B
#6 Best Private Colleges in Massachusetts

BC Admission Requirements

Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts

 4 Reviews

Chances of getting into Boston College

Acceptance Rate

Admitted 
19%
Admission Difficulty for Boston College
Measure Difficulty
Admission Standards Elite 
Applicant Competition Very High 
How hard is it to get into BC and can I get accepted?

The acceptance rate at BC is 19%.  It ranks #9 in Massachusetts and #62 in the nation for lowest rate of acceptance. BC is a very highly competitive school to get into with a low chance of acceptance for typical applicants. Last year, 7,587 out of 39,846 applicants were admitted.

The school has exceptionally high admission requirements, generally admitting students who can score in the top 3 percent on standardized admission tests. Boston College typically accepts and attracts "A-" average high school students with an average GPA around 3.86. Most incoming freshmen graduate in the top ten percent of their high school class. 33% of those admitted chose to enroll in the school.

The BC application fee is $80 and applications are due by Jan 1.

Test Optional

Submission of SAT or ACT scores is not required for admission to Boston College. If you submit test scores, they will be considered with your application, but they are not mandatory. 30% of students submitted SAT scores and 20% submitted ACT scores for admission for the 2021/2022 academic year..

BC SAT Scores

SAT Requirements & Average SAT Score

SAT Range 
1420-1530
Applicants Submitting SAT 
30%
SAT Scores for Boston College
SAT Test 25th Percentile Score
SAT Reading 25th 700
SAT Math 25th 720
SAT Composite 25th 1420
SAT Scores for Boston College
SAT Test 25th Percentile Score
SAT Reading 75th 750
SAT Math 75th 780
SAT Composite 75th 1530
Average SAT Score 1480

SAT Scores you need to get in

What are the SAT requirements for students to be admitted to Boston College?

Boston College is a test optional school meaning applicants are not required to submit SAT scores with their application. The position on SAT scores from the school is "considered but not required".

Students who get into Boston College score in the top 4 percent of all SAT test takers.. The SAT composite score range for the middle 50% of students is 1420-1530.

Find other colleges with similar SAT score requirements

Data Sources, IPEDS for Fall 2021 starting class

Estimated Chance of Acceptance by SAT Score

Boston College admission chances by SAT score
SAT Score (1600 scale) Competitiveness  Admission Chances 
1530 and Above Good >31%
1475 to 1530 Avg + 19%-31%
1420 to 1475 Avg - 11%-19%
1365 to 1420 Reach 6%-11%
Less than 1365 Low <6%
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BC ACT Scores

ACT Requirements & Average ACT Score

ACT Range 
33-34 
Applicants Submitting ACT 
20%
ACT Scores for Boston College
ACT Test 25th Percentile Score
ACT Reading 25th 34
ACT Math 25th 30
ACT Composite 25th 33
ACT Scores for Boston College
ACT Test 75th Percentile Score
ACT Reading 75th 35
ACT Math 75th 34
ACT Composite 75th 34
Average ACT Score 33

ACT Scores needed to get accepted

What are the ACT requirements for prospective students to get into BC?

Boston College is test optional. Students are not required to submit ACT scores with their application. The policy on ACT scores is "considered but not required".

BC regularly accepts students who score 33 and above on the ACT. These students typically score in the top 2 percent nationally. The ACT composite score range for the middle 50% of students is 33-34.

Find other colleges with similar ACT score requirements

Data Sources, IPEDS for Fall 2021 starting class

Estimated Chance of Acceptance by ACT Score

Boston College admission chances by ACT score
ACT Score Competitiveness  Admission Chances 
34 and Above Good >46%
33 to 34 Avg + 19%-46%
33 to 33 Avg - 19%-19%
33 to 33 Reach 19%-19%
Less than 33 Low <19%
Calculate My Chances 

BC GPA

Estimated GPA Requirements & Average GPA

Avg. High School GPA 
3.86*
Typical High School Grades 
A-

What GPA do you need to get into Boston College?

Applicants require exceptionally good grades to get into BC. The average high school GPA of the admitted freshman class at Boston College was 3.86 on the 4.0 scale indicating that primarily A- students are accepted and ultimately attend. The school ranks #13 in Massachusetts for highest average GPA. Meeting these GPA requirements alone is not enough to gain admission as BC is a very selective school.

 What do these ratings mean?

Explore more colleges with similar GPA requirements

*This school has not released high school GPA data for its incoming freshmen. In these cases, CollegeSimply employs an artificial intelligence (AI) process to predict GPA based on this school's test scores and a large sample of other colleges' data. 3.86 is an estimate of the school's average incoming freshman GPA.

High School Class Rank

85.74% of Boston College freshman were in the top ten percent of their high school graduating class.

High School Class Rank for admitted Boston College students
High School Class Rank Freshmen Within Range
Top 10% of class 85.74%
Top 25% of class 96.1%
Top 50% of class 100%
Data Source, Peterson's Data

Applying

Admission Statistics

Boston College admission statistics
Women Men Total
Applied 24,355 15,491 39,846
Accepted 4,078 3,509 7,587
Acceptance Rate 17% 23% 19%
Enrolled 1,343 1,173 2,516
Percent of Admitted Who Enrolled (Admission Yield) 33% 33% 33%
Data Sources, IPEDS for Fall 2021 starting class

Fall 2023 Application Deadline

Applications were Due
Jan 1, 2023
Days left to Apply
None

The application deadline for Fall 2023 has passed. Applications were due on Jan 1, 2023.

Application Fee

The cost for prospective students to apply to Boston College is $80.

Application Requirements

What are the requirements for admission to Boston College and what student information is used for admission decisions?

Boston College Application Requirements
Test Scores Considered but not required
High School GPA Required
High School Class Rank Recommended
Completion of College Preparatory Program Required
Recommendations Required
Demonstration of Competencies Considered but not required

Credits Accepted

High School Credits Accepted at Boston College
AP Credit Yes
Dual Credit No
Credit for Life Experiences No
Other Colleges to Consider 

Primary data source, U.S. Department of Education https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?id=164924 IPEDS survey data for Boston College.

FAQs

Does Boston College prefer SAT or ACT?

30% of students submit their SAT scores to BC. 20% of applicants send their ACT scores when applying.

What is my chance of getting into Boston College?

19% of those who apply are granted admission to BC. Admission competition is very high and the college has elite admission standards. See if your grades and scores are good enough for admission.

What SAT score is required for Boston College?

The middle 50% of addmitted applicants have SAT scores between 1420 and 1530. 30% of students submit SAT scores when applying. See if your SAT score is good enough for admission.

What ACT score is required for Boston College?

The middle 50% of addmitted applicants have ACT scores between 33 and 34. 20% of students submit ACT scores when applying. See if your ACT score is good enough for admission.