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Boston College vs Boston University

Where graduates end up, what each school really costs, and who gets in, side by side from each school's official ABA data. Add your LSAT and GPA to see your chances and scholarship estimates at both.

VS
Add your numbersSee your admission chances and scholarship estimates at both schools.

The short version

  • Boston College places more graduates in BigLaw or federal clerkships: 47.4% of the Class of 2025, against 42.5% at Boston.
  • Boston costs about $40K less over three years after the average scholarship: $194K against $233K, and more of its students get a scholarship (91% vs 89%).
  • Boston is harder to get into: a 170 median LSAT and a 12.1% acceptance rate, against 168 and 8.5% at Boston College.
  • Boston College has the higher first time bar pass rate: 96.2% against 94.9%.
Boston College
vs
Boston

Where graduates go

Boston College leads 4 of 5

✓47.4%
BigLaw + federal clerkships
42.5%
✓45.1%
BigLaw (501+ attorney firms)
41.1%
✓2.3%
Federal clerkships
1.4%
96.7%
Graduates employed
✓96.7%
✓96.2%
First time bar passage
94.9%

What it costs

Boston leads 4 of 4

$233K
Three year net cost
✓$194K
89%
Students receiving a scholarship
✓91%
$24,000/yr
Median scholarship (recipients)
✓$29,000/yr
$20,724/yr
Average scholarship (all students)
✓$28,341/yr

Who gets in

Acceptance rate: Boston College 8.5% · Boston 12.1%

LSAT

Bars run from the 25th to the 75th percentile, with the median marked.

Boston College
162168169
Boston
164170171
160162164166168170172174

GPA

Undergraduate GPA of the entering class, same scale for both schools.

Boston College
3.673.833.90
Boston
3.713.883.93
3.603.703.803.904.00

Frequently asked questions

Is Boston College or Boston better for BigLaw?
Boston College placed more of its Class of 2025 in BigLaw or federal clerkships: 47.4% against 42.5%. By BigLaw alone (firms of 501+ attorneys), Boston College placed 45.1% and Boston placed 41.1%. Federal clerkships were 2.3% at Boston College and 1.4% at Boston.
Which is harder to get into, Boston College or Boston?
Boston College's Fall 2025 entering class had a median LSAT of 168 and a median GPA of 3.83, with a 8.5% acceptance rate. Boston's had 170 and 3.88, with 12.1%. Add your LSAT and GPA above to see your estimated chances at both.
Which costs less, Boston College or Boston?
After the average scholarship, three years cost about $233K at Boston College and $194K at Boston, including living costs. Public schools are shown at out of state tuition. Your own scholarship can move these numbers a lot, so add your numbers above for an estimate.
Which gives more scholarship money, Boston College or Boston?
89% of Boston College students receive a scholarship, with a median award of $24,000 a year among recipients. 91% of Boston students receive a scholarship, with a median award of $29,000 a year among recipients.
Which has the better bar passage rate?
96.2% of Boston College's first time takers passed in 2025, against 94.9% at Boston. Each school's profile shows how that compares with the states where its graduates sat.
Should I choose Boston College or Boston?
It depends on your goals, your odds and your offers. Compare where each school's graduates end up, then add your LSAT and GPA above to see your estimated chances and scholarships at both. Your scholarship offer usually changes the cost more than anything else.

What a higher LSAT changes

Move the LSAT slider in the admissions calculator to watch your odds and scholarship estimates change at every school.

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Figures come from each school’s official ABA disclosures. Admission chances and scholarship estimates are modeled from that data and are not predictions of any individual decision. Our data and methodology

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