History
History embraces the sum of the human experience—politics, economics, religion, art, ideas, culture, social structures, and science.
Education
BU’s professors, scholars, and researchers are flung far and wide, too. Their work runs the gamut, from large-scale studies to reduce neonatal mortality in Zambia to promoting understanding of rainforest ecosystems in the heart of Ecuador’s Amazon jungle. All of our 17 schools and colleges reported global activities. At the end of the day, we’re talking about more than 400 ventures in over 90 countries and Antarctica. Start here to begin sampling them.
Research
BU is a major research institution seeking knowledge and creating breakthroughs in everything from African studies to zebrafish genetics. We are members of the Association of American Universities, an invitation-only group of 62 of North America’s most prestigious research universities.
Career
Offering a complete array of services for freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors, this office encourages students to view career development as a three-part process: self-assessment, career exploration, and career implementation.
Boston University Key Statistics & Highlights
- #94 Ranking
- 48 Courses
- 2,526 Academic Staff
- 27,785 Students
- 8,058 Students (int'l)
- 16,393 Students (female)
- Private Institution Type
Student services
The University Service Center is a resource for students, families, and other members of the University community. This office helps with questions or concerns not clearly identifiable as relating to a single administrative office, including leaves of absence and withdrawal for undergraduate degree candidates.
The ISSO assists international students with concerns about immigration, employment, housing, and personal and financial issues. Each September and January, the ISSO conducts a special orientation program to help incoming international students adjust to Boston University, the city of Boston, and life in the United States. The ISSO also sponsors a variety of intercultural events.
Housing services
Boston University’s Sustainability Program comprises a broad range of stakeholder groups on campus to provide the greatest diversity of representation and opinion. The program is made up of sustainability@BU and Dining Services Sustainability.
Administration of the University’s sustainability program is accomplished through sustainability@BU, which supports reports to Gary Nicksa, Senior Vice President of Operations. The program is broad in scope and aims to reduce the University’s environmental footprint by affecting change on campus and integrating sustainability into existing programs in education, research, and operations
Library services
The Boston Library Consortium offers services to librarians at member libraries ranging from resource sharing and e-resource licensing to professional development and programming on issues of importance to academic and research libraries.
Those affiliated with the Full Member libraries of the Boston Library Consortium can take advantage of access to and borrowing of materials from these libraries.
Medical services
Boston University Student Health Services provides primary care for BU students for short-term conditions. Long-term conditions and those requiring a specialist are referred out to other doctors. More information and services available at their website.
Campus life
Our slice of Boston is a mosaic like no other: a swirl of languages, faces and religions, over 500 student clubs, shows and lectures, a state-of-the-art fitness center, a slew of pubs and restaurants, and the thrills and spills of Terrier hockey. Oh, and don’t forget the tailgate parties. Our world, yours for the taking.
Sports facilities
Boston University’s Fitness & Recreation Center provides approximately 270,000 square feet of space for physical education , non-credit courses, intramurals, club sports, student organizations, and more. It also includes a center for rehabilitation, fitness/conditioning and Emergency Medical Services education; expansive locker rooms for men, women and families; snack bar; pro shop; equipment issue; children’s area, and administrative offices.
Student clubs
Student Activities provides a variety of services to assist student organizations and provide student leadership opportunities. They also offer a variety of University-wide events throughout the academic year, such as comedy shows, concerts, film screenings and Boston Red Sox and New England Revolution game trips. Have an idea for an event or group? Contact the team at Student Activities to get started!
Accreditation
Accreditation of an institution of higher education by the Commission indicates that it meets or exceeds criteria for the assessment of institutional quality periodically applied though a peer review process. An accredited college or university is one which has available the necessary resources to achieve its stated purposes through appropriate educational programs, is substantially doing so, and gives reasonable evidence that it will continue to do so in the foreseeable future. Institutional integrity is also addressed through accreditation.
Boston University Overview
Boston University Rankings
Study Portals Meta Ranking
Top 1% United States
Top 1.8% Worldwide
Studyportals ranking look at the scores of the most used ranking systems and present you with one number of how well this University performs.
QS World University Rankings
94
By TopUniversities
Dropped 6 places compared to 2026
QS World University Rankings is one of the top international rankings measuring the popularity and performance of universities all over the world. They measure university reputation based on the impressions of higher education experts, companies who hire graduates, and teaching quality. QS also considers the ratio of international teachers and students present at universities, as well as the times research papers were mentioned by researchers. After calculating and comparing these criteria, QS ranks the universities accordingly.
3 year trend QS World University Rankings
| 2025 | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| 108 | 88 | 94 |
We don’t have enough recent ranking data to show a 3-year trend for this university.
Best Global Universities Rankings
96
By U.S. News & World Report
Dropped 10 places compared to 2026
Best Global Universities Rankings by U.S. News & World Report presents all the top universities from the U.S. and 60 other countries around the world. They measure the rate of students going to their second year of studies, as well as the rate of students who graduate. It also asks university representatives on the performance of universities, and evaluates university resources, teacher salaries, graduation rates, student academic achievements and satisfaction. After calculating and comparing these criteria, U.S. News ranks the top international universities accordingly.
3 year trend Best Global Universities Rankings
| 2025 | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| 73 | 86 | 96 |
We don’t have enough recent ranking data to show a 3-year trend for this university.
World University Rankings
No 2027 Ranking
By Times Higher Education
This university doesn’t have a ranking for 2027 yet. Rankings are updated yearly, so check back later for the latest info.
World University Rankings is a vital resource that provides the definitive list of the world's best universities. They look at how often they're producing new ideas, what their reputation is around the world, and how much they're contributing to science and academic fields. After calculating and comparing these criteria, THE ranks the universities accordingly.
3 year trend World University Rankings
| 2025 | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| 75 | 76 | - |
We don’t have enough recent ranking data to show a 3-year trend for this university.
Academic Ranking of World Universities
No 2026 Ranking
By Shanghai Jiao Tong University
This university doesn’t have a ranking for 2026 yet. Rankings are updated yearly, so check back later for the latest info.
ARWU World University rankings is the first world university ranking. It ranks the world's top 1000 colleges and universities based on objective indicator. They look at the number of award-winning (Fields Medals and Nobel Prize) scientists who are located there, how much of their research is cited and referenced around the world, and how much they've contributed to different academic fields. After calculating and comparing these criteria, ARWU ranks the universities accordingly.
3 year trend Academic Ranking of World Universities
| 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| 101 | 101 | - |
We don’t have enough recent ranking data to show a 3-year trend for this university.
Boston University Campus Locations
#1 Main Campus
United States Country
Boston City
#2 Branch Campus
United States Country
Brookline City
Boston University Student Reviews & Awards
4.1
Based on 83 reviews
- 5 Star 34 Reviews
- 4 Star 36 Reviews
- 3 Star 6 Reviews
- 2 Star 4 Reviews
- 1 Star 3 Reviews
How Students Rated This University
- Overall Satisfaction 4.2
- Student Teacher Interaction 4.4
- Student Diversity 4.5
- Quality of Student Life 4.3
- Career Development 4.4
No title
Good experience due to high education levels that encourage students to endure there education
Energetic Boston Urban Campus
Boston University is great! It's in the city but still feels small. It's fun getting to know people from all over the world. I do think the administration is lack luster and is not very helpful in certain situations but the professors are great. I have had such great professors and they're some of the most knowledgable people in their field.
Because have no information
Everything is just right , including the educational system is good
Studied here? Share your experience
Global Student Satisfaction Awards 2025
The Global Student Satisfaction Awards empower students across the globe to determine the best universities of 2025. Universities with a score above 4.0 (out of 5) in any of the 7 award categories, receive Badges of Excellence. Congratulations!
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Overall SatisfactionHow would you rate your overall study experience?
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Student Teacher InteractionHow helpful were your teachers?
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Student DiversityHow diverse was the atmosphere at your university?
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Quality of Student LifeHow was your everyday life?
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Career DevelopmentDid the university provide support for your career development?
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