What a friend would tell you
What BU is looking for
Name the specific college you're applying to (COM, Questrom, Sargent, ENG) and explain why its curriculum fits your trajectory. BU filters for self-directed students who chose this school over smaller alternatives for a reason. Show you understand the independence an 18,000-student urban university demands.
What students wish they'd known
BU's size means bureaucracy: advising is stretched, registration is competitive, and intro classes can seat 200+. You're competing for internships and attention with Harvard, MIT, and Northeastern students down the street. Housing costs in Boston are brutal, and the linear campus means a 25-minute walk between your dorm and your lab.
BU might be a fit if...
- You want a pre-professional launchpad in a major city, not a cozy campus bubble
- You're self-motivated enough to build your own network inside a school of 18,000
- You want to pair strong academics with immediate access to Boston's internship market
BU Admissions Strategy
3.0x (est.)
Early Decision Advantage
Early Decision admits at 3.0x the RD rate. The trade: ED is binding. Apply only if you'd say yes on the spot.
Early Decision: the numbers
BU's Early Decision acceptance rate is 28.0% (est.) vs 9.47% RD. ED is binding. If you are admitted, you are committing to enroll. This signals strong commitment and gives a meaningful admissions advantage.
Deadlines: ED November 2 · RD January 5
Deadlines: ED November 2 · RD January 5
Test Policy
Test-optional
You choose whether to send scores. A strong score helps your case; a weak one is better left off.
Demonstrated Interest
Yes, Tracked
Tracked. Campus visits, info sessions, and opened emails all register. Show up where you can.
Interview
Not offered
Yield Rate
22%
Only 22% of admits choose to enroll. The waitlist moves more than you'd think; if you land on it, make your interest loud.
Want to boost your odds at BU and every reach on your list, so admissions stops feeling like a coin flip?
Join the free one-hour workshop from two Harvard grads who have helped 3,000+ students get in. Parents welcome.
Cost & Financial Aid at BU
$64,000
Sticker Price
$5,000
Avg Merit Aid
Need-blind admissions. Meets 100% of demonstrated need. 65% receive financial aid.
What you get for it: BU spends about $26,000 per student per year on instruction and student resources, roughly 2x the $15K national average. You see it in class sizes, faculty access, and research budgets.
What BU Graduates Get
$66,000
Avg Starting Salary
92%
Employed or in Grad School
75%
Graduate in 4 Years
The 4-year number is the on-time rate; the 6-year rate (91%) is the one schools usually advertise. A wide gap means many students pay for extra semesters.
BU Campus & Culture
The Campus
BU stretches along 1.3 miles of Commonwealth Avenue in a linear campus bisected by the Green Line trolley. Marsh Chapel's Gothic limestone tower anchors the center; Bay State Road's Victorian brownstones house humanities departments. The Charles River runs along the north edge, and most students cross between campuses on foot or by BU shuttle, never quite escaping Boston's grid.
The Social Scene
Boston location is primary social resource; urban campus means integration into city
BU Traditions & Trivia
BU Seal Superstition
Students avoid stepping on the large university crest embedded in the center of Marsh Plaza for four years, convinced it will delay their graduation; the moment they have a diploma, stepping on it for a photo becomes a rite of passage.
The Citgo Sign
The 60-by-60-foot Citgo sign towering above the BU bookstore on Beacon Street has pulsed from dusk to midnight since 1965 and is treated by students as a second campus landmark, visible from the Charles River esplanade.
Academics at BU
What BU is known for
Pre-professional focus, Boston location, study abroad, co-op programs
Most popular majors at BU
Standout programs
Business, engineering, communications, pre-health, international relations
How the curriculum works
School-based (Arts/Sciences, Business, Engineering, Communications, etc.); general ed core
Recommended high school courses
4 English, 4 Math, 3+ Science, 3 Social Studies, 2 Foreign Language
Notable BU Alumni
Martin Luther King Jr.
Earned his PhD in theology at BU, 1955
Julianne Moore
Oscar-winning actress, BFA from BU's School of Theatre Arts 1983
Howard Stern
Graduated from COM in 1976, redefined talk radio
Nina Totenberg
NPR's legal affairs correspondent, attended BU's School of Communication
Bill O'Reilly
Broadcast journalism career launched from BU COM, class of 1971
If you like BU, also consider
Northeastern University
Same Boston location with stronger co-op program and hands-on focus
New York University
Urban research university in an even bigger city, similar independence required
Tufts University
Comparable academics near Boston, but smaller and more community-driven
George Washington University
Same big-city pre-professional energy, D.C. instead of Boston
University of Southern California
Large private urban university with stronger alumni network and West Coast access