Timothy Peck August 1, 2025 8 11th Grade,12th Grade,School Comparisons

Boston College vs. Boston University: Which College Is Right for You?

What’s Covered:

• Boston College vs. Boston University: A Quick Overview
• Boston College vs. Boston University: A Closer Look
• How to Decide Between Boston College vs. Boston University
• What Are Your Chances of Acceptance?

There’s no shortage of schools in and around Boston, Massachusetts—the greater Boston area is home to more than 100 colleges and universities! Two top schools that students often consider are Boston College and Boston University. While these institutions essentially share a city, you’ll discover numerous distinctions when comparing Boston College and Boston University. In this post, we’ll cover their similarities and differences, so you can decide which one is best for you.

Learn more about Boston College and Boston University and see your chances of acceptance.

Boston College vs. Boston University: A Quick Overview

Boston College vs. Boston University: A Closer Look

Location and Weather

Boston College vs. Boston University Location: BC and BU share the city of Boston as a home, but they offer unique living perspectives. BC is technically located in Chestnut Hill, a village six miles outside of downtown Boston and a short train ride (or “T” ride to locals) from the city proper. Conversely, BU is located in the heart of the city.

About Boston: With a population of 673,458, Boston is the 25th largest city in the U.S. and the largest city in New England. Because of this, students attending both BC and BU are afforded all the luxuries of attending school in a major metropolis. Boston has teams in the four major sports leagues (NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL), and hosts world-class events such as the Boston Marathon.

For students seeking culture, Boston offers an abundance of renowned museums, including the Boston Museum of Art, the Museum of Science, and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. Other attractions include Symphony Hall—home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra—and the New England Aquarium. For students interested in exploring elsewhere, Boston Logan International Airport has flights around the world, including direct flights to cities like Paris and London.

In addition to being a big city, Boston is also a college town. Other noteworthy colleges in, or close to the city include:

• Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
• Harvard University
• Northeastern University
• Tufts University
• Emerson College
• Brandeis University
• Babson College
• Wellesley College
• Bentley University
• Suffolk University

Boston Weather: Mark Twain famously summed up Boston’s climate when he said, “If you don’t like the weather in New England now, just wait a few minutes.” Boston experiences four seasons, has slightly fewer sunny days (200) than the average U.S. city (205), and also gets more rain and snow than the average U.S. city. The average high temperature is approximately 82°F and the average low is about 19°F. Winters can get extremely cold and windy, while summers can get very hot and muggy.

Size

Boston College Size: Boston College has an undergraduate enrollment of 9,575 students and a total enrollment of 14,694. The school boasts a low student-faculty ratio of 10:1. In addition to these small class sizes, BC enjoys an academically robust faculty—95% of BC’s 860 full-time faculty members hold terminal degrees. When students graduate from BC, they’ll join an alumni network with over 209,000 members.

Boston University Size: For a large school with an undergraduate enrollment of over 18,000 and a total student body of more than 37,000, BU is rightly proud that it has small class sizes. The student-faculty ratio is 11:1, and the average class size is 30, making it easy to get face time with one of the institution’s many renowned professors. BU graduates join an alumni network with more than 430,000 members.

Academics

Boston College Academics: BC is split into five undergraduate schools and colleges:

• Carolyn A. and Peter S. Lynch School of Education and Human Development
• Carroll School of Management
• Messina College (a two-year college)
• Robert J. Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences
• William F. Connell School of Nursing

Economics, finance, biology, political science, and communications are a few of the most popular of the 60+ majors offered at Boston College. Undergraduates at BC don’t need to declare a major until the end of their sophomore year, but to earn a degree, all undergraduates must complete the Boston College Core Curriculum—a 15-course exploration of the humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences.

Boston College is part of the Boston Consortium, a group of select colleges and universities (including Boston University). As a member of the consortium, Boston College allows sophomores, juniors, and seniors to take one elective course each fall and spring semester at Boston University, Brandeis University, Northeastern University, Regis College, or Tufts University—provided that a comparable course is not offered at BC.

Study abroad is a popular program at Boston College. Undergraduates can participate in one of the school’s 70+ programs in more than 30 countries.

Boston University Academics: BU offers over 300 programs through its 12 undergraduate schools and colleges:

• Arvind & Chandan Nandlal Kilachand Honors College
• College of Arts & Sciences
• College of Communication
• College of Engineering
• College of Fine Arts
• College of General Studies (a two-year college)
• Faculty of Computing and Data Sciences
• Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies
• Questrom School of Business
• Sargent College of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences
• School of Hospitality Administration
• Wheelock College of Education & Human Development

The most popular majors at BU include business management, marketing, communication, and journalism. Students at BU are not required to declare a major until the end of their sophomore year. BU’s core curriculum is designed to give students a solid intellectual foundation through the study of liberal arts courses in the Humanities, Social Sciences, and Natural Sciences.

Boston University is also part of the Boston Consortium. Both full-time and part-time BU undergraduates are allowed to register for one course per semester and to cross-register for certain classes at Boston College, Brandeis University, Tufts University, and Hebrew College.

Studying abroad is also part of BU’s culture—it created one of the first study abroad programs. BU offers over 170 programs in 20 countries and 30+ cities. Over 2,300 students participate in study abroad annually.

Housing

Boston College Housing: BC guarantees most undergraduates three years of on-campus housing, with the third year to be taken off campus—more than 90% of seniors return to live on campus during their final year. First-year students are accommodated in traditional-style rooms; sophomores are allowed to select their roommates and may find themselves in either a traditional or apartment-style room.

Seniors are given priority when choosing living accommodations. The “Mods”—two-story prefab apartments that accommodate six people—are particularly popular among seniors, but there is only room for about one-fifth of the class.

Boston College also provides students with the opportunity to reside in a Living & Learning Community—they’ll create connections, collaborations, and community with peers who share a common interest. There are nine Living & Learning Communities at BC:

• BC F1RST
• Fr. Rutilio Grande Intercultural Experience (a 2.0 version is available to sophomores)
• Healthy Living
• Justice & the Common Good
• Kostka Women’s Experience
• Perspectives Living & Learning
• Seacole Scholars
• Shaw Leadership Program

Boston University Housing: BU guarantees housing to undergraduates for all four years of their studies. Housing at BU is varied and includes everything from singles to six-person suites, from modern high rises to 19th-century brownstones. First-year students at BU are required to live on campus—overall, 75% of undergraduates reside on campus.

Boston University is home to eight living/learning communities:

• Core Curriculum House
• Core Curriculum Floor
• Earth House
• Global House
• Kilachand Honors College House
• Kilachand Honors College – Floors
• Lavender House
• Trustee Scholars House

Additionally, numerous specialty communities—specific floors or houses for students with shared academic or cultural interests—exist on Boston University’s campus. Examples of BU specialty houses include:

• Classics House
• Common Ground House
• Community Service House
• Management House
• Music House
• Writers’ Corridor

Financial Aid

Boston College Financial Aid: Boston College is committed to meeting 100% of the financial need of its undergraduates; therefore, the vast majority of aid awarded at BC is need-based. About 67% of undergraduates receive financial aid, with the average need-based scholarship/grant totaling $58,000.

For the 2025-26 academic year, the sticker price at Boston College is:

Boston University Financial Aid: Boston University has met the full financial need of all domestic students who qualify for aid since 2020. Around 46% of BU undergraduates receive institutional aid—the average institutional grant is $44,044— and 92% of the aid awarded by BU is need-based, while 8% is awarded for merit.

For the 2025-26 academic year, the sticker price at Boston University is:

Extracurriculars

Boston College Extracurriculars: Boston College is a Division I school and competes in sports from basketball to skiing. The football team is a major attraction on Saturdays during the fall, and so is tailgating before home games. The BC hockey team is one of the most successful programs in the country, having won five national championships (one of only seven schools to do so), with four of those wins in the 2000s. Ironically, in the battle of Boston College vs. Boston University on the ice, the two schools are tied—BU has also won five national titles.

Recreational sports are also popular at Boston College—the college offers intramural sports, in which BC students compete against one another, and club sports, in which BC students compete against students from other colleges. Outside of athletics, BC students can choose to participate in more than 300 student organizations focused on seemingly every interest, from baking to investing to retro gaming.

Boston College doesn’t have any fraternities or sororities. BC is a Jesuit school—Jesuit schools traditionally find that Greek life doesn’t align with Jesuit ideals, so they often don’t allow it on their campuses.

Boston University Extracurriculars: BU plays 24 Division I sports, ranging from lacrosse to golf. Athletes like Mike Eruzione (captain of the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” U.S. hockey team) and Brett Brown (former coach of the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers) both played at BU. Hockey is the big draw at BU; it’s among the top producers of NHL first-round draft picks (along with Boston College). The BU women’s soccer team is also noteworthy—they won their 14th Patriot League title in 2024.

There are more than 450 student organizations at BU, covering a broad spectrum of interests ranging from anime to knitting to mock trial. Additionally, BU has a calendar packed with student activities such as attending Red Sox games and film screenings. Community service plays an important role in the lives of many BU students—BU’s Community Service Center (CSC) has a volunteer base of over 1,500 people and contributes over 75,000 hours of annual service.

BU is home to a small but active Greek life community—12 fraternities and 12 sororities call the campus home.

Culture and Diversity

Boston College Undergraduate Diversity:

Boston University Undergraduate Diversity:

How to Decide Between Boston College vs. Boston University

Boston College is an especially strong choice for you if:

• You want to attend a school with easy access to city life that has a more suburban feel.
• Saturday football games are very important to you.
• You’re seeking a Jesuit education/want to attend a top Catholic-affiliated college.
• You prefer a smaller, tight-knit campus community.
• Greek life isn’t essential to your college experience.
• You’re a bookworm—BC’s Bapst Library is consistently counted among the nation’s coolest college libraries.
• A powerful and large (209,000 members and counting) alumni network is important to you.
• You plan on majoring in business—we ranked BC #14 on our list of best colleges for business.

Boston University is an especially strong choice for students who:

• Want to live in the middle of the city.
• Want a big school experience—BU is the largest college or university in Boston.
• Are career-oriented—BU graduates commonly rank among the most employable in the world.
• Want to attend a school with frats and sororities, but don’t want them to be an overwhelming presence on campus.
• Want to be part of a diverse campus community—the student body is ethnically and culturally diverse with students from more than 140 countries and all 50 states.
• Plan on studying abroad—BU is home to 170+ study abroad programs.
• Hope to participate in an experiential learning experience—approximately 85% BU students complete at least one internship, externship, co-op, apprenticeship, paid learning experience, practicum, or research before graduating.
• Are interested in research opportunities—BU is categorized as a very high research activity university according to the Carnegie Classification.

What Are Your Chances of Acceptance?

Both Boston College and Boston University are very selective; however, your odds of admission may vary depending on the strength of your profile. CollegeVine’s free chancing engine can help add clarity to your chances of acceptance at BC, BU, and more than 1,600 other schools nationwide. It uses metrics like your GPA, test scores, and extracurriculars to predict your likelihood of admission, and shows you how you stack up against other applicants. Our engine even offers suggestions for improving your profile!