Application Requirements

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Explore each requirement to learn more about our application review.

Check your Application Status

Common Application

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Associate Director Chris O'Brien

Associate Director Chris O'Brien

For our undergraduate admission process, ɬ﷬ uses the Common Application. We require that all candidates submit their application electronically. Please make sure to carefully select your preference for Early Decision or Regular Decision consideration on the Common Application.


Selecting an Academic Division

Candidates are required to apply to one of the University's four undergraduate academic divisions: the Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences, Carroll School of Management, Lynch School of Education and Human Development, or Connell School of Nursing. Students are only considered for admission to the division to which they applied. Students do not have to declare a specific major when applying (with the exception of Engineering* & Nursing.) Learn more aboutchoosing an academic division.

* Because of the limited number of spaces in the entering cohort, HCE major applicants only will have the option to indicate a second major in the Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences on their application. If applicants are not offered admission to the HCE major, they may be considered for their second-choice major.

Note on Use of Artificial Intelligence

Personal statements, supplemental essays, and free responses provide students with a valuableopportunity to have an authentic voice in the college admission process. While students may turn to avariety of resources such as parents/guardians, English teachers, andschool counselors in order to generate ideas, the content must be their own. Generative artificial intelligence tools likeChatGPT may also serve as a resource, but must only be used as a guide; content must never be directlycopied from AI or other sources. The submission of original content not only adheres to the ethicalexpectations in applying to college, but benefits the applicant by having their authentic personal storyvalued by the Admission Committee.

Notice of Nondiscrimination

The Office of Undergraduate Admission deeply values the contributions made by a diverse community of scholars. Learn more about ɬ﷬'snotice of nondiscrimination.

ɬ﷬ Writing Supplement

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Associate Director Amy Chung

Associate Director Amy Chung

The ɬ﷬ Writing Supplement must be submitted along with your application to ɬ﷬ at . Please do not mail or email your essay response.

Supplemental Questions

We would like to get a better sense of you. Please respond to one of the first four prompts below (400 word limit). Students applying to the Human Centered Engineering major should respond to Prompt #5 instead.

1. Each year at University Convocation, our incoming class engages in reflective dialogue with the author of a common text. What book by a living author would you recommend for your incoming class to read, and why would this be an important shared text?

2. At ɬ﷬, we draw upon the Jesuit tradition of finding worthwhile conversationpartners. Some support our viewpoints while others challenge them. Who fulfills this role inyour life? Please cite a specific conversation you had where this conversation partnerchallenged your perspective or you challenged theirs.

3. In her July 2009 Ted Talk, “,” Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie warned viewers against assigning people a “single story” through assumptions about theirnationality, appearance, or background. Discuss a time when someone defined you by a singlestory. What challenges did this present and how did you overcome them?

4. ɬ﷬’s founding in 1863 was in response to society’s call. That call came from animmigrant community in Boston seeking a Jesuit education to foster social mobility. Still today,the University empowers its students to use their education to address society’s greatestneeds. Which of today’s local or global issues is of particular concern to you and how might youuse your ɬ﷬ education to address it?

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 ɬ﷬ 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?

Standardized Testing

ɬ﷬ will maintain a test-optional admission policy for the 2024-25 application cycle. Learn more here.
For those students who plan to submit ACT and/or SAT results during the 2024-25 admission cycle:
  • To reduce the cost associated with applying to college, ɬ﷬ providesapplicants with multiple options to report your SAT and ACT score results. Students maysend official score reports from a testing center, self-report their test scores on theirapplications, and/or upload self-reported scores through their Applicant Status Portals.All scores submitted to ɬ﷬ will be evaluated by the Admission Committee.Should applicants upload or send new scores after submitting their application, we willdo our best to review them, but cannot guarantee that they will arrive in time forreview.
  • ɬ﷬ "super scores" exam results for students who have taken the SAT or ACTmultiple times. During our review, we will assess the students' strongest individualscores across exam administration dates to create the highest combined or compositescore earned by the student. This policy also applies to prospective students who takeboth the paper-based SAT and the new digital SAT, which will be administered in the USbeginning in Spring 2024.
  • Enrolled students who provided scores with their applications will be required to submitofficial test score reports upon matriculation. At that time, students’ results will beverified.
  • Official standardized test results sent at the time of application or upon enrollmentmust be sent directly from the testing agency to ɬ﷬ (SAT Code: 3083 andACT Code: 1788). If having score reports sent from the College Board or ACT to BostonCollege presents a financial hardship, applicants should have their high school counselor contact the Office of Undergraduate Admission. Alternatives will be explored on a case-by-case basis.
International applicants must submit official TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo English Test examination scores. Learn more about standardized testing and English proficiency requirements for international applicants.

High School Transcript

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Associate Director Kristen Gallant

Associate Director Kristen Gallant

Curriculum Evaluation

ɬ﷬ looks for students who are in the most challenging courses available at their high schools. Our most competitive applicants tend to have a high school program with four years of the five main subjects: English, Math, Social Science, Natural Science, and Foreign Language. We do appreciate that high schools can offer a variety of programs and consider that in our application review.

Submitting Your Transcript(s)

All students are required to submit an official high/secondary school transcript. This transcript must be sent by your high school and can be submitted online ator can be mailed (see below for address). Please note that we will not accept any academic credentials from students.

*In order to matriculate at ɬ﷬, a student must submit a final high school transcript or a G.E.D. prior to enrollment.

Mailing Address:
ɬ﷬ Undergraduate Admission
140 Commonwealth Avenue, Devlin 208
Chestnut Hill, MA 02467

Supporting Materials

In addition to the Common Application, ɬ﷬ requires that you also submit the following materials:

The School Report and Counselor Recommendation Form- Your counselor or school official should submit these forms. If your school uses its own school form, we will also accept that document. Traditionally the school form is submitted with a letter of recommendation from your college counselor and your official transcript.

Teacher Evaluations- You are required to submit two teacher evaluations as part of your application to ɬ﷬. We recommend that these evaluations are written by teachers who have taught you in one of the five main academic subject areas (English, Social Studies, Science, Math, or Foreign Language).

Mid-Year Grade Report (Regular Decision and Early Decision deferred candidates)- We require that the Mid-Year Grade Report be submitted as soon as it is available by your counselor or designated school official.

Application Fee

The application fee of $80 or application fee waiver request must be submitted in order for your application to be reviewed. Your application fee should be submitted with your Common Application. Given the volume of applications ɬ﷬ receives, we strongly recommend that you submit the application fee online. If you are unable to submit the fee online, you should mail a check or money order.

*Fee Waiver Request

If submitting the $80 application fee presents a financial hardship for your family and you are a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, you may apply for an application fee waiver. You may apply for a fee waiver through the Common Application.

Optional Credentials for the Arts

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Senior Associate Director Owen Grover

Senior Associate Director Owen Grover

Students who intend to major in Studio Art can submitartisticsamples/portfolios through .If not majoring in Studio Art, please highlight any art involvement (such as photography, painting, drawing, ceramics, digital media, and video) within the Activities or Additional Information sections of the Common Application or the QuestBridge Application.

Students with a background in theater and/or music who plan to be involved in music and theater productions at ɬ﷬ are invited to showcase their talents by submitting artisticsamples via SlideRoom,regardless of their intended major.If you do not intend to formally pursue theseartistictalents at ɬ﷬, but you would like to tell us about past experiences you've had in the arts, we encourage you to do so within the Activities or Additional Information sections of the Common Application or the QuestBridge Application.

All materials must be received via SlideRoom by November 1 for Early Decision I or QuestBridge National College Match candidates and by January 3for Early Decision II and Regular Decision candidates.Submissions received after these dates will not be reviewed.

English Proficiency

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Associate Director James Dewey-Rosenfeld

Associate Director James Dewey-Rosenfeld

All international applicants must demonstrate English proficiency by submitting TOEFL, IELTS, or examination results. A student is considered an international applicant if he/she is not a U.S. citizen or U.S. permanent resident. Learn more about applying as an international student.

Supplementary English Proficiency Options

Students attending a national school in China are encouraged to schedule an interview with. While not required, a video interview allows candidates the opportunity to demonstrate English proficiency and communication skills to the Admission Committee.

Applicants should submit InitialView results byNovember 15for Early Decision I andJanuary 15for Early Decision II and Regular Decision.

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Early Decision I

Deadline:
November 1

Early Decision I is a binding admission program for students who view ɬ﷬ as their top choice.

Notification:
By December 15

Early Decision applicants will be notified of their admission decision no later than December 15.

Early Decision II

Deadline:
January 2

Early Decision II is a binding admission program for students who view ɬ﷬ as their top choice.

Notification:
By February 15

Early Decision applicants will be notified of their admission decision no later than February 15.

Regular Decision

Deadline:
January 2

Regular Decision is a non-binding admission program and the majority of applicants apply through Regular Decision.

Notification:
By April 1

Regular Decision applicants will be notified of their admission decision no later than April 1.

Spring Freshmen

Deadline:
November 1

Human-Centered Engineering and Nursing freshman applicants are not eligible for spring enrollment.

Notification:
By December 15

Spring entry freshmen applicants will be notified of their admission decision no later than December 15.

Gabelli Presidential Scholars Program

Each year, ɬ﷬ awards eighteen academically merit-based scholarships to incoming freshmen through the Gabelli Presidential Scholars Program.Both Early Decision and Regular Decision candidates are eligible for Presidential Scholarship consideration as long as they meet the November 1 priority scholarship deadline.No additional application materials are required for this scholarship, but please note that only candidates for fall admission will be considered.

The Presidential Scholarship is afour-year, full-tuition scholarship. If a student demonstrates need beyond tuition, as determined by ɬ﷬'s institutional analysis, this need would be met with additional scholarship funds.

Finalists for the Gabelli Presidential Scholars Program will be notified of their status in mid-January.These students will be invited to ɬ﷬ at our expense for interviews and evaluation in mid-March. They will be notified of final decisions shortly thereafter.

ɬ﷬ is proud to partner with the in funding three of the eighteen Presidential Scholarships each year.

How do I check my application status?

We look forward to getting in touch with you through the email you provided on your Common Application or QuestBridge Application. After we receive your submission, we’ll email you login information for our Applicant Status Portal. You can check the status of your application there at any time.

Please note, we do not begin downloading applications until mid-September. If you submit an early application, we will notify you once your application has been downloaded. Please add "admission@bc.edu" to your list of approved email senders to ensure that you receive this email and other important application related communications.