OVERVIEW

Boston University is a private university in the United States. According to the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, BU is categorized as an RU/VH Research University. It is one of the largest private universities in the States, and also one of the largest employers in Boston, with more than 31,000 students and over 4,000 faculty members currently.

Bu was founded in 1839 as the Newbury Biblical Institute in Newbury, Vermont, and was chartered by the Massachusetts Legislature in 1869 with its current name. It has its main Charles River Campus near Kenmore Square, with the Boston University Bridge dividing it with the West Campus. In addition, it has some other campuses in cities including Dubai, London, Brussels, Los Angeles, Sydney, and Washington, DC.

BU offers degrees in Bachelor’s, post-bachelor’s certificate, Master’s, post-master’s certificate, and Doctorate programs, and offers a range of combined-degree programs at the same time. Students at Boston are required to take some fundamental courses before graduation, including mathematics, foreign languages, humanities, social science, sciences, English, etc.

The mission of Boston University is:

Boston University is an international, comprehensive, private research university, committed to educating students to be reflective, resourceful individuals ready to live, adapt, and lead in an interconnected world. Boston University is committed to generating new knowledge to benefit society. We remain dedicated to our founding principles: that higher education should be accessible to all and that research, scholarship, artistic creation, and professional practice should be conducted in the service of the wider community—local and international. These principles endure in the University’s insistence on the value of diversity, in its tradition and standards of excellence, and in its dynamic engagement with the City of Boston and the world. Boston University comprises a remarkable range of undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs built on a strong foundation of the liberal arts and sciences. With the support and oversight of the Board of Trustees, the University, through our faculty, continually innovates in education and research to ensure that we meet the needs of students and an ever-changing world.

ACCREDITATION

As a member of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Boston University has been accredited by NEASC since 1929.

ACADEMICS

The university comprises 18 schools and colleges, from College of Arts & Sciences, and College of Engineering, to School of Education, and Division of Graduate Medical Sciences:

The most popular majors and course of study for students are as follows:

1. Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services
2. Social Sciences
3. Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs
4. Biological and Biomedical Sciences
5. Health Professions and Related Programs

Boston University ranks No. 53 among national universities in the 2012 ranking by U.S. News & World Report, and was ranked 70th among all universities in the world in the 2011 ranking by QS World University Rankings.

Boston University offers several special academic programs, including the Core Curriculum, which is offered in the College of Arts and Sciences as an intensive great books program for incoming freshmen, University Professors Program, which offers a broad education in a more personalized atmosphere, University Honors College, and Boston University Academy which is known for its strong academic program, classical curriculum and its connection to university resources.

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

As a selective university, Boston offers admission to about 45.5 percent applicants. The candidate selection is based on secondary school record, class rank, application essay, academic GPA, standardized test scores and recommendations. For the applicants, high school diploma is required, and GED is accepted.

COSTS AND FINANCIAL AID

The tuition and fees is USD 39,314 every academic year, and room and board may cost about USD 12,260.

A range of financial aids are offered at Boston, such as Federal Pell, state scholarship or grant, private scholarship, and the school’s own gift aid. About 46 percent freshmen and 44 percent undergraduates receive certain kind of financial aids every academic year.