Experience the excitement of America’s college town
Established in 1863, Boston College is one of the oldest and most prestigious Jesuit, Catholic universities in the United States. Ranked 37th among national universities by U.S. News and World Report, Boston College is currently the third most selective university in the Boston area and has consistently exhibited a strong dedication to academic excellence. With approximately 9,500 undergraduate and 5,400 graduate students, the University offers programs in eight colleges, including the Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences, the Carroll School of Management, the Lynch School of Education and Human Development, the Connell School of Nursing, the Graduate School of Social Work, the School of Theology and Ministry, Boston College Law School, and Woods College of Advanced Studies.
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Overview
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The Program
Boston College offers a wide range of academic and interdisciplinary programs in the arts and sciences, management, and education. Exchange students choose from the regular BC course catalog and take classes alongside their American counterparts. Please note that not every offered course will be available to exchange students.
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The City
Founded in 1630, the city of Boston is a blend of the past, present, and future. Eighteenth- and nineteenth-century buildings are interspersed among tall, modern structures; the city is surrounded by a corridor of high-technology industries. Boston boasts the greatest concentration of higher education institutions in the United States, and is a hub for the arts and culture with world-renowned museums and a wide variety of sports, music, and theater.
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Activities
Boston College offers a wide variety of extracurricular activities, with 44 intramural or club sports, over 250 social and intercultural clubs, as well as volunteer opportunities. The Office of Global Education and Office of International Students and Scholars also host social activities for all exchange and international students and BC mentors. Exchange students are likewise encouraged to become active in community-based volunteer activities.
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Photo courtesy of Royston Fong, University of New South Wales
Orientation
Each semester, new exchange students attend a mandatory orientation that includes essential information about academics, university policies, important resources, wellness, and emergency procedures.
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Cultural Program
Exchange students are encouraged to plan an event that will teach the greater BC community something about their country or culture. Events may be individual or organized by a group. Some of the events that exchange students have organized in the past include: French students organized a crepe party; Dutch students hosted a King's Day celebration; Spanish students taught a session on how to play rugby; an Australian student gave a humorous talk about popular misconceptions about Australians.
Deadlines
- Fall or Full Year
- March 21
- Spring Semester
- September 30
Admission Requirements
If your university is a Boston College partner, contact your home university’s international exchange office to find out about their application procedures. You must be nominated by your home university to apply to Boston College as an exchange student.
Academic Requirements
- Students must be in good academic standing, with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0.
- Students must have a minimum TOEFL iBT score of 4.5 or IELTS score of 6.5 overall to demonstrate language proficiency.
All other international students wishing to pursue studies at Boston College may contact the Boston College Office of Undergraduate Admissions.
Submitting an Application
Once nominated, students will receive an email with a link to the exchange application. Students will submit required documents directly through BC’s online application portal. Required materials include:
- Proof of language proficiency (if applicable)
- Official copy of university transcript, to be sent by the home university via email to ogexchange@bc.edu
- Copy of university transcript, to be uploaded to the application portal by the student
- Housing preference
Deadlines:
- Fall/Academic Year: March 21
- Spring: September 30
After Acceptance
- Students will receive an email notification of their acceptance to Boston College, typically two to three weeks after receipt of the completed application. The acceptance letter will be uploaded to the student’s application portal.
- Students will receive an invitation to the Office of International Students and Scholars (OISS) Portal roughly a week after admission, where they can begin uploading documents for the visa process.
- Information about the course selection process will be included in the acceptance letter. We ask students to please review the additional information on our fact sheet and website in order to make informed decisions about their course of study.
International Partners
Boston College is proud to maintain bilateral agreements for student exchanges with over fifty of the most prestigious universities around the world. In addition to more than 1,000 Boston College students who participate in academic programs abroad, each year the Office of Global Education welcomes more than 250 international exchange students, from our partner institutions in approximately 30 countries. We are proud to have formal exchange agreements with the following universities.
Al Akhawayn University
American University of Sharjah (AUS)
Rhodes University
University of Cape Town
Pontificia Universidad Católica Argentina (UCA)
Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (PUC-Chile)
Pontificia Universidad Católica do Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio) Pontificia Universidad Javeriana
Universidad Alberto Hurtado (UAH) Universidad Iberoamericana: Mexico City
Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ)
Universidad Torcuato Di Tella (UTDT)
Ateneo de Manila University
Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) Fu Jen Catholic University
Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) Nanjing University
National University of Singapore (NUS)
Seoul National University (SNU) Sogang University
Sophia University
University of Hong Kong (HKU)
Waseda University
Australian Catholic University
Monash University
University of Melbourne
University of New South Wales (UNSW)
University of Notre Dame, Australia
University of Otago
University of Queensland
University of Sydney (USYD)
University of Western Australia
American College of Greece (ACG)
Amsterdam University College (AUC)
Copenhagen Business School (CBS)
Durham University
École Supérieure de Commerce de Paris (ESCP Europe)
ESADE Business School
Frankfurt School of Finance & Management
Institut Catholique de Paris (ICP)
Katholische Universität Eichstätt-Ingolstadt
Lancaster University
Maynooth University
Queen Mary University of London Queen's University Belfast
Royal Holloway, University of London
Sciences Po (Institut d'Études Politiques de Paris)
Trinity College Dublin (TCD) Universidade Catolica Portuguesa
Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M)
Universidad de Deusto, Bilbao
Universidad de Deusto, San Sebastian
Universidad Pompeu Fabra (UPF)
Universidad Pontificia Comillas de Madrid
Universidade Católica Portuguesa (UCP)
Università Bocconi
Université Paris-Dauphine
Université Paris-Sorbonne
Universiteit van Amsterdam (UvA)
University College Cork (UCC)
University College Dublin (UCD)
University of Copenhagen
University College Utrecht (UCU)
University of Bergen
University of Bristol
University of Edinburgh
University of Galway
University of Glasgow
University of Liverpool
University of Parma
Vienna University of Business and Economics (WU)
"Boston College is like a big and warm family that welcomes everybody to join in. I blend in really well by participating in Boston College’s activities and clubs."
Incoming International Exchange Students
Accepted exchange students take classes alongside their Boston College counterparts and choose courses from the regular BC offerings, mostly in the arts and sciences.
While every effort is made to enroll exchange students in the courses requested on their applications, no guarantees can be made. Exchange students are urged to be flexible about the subjects and classes they take.
Due to high demand, the Economics and Psychology departments will allow registration in only one course prior to arrival at BC. The Finance department reviews course requests separately and will enroll students in up to one course if space permits and prerequisite requirements are met. Offerings in Computer Science may be extremely limited.
Most classes are assigned 3 BC semester credits and meet for 45 hours per semester. Full-time undergraduate exchange students must take 4 or 5 classes per semester, for a total of 12 to 15 BC credits per semester, depending on the requirements of the home university.
Questions about classes should be directed to ogexchange@bc.edu rather than to individual faculty members or departments.
Boston College adheres to a strong policy regarding ethical academic behavior. A full list of policies may be found on the Academic Policies and Procedures website, and exchange students are advised to familiarize themselves with it. Students who are found in violation of the academic integrity code will face the same disciplinary implications as regular degree-seeking BC students.
The Boston College grading system is alphabetic rather than numerical; however, each letter grade has a numeric equivalent as follows:
| U.S. Grade | Numeric Equivalent |
|---|---|
| A | 4.0 |
| A- | 3.7 |
| B+ | 3.3 |
| B | 3.0 |
| B- | 2.7 |
| C+ | 2.3 |
| C | 2.0 |
| C- | 1.7 |
| D+ | 1.3 |
| D | 1.0 |
| D- | 0.7 |
| F | 0.0 |
| W | Official withdrawal from class |
Student Spotlight
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New Student Orientation
Exchange student orientation is mandatory for all new exchange students, and typically takes place three to four days before the start of classes. We ask incoming students to please plan accordingly for their arrival! During orientation, students have an opportunity to hear from various offices on campus, including the Office of Global Education, University Health Services, and Student Services. Members of the Boston College Buddy Program will be on-site to interact and answer questions about life at BC. A registration clinic is also held to assist students with their upcoming course schedules.
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Andrew Lim, University of Melbourne
Read exchange student Andre Lim's piece about the differences between university life in the US and Australia in our student publication The Heights
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Mamoon Shariq, Royal Holloway University of London
At BC, Boston is truly at your doorstep. The world-class faculty ( from renowned CEOs to Nobel laureates) spark a culture of discovery that extends far beyond lectures. It’s the theological debate you have over lunch with finance majors, or the prison‑reform discussion hosted by the AHANA centre with guests like Raymond Santana of the exonerated Central Park Five. It’s the one-credit classes you might overlook, only to find yourself doing field work alongside billion‑dollar real‑estate managers through the Corcoran Center. And the people you meet? Incredible. Jesuit values carry through regardless of faith; BC’s diverse community welcomes everyone. At the Muslim Student Association, I watched students of all backgrounds come together and form a brotherhood unlike anything I’d ever seen. BC suits any type of person. Creative mind who loves to build? The Hatchery maker-space lets you craft whatever you want (supplies covered). Sporty? The 244,000‑square‑foot Recreation Center has it all: rock‑climbing walls, a pool, courts, free weights…you name it. Outdoor Adventures even runs affordable retreats across the U.S. for BC students. You can find a club to match any interest. For me, CAB was where I found home. With 150+ members, the Campus Activities Board dedicates hours to improving the student experience: from hiding thousands of Easter eggs overnight for a massive hunt, to handing out flowers on Valentine’s Day, or even booking concerts with 17‑time platinum artists like Swae Lee. BC was the best time of my life. In the end, I left with lifelong friendships, a refined intellect, and an unexpected love for pickleball.
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INSTAGRAM TAKEOVERS
Check out our Instagram @bceaglesabroad for Instagram takeovers from our exchange students. The 24-hour takeovers allow students to show a typical day in the life here at Boston College.