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Historical Low: Boston College Accepts 14.6% of Students to the Class of 2028
05/08/2024•13 minute read
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Regular Decision Acceptance Rate
Early Decision Acceptance Rate
Overall Admission Trends
Who Gets Into Boston College?
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Boston College has released its acceptance rate statistics for the Class of 2028, revealing a historically low acceptance rate of 14.6%. Approximately 35,475 students vied for admission to Boston College this year, making admissions highly competitive and continuing a more than 5-year trend of increased competition.
Keep reading for a breakdown of these and other statistics, including Early and Regular Decision acceptance rates and recent admissions trends at Boston College. You'll also learn what kind of students are admitted and get tips for charting your own successful path to Boston College and other selective schools.
Boston College Class of 2028 Acceptance Rate
Boston College officials recently announced overall admissions news for its Class of 2028, highlighting the increasing selectivity of the admissions landscape:
With practically each new first-year class, Boston College has continued to reach ever higher levels of academic excellence—and the newly admitted Class of 2028 is no exception.
Continuing a persistent multi-year trend, Boston College reported the lowest acceptance rate in its history for the Class of 2028.
For the Class of 2028 (entering in the Fall of 2024), 35,475 students applied for admission to Boston College. School officials have made offers to 5,200 applicants, yielding a highly competitive 14.6% overall acceptance rate, a decrease of 1% from last year.
Boston College's Class of 2028 Overall Acceptance Rate
| Class of | Number of Applications | Accepted Students | Acceptance Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2028 | 35,475 | 5,200 | 14.6% |
| 2027 | 36,537 | 5,645 | 15.5% |
Boston College Regular Decision Acceptance Rate
Students applied to Boston College's Class of 2028 in three admission rounds: Early Decision I, Early Decision II, and Regular Decision.
At selective institutions, Regular Decision (RD) acceptance rates are typically lower than overall acceptance rates, and rates for the early rounds are typically higher, making it important to not overemphasize the overall rate.
With recently reported data we are able to calculate the Regular Decision (RD) acceptance rate for Boston College's Class of 2028.
As anticipated, students applying to Boston College in the RD round for the Class of 2028 contended with a very competitive acceptance rate of 12%, lower than the overall rate of 14.6%.
Of this year's 35,475 applicants, 31,174 applied in the RD round, and 3,825 of those RD applicants were admitted, yielding the 12% RD admission rate.
Not surprisingly, the RD rate at Boston College is also trending lower, sliding from 14% last year and from 15.8% two years ago.
Boston College's Regular Decision Acceptance Rate
| Class of | RD Applications | RD Admits | RD Acceptance Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2028 | 31,174 | 3,825 | 12% |
| 2027 | 33,609 | 4,767 | 14% |
| 2026 | 37,554 | 5,948 | 15.8% |
Boston College's Early Decision Acceptance Rate
While the overall and the RD acceptance rates have trended down at Boston College, ED acceptance rates have notched small increases during the past three years.
This year, a total of 4,301 students applied to Boston College during the combined ED I and ED II rounds, with 1,375 combined admits, yielding a 32% acceptance rate.
If you're aspiring to attend Boston College, take note of the favorable ED acceptance rate and consider your application and timeline options. Applying ED to Boston College will put you in a much smaller pool of students and yield an acceptance rate around 30%, much higher than this year's RD rate of 12%.
Boston College's Early Decision Acceptance Rate
| Class of | ED Applications | ED Admits | ED Acceptance Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2028 | 4,301 | 1,375 | 32% |
| 2027 | 2,928 | 878 | 30% |
| 2026 | 2,940 | 800 | 27.2% |
Boston College's Overall Admission Trends
- In recent years, Boston College's acceptance rate has been hovering around 14%, making it one of the more selective universities in the US.
- The overall acceptance rate has been steadily declining. Five years ago the overall acceptance rate at Boston College was 27%. The rate has dropped each year since then, down to a low of 14.68% for the Class of 2028.
- The overall number of students applying has fluctuated each of the last five years, in a range between 29,000 and 40,000.
- Applicants in the ED round jumped from just under 3,000 (Class of 2027 and 2026) to 4,300 this year.
- The ED acceptance rate has increased incrementally the past three cycles, from 27% two years ago to 32% this year, but had been close to 40% for the Class of 2024 and 2025.
Boston College's Overall Acceptance Rate Trends
| Class of | Total Applications | Accepted Applicants | Acceptance Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2028 | 35,475 | 5,200 | 14.6% |
| 2027 | 36,525 | 5,645 | 15.5% |
| 2026 | 40,494 | 6,748 | 16.7% |
| 2025 | 39,875 | 7,570 | 19% |
15 Questions About Boston College
Who Gets Into Boston College?
According to Boston College officials, the students accepted to the Class of 2028 stand out for their overall level of academic achievement.
- Class Rank: 95% of the admitted students who reported a high school ranking were in the top 10% of their class.
- SAT/ACT Scores: Average scores on the SAT and ACT, respectively, are 1511 and 34. Boston College is currently test optional and as of the most recently available data (for the Class of 2025), about 50% of students reported standardized test scores.
- Diversity: Admitted students represent 50 different US states, three US territories, and Washington DC, with international students hailing from 91 different countries.
“Boston College’s upward trajectory continues with this most recent class, as evidenced by their academic prowess in the classroom and their vast talents in the community.”
- Grant Gosselin, Dean of Undergraduate Admission, Boston College
How Crimson Can Help You Stand Out
The challenging acceptance rates at Boston College are more and more common across the US admissions landscape, especially at leading schools.
In this competitive admissions environment, an experienced college admissions advisor can offer valuable guidance, make the overarching application process less stressful, and help you shape a personalized plan and stick to it!
Here are a few ways you can benefit from the help of a Crimson Education Advisor or Strategist:
- Craft a Compelling Narrative: They work with you to identify your unique strengths, passions, and experiences. This helps you shape a cohesive application profile and showcase your potential to contribute to the Boston College community.
- Navigate Strategic Choices: Advisors can provide insights on application timing (early vs. regular), test score submission, and highlight areas where you can further boost your profile.
- Excel in Every Aspect: From essay coaching to interview preparation, advisors ensure each application component is polished and demonstrates your preparedness for the rigorous academic environment at Boston College.
Proven Success in a Competitive Landscape
Crimson Education has a track record of helping students achieve their admissions goals. Our personalized approach and expertise in selective admissions have led to impressive results. This year alone, over 200 Crimson students were accepted to top US universities in the early round. Here's a breakdown of our early-round numbers:
- 87 offers to the Ivy League.
- 163 offers to the US Top 20, including offers to Stanford, MIT, Caltech, Duke, Johns Hopkins, Northwestern, University of Chicago, Rice, Vanderbilt, and University of Notre Dame.
- 15% of Ivy League and 27% of top 20 early round applicants received offers to their dream schools.
- 670+ offers to the US Top 50, including offers to NYU, University of Michigan, Georgetown, Carnegie Mellon, Emory, University of Virginia, and Washington University in St. Louis.
- 1000+ offers to each student’s first choice school.
What Makes Crimson Different
Key Resources & Further Reading
About the Contributor
Arkesh Patel
Arkesh Patel is the Chief Operating Officer of Crimson Education, the world's largest and most successful university admissions consulting firm. Crimson Education has helped thousands of students gain admission into the Ivy League and top universities such as Oxford, Cambridge, Stanford, MIT, and many others. Arkesh graduated from the University of Cambridge with a B.A in Chemistry (First Class Honors) and received his M.B.A with Distinction from Harvard Business School.
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