range and not a cutoff.
What is the early decision acceptance rate at Boston College?
In its 2024-25 Common Data Set, Boston College admitted 33.4% of Early Decision applicants (1,434 of 4,288), against about 13.8% of everyone else. Its overall rate that year was 16.2%.
Source: Boston College Common Data Set 2024-25, IPEDS admissions survey, fall 2023. Updated October 30, 2026.
Boston College application deadlines, 2026-27 · Boston College supplemental essays, 2026-27
What do students study at Boston College?
Bachelor's degrees awarded by field in 2023 (IPEDS completions). Each field has its own page with the school's numbers, the model's major adjustment, and peers offering it.
Will I get into Boston College?
Direct answers to what applicants ask about getting into Boston College, plus a free way to calculate your own odds.
What are my chances of getting into Boston College?
At Boston College, your real chance depends on far more than the published 16% admit rate. Your real odds depend on how your GPA, course rigor, test scores, and activities compare to its admitted students. Run your profile through the free CollegeCalcAI calculator to get a personalized acceptance percentage for Boston College in about three minutes, with no account needed to start.
Is Boston College hard to get into?
Boston College is highly selective: it turns away most applicants, with about a 16% acceptance rate. Strong academics are expected here, so the rest of your profile usually decides the outcome.
What GPA do you need to get into Boston College?
There is no hard GPA cutoff at Boston College, but most admitted students present roughly a 3.8 to 4.0 GPA with a rigorous course load. Boston College reads your GPA alongside the rigor of your courses, so a challenging schedule matters as much as the number itself.
Your chances at Boston College by GPA and SAT
Estimated chance of admission at Boston College for plain profiles, from the same model as the calculator. Unweighted GPA, 6 AP courses, Regular Decision, no legacy, athletic or first-generation hook. The last column is test-optional (no score sent).
What are my chances at Boston College with a 3.7 GPA and a 1490 SAT?
About 25% (Target), by CollegeCalcAI's deterministic model, for an applicant with a 3.7 unweighted GPA and a 1490 SAT, the middle of Boston College's admitted range, applying Regular Decision without a hook. A 3.9 GPA with a 1540 SAT comes out near 31%. Courses, activities, essays and the application round move the number; the free calculator includes them.
Estimates, not guarantees. Get yours with your real courses and activities. Assistants and developers can fetch this table from the free API: /api/v1/colleges/boston-college.
Early Decision, Early Action and the waitlist at Boston College
From Boston College's own 2024-25 Common Data Set (fall 2024 entering class): sections C1, C2, C21-C22 and D2.
What is the early decision acceptance rate at Boston College?
33.4%. Boston College admitted 1,434 of 4,288 Early Decision applicants for fall 2024, against 16.2% of all 34,779 first-year applicants (Boston College's 2024-25 Common Data Set).
Does applying early decision help at Boston College?
On the raw numbers, yes: Early Decision applicants were admitted at 33.4% versus about 13.8% for everyone who applied another way, 2.4x the rate, and Early Decision filled 25.5% of the admitted class. Part of that gap is who applies early (recruited athletes and legacy applicants often do), so it is not all the round itself. Early Decision is binding: apply only if Boston College is your clear first choice and the family can commit without comparing aid offers.
How many students get off the waitlist at Boston College?
352 for fall 2024. Boston College offered 7,444 applicants a waitlist spot, 4,139 accepted one, and 352 were admitted from it: 8.5% of those who stayed on (Boston College's 2024-25 Common Data Set).
What is the transfer acceptance rate at Boston College?
27.7%: 410 of 1,480 transfer applicants were admitted for fall 2024 (Boston College's 2024-25 Common Data Set).
Source: Boston College Common Data Set 2024-25. Every figure appears verbatim in the document. See how early rounds compare across colleges in the Early Decision rankings.
How to get into Boston College
Built from Boston College's admitted class and what it reports weighing. The typical-admit GPA and SAT are CollegeCalcAI's modeled figures, not published cutoffs.
Getting into Boston College comes down to four decisions, each one visible in the data on this page.
CollegeCalcAI's modeled typical admit at Boston College carries about a 3.82 core GPA and a 1490 SAT, in the most rigorous schedule available. Landing at or above it makes you competitive; the rest of the file decides.
The admitted middle 50% is 1440 to 1540 SAT (33 to 35 ACT). Submit a score at 1490 or higher; below 1440, apply test-optional if the policy allows.
Boston College rates rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and application essay highest in its own Common Data Set. Put your depth there: essays that sound like you and answer the actual prompt, and a transcript whose rigor rises through junior year.
Selective private colleges admit a larger share of their class in binding Early Decision; if Boston College is your clear first choice and the net price works, ED is the single biggest lever an applicant controls. Most early deadlines fall on November 1 and Regular Decision on January 1 to 15; confirm Boston College's exact dates at www.bc.edu.
How many students apply to Boston College, and how many get in?
36,069 students applied to Boston College for fall 2023; 5,645 were admitted (15.7%). 2,335 enrolled. Roughly 41% of admitted students enrolled, a typical yield for a school in this range. Boston College enrolls about 10,085 undergraduates in total, 52% of them women, with a student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS 2023 admissions and enrollment.
What SAT and ACT scores do you need for Boston College?
The middle 50% of admitted students at Boston College scored between 1440 and 1540 on the SAT (average 1507). On the ACT the middle 50% runs from 33 to 35. A score above 1540 puts you in the top quarter of admits and turns the test into an asset; a score below 1440 puts you in the bottom quarter, where the rest of the application has to carry more weight. Boston College is test-optional: scores are considered if you submit them but not required. Send a score at or above the middle of the admitted range; otherwise apply without one and let your transcript lead.
Source: College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education), release 2026-06-10.
What Boston College looks for
What Boston College weighs most heavily in its admissions review, informed by its reported Common Data Set.
Boston College signals that it values rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and application essay above the rest of the file. At this level of selectivity, the difference between admits is rarely the transcript alone; essays, recommendations, and a coherent story matter. These ratings come from Boston College's reported Common Data Set, so the full chart below reflects what the school itself says it values, not a generic guess.
SAT score positioning at Boston College
How common SAT scores sit relative to the admitted middle. This is context, not a probability. Your full profile determines the real estimate.
How much does Boston College cost after financial aid?
Boston College's published cost of attendance, before any aid, is roughly $89,493 per year. Tuition and fees alone are $70,702. What families actually pay is different: the average net price after grants and scholarships is $41,704 a year, and it ranges from $4,284 for families earning under $30,000 to $60,308 for families earning over $110,000. 13% of undergraduates receive a federal Pell Grant.
Source: College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education), release 2026-06-10. Net price is what students receiving aid paid after grants, by family income.
What do Boston College graduates earn, and how many graduate?
Ten years after enrolling, the median Boston College student who received federal aid earns $103,937 a year, up from $85,717 at six years. 91% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 96% return for a second year. Among graduates who borrowed, median federal debt at graduation is $19,000; 30% of undergraduates take federal loans.
Source: College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education), release 2026-06-10. Earnings cover students who received federal aid.
How Boston College compares in Massachusetts
Boston College ranks #9 most selective of 36 schools in Massachusetts in our database.
Among the 36 Massachusetts schools we track, Boston College ranks #9 most selective by acceptance rate. Schools like Harvard University (4%) and Northeastern University (5%) sit nearby, which makes Massachusetts a useful frame for calibrating a balanced list.
Similar to Boston College
Schools with a similar selectivity profile, worth comparing as you build a balanced list.
If Boston College is on your list, schools with a similar admit profile are worth a look: Wesleyan University, Babson College, and Denison University. Running the same profile against each one in the free calculator is the fastest way to see where you are a reach, a match, or a likely.
Frequently asked questions
What is Boston College's acceptance rate?
Boston College admitted 5,645 of 36,069 applicants for the fall 2023 entering class, an acceptance rate of 15.7% (U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS). 41% of admitted students enrolled.
What SAT score do you need for Boston College?
The middle 50% of admitted students scored 1440 to 1540 on the SAT and 33 to 35 on the ACT. A score above 1540 is in the top quarter of admits. Boston College is test-optional, so only submit a score that helps.
Is Boston College test-optional?
Yes. Boston College reports that test scores are considered but not required. Submit a score at or above the middle of the admitted range; otherwise apply without one.
How much does Boston College cost after financial aid?
The average net price at Boston College, what students receiving aid paid after grants and scholarships, is $41,704 a year against a sticker price of about $89,493. Families earning under $30,000 paid about $4,284 on average.
What do Boston College graduates earn?
Median earnings ten years after entering Boston College are $103,937 a year among students who received federal aid, and 91% of students graduate within six years (College Scorecard).
What does Boston College value most in applicants?
Based on its admissions profile, Boston College weighs rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and application essay most heavily. The full factor breakdown is on this page.
Does Boston College consider legacy or demonstrated interest?
Many private colleges weigh legacy relationships and demonstrated interest. Boston College's full factor profile is charted on this page, and CollegeCalcAI models a legacy effect scaled to a school's selectivity.
How can I improve my chances at Boston College?
Focus on the highest-leverage parts of your application: course rigor and GPA trajectory first, then test scores, then a focused leadership or activity spike. CollegeCalcAI's Power-Ups quantify how much each change would move your odds at Boston College specifically.
Acceptance rate, application counts, admitted test ranges, cost, and outcomes reflect publicly reported federal data (U.S. Department of Education: IPEDS 2023 and the College Scorecard) and each school's Common Data Set; figures are rounded and lag the current cycle by one to two years, so confirm deadlines and policies on the school's own site. The typical-admit GPA and SAT are CollegeCalcAI's modeled estimates. Estimates from CollegeCalcAI are a planning tool computed by a fixed, transparent model, not a guarantee of any admission decision.