Boston College vs Boston University: Acceptance Rate, SAT & Net Price

Boston College and Boston University are about equally selective, admitting 12.6% and 12.8% of applicants respectively. For a family earning $48,001–$75,000, the average net price is about $18,326 per year at Boston College versus $11,778 at Boston University. Admitted students post SAT middle-50% ranges of 1440–1520 at Boston College and 1430–1510 at Boston University.

Boston College vs Boston University: admissions and cost statistics from the most recent Common Data Set, IPEDS, and College Scorecard
MetricBoston CollegeBoston University
Overall acceptance rate12.6%12.8%
Early acceptance rate30.0%29.5%
SAT middle 50%1440–15201430–1510
Avg unweighted GPA3.873.7
Yield rate45.0%31.0%
Class size2,3503,268
Net price, $48,001–$75,000 income$18,326$11,778
Net price, over $110,000 income$47,518$47,504

Admissions and cost data as of July 3, 2026 (CDS 2024–25 cycle), from the most recent Common Data Set, IPEDS, and College Scorecard. Rows appear only where both colleges report the statistic.

Frequently asked questions

Is Boston College harder to get into than Boston University?

The two are about equally selective: Boston College admits 12.6% of applicants and Boston University admits 12.8%, based on the most recent Common Data Set.

Which is cheaper for a middle-income family, Boston College or Boston University?

For a family earning $48,001–$75,000, the average net price is about $18,326 per year at Boston College and $11,778 at Boston University, so Boston University is the lower-cost option at that income level (source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard/IPEDS data).

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Stats compare the schools — the simulation compares you against each school's applicant pool.

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