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Boston University Common Data Set 2025-26
MATest policy: Test-optional through fall 2028: SAT/ACT considered if submitted; TOEFL, IELTS or Duolingo required for international applicantsCompare with other schoolsAP credit
Acceptance rate
12.8%
9,853 of 76,776
Early decision rate
31.3%
Non-ED pool: 11%
SAT middle 50%
1420–1510
ACT middle 50%
33–34
Who got into Boston University: GPA and SAT of reported applicants
Accepted 250Waitlisted 165Rejected 138Preview
Self-reported by 553 applicants on Reddit, so it leans toward strong applicants and isn't Boston University's official data. 17 with lower scores are off the chart but counted in the table. See your chances
See who got into Boston University
GPA and SAT of 553 reported applicants, accepted vs. rejected.
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| AppliedC1 | 76,776 |
| AdmittedC1 | 9,853 |
| EnrolledC1 | 3,449 |
| YieldC1 | 35% |
| Early decisionC21 | 2,165 of 6,907 (31.3%) |
| Early actionC22 | Not offered |
Waitlist
| Offered a placeC2 | 16,135 |
| Accepted a placeC2 | 10,393 |
| Admitted from waitlistC2 | 479 |
| Odds if you stay on the listC2 | 4.6% |
Test scores and GPA
| Submitted SATC9 | 36% |
| Submitted ACTC9 | 10% |
| SAT Reading & Writing (25th–75th)C9 | 700–750 |
| SAT Math (25th–75th)C9 | 720–780 |
| Average high school GPAC12 | 3.86 |
| GPA of 4.0C11 | 36% |
| GPA 3.75–3.99C11 | 36% |
| GPA 3.50–3.74C11 | 27% |
| GPA below 3.50C11 | 1% |
Cost and financial aid
| TuitionG1 | $69,870 |
| Required feesG1 | $1,502 |
| Food and housingG1 | $19,970 |
| Need fully met (first-years)H2 | 52.8% |
| Average % of need metH2 | 98% |
| Average need-based packageH2 | $70,629 |
| Average need-based grantH2 | $66,926 |
What admissions looks at
- Rigor of secondary school recordVery important
- Class rankImportant
- Academic GPAVery important
- Standardized test scoresConsidered
- Application essayImportant
- Recommendation(s)Important
- InterviewNot considered
- Extracurricular activitiesImportant
- Talent/abilityNot considered
- Character/personal qualitiesImportant
- First generationConsidered
- Alumni/ae relationNot considered
- Geographical residenceConsidered
- State residencyConsidered
- Religious affiliation/commitmentNot considered
- Volunteer workConsidered
- Work experienceConsidered
- Level of applicant's interestConsidered
From item C7.
Outcomes
| UndergraduatesB1 | 18,289 |
| First-year retentionB22 | 94% |
| 4-year graduation rateB | — |
| 6-year graduation rateB | 90% |
Notes on this filing
- A1/A2: Filing lists Boston University as proprietary (private nonprofit institutions are typically reported otherwise); reported as printed.
- C1: No total printed for applicants, admits, or enrollees; totals computed as the sum of male and female columns (unknown-sex column blank). Results match the Fall 2025 residency table (76,776; 9,853; 3,449).
- C2: Waitlist block has three unlabeled-in-PDF counts mapped by position: 16,135 offered a place, 10,393 accepted a place, 479 admitted from the waitlist (label 'Number of wait-listed students').
- C4/C5: Waitlist ranking answered 'No'; release of waitlist information 'No'.
- C8A/C8F: C8A marks SAT/ACT as 'considered if submitted', consistent with C8F test-optional statement. C8F also notes international applicants must submit TOEFL, IELTS or Duolingo. C8D is marked 'Yes' with no explanation of its meaning.
- C11: The 4.0 row and the 3.75 row both show 36%; the 3.75-3.99 value is taken as printed. Bands sum to 100%.
- G1: 'Other: 3085' appears without a label and is not used.
- G1: Tuition is a single rate for all students; no in-state or out-of-state split.
- Grad rates: 4-year rate for the Fall 2019 cohort is not printed (line D gives counts only), so it is null. 6-year rate of 90% is printed in line H.
- H2: Used the first-time, full-time first-year column. Need-based denominator is line D (any financial aid, 1,344). pct_need_fully_met = 710 / 1,344 = 52.8%. pct_with_need_awarded_aid is not printed, so it is null.
- C10: Class rank percentages were not used in the schema, as no matching field exists.
Source: Boston University Common Data Set 2025-26 . “—” means the college left the item blank.