Chestnut Hill, MA · 10.1k students
Trajecta score
+0.5 since '20Ranked #50 of 2,375
5-year trend
74.2 · #56
2020
74.2 · #91
2021
74.6 · #80
2022
74.8 · #88
2023
74.7 · #88
2024
Academic Profile
87/ 100
Career Outcomes
93/ 100
Student Success
89/ 100
Affordability
44/ 100
Academic Investment
95/ 100
Access & Equity
28/ 100
Academic Profile
87
Career Outcomes
93
Student Success
89
Affordability
44
Academic Investment
95
Access & Equity
28
AI Fit Analysis
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Cost / Net Price
$89k / $42k
SAT Avg
1,507
Retention
96%
Grad Rate
91%
Admissions
Test Scores
Scores represent the midpoint of enrolled students, not a cutoff.
Finances
Tuition
In-State Tuition
$70,702
per year
Out-of-State Tuition
$70,702
per year
Aid & Debt
Pell Grant Share
13%
undergraduates receiving Pell
Federal Loan Share
30%
students borrowing
Median Debt
among completers
$19,000
Admissions Factors
Self-reported by the school in its Common Data Set (section C7) — the school's own statement of which application factors matter in its admissions decisions.
Source: Common Data Set 2024-2025, what Boston College reports weighing in admissions.
| Factor | Very Important | Important | Considered | Not Considered |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rigor of secondary school record | Rigor of secondary school record: Very Important | |||
| Class rank | Class rank: Important | |||
| Academic GPA | Academic GPA: Very Important | |||
| Standardized test scores | Standardized test scores: Important | |||
| Application essay | Application essay: Important | |||
| Recommendation(s) | Recommendation(s): Important | |||
| Extracurricular activities | Extracurricular activities: Important | |||
| Talent/ability | Talent/ability: Important | |||
| Character/personal qualities | Character/personal qualities: Important | |||
| First generation | First generation: Considered | |||
| Alumni/ae relation | Alumni/ae relation: Considered | |||
| Geographical residence | Geographical residence: Considered | |||
| State residency | State residency: Not Considered | |||
| Religious affiliation/commitment | Religious affiliation/commitment: Considered | |||
| Volunteer work | Volunteer work: Important | |||
| Work experience | Work experience: Considered | |||
| Level of applicant's interest | Level of applicant's interest: Not Considered |
Supplemental Essays · 2026-27
school's admissions site ↗Prompt 1: Traditions
RequiredChoose 1400 wordsStrong communities are sustained by traditions. Boston College's annual calendar is marked with both long-standing and newer traditions that help shape our community. Tell us about a meaningful tradition in your family or community. Why is it important to you, and how does it bring people together or strengthen the bonds of those who participate?
Prompt 2: Conversation partners
RequiredChoose 1400 wordsThe late BC theology professor, Father Michael Himes, argued that a university is not a place to which you go, but instead, a "rigorous and sustained conversation about the great questions of human existence, among the widest possible circle of the best possible conversation partners.” Who has been your most meaningful conversation partner, and what profound questions have you considered together?
Prompt 3: The danger of a single story
RequiredChoose 1400 wordsIn her July 2009 Ted Talk, “The Danger of a Single Story,” Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie warned viewers against assigning people a “single story” through assumptions about their nationality, appearance, or background. Discuss a time when someone defined you by a single story. What challenges did this present and how did you overcome them?
Prompt 4: A fourth 'Be'
RequiredChoose 1400 wordsBoston College’s Jesuit mission highlights “the three Be’s”: be attentive, be reflective, be loving – core to Jesuit education (see A Pocket Guide to Jesuit Education). If you could add a fourth “Be,” what would it be and why? How would this new value support your personal development and enrich the BC community?
Prompt 5: Human-Centered Engineering (HCE) applicants only — answer this instead of Prompts 1-4
Optional400 wordsOne goal of a Jesuit education is to prepare students to serve the Common Good. Human-Centered Engineering at Boston College integrates technical knowledge, creativity, and a humanistic perspective to address societal challenges and opportunities. What societal problems are important to you and how will you use your HCE education to solve them?
Drafting these? Write them with AI feedback in Trajecta →
Methodology
The Trajecta Score (0–100) blends six dimensions of public college data into one comparable number, then nudges it by how much data each school reports. Selectivity tiers are separate — they’re based purely on a school’s admission rate.
Read the full methodologyMedian earnings 10 years out, earnings vs. a high-school grad, and loan repayment.
Admission selectivity and the incoming class’s SAT / ACT scores.
Average net price after aid and the typical debt of graduates.
Graduation rate and first-year retention.
Instructional spending and faculty salaries per student.
Share of Pell-grant students and reliance on federal loans.
Data from the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard and IPEDS. Figures are the most recent reported and may lag a year or two. This tool is read-only and not personalized — inside the Trajecta app, scores are tailored to your profile as a fit score.
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