The InkwellU.S. colleges · by the numbers
  1. The Inkwell
  2. Massachusetts
  3. Boston College
Campus of Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MABoston College logo
Chestnut Hill, MACity: smallZIP 02467Founded 1863
Photo: Unknown author · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Founded
1863
Carnegie class
Doctoral: very high research activity (R1)
Highest degree
Graduate degree
Federal aid since
1965
Website
www.bc.edu
Member of
AJCU
Logo: Unknown author Unknown author · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
MassachusettsReligious affiliationPrivate nonprofit

Boston College

Boston College is a private nonprofit university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, with 10,085 undergraduates. It admits 16% of applicants, graduates 90% within six years and costs $38,930 a year after aid.

90%graduate
Admission rate16%
Retention96%
4-year graduation86%
Pell Grant share17%
Federal loans28%
average net price / year
$38,930 $93,039
after grants · sticker cost struck through
$38,930net price / year
16%admission rate
1507average SAT
90%graduate in 6 years
$112,178median earnings, 10 yrs
$19,000median debt
#28 of 1,704 for earnings#1,647 of 1,739 for lowest net price#68 of 1,738 for graduation rate#62 of 1,552 for selectivity
what it costs

Cost and net price

Net price is the average annual cost after grants and scholarships for full-time students who receive federal aid; it varies with family income.

Published cost
Cost of attendance
$93,039tuition, fees, housing, books, per year
Tuition & fees, in-state
$73,508
Tuition & fees, out-of-state
$73,508
Average net price
$38,930national median $19,980
Net price by family income
$0–30,000$7,293
$30,001–48,000$10,451
$48,001–75,000$9,615
$75,001–110,000$23,616
$110,001+$61,800
getting in

Admissions and test scores

Admission
Admission rate
16%national median 77%
Average SAT
1507
SAT reading, middle 50%
710–760
SAT math, middle 50%
730–780
ACT composite, middle 50%
33–35
Against the national median
Admission rate · this college16%
Admission rate · U.S. median77%
Retention · this college96%
Retention · U.S. median76%
Graduation · this college90%
Graduation · U.S. median55%
Pell share · this college17%
Pell share · U.S. median39%
after enrolling

Graduation, earnings and debt

Completion
Graduation rate, 6 years
90%within 150% of normal time
Graduation rate, 4 years
86%
First-year retention
96%
Award within 8 years, all students
90%
Earnings and debt
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$84,203
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$112,178middle 50%: $72,399–$170,850
Median debt at graduation
$19,000
3-year loan default rate
0%
Earnings ten years after entry
Upper quarter$170,850
Median, Boston College$112,178
Lower quarter$72,399
U.S. median, all colleges$58,886
Former students working and not enrolled · College Scorecard
who studies here

Students and faculty

Undergraduates
Degree-seeking undergraduates
10,085
Part-time
2.7%
Women / men
52% / 48%
Average age at entry
19.5
First-generation students
13%
Pell Grant recipients
17%
Faculty and resources
Student-to-faculty ratio
10 : 1
Full-time faculty
61%
Average faculty salary
$18,131 / month
Instructional spending per student
$27,008
Endowment, end of year
$3,908,450,339
Race and ethnicity, undergraduates
White57%
Hispanic13%
Black5.3%
Asian11%
Two or more races5.1%
U.S. nonresident6.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander0.1%
Unknown2.3%
22 fields of study

Most popular fields

Share of bachelor’s degrees awarded, by broad field (CIP family).

Business & management22%
Social sciences18%
Biological & biomedical sciences14%
Psychology11%
Communication & journalism7.9%
Computer & information sciences6.1%
Health professions3.9%
Multi/interdisciplinary studies2.7%
keep comparing

Similar colleges

Private nonprofit colleges in Massachusetts

CollegeNet priceGrad.Earnings
Harvard University
Cambridge, MA
$19,14897%$121,957
Berklee College of Music
Boston, MA
$47,58773%$43,451
Tufts University
Medford, MA
$38,79794%$89,187
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Worcester, MA
$43,88590%$113,513
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, MA
$14,81596%$152,553
Bentley University
Waltham, MA
$38,96988%$126,427

Same Carnegie class, similar price

CollegeNet priceGrad.Earnings
Tulane University of Louisiana
New Orleans, LA
$40,69387%$68,226
New York University
New York, NY
$35,73788%$90,957
University of Miami
Coral Gables, FL
$36,48384%$84,093
Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA
$35,78094%$125,257
Drexel University
Philadelphia, PA
$37,52978%$92,338
George Washington University
Washington, DC
$35,76082%$96,691
Source: College Scorecard, U.S. Department of Education — institution file, most recent cohorts. UNITID 164924. Founding year, motto and memberships: Wikidata Q49118.