Boston University notified students who applied regular decision of their acceptance to the class of 2022 on Saturday. The number of applications received this year was the most in BU’s history, with 64,473 applicants vying for 3,300 spots in the freshman class.
BU spokesman Colin Riley said the efforts of the admissions office were vital in encouraging the record-breaking number of students to apply.
“The professional staff of the admissions office [is] doing an extraordinary job in identifying schools and places that will yield outstanding applicants from across the spectrum,” Riley said.
The university has recently improved its financial aid offers for accepted students, Riley said, which may have encouraged more students to apply.
“Last year, we had a new program to make sure we awarded increased percentages to meet the neediest applicants who were accepted to the university,” Riley said. “It had a direct effect on our ability to see a big increase in underrepresented minorities in particular.”
BU’s average yearly tuition increase remains below the average for four-year independent schools nationwide, said Riley.
“It speaks to our seriousness of ensuring that students can get the best possible education, while understanding affordability is a key issue,” Riley said.
Kelly Walter, the executive director of BU Admissions, wrote in an email that this was “an extraordinarily competitive year for admission to Boston University.” The acceptance rate for the class of 2022 was 22 percent, a noticeable decrease from last year’s 25 percent. Competition was especially tough in both the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Engineering.
Students in the class of 2022 were, on average, in the top 7 percent of their classes, and earned a 3.8 GPA, a 1468 on their SATs and a 32 on their ACTs, Walter wrote.
Dana Sung, one of the recently accepted students, wrote in a Facebook message that she was interested in BU’s communication and law programs, but didn’t think she would be selected, given the highly competitive admissions process.
“I didn’t really expect to get in but when I did I was ecstatic,” Sung wrote. “I was on my spring break trip with my friends, and I was glad that I got to share that moment with my closest friends and family.”
The admitted students come from all 50 states, several U.S. territories and 107 countries around the world, including previously underrepresented countries such as Romania, Croatia, Malta, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Mongolia and Kenya.
Walter wrote that students apply to BU for a variety of reasons, but a few in particular stand out, including the “diversity of BU’s student body, [the] wide range of high quality majors [and the] location in Boston.”
The membership of the Official Boston University Class of 2022 Facebook page is growing, with rising freshmen eager to meet their new classmates. Several accepted students said they applied to BU for the same reasons Walter cited.
Rising freshman Natyana Fonseca wrote in a Facebook message that she applied because BU offered her the chance to explore many of her interests rather than restricting her to a single topic of study.
“I found that BU’s dual degree program between CAS and CFA was perfect for my plans of being an artist, but also making my work an interdisciplinary study due to my passion of constantly learning new things,” Fonseca wrote.
Caroline Bowden, a rising freshman in the College of Fine Arts, cited BU’s impressive international presence as her reason for applying.
“There’s a lot of international students, there’s a lot of really good study abroad programs,” Bowden wrote in a Facebook message. “… That really interested me and really made me want to apply.”
Beth Moore, a rising freshman in the College of Fine Arts, wrote in a Facebook message that she appreciated BU’s accepting culture during her college tour.
“The whole vibe of the school and the city was awesome and so accepting of all kinds of students,” Moore said. “I’m very involved in activism, and I know BU and Boston as a whole are great places for that, especially LGBTQ activism.”
Cat Esbenshade, a rising freshman in the College of General Studies, wrote in a Facebook message that she was excited for all the prospects BU offers both academically and as extracurriculars.
“BU offers a ton academically and outside of school,” Ebenshade wrote. “… I’m not dead set on what I want to study but I got into the Boston-London Program and think it’s a fantastic way to dip my toes in the water!”
Sam Lurie, a rising freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences, wrote in a Facebook message that she was “over the moon” when she found out she was accepted into the class of 2022.
“I have been smiling every day since,” Lurie wrote, “and I’m so ecstatic to be a Terrier!”
Congratulations to the class of 22! You will love it at BU as everyone who is there now does. At my reunion, I was struck by how happy all the students were with their experience there.
Christopher Huggins COM ’69