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Boston College

#2 Highest-Paying Colleges for Communications
Private nonprofit Chestnut Hill, MA · Urban · New England · 100% data
A+ Earnings A Graduation A Selectivity
Graduation Rate
91% A
Most students who enroll finish their degree here
Earnings (10yr)
$103,937 A+
Top 1% nationally — exceptional earning power
Net Price
$41,704 F
143% more than the typical college
Acceptance Rate
16% A
Admits roughly 16% — highly selective
Earnings +155% vs avg
Graduation +59% vs avg
Net Price 143% vs avg
Mobility Top 43%

Bottom line: A B- overall grade — average outcomes for a U.S. college. 15.8× return on investment — every $1 spent returns $15.8 over 20 years. Ranked #2 in Highest-Paying Colleges for Communications.

15.8× return on investment

Every $1 spent returns $15.8 over 20 years — debt pays back in ~under a year. Net gain: $2,475,640.

What The Data Says

  1. A B- overall — outcomes above the typical U.S. college.

  2. Graduates earn 155% more than the national college median.

  3. A 91% graduation rate — 59% above the national average.

  4. A top feeder school for 8 major employers.

  5. Every $1 invested returns $15.8 over 20 years — an exceptional return.

Economic Footprint

World Rank
#161
Times Higher Education
Employer Pipelines
8
Top feeder programs
Research Score
34/100
Times Higher Education

Why Boston College Matters

Boston College is a private research university in Chestnut Hill, MA ranked #161 in the world by Times Higher Education, and its outcomes are not an accident. They are driven by selective admissions, a top-tier research enterprise, and a well-connected, high-opportunity alumni network. The result: graduates whose earnings land in the top 1% of all U.S. colleges.

Interpretation generated from this school's federal outcomes, research, and mobility data.

Institutional Profile

Institution Type
Private Research University
Carnegie Class
R1 · Very High Research
Enrollment
10,085
Setting
Urban
Designations
30
Primary Strengths
Business & Marketing, Social Sciences, Biology & Biomedical, Psychology

Why students choose Boston College

Top-tier research university
R1 status: undergraduates work alongside leading researchers
Influential alumni network
High cross-class social capital and reach
Exceptional earning outcomes
Graduate earnings in the top 1% of colleges

CollegeRanker Report Card

Graded on outcomes, against every U.S. college.

B-
Top 35% overall
A+
Earnings
$103,937 median
C
Value
2.5× net price
F
Affordability
$41,704/yr net
A
Graduation
91% graduate
C+
Social Mobility
1.6% climb Q1→Q5
A
Selectivity
16% admit rate
C+
Diversity
0.64 index

Each grade is this school's national percentile on a real outcome — earnings, value, mobility, and more.

How we grade →
1
Can I Get In?

Admissions

Highly selective
16% admit rate

Highly selective — admits about 16% of applicants, with a middle-50% SAT of 1440–1540. Run your numbers in the admissions predictor below.

Check your odds →
2
Can I Afford It?

Net price + aid

F
$41,704/yr net

Students pay about $41,704 a year after grants and scholarships — 143% above the typical U.S. college. See net price by family income below.

See cost & aid →
3
What Happens After?

Earnings + debt

A+
$103,937 median

Graduates earn a median of $103,937 ten years after enrolling — 155% above the typical college, against $19,000 in median debt.

See outcomes →
4
Does It Change Lives?

Mobility + social capital

C+
1.6% climb

Moves 1.6% of its students from the bottom income fifth to the top — top 43% nationally for mobility. High social capital (1.89 economic connectedness).

See mobility →

Overview

With an acceptance rate of just 16%, Boston College attracts students who are academically driven and ready to engage deeply with their studies. The school excels in areas like Business & Marketing, Social Sciences, and Psychology, among others. If you’re looking for a community that values both rigorous academics and a strong sense of tradition, this is a place where you can thrive.

Once you graduate, you can expect to make, on average, $103,937 after ten years in the workforce. That’s a solid figure that speaks to the value of a degree from Boston College. Students who study here often find themselves well-prepared for the job market, which is crucial as we consider our financial futures. The blend of a strong curriculum and a supportive network can lead to successful career paths.

Looking at the financial aspects, the net price after aid is around $41,704, and students typically graduate with a median debt of $19,000. This debt load is manageable for many, especially considering the earning potential after graduation. Boston College tends to attract students who are ready to invest in their education and take full advantage of the opportunities available, paving the way for both personal and professional growth.

Rankings

Can I Get In?

How selective Boston College is — and how your numbers stack up.

Tool

Will I Be Accepted?

Enter your credentials to see your chances at this school.

3.0
Test Score
1050
21

Academics & Admissions

Is It Hard to Get Into Boston College? Acceptance Rate & Requirements

Boston College, located in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, sets a competitive bar: about 16% of applicants get an offer. Admitted students typically arrive with an average SAT score near 1,507. The graduation rate is roughly 91%.

Acceptance Rate
16%
Retention Rate
96%
SAT Average
1507
ACT Midpoint
34
SAT Range
1440–1540
ACT Range
33–35
Full-Time Faculty
61%
Faculty Salary (mo)
$18,131
Student–Faculty Ratio
12:1
Diversity Index
0.64
First-Gen Students
13%
Applicants
40,494
Admitted
6,748

Inside the Admissions Office

School-reported Common Data Set · 2024-25

The acceptance rate tells you how hard Boston College is to get into. Its Common Data Set tells you what happens once you are admitted: how many students say yes, how many arrived without test scores, and whether applying early tilts the odds. 43% of admitted students go on to enroll here, making it a school many admits weigh against other offers.

Yield Rate
43%
of admits enroll
Submitted SAT
30%
of enrolled freshmen
Submitted ACT
15%
of enrolled freshmen
Early Decision Admit Rate
33.4%
vs 16.2% overall

Applying early pays off here. Of 4,288 Early Decision applicants, 1,434 were admitted — a 33.4% admit rate, roughly 2.1× the 16.2% rate for the overall pool. That binding round alone filled about 60% of the entering class (1,434 of 2,394 first-years). The catch: Early Decision is a commitment you make before you can compare aid offers.

Test-optional, in practice. Only about 45% of enrolled freshmen submitted an SAT or ACT score, so a strong application without test scores is genuinely competitive here, not a long shot.

Source: Boston College's Common Data Set, 2024-25 View the source document on collegedata.fyi →

Can I Afford It?

What you'll actually pay after grants and aid — not the sticker price.

Cost & Financial Aid

How Much Does It Cost to Attend Boston College? Tuition, Net Price & Aid

Published tuition at Boston College is $70,702, but few families pay that. The number to watch is net price, what students actually pay each year after federal grants and institutional scholarships. Here it averages about $41,704. Students from families earning under $30,000 typically pay closer to $4,284 after need-based grants. The median graduate leaves with about $19,000 in federal student loans.

In-State Tuition
$70,702
Out-of-State
$70,702
Avg Net Price
$41,704
Median Debt
$19,000
Pell Grant Rate
13%
Federal Loan Rate
30%

What Families Actually Pay

Family Income $0–$30K
$4,284
Family Income $30K–$48K
$7,304
Family Income $48K–$75K
$13,112
Family Income $110K+
$60,308

What Happens After?

Earnings, debt, and where graduates actually land.

Students Like You

Tell us a little about yourself to see what students like you have typically experienced at Boston College — the net price for your income, your admission odds, and the outcomes that follow. These are patterns from federal data, not predictions.

Compare schools in the full simulator →Sources: College Scorecard, Common Data Set, Opportunity Insights · today's dollars (CPI-adjusted) · descriptive, not predictive

Graduate Outcomes

Is Boston College Worth It? Graduate Earnings & ROI

Ten years out, alumni of Boston College earn a median of $103,937, well above the national average for bachelor's degree holders.

6 Years After Entry
$85,717
8 Years
$89,620
10 Years
$103,937
Debt-to-Earnings
0.18x
Earning > $25K
88%

Earnings Trajectory

$85,717 6yr $89,620 8yr $103,937 10yr

Graduation by Timeframe

100% (2,084)
89%
100% (2,084)
89%
100% (2,084)
89%
100% (2,084)
89%

Where Grads Go

Boston College is a top feeder for:

Rank among programs feeding each employer.

Top employers of Boston College’s MBA graduates, by hires reported in the school’s employment report.

Explore the Career Destination Guide → Source: Boston College — Full-Time MBA Employment Report (Class of 2025)

How Boston Compares

Dot right of center = above national average.

NATIONAL AVGGraduation91%Earnings 10yr$104KNet Price$42KRetention96%Median Debt$19KPell Grant Rate13%

Net Price by Family Income

What families actually pay after aid, by income bracket.

$4K$0-30K$7K$30-48K$13K$48-75K$60K$110K+

The Mobility Equation

Mobility = Access x Success. How many low-income students get in, and how many reach the top 20%?

ACCESS% from bottom 20%2.9%SUCCESS% who reach top 20%56.2%MOBILITY1.60%

College ROI Calculator

Is Boston College Worth It?

A data-driven look at the return on your educational investment — using real federal data.

Yes — for most students, Boston College delivers a positive return. Over four years, the typical net price is $41,704/year ($166,816 total). Graduates earn $103,937 at ten years, and over a 20-year career we project $2,642,456 in total earnings — a net gain of $2,475,640 (15.8× your investment). The median debt is $19,000, which takes less than a year to pay back at typical earnings. With a 91% graduation rate, the path to that return is well-tested. This is a exceptional ROI compared to national averages.

Total Cost (4yr)
$166,816
Projected 20yr Earnings
$2,642,456
Net Return
$2,475,640
ROI Multiple
15.8×
Cost Per Year
$41,704
Median Debt
$19,000
Debt Payback
Less than 1 yr
Graduation Rate
91%
Explore all Boston College ROI scenarios

Does It Change Lives?

Mobility, social capital, and innovation — does it move people up?

Social Mobility

Data: Raj Chetty's Mobility Report Card · 30M+ anonymized tax records

Does Boston College Drive Upward Mobility? Economic Mobility & Low-Income Outcomes

Boston College is a genuine engine of upward mobility. Its mobility rate, the share of students who start in the bottom income quintile and climb to the top, is 1.60%, well above the typical college. Access is narrower: only about 2.9% of students come from the bottom income quintile, typical of more selective, higher-income institutions. Among bottom-quintile students who attend, roughly 56.2% go on to reach the top of the income ladder. The median family income of students sits near $168,400, a snapshot of the campus's socioeconomic mix.

Mobility Rate
1.60%
Bottom 20% → Top 20%
Success Rate
56.2%
If bottom 20% get in
From Bottom 20%
2.9%
Share of students
Parent Median Income
$228,797
today's $ (2015 cohort data)

Social Capital

Data: Opportunity Insights Social Capital Atlas

How Connected Is Boston College? Social Capital & Cross-Class Networks

Social capital, the web of cross-class friendships that researchers link to long-run upward mobility, runs high at Boston College. Its economic connectedness score is 1.89, where about 1.0 is the national norm. Its friending bias is low (-0.00), a sign that students from different economic backgrounds actually mix rather than self-segregate. Around 7% of students take part in civic and volunteering activity.

Economic Connectedness
1.89
Cross-class friendships
Friending Bias
-0.00
Lower = more inclusive
Volunteering Rate
6.7%
Support Ratio
1.00
Community support

Research Note

267%
Low-income students at colleges in the top quartile of economic connectedness are 267% more likely to reach the top income quintile than peers at the least-connected schools.
Data from CollegeRanker’s review of 5,745 U.S. colleges (n=1,503). Quartile comparison of mean bottom-quintile success rate, split by economic connectedness (Opportunity Insights Social Capital Atlas × Mobility Report Card).

Research & Teaching

Data: Times Higher Education World University Rankings

How Research-Intensive Is Boston College? World Rank, Teaching & Citations

Times Higher Education places Boston College at #161 worldwide, a mark of serious research standing. Its profile spans a research score of 34/100, teaching at 40/100, and citation impact of 78/100, reflecting both the volume of research output and how often that work is cited by scholars elsewhere.

World Rank
#161
Teaching
40.1
Research
33.6
Citations
78
International
31.6

Innovation & Knowledge Creation

Patents, inventors, and research influence · Opportunity Insights & Times Higher Education

Research Score
34/100
Times Higher Ed
Academic Influence
78/100
Citation impact (THE)

Institutional Finances

Data: NCES IPEDS

Investment Income
$-146,871,612

Top Programs

The fields Boston College awards the most degrees in, by share of completions. Where federal field-of-study data exists, we show what graduates in that major earned early in their careers. Each links to its degree guide — or see what someone with your income, scores, and major would pay and earn here in the Students Like You simulator.

Early-career median earnings by major (typically 1–2 years after completion, bachelor's level where available), in today's dollars (CPI-adjusted). Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard field of study. Distinct from the school-wide 10-year median; suppressed for small programs.

Top Careers

Where these majors tend to lead — common career paths for Boston College's most popular programs, ranked by median pay with our proprietary scorecard insights.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is It Hard to Get Into Boston College? Acceptance Rate & Requirements

Boston College, located in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, sets a competitive bar: about 16% of applicants get an offer. Admitted students typically arrive with an average SAT score near 1,507. The graduation rate is roughly 91%.

How Much Does It Cost to Attend Boston College? Tuition, Net Price & Aid

Published tuition at Boston College is $70,702, but few families pay that. The number to watch is net price, what students actually pay each year after federal grants and institutional scholarships. Here it averages about $41,704. Students from families earning under $30,000 typically pay closer to $4,284 after need-based grants. The median graduate leaves with about $19,000 in federal student loans.

Is Boston College Worth It? Graduate Earnings & ROI

Ten years out, alumni of Boston College earn a median of $103,937, well above the national average for bachelor's degree holders.

Does Boston College Drive Upward Mobility? Economic Mobility & Low-Income Outcomes

Boston College is a genuine engine of upward mobility. Its mobility rate, the share of students who start in the bottom income quintile and climb to the top, is 1.60%, well above the typical college. Access is narrower: only about 2.9% of students come from the bottom income quintile, typical of more selective, higher-income institutions. Among bottom-quintile students who attend, roughly 56.2% go on to reach the top of the income ladder. The median family income of students sits near $168,400, a snapshot of the campus's socioeconomic mix.

How Connected Is Boston College? Social Capital & Cross-Class Networks

Social capital, the web of cross-class friendships that researchers link to long-run upward mobility, runs high at Boston College. Its economic connectedness score is 1.89, where about 1.0 is the national norm. Its friending bias is low (-0.00), a sign that students from different economic backgrounds actually mix rather than self-segregate. Around 7% of students take part in civic and volunteering activity.

How Research-Intensive Is Boston College? World Rank, Teaching & Citations

Times Higher Education places Boston College at #161 worldwide, a mark of serious research standing. Its profile spans a research score of 34/100, teaching at 40/100, and citation impact of 78/100, reflecting both the volume of research output and how often that work is cited by scholars elsewhere.

Does Boston College offer Early Decision, and does it improve admission chances?

Yes. Boston College offers a binding Early Decision plan, and it carries a real advantage: Early Decision applicants were admitted at 33%, about 2.1 times the overall 16% acceptance rate, and ED filled roughly 60% of the entering class. Because ED is binding, it makes sense only if Boston College is a clear first choice and you can commit before comparing aid offers (2024-25 Common Data Set).

Is Boston College really test-optional?

In practice, yes. Only about 45% of enrolled first-year students submitted an SAT or ACT score, so a strong application without test scores is genuinely competitive at Boston College (2024-25 Common Data Set).

What percentage of admitted students enroll at Boston College?

About 43% of admitted students choose to enroll at Boston College — its yield rate (2024-25 Common Data Set). Yield reflects how often a school wins when applicants weigh competing offers.

Compare Boston College

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The State of American Higher Education Outcomes for 2026 — report cover Download PDF

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The State of American Higher Education Outcomes

Every state graded on what graduates earn, how far they climb, and what college really costs — the hidden geography of economic mobility, in one report.

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