Boston University supplemental essays
Boston University asks for one supplemental essay in 2026-27. Common App. Personal statement required (250-650 words).
That is one supplement plus the Common App personal statement: two pieces of writing in all. Early Decision closes November 2, 2026, Early Decision II closes January 5, 2027 and Regular Decision closes January 5, 2027. The prompts carry this limit: 250 words. Every Boston University prompt is printed on this page in full, with its word limit and who has to answer it.
Deadlines
| Round | Date |
|---|---|
| Early Decision | November 2, 2026 |
| Early Decision II | January 5, 2027 |
| Regular Decision | January 5, 2027 |
Checked against www.bu.edu/admissions/apply/first-year. Confirm on the college’s own page before you submit.
The essays, 2026-27
Required · 250 words
What about Boston University most excites you, and how will you take advantage of the opportunities here?
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Your Boston University checklist
One supplement, required. The first deadline, Early Decision, is November 2, 2026.
- Common App personal statementRequired250-650 words
- SupplementRequired250 words
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Getting into Boston University
Boston University admits 11.1% of applicants. The middle 50% of enrolled students scored 1420-1530 on the SAT and 32-34 on the ACT.
About 1 in 9 applicants are admitted, at a college of 18,248 undergraduates.
| Enrolled students | 25th | Median | 75th |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAT total | 1420 | 1480 | 1530 |
| SAT reading and writing | 690 | 720 | 750 |
| SAT math | 730 | 760 | 780 |
| ACT composite | 32 | 33 | 34 |
What SAT score do you need for Boston University?
A 1530 puts you in the top quarter of the students who enrolled, a 1480 at their midpoint, and a 1420 at the bottom quarter, meaning one in four enrolled students scored below it. The same three points on the ACT are 32, 33 and 34. A quarter of an enrolled class scoring under the 25th percentile is not a rounding error, so a score below the range is a reason to strengthen the rest of the application rather than a reason not to apply.
US Department of Education, College Scorecard (2026-09-17). Percentiles describe students who enrolled, not everyone admitted. SAT totals are the reading and math bands added together, which is how every source in this market reports them and is an approximation of about 10 to 20 points, because the two sections are correlated.
- What SAT score do you need for Boston University?
- Boston University sets no minimum. Among students who enrolled, the middle 50% scored 1420-1530 on the SAT: a 1420 sits at the 25th percentile, 1480 at the median and 1530 at the 75th. A score at or above 1530 is a clear strength in the application; below 1420 it is the part of the file the rest has to make up for. These are the figures Boston University reports to the US Department of Education, released in the College Scorecard of 2026-09-17.
- What ACT score do you need for Boston University?
- The middle 50% of enrolled students scored 32-34 on the ACT, with a composite of 33 at the median. There is no cutoff: a quarter of the enrolled class scored below 32. Reported by Boston University to the US Department of Education, College Scorecard release of 2026-09-17.
- What GPA do you need for Boston University?
- The honest answer is that the federal data behind this page does not contain one. Colleges report their admit rate and their enrolled students' test scores to the Department of Education; they do not report a GPA distribution, so any site quoting an exact average GPA for Boston University is either reading that college's own Common Data Set or estimating. What the reported data does say is that Boston University admits 11.1% of applicants, and the more selective a college is, the closer to the top of the class its admitted students sit and the more the strength of your course load counts alongside the number itself.
- How hard is it to get into Boston University?
- Boston University admits 11.1% of the people who apply, which is about 1 in 9 applicants. At that rate no set of numbers makes admission likely, a perfect one included, because the college turns away far more qualified applicants than it takes. Strong grades and scores get the application read; the essays, the recommendations and what you have actually done decide it from there.
What Boston University costs after grant aid, by family income, from the same federal data.
Sort your whole college list into reaches, targets and likelies, or find colleges that fit your GPA and test scores. Both are free and neither needs an account.
Boston University essay questions, answered
- Does Boston University have supplemental essays?
- Yes. Boston University asks for one supplemental essay in 2026-27. Every prompt is printed in full on this page. Word limits: 250 words.
- How many essays do you write for Boston University in 2026-27?
- One supplement, plus the Common App personal statement.
Schools with similar admit rates
Boston University admits 11.1% of applicants. The colleges either side of it in our set by admit rate, most selective first, each with its own prompts and deadlines: University of Southern California (9.8%), Emory University (10.7%), Middlebury College (10.8%), University of Notre Dame (11.3%), Tufts University (11.5%), Carnegie Mellon University (11.7%).