Boston, MA · private · 18,248 undergraduates
Boston University acceptance rate, SAT range and net price
BU admitted 12.8% of applicants for fall 2025; from 2026-27 families under $75,000 pay nothing for tuition, housing or dining.
Net price per year at Boston University
$22,517
Reach · admit rate 12.8%
| Admit rate, Fall 2025 entering class (Class of 2029) | 12.8% (1 in 8) |
| Middle 50% of enrolled students (SAT) | 1,420 to 1,510 |
| Enrolled students scoring below you (approx.) | 4% |
| This site’s label | Reach |
| Sticker price 2026-27 | $98,419 |
| Paid by families with $75,001-$110,000 (2023-24) | $22,517 |
| Share of the sticker price | 23% |
Net price: average paid after grants by students on federal aid in that income band (2023-24), not a quote. The label is a fixed rule of this site (admit rate under 15% is a reach for everyone), not a prediction. Your exact price: Boston University net price calculator. How this is calculated.
Admissions: Boston University Common Data Set 2025-2026, section C (updated July 2026), C1 · net price: College Scorecard, 2023-24 · figures checked · Built by Radif Partners · Method and data
- Admit rate, newest cycle
- 12.8%
- SAT middle 50%
- 1,420 to 1,510
- Sticker price 2026-27
- $98,419
- Net price, income $48k to $75k
- $11,778
Boston University's acceptance rate for the class that entered in fall 2025 is 12.8%: 9,853 admitted out of 76,776 first-year applicants, with 3,449 enrolling, according to its Common Data Set 2025-2026. BU stays test optional through the fall 2028 entering class; the 36% of enrolled students who sent an SAT had a middle 50% of 1,420 to 1,510. Its 2026-27 cost of attendance is $98,419. The new BU Promise changes the price for most families from 2026-27: no tuition, housing or dining charges up to $75,000 of income, at most $20,000 a year up to $200,000, and full need met without loans. Before it, in 2023-24, aided families between $48,001 and $75,000 paid an average of $11,778 after all grants.
The BU Promise, read line by line
BU rewrote its aid for students starting in 2026-27, and the change is large. Every domestic first-year student now gets aid meeting 100% of demonstrated need without student loans. On top of that, families with typical assets earning up to $75,000 pay nothing for tuition, housing and dining, and families earning up to $200,000 pay at most $20,000 a year. Compare that ceiling with the 2023-24 federal average for the $75,001 to $110,000 band, $22,517, and with the $98,419 budget: for most middle-income families, the price on the award letter should now be well under the older averages.
Boston University: what your grants leave to pay
Left to pay for the year
$49,419
| Cost of attendance 2026-27 | $98,419 |
| Grants entered | $49,000 |
| Share covered by grants | 50% |
Loans and work-study are not grants: they are ways of paying what is left.
An international, urban class
BU's applicant pool is one of the largest on this site, and its Common Data Set shows how national and global it is: for fall 2025, only about one admit in nine was a Massachusetts resident, while about a quarter were international students. Early Decision is the most reliable door. BU admitted roughly three in ten of its Early Decision applicants in fall 2025, against a much lower rate in the regular round, and those offers made up more than a fifth of the total.
Test optional until 2028
BU has committed in writing to remain test optional for applicants through the fall 2028 entering class, including for its merit scholarship programs. The published range, 1,420 to 1,510, comes from the 36% who sent an SAT. A score near the top of that range strengthens a file; a score near the bottom is usually better left out.
Boston University: where your SAT score lands
Enrolled students scoring below you (approx.)
53%
| Middle 50% | 1,420 to 1,510 |
| Your score is | inside the middle 50% |
Fall 2025 entering class (Class of 2029), CDS 2025-2026, C9 (1,257 SAT submitters, 341 ACT submitters). Normal curve fitted to the two published percentiles.
What families still pay for
The billed part of the 2026-27 budget, tuition of $73,024, fees and $20,740 for housing and dining, is what the Promise covers. Books, transportation and personal costs remain, and health insurance is added for students without qualifying coverage, as Massachusetts requires. Families comparing Boston schools can set BU beside Northeastern, Boston College and Tufts in the comparison tool.
From Boston University’s own documents
- Under the BU Promise for students starting in 2026-27, families earning up to $75,000 with typical assets pay nothing for tuition, housing and dining, and those earning up to $200,000 pay at most $20,000 a year. source
- Early Decision fills a large share of the class: for fall 2025, BU received 6,907 ED applications and admitted 2,165, against 9,853 admits overall. source
- BU guarantees test-optional admission through the fall 2028 entering class, including for its merit scholarship programs. source
- For fall 2025, 1,075 of 9,853 admits and 500 of 3,449 enrollees were Massachusetts residents; 2,521 admits were international. source
- The 2026-27 cost of attendance is $98,419, of which $95,334 is billed by BU; health insurance is added if the student lacks qualifying coverage. source
Net price at Boston University by family income
| Family income | Average net price 2023-24 | Share of the 2023-24 cost |
|---|---|---|
| $0-$30,000 | $9,500 | 11% |
| $30,001-$48,000 | $9,342 | 11% |
| $48,001-$75,000 | $11,778 | 14% |
| $75,001-$110,000 | $22,517 | 26% |
| $110,001 and up | $47,504 | 55% |
| All aided students | $24,402 | 28% |
Cost of attendance at Boston University, 2026-27
| Item | Amount | |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition | $73,024 | |
| Fees | $1,570 | |
| Housing and food | $20,740 | |
| Books and supplies | $1,000 | |
| Personal | $1,455 | |
| Travel | $630 | |
| Total | $98,419 |
Boston University admissions by cycle
| Entering class | Applicants | Admitted | Enrolled | Admit rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2025 entering class (Class of 2029) | 76,776 | 9,853 | 3,449 | 12.8% |
| Fall 2024 (federal IPEDS figure) | n/a | n/a | n/a | 11.1% |
SAT and ACT scores at Boston University
| Score | 25th percentile | Median | 75th percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAT total (Fall 2025 entering class (Class of 2029), CDS 2025-2026, C9 (1,257 SAT submitters, 341 ACT submitters)) | 1,420 | 1,470 | 1,510 |
| ACT composite (Fall 2025 entering class (Class of 2029) (CDS 2025-2026, C9 (1,257 SAT submitters, 341 ACT submitters))) | 33 | 34 | 34 |
| SAT sections, fall 2024 (Scorecard) | 690 + 730 | n/a | 750 + 780 |
Outcomes at Boston University
| Measure | Value | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Graduated within 6 years | 89% | fall 2018 entering cohort |
| Returned for a second year | 95% | fall 2023 entering cohort |
| Median earnings 10 years after entry | $83,238 | measured 2020-2021, 10 years after entry, 2022 dollars |
| Median federal debt of graduates | $23,250 | students who finished in 2019-20 and 2020-21 |
| Undergraduates | 18,248 | fall 2024 |
| Students with a Pell Grant | 19% | 2023-24 |