Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA · Private · 10,085 undergrads

Admit rate: 16.4% (36,069 applicants)
SAT middle 50%: 1440–1540 (ACT 33–35)
Undergraduates: 10,085 (6.5% international)
Average net price: $41,704 (per year after aid)
Graduation rate: 91% (within 6 years)

Deadlines

Early Decision: Nov. 1, 2026
Early Decision II: Jan. 4, 2027
Regular Decision: Jan. 4, 2027

Essays

Writing Supplement, prompt 1 (choose 1 of 4) (400 words)

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?

Writing Supplement, prompt 2 (choose 1 of 4) (400 words)

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?

Writing Supplement, prompt 3 (choose 1 of 4) (400 words)

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?

Writing Supplement, prompt 4 (choose 1 of 4) (400 words)

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?

Writing Supplement, prompt 5 (Human-Centered Engineering applicants only) (400 words)

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?

Editor's notes

Nov. 1 is the real deadline at BC, even if you apply RD. That's the cutoff for Gabelli Presidential Scholarship consideration (18 full-tuition awards), and any plan qualifies. BC tells families who'd depend on merit money not to apply ED, so if that's you, submit a Regular Decision application by Nov. 1.
Early Decision is BC's clearest lever. In 2024-25 roughly 30% of ED applicants were admitted versus 14% overall, by the school's own numbers. That's a self-selected pool, so don't read it as a free pass. If BC is truly first, ED II on Jan. 4 gives you the same deadline as RD with a binding commitment.
BC reads you only for the school you pick, and moving into Carroll, Connell or Lynch later depends on space. With no interview and no demonstrated-interest tracking, your one 400-word supplement is the only place BC hears your voice beyond the Common App.
Test-optional here comes with a nudge. BC says scores add predictive value and that 75% of admits in 2024-25 submitted them. If your score sits at or above the middle of BC's range for your school context, send it.