BU Admission Requirements

How hard is it to get into BU and can I get accepted? The school has a 25% acceptance rate ranking it #9 in Massachusetts for lowest rate of acceptance. Last year, 15,273 out of 60,825 applicants were admitted making BU a highly competitive school to get into with a lesser chance of acceptance for qualifying applicants.  Academically, it has extremely high requirements for admission test scores, generally admitting students who score in the top 8 percent. Boston University typically accepts and attracts "B+" average high school students. Only 23% of those admitted chose to enroll in the school. Most incoming freshmen graduated in the top ten percent of their high school class.

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SAT Scores you need to get in

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

Boston University typically requires applicants to be in the top 7 percent of SAT test takers. The school consistently takes SAT composite scores down to 1360 on a 1600 scale, below which admission should be considered a reach. We estimate some students could be accepted with SAT's as low as 1280. The estimated average SAT composite for admitted freshman is 1440 out of 1600. The school ranks #10 in Massachusetts for highest average SAT composite score. A competitive SAT score is critical as 63 percent of applicants submit SAT scores to the school. Note: SAT scores presented on this page have been adjusted upwards per the College Board's concordance tables for test takers after March 2016.

ACT Scores needed to get accepted

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

Admission data indicates that BU regularly accepts students with ACT's of 29 and above. Successful applicants typically send ACT scores in the top 9 percent nationally. We estimate the school accepting minimum ACT composite scores around 28 in some instances. Prospective students submitting an ACT composite of 30 or higher should be in the upper half of applicants - and students with a 32 and above have very competitive chances. The school ranks #12 in Massachusetts for highest average ACT composite score. 52 percent of applicants submit ACT scores to Boston University.

You will need very good grades in high school to get into Boston University. The average high school GPA of the admitted freshman class at Boston University was 3.59 on the 4.0 scale indicating that primarily B+ students are accepted and ultimately attend. The school ranks #19 in Massachusetts for highest average GPA. Even with a competitive GPA, admission to BU will be challenging as the school denies more applicants than it admits.

 What do these ratings mean?

58% of Boston University freshman were in the top ten percent of their high school graduating class.

What are the requirements for admission to Boston University and what considerations affect admission decisions?