Home
Colleges
Boston College
Academics

Boston College
Academics

Back to Profile

How strong are the academics at Boston College?

Let's cover class sizes, graduation rates, and outcomes.

10:1
Student to faculty ratio

Class Sizes

Class sizes likely stayed the same for you through high school. You'll find that college is much different. Some of the largest universities have classes that can seat hundreds of students in giant lecture halls. Conversely, as they progress and their focus narrows, higher-level courses can sometimes have just a handful of students.

Boston College has an average student-to-faculty ratio of 10:1. The typical school is 14:1. While this ratio is important, what’s more important is how big a typical class is.

Honors Programs

Boston College has an honors program and/or honors college. Specifics of these programs vary, but benefits of being in an Honors Program might include priority registration, being part of a tight-knit community, and accessing unique learning opportunities.

Learn more about honors options on Boston College's website.

Outcomes

It’s critical to understand a school’s outcomes to understand if your four (or more) years at the school will be worth it. Here are some key statistics about the outcomes of students who enroll at Boston College:

93%
First-year retention rate

The average base annual salary of students who were employed within six months of graduation is $71,000. This is higher than the national average of $48,300.

$71,000
$48,300 (National Average)

Majors

Many students choose a school largely based on the what they want to study. The are Boston College's most popular majors, ranked by how many people graduated with the concentration in the most recent year:

Finance, General
Econometrics and Quantitative Economics
Speech Communication and Rhetoric
Biology/Biological Sciences, General
Political Science and Government, General
98
138.8
179.6
220.4
261.2
302

The Full List

Major Graduates
Area
  • African-American/Black Studies 4
  • African-American/Black Studies 3
  • Russian Studies 2
  • Russian Studies 1
Biological And Biomedical Sciences
  • Biology/Biological Sciences, General 168
  • Neuroscience 91
  • Biochemistry 45
  • Biology/Biological Sciences, General 12
Business
  • Finance, General 302
  • Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods, Other 107
  • Marketing/Marketing Management, General 77
  • Accounting 62
  • Accounting 61
  • Marketing/Marketing Management, General 45
  • Entrepreneurship/Entrepreneurial Studies 39
  • Business Administration, Management and Operations, Other 38
  • Finance, General 30
  • Business Administration, Management and Operations, Other 26
  • Operations Management and Supervision 14
  • Operations Management and Supervision 11
  • Business Administration and Management, General 5
  • Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods, Other 3
  • Entrepreneurship/Entrepreneurial Studies 2
Communication
  • Speech Communication and Rhetoric 169
  • Speech Communication and Rhetoric 19
Computer And Information Sciences And Support Services
  • Computer Science 94
  • Information Science/Studies 41
  • Information Science/Studies 38
  • Computer Science 23
Education
  • Elementary Education and Teaching 20
  • Secondary Education and Teaching 12
  • Mathematics Teacher Education 3
  • Education, General 2
  • Elementary Education and Teaching 1
  • Mathematics Teacher Education 0
  • Spanish Language Teacher Education 0
English Language And Literature/Letters
  • English Language and Literature, General 67
  • English Language and Literature, General 22
Foreign Languages
  • Spanish Language and Literature 7
  • Linguistics 5
  • French Language and Literature 4
  • Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General 3
  • Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General 3
  • Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics 3
  • Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics 3
  • Italian Language and Literature 3
  • Spanish Language and Literature 2
  • Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics 1
  • Linguistics 1
  • French Language and Literature 1
  • German Language and Literature 1
  • Slavic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General 1
  • Italian Language and Literature 0
  • German Language and Literature 0
Health Professions And Related Programs
  • Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse 105
History
  • History, General 46
  • History, General 17
Homeland Security
  • Criminal Justice/Safety Studies 4
Mathematics And Statistics
  • Mathematics, General 62
  • Mathematics, General 19
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies
  • International/Globalization Studies 81
  • Natural Sciences 3
  • International/Globalization Studies 2
  • Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other 1
  • Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other 1
Natural Resources And Conservation
  • Environmental Studies 30
  • Environmental Studies 4
Philosophy And Religious Studies
  • Philosophy 43
  • Philosophy 42
  • Islamic Studies 2
  • Islamic Studies 0
Physical Sciences
  • Chemistry, General 15
  • Physics, General 14
  • Geology/Earth Science, General 2
Psychology
  • Applied Psychology 124
  • Psychology, General 101
  • Applied Psychology 15
  • Psychology, General 13
Social Sciences
  • Econometrics and Quantitative Economics 268
  • Political Science and Government, General 132
  • Econometrics and Quantitative Economics 57
  • Sociology, General 36
  • Political Science and Government, General 33
  • Sociology, General 13
  • Economics, General 13
  • Economics, General 6
Theology And Religious Vocations
  • Theology/Theological Studies 11
  • Theology/Theological Studies 9
Visual And Performing Arts
  • Film/Cinema/Media Studies 11
  • Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General 6
  • Art History, Criticism and Conservation 6
  • Film/Cinema/Media Studies 5
  • Fine/Studio Arts, General 5
  • Music, General 5
  • Fine/Studio Arts, General 4
  • Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General 3
  • Art History, Criticism and Conservation 2
  • Music, General 1

Mistakes were made

(But not by you!)

These are the top 10 mistakes people make when searching for colleges

Top Ten Mistakes

CollegeIQ relies on data from government and private resources. Always confer with the individual college or university for the most recent data. Learn more about our data and methodology.

© 2025 Whittier Media, LLC. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service