B+
Very Good
Score: 76/100
Overall (traditional)
A+
Outcome Rating
95/100 · earnings-weighted

Boston College

4-Year Private Non-Profit
📍 Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts 02467
Boston College campus, Chestnut Hill, MA
Boston College campus, Chestnut Hill, MA. Photo: Wikimedia Commons contributor, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.
Outcomes
A+
94/100
Affordability
F
20/100
Resources
A
82/100
Experience
A+
94/100
Prestige
A
89/100

Two ratings: the overall grade compares colleges the conventional way (outcomes, cost, resources, experience, reputation). The Outcome Rating asks what students earn: 60% wage-adjusted earnings 10 years after enrolling, 25% graduation, 15% retention. Methodology

Quick Stats

15,280
Total Enrollment
91%
Graduation Rate
95%
Retention Rate
13.0:1
Student-Faculty Ratio
16%
Acceptance Rate
N/A
Avg Net Price

Earnings, Debt & Completion

What happens to students who enroll at Boston College, from the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard.

$103,937
Median earnings 10 yrs after entry
$85,717
Median earnings 6 yrs after entry
$19,000
Median debt at graduation
90.8%
Completion rate (within 150% of normal time)
1,507
Average SAT
34
Median ACT
12.9%
Students receiving Pell grants

Typical debt at graduation equals about 18% of one year’s median earnings ten years after entry.

Earnings rank: 97th percentile among bachelor’s-degree-focused colleges after a partial adjustment for local wage levels (MA wage index 1.29). This drives the Outcome Rating.

Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, retrieved Oct 2026. Earnings are for federally aided students who enrolled, whether or not they graduated.

Earnings by Major at Boston College

Median pay of bachelor's degree graduates by field of study, and how each program ranks against every college reporting that major — by raw pay and adjusted for state wage levels. Same school, very different paychecks.

Major1 yr after4 yrs aftervs. nationalRank (pay)Rank (wage-adj.)Median debt
Finance and Financial Management Services$82,495$147,746+77%#5 of 452#12$18,000
Computer Science$86,749$143,204+34%#38 of 349#53$18,000
Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations$74,446$132,903+118%#1 of 67#2$19,000
Information Science/Studies$80,731$131,090+54%#2 of 148#4$16,803
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods$80,046$126,475+47%#6 of 126#12$18,000
Accounting and Related Services$75,512$126,461+66%#4 of 796#9$18,000
Business Administration, Management and Operations$71,675$123,144+80%#9 of 1176#16$18,125
Economics$72,099$121,337+47%#30 of 368#48$18,000
Mathematics$74,144$111,072+60%#16 of 309#29$18,000
Marketing$66,227$106,353+53%#3 of 516#14$18,000
Philosophy$47,345$97,519+79%#3 of 86#3$18,000
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing$78,934$94,867+7%#210 of 966#682$13,000
International/Globalization Studies$51,371$91,874+53%#1 of 87#2$19,000
Political Science and Government$46,764$86,537+37%#28 of 565#59$18,000
Biology$38,592$83,614+46%#13 of 841#49$19,000
Communication and Media Studies$55,162$83,586+48%#5 of 660#15$18,000
Natural Resources Conservation and Research$49,111$82,861+51%#1 of 265#6$17,200
History$41,341$80,073+58%#11 of 459#20$18,997
Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology$42,384$76,328+51%#3 of 59#7$17,223
Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology$42,474$75,274+15%#25 of 110#47$19,000
English Language and Literature$41,878$70,141+44%#11 of 576#31$18,940
Sociology$48,091$70,121+33%#14 of 462#48$18,500
Psychology$44,760$70,033+38%#26 of 1027#71$18,000
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods$43,262$61,719+30%#19 of 680#128$18,000

Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study data. Earnings are for graduates who received federal aid and were working; small programs are not reported.

For parents & investors

The Boston College Town Property Report

  • Avg home value near campus: $1,259,536
  • Avg rent near campus: $3,570/mo — vs ~$1,163/mo campus room rate
  • Top nearby ZIP by cap rate: 02135 (3.6% cap, Boston)

Get the free 1-page report: rent-vs-dorm math, the 3 best nearby ZIPs by yield, and the “kiddie condo” strategy parents use.

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🏆 Where Boston College Ranks

Rankings based on Repit College Grade among schools offering each program.

#4
Applied Psychology
of 30 schools
#7
Theology/Theological Studies
of 57 schools
#7
Developmental and Child Psychology
of 23 schools
#16
Finance, General
of 100 schools
#20
Social Work
of 100 schools
#22
Speech Communication and Rhetoric
of 100 schools
#28
Accounting
of 100 schools
#28
Philosophy
of 88 schools
#29
Law
of 100 schools
#30
Marketing/Marketing Management, General
of 100 schools

Costs & Financial Aid

Tuition & Fees

Category In-State Out-of-State
Tuition $66,410 $66,410
Room $10,470
Board $8,005
Total Cost (On-Campus) $89,605 $89,605

Financial Aid

55%
Receive Any Aid
13%
Receive Pell Grants
32%
Take Out Loans
N/A
Avg Net Price

Student Demographics

15,280
Total Students
55%
Women
97%
Traditional Age (18-24)

👥 Race & Ethnicity

White 56%
Hispanic 10%
Black 5%
Asian 9%
Two or More 3%
Non-Resident 12%

🏠 Living Arrangements

💻 Learning Mode

In-Person 82%
Hybrid (Some Online) 13%
Fully Online 5%

📊 Age Distribution

18-24 (Traditional) 97%
25-64 (Adult) 2%

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the acceptance rate at Boston College?
Boston College has an acceptance rate of 16%. This makes it a highly selective institution where admission is very competitive.
How much does it cost to attend Boston College?
Tuition at Boston College is $66,410 for in-state students and $66,410 for out-of-state students .
What is the graduation rate at Boston College?
The graduation rate at Boston College is 91%. This is considered an excellent graduation rate, indicating strong student success and support systems.
Is Boston College a good school?
Boston College has a Repit College Score of 76/100 (Grade: B+). Our rating evaluates five key factors:
  • Outcomes (A+): Graduation and retention rates
  • Affordability (F): Net cost and financial aid access
  • Resources (A): Class sizes and selectivity
  • Experience (A+): Campus life and learning format
  • Prestige (A): Reputation and recognition
How many students attend Boston College?
Boston College has a total enrollment of 15,280 students. Most students (97%) are traditional college-age (18-24).

Deciding between a dorm and buying near campus? Run the numbers for Boston College — four years of dorm costs vs. owning, including what you’d recover at resale. Buy vs Dorm calculator →

🎓 Similar Colleges to Boston College

Compare with other 4-Year private non-profit institutions of similar size.

B+
Northeastern University
Boston, MA · 31,159 students
A
Boston University
Boston, MA · 36,624 students
A
Tufts University
Medford, MA · 13,274 students
A
Harvard University
Cambridge, MA · 30,386 students
B
Brandeis University
Waltham, MA · 5,302 students
A
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, MA · 11,920 students

Data source: IPEDS 2023-24 | Last updated: October 2026 | Methodology