Are you interested in earning admission to Boston College? The Jesuit school, which ranks #36 among national universities in the 2026 US News & World Report annual college ranking, is quickly rising in popularity among America’s most ambitious (and pious!) college applicants.

So what’s all the hype about, and how hard is it to earn admission to this jewel of Catholicism within the higher education landscape?

About Boston College

Boston College’s pristine campus resides in the lush suburbs of Boston, Massachusetts. 4,557 undergraduate males and 5,097 undergraduate females call campus home.

BC Admissions Requirements

When applying to BC, it’s about more than just meeting specific requirements since many students with stellar grades and scores are denied admission year in and year out. That said, if a student’s grades and scores don’t meet certain baselines, their chances of admission become infinitesimal.

So let’s address some common questions concerning BC admissions requirements!

What Kind of GPA Is Necessary To Get Into Boston College?

Boston College admissions officers review GPA holistically, in the context of the quality of the high school and the rigor of the high school coursework. However, this does not mean grades are not important.

Are BC’s Admitted Students Typically At or Near The Top of Their High School Classes?

According to BC’s Common Data Set, 90% of members of the Class of 2028 (the most recent cohort for which we have such data) graduated in the top tenth of their high school’s graduating class. So while there is no explicit requirement for a 4.0 GPA to earn admission, stellar grades are essential.

What Kind of SAT or ACT Scores Are Needed to Get Into Boston College?

Boston College is test-optional, but students who intend to apply to BC should be cautious, as the university may still penalize applicants who fail to submit test scores.

30% of members of the BC Class of 2028 (the most recent year for which we have such data) submitted SAT scores, while 15% submitted ACT scores.

	SAT	ACT
Median	1,500	34
Mid 50% Range	1,460 — 1,520	33 — 35

Does Boston College Superscore Students’ SAT or ACT Scores?

Yes, Boston superscores both the SAT and ACT.

For those unfamiliar with superscoring, Boston College will accept your highest section scores from multiple test dates for the SAT or ACT.

That said, it’s ideal to submit only one test score, as submitting multiple scores shows students have to work hard to secure the scores. Elite colleges like BC would prefer that learning comes easily to students.

But, of course, if a student’s best section scores are on multiple administrations at the end of the day, in most circumstances, it will behoove them to submit the multiple administration subscores.

What Classes Do Students Need to Take to Get Into BC?

Does BC list specific recommendations for prospective applicants’ high school curriculum? No. But these recommendations tend to be pretty uniform across elite colleges. 

Admissions officers at Boston College, and all highly selective colleges, want to see students excelling in each core subject (English, social studies, math, science, and foreign language) all four years of high school. In fact, they expect to see five years for foreign language since most students begin their first level of foreign language in eighth grade. 

What Kinds of Extracurriculars Does BC Like To See?

What BC admissions officers are not looking for is well-rounded students: students who excel in sports, music, community service, leadership, and more. Instead, they want students who are singularly talented. Together, the singularly talented students admitted to Boston College form a well-rounded class.

But there’s no specific extracurricular activity that Boston College seeks in its applicants. After all, if every admitted student did the same kinds of activities, they’d have admitted a very dull, uniform class. As BC seeks to admit a diverse class of students from various backgrounds with various interests, admitting students who all participated in the same extracurriculars would undercut their institutional needs.

Boston College Application Requirements

In addition to completing the full Common Application, applicants are asked to submit letters of recommendation and to complete the Boston College Writing Supplement.

Let’s zero in on these admissions requirements and how students should tackle them.

Who Should Students Ask For Letters of Recommendation For BC?

Boston College applicants should ask two teachers, ideally two junior year teachers in core subjects, i.e., science, social studies, mathematics, a foreign language, or English, in addition to their school counselor.  

Does BC Require An Interview?

No, BC does not conduct alumni interviews.

What Are Boston College’s Supplemental Essay Topics?

Applicants to the BC Class of 2031 are asked to respond to one of the following five prompts with a 400-word essay.

1. Strong 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?

2. The 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?

3. In 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?

4. Boston 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?

5. Human-Centered Engineering (HCE) Applicants only: One 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?

When Are Boston College’s Application Deadlines?

Boston College has four rounds of admission: Early Decision I, Early Decision II, Regular Decision, and Spring Freshman.

Early Decision I applications to Boston College are due on November 1st of each year. Early Decision II applications to BC are due on January 4th of each year, alongside Regular Decision applications. Spring Freshman applications (for students starting in the Spring semester) are due on November 1st of each year.

Boston College Acceptance Rate and Statistics

Boston College Class Year	Total Applications Received	Total Applications Accepted	Overall Acceptance Rate
Class of 2030	41,898	Not Yet Published	12.7%
Class of 2029	39,681	5,000	12.6%
Class of 2028	35,475	5,200	14.7%
Class of 2027	36,525	5,511	15.1%
Class of 2026	40,477	6,678	16.5%
Class of 2025	39,875	7,570	19.0%
Class of 2024	29,400	6,881	23.4%
Class of 2023	35,500	9,500	26.8%
Class of 2022	31,000	8,400	27.1%
Class of 2021	28,500	9,200	32.3%
Class of 2020	29,486	8,551	29.0%
Class of 2019	29,400	8,232	28.0%
Class of 2018	23,323	8,000	34.3%

How Ivy Coach Helps Students Get Into Boston College

If you’re interested in Ivy Coach’s assistance, directly with a former elite college admissions officer, in optimizing your child’s case for admission to Boston College, fill out our complimentary consultation form, and we’ll be in touch.