Boston College vs Boston University Early Decision 2026: Same City, Different Bets

Boston College and Boston University sit a few miles apart, share a lot of applicants, and get confused constantly. For Early Decision they are genuinely different bets, and the difference is mostly about money.

Here is what each school's own Common Data Set shows.

The early rounds

BC's figures come from its 2024-25 filing, the most recent one we have for BC. BU's come from its 2025-26 filing. Each ED rate is compared with everyone who didn't apply early, not with the overall rate, which already includes the ED admits.

A few things stand out:

• BU's regular pool is enormous. Nearly 70,000 applications came in outside the early round, and 11% of them were admitted. That volume is part of why BU's early edge is a little larger.
• The early edge at both schools is moderate. At 2.4× and 2.8×, both are well below Columbia's 4.7× or Duke's 4.1×. You give up less here by applying Regular Decision than you would at those schools.
• Both run two binding rounds. Each filing lists an ED I deadline around November 1 and an ED II deadline in early January, with ED II decisions by mid-February. Confirm this year's dates on each school's site.

The second round matters more than it looks. ED II decisions arrive in February, before most regular results. If you apply ED I somewhere else and it doesn't work out, BC or BU in ED II is a way to still use a binding round. But a yes in February binds you just as firmly as a yes in December. Use ED II for the school you'd actually choose, not as a place to put a leftover binding application.

What each school weighs

The two filings (section C7) read differently.

Boston College marks rigor and GPA as very important. Class rank, test scores, the essay, recommendations, extracurriculars, talent and character are all important. Demonstrated interest is not considered. Alumni relationship is considered.

Boston University also marks rigor and GPA as very important. Class rank, the essay, recommendations, extracurriculars and character are important. Test scores are only considered. Two notable "not considered" marks: talent and ability, and alumni relationship. Demonstrated interest is considered.

So BC leans more on test scores, and BU gives no formal weight to a family connection. If you have a legacy tie to BC, it counts for something there, though the filing rates it only "considered." It doesn't count at BU. Admitted SAT ranges (College Scorecard) are 1440–1540 at BC and 1420–1530 at BU.

The money, where they really split

Here is the average net price by family income (College Scorecard, 2023-24, federal aid recipients):

Neither school is cheaper at every income. BC averaged less for the lowest-income families. At the top, the average BC family paid about $12,800 more a year than the average BU family.

One likely factor is merit money. In BU's 2025-26 filing, 116 first-year students without financial need received a BU scholarship not based on need, averaging $42,227. BC doesn't report comparable figures in the filing we have. BC is known mainly for need-based aid.

For a higher-income family, that's the core of the decision. Early Decision locks you into one school's offer. If BU's merit scholarships are part of your plan, ask BU directly how and when they are awarded, and whether applying in a binding round changes anything, before you choose the round.

Which one gets your Early Decision?

1. Pick the school, not the city. BC is a Jesuit university with a residential campus in Chestnut Hill. BU is a large urban university along Commonwealth Avenue. Students who love one often wouldn't choose the other. If you can't say which you prefer, you probably shouldn't bind yourself to either.
2. Run both net price calculators. Especially if your family earns over $110,000, where the averages differ by more than $12,000 a year.
3. Remember that the edge is moderate. Neither school's early advantage is large enough to justify binding yourself to your second choice. With these two, Regular Decision still leaves you with a real chance.

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Early Decision, first-year pool and admission-factor figures are from Boston College's 2024-25 Common Data Set and Boston University's 2025-26 Common Data Set, sections C1, C7 and C21. The BU non-need scholarship figure is from section H2A of BU's 2025-26 filing. SAT ranges and net prices are institution-reported figures published through the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard. Results are data-based analysis and do not guarantee admission.

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