How has Boston University changed over time?
Multi-year trends in admissions, enrollment, test scores, and cost. Every chart is labeled with its data source and the years it covers — no smoothing, no mixing sources.
Admission rate
Admission rate fell from 58% (2010) to 11% (2024).
Applicants and students admitted
Applicants rose from 37,795 (2010) to 78,769 (2024).
Enrollment
Total enrollment rose from 32,179 (2010) to 37,737 (2024).
SAT mid-50% range
SAT mid-50% range moved from 1220–1420 (2016) to 1420–1530 (2024).
- Score data describes enrolled freshmen, not all admitted students.
ACT mid-50% range
ACT mid-50% range moved from 25–30 (2008) to 31–34 (2022).
Cost
In-state tuition rose from $41,420 (2011) to $71,372 (2025).
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Data from IPEDS and the College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education) and school Common Data Set filings; each chart names the source its series comes from. Most recent data year: 2025. Last updated October 19, 2026.