Applying to Boston University

Boston University (BU) acceptance rate is 11.00% for 2023-2024 admission. A total of 80,495 students applied and 8,854 were admitted to the school. Its acceptance rate is low, making it difficult to get into BU.

The median SAT score is 1470 and the ACT score is 33 at BU. BU's SAT score ranks 11st out of 42 Massachusetts colleges that consider SAT score for admission.

To apply to BU, recommendations and personal statement (or essay) are required to submit. The SAT and ACT score is not required, but considered for admission. In addition, english proficiency test score is also considered (required).

Admission Statistics

For the academic year 2023-24, BU's acceptance rate is 11.00% and the yield (also known as enrollment rate) is 36.00%. 32,176 men and 48,314 women applied to BU and 3,861 men and 4,831 women students were accepted.

Among them, 1,313 men and 1,836 women were enrolled in BU (Fall 2023).

Acceptance Rate and Admission Statistics at BU
TotalMenWomenAnother GenderGender Unknown
Applicants80,49532,17648,31400
Admitted8,8543,8614,83100
Enrolled3,1871,3131,83600
Acceptance Rate 11.00%12.00%10.00%--
Yield 36.00%34.01%38.00%--

Boston University 2023 Acceptance Rate By Gender chart

Median SAT and ACT Score

In 2024, 892 students (28% of enrolled) have submitted their SAT scores and 311 students (10%) have submitted their ACT scores for seeking degrees at BU.

The median SAT score is 1,470 with 710 SAT EBRW and 760 SAT Math median scores. The 75 th percentile SAT score of EBRW (Evidence-Based Reading / Writing) is 740 and the 25 th percentile is 680. The SAT Math 75 th percentile score is 780 and 25 th percentile is 720 .

The median ACT composite score is 33 with 75 th percentile score of 34 and 25 th percentile score of 32 at BU. The median ACT math score is 31 and the ACT English score is 35.

How competitive is BU's score?

The SAT and ACT scores at Boston University are similar to the average score compared to similar colleges (SAT: 1,492, ACT: 33 - private (not-for-profit) research university with very high research activity).

The institutional SAT code for BU is 3087 and 4-digt code ACT code is 1794.

2024 SAT and ACT Scores at BU
25 th Percentile50 th Percentile (Median)75 th Percentile
SAT Total1,4001,4701,520
SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing680710740
SAT Math720760780
ACT Composite323334
ACT Math293134
ACT English333535

Boston University 2023 SAT and ACT Score Chart

Application Requirements

It requires to submit High School GPA, High School Record (or Transcript), Completion of College Preparatory Program, Recommendations, English Proficiency Test, and Personal statement or essay to its applicants.

The SAT and ACT test score is not reqired, but considered in admission process at BU. The english proficiency test is reqired .

The next table summarizes the application requirements to apply Boston University.

For more admission information such as minimum GPA and deadlines, see its online application page .

BU Admission Requirements
High School GPARequired
High School RankConsidered, if submitted
High School Record (or Transcript)Required
Completion of College Preparatory ProgramRequired
RecommendationsRequired
Formal Demonstration of CompetenciesNot Considered
SAT / ACTConsidered, if submitted
English Proficiency TestRequired
Other Test (Wonderlic,WISC-III,etc)Not Considered
Work experienceConsidered, if submitted
Personal statement or essayRequired
Legacy statusNot Considered

General Admissions Information

The application fee is $80 for applying undergraduate schools and $95 for for applying graduate schools at Boston University. The following table provides general admission information for applying to BU.

Admission Information for Applying to BU
Open Admission PolicyNo
Undergraduate Application Fees$80
Graduate Application Fees$95
Admission Informationwww.bu.edu/admissions
Online Applicationwww.bu.edu/admissions/apply
Calendar SystemSemester
Course for High School StudentsOffers within a dual enrollment
Credits AcceptedAdvanced placement (AP) Credits
Degree Offered1-Year Certificate, 2-Years Certificate, 2-4 Years Certificate, Bachelor, Post-Bachelor Certificate, Master, Post-Master Certificate, Doctoral (Research), Doctoral (Professional Practice)

Ratings & Review

Share your experiences and thoughts about Boston University. It will be a great help to applicants and prospective students!