Zollege is here for to help you!!

Need Counselling

Boston University SAT Scores: Range, Test-Optional Policy and Admission Requirements

Content Curator | Updated On - Oct 6, 2026

Boston University is test optional for first-year entry through fall 2028 and spring 2029. You can apply with or without SAT scores. Among students who enrolled in fall 2025 and submitted SAT results, the middle 50% scored 1420–1510, with a median of 1470.

BU combines your highest submitted Reading and Writing and Math scores across test dates. Its score range is a useful comparison when deciding whether to submit, but it is not an admission cutoff.

Does Boston University Require the SAT?

BU's test-optional policy covers all undergraduate schools, colleges and scholarship programmes through fall 2028 and spring 2029. Applicants who want their scores considered can submit SAT or ACT results.

You must choose whether to have scores considered when submitting the application. BU does not allow this answer to be changed afterwards.

Test optional differs from test blind: BU will review scores if you choose to submit them. Your school record, course choices, essays and other application materials remain part of the admission review.

Boston University SAT Score Range

BU's 2025–26 Common Data Set gives the following results for fall 2025 enrolled students who submitted SAT scores.

Measure: fall 2025 SAT submitters	25th percentile	Median	75th percentile
SAT total	1420	1470	1510
Reading and Writing	700	730	750
Math	720	750	780

Only 36% of the enrolled first-year class submitted SAT results. These figures therefore describe score submitters rather than the full entering class. The median of 1470 is the middle score, not the arithmetic average.

Why section percentiles do not always add to the total

BU calculates total-score and section-score percentiles separately. The students at the 75th percentile in Math need not be the same students at the 75th percentile in Reading and Writing. This is why adding 750 and 780 does not produce the published total-score 75th percentile of 1510.

What Is a Good SAT Score for Boston University?

1470 is the median and 1510 is the 75th-percentile score in BU's fall 2025 enrolled-SAT group. These are more useful reference points than an unofficial minimum score.

SAT total	Position against the fall 2025 range
Below 1420	Below the 25th percentile among enrolled SAT submitters
1420–1510	Within the middle 50%
Above 1510	Above the 75th percentile among enrolled SAT submitters

Compare your sections as well as your total. For example, a 1470 made up of 690 in Reading and Writing and 780 in Math falls below the published Reading and Writing range but at the upper end of the Math range. That gives a clearer picture of your result than the total alone.

BU publishes no SAT score that guarantees admission and no score-to-admission probability formula. A 75th-percentile score describes your position against a past group; it is not a 75% chance of selection.

How BU Superscores the SAT

BU superscores the SAT by combining your highest submitted section scores. The best Reading and Writing and Math results can come from different sittings.

Illustrative attempt	Reading and Writing	Math	Total
First test	710	760	1470
Second test	750	730	1480
Highest sections combined	750	760	1510

In this example, the superscore is 1510, compared with single-sitting totals of 1470 and 1480. Report the actual section scores under their original test dates.

College Board Score Choice lets you select which sittings to send. Include the sittings containing your best sections; the test with your highest total may not contain both.

How to Submit SAT Scores to Boston University

Select the score-consideration option in your BU application.
Self-report accurate results in the application or the MyBU Applicant Portal. Official reports from the testing agency are also accepted.
When sending an official SAT report, select Boston University with SAT code 3087.
If you enrol after using self-reported scores, arrange the official report before enrolment. The official and reported results must match.

Boston University's SAT recipient code is 3087. MyBU shows whether the university has received the report. Boston College and UMass Boston are separate institutions with different recipient details.

Application Requirements Beyond SAT Scores

For first-year admission, BU accepts the Common Application or QuestBridge application. The school transcript, senior-year grades, counselor recommendation and school report, and teacher evaluation are part of the application. Common Application applicants submit its personal statement and the BU supplemental essay. The application fee is USD 80; eligible students can request a waiver.

Requirements also vary across Boston University programmes. Engineering applicants need calculus. Questrom accepts calculus or its specified precalculus-plus-AP-Statistics combination. Fine Arts programmes require additional material such as an audition or portfolio.

Does BU require a 3.7 GPA?

BU reports a 3.7–4.0 middle-50% GPA range for the Class of 2029. This describes the entering class rather than a universal eligibility minimum. BU reviews international school records in their educational context, so this range cannot be converted directly into a CBSE or ISC percentage.

English Tests and Documents for Indian Applicants

International first-year applicants have the same SAT choice. English-proficiency evidence is a separate requirement: BU accepts TOEFL iBT, IELTS Academic and Duolingo English Test. An SAT Reading and Writing score does not automatically grant an English waiver.

A school official must submit the academic records. Applicants following CBSE, ISC and other examination-based curricula also need predicted results. Records issued in another language require the original document and a notarized English translation.

BU also asks international applicants for a passport data-page copy and the applicable financial-support evidence. English-waiver requests must accompany a complete application by the deadline.

Boston University Application Deadlines

BU lists these first-year deadlines by month and day; the table does not attach an entry year to each date.

Application route or requirement	Published deadline
Early Decision	November 2
Early Decision 2	January 5
Regular Decision	January 5
Some merit scholarships	December 1

Early Decision is binding. The December 1 deadline for some merit scholarships falls before the January 5 Regular Decision deadline. Applicants seeking those awards need to follow the earlier date.

What do you need right now?

Quick Navigation SCORES

SAT score range
Test-optional choice
Superscore example

BU SAT Scores at a Glance

−

Fall 2025 SAT submitters	Middle 50%	Median
Total	1420–1510	1470
Reading and Writing	700–750	730
Math	720–780	750

SAT submitters made up 36% of the enrolled first-year class. These are historical class figures, not admission cutoffs.

Test-Optional Choice

−

SAT/ACT optional through fall 2028 and spring 2029.
All undergraduate schools, colleges and scholarship programmes are covered.
Your score-consideration choice is fixed once the application is submitted.
English-proficiency requirements remain separate.

Superscoring: Which Results Matter?

Result pair	Sections BU can combine
Test A: Reading and Writing 720, Math 770	Best Reading and Writing: 750
Test B: Reading and Writing 750, Math 740	Best Math: 770
Combined highest sections	1520

This is an illustrative calculation. Preserve both test dates and actual scores when reporting.

Score Reporting and Recipient Details

Stage	Detail
Application review	Self-report in the application or MyBU; official reports are also accepted.
Official SAT recipient	Boston University, code 3087
Before enrolment	Official report required when you applied with self-reported results.

Check the institution name before ordering: Boston University, Boston College and UMass Boston have separate admission systems.

Application Records to Prepare

School transcript and senior-year grades
Counselor recommendation and school report
Teacher evaluation
Common Application personal statement and BU essay, where applicable
Programme-specific Fine Arts materials where required

Additional requirements vary by BU programme, including coursework for Engineering and Questrom and audition or portfolio material for Fine Arts.

International Application Checks

Record	Key distinction
English proof	TOEFL iBT, IELTS Academic or DET; a waiver needs a separate decision.
CBSE/ISC results	Include required predicted results as well as school records.
Translated records	Original plus notarized English translation.
Identity and funding	Passport data page and applicable financial-support records.

Application and Scholarship Dates

Route	Month and day listed by BU
Early Decision	November 2
Early Decision 2 / Regular Decision	January 5
Some merit scholarships	December 1

The university table does not label a year beside these dates. Use the entry term selected in your application.

Boston University SAT Score FAQs

Score Targets and Comparisons

Can I apply to Boston University with a 1400 SAT score?+

Yes. A 1400 is below the 1420 lower end of the fall 2025 middle-50% range, but BU has no published SAT minimum for applying. You can submit it for consideration or apply without scores under the test-optional policy. The choice must be made when you submit the application.

Does a 1500 SAT score guarantee admission to BU?+

No. A 1500 falls within the upper part of the published 1420–1510 range. BU also reviews your school record, coursework, essays and other application material, so the score alone cannot determine the decision.

Is 1470 the average Boston University SAT score?+

1470 is the median for fall 2025 enrolled students who submitted SAT scores. BU's reported figure is not an arithmetic mean.

Why do websites show different BU score ranges?+

A range may refer to a different entering class, admitted students rather than enrolled students, or a different version of the university report. The 1420–1510 range here comes from BU's updated 2025–26 Common Data Set and covers fall 2025 enrolled SAT submitters.

Submitting an Application

Can I send a higher SAT result after choosing test optional?+

BU does not allow applicants to change the score-consideration answer after submission. If you selected no, a later higher score does not change that choice. A mistake in a score you already reported is a separate issue to raise with admissions.

Should I send only my highest total score?+

Send the sittings containing your highest sections. For example, if your best Math result comes from a lower-total sitting, that result can still raise your BU superscore. Report each sitting with its original date and section scores.

Do I need both SAT and ACT for BU?+

No. You can apply without either, or submit SAT or ACT results for consideration. BU does not require both tests.

Can I use SAT Reading and Writing instead of IELTS?+

BU considers English-proficiency waivers separately from SAT submission. Its accepted English tests are TOEFL iBT, IELTS Academic and Duolingo English Test. A high SAT Reading and Writing score by itself is not an approved waiver.

Can the SAT make up for a missing calculus course?+

No. Engineering requires calculus coursework, while Questrom lists calculus or its specified precalculus-plus-AP-Statistics route. These are school-subject requirements, so they must be supported by your academic record.

*The article might have information for the previous academic years, please refer the official website of the exam.