Does Boston University Require the SAT in 2026? Test-Optional Through Fall 2028

As of October 2026: No. Boston University is test-optional for students applying through fall 2028 and spring 2029, a window the school says covers fall 2027. Among enrolled first-years who did send scores, the middle SAT band was 1400 to 1520 and the middle ACT band was 32 to 34, and 28 percent of enrolled first-years submitted an SAT.

BU stays test-optional through fall 2028 and spring 2029. Here is the score band, the early decision gap, and the money math.

By Nick Standlea, Test Prep Gurus. Figures may be quoted with attribution to Test Prep Gurus.

Test-optional is locked in through fall 2028 and spring 2029 Boston University says on its own admissions page that it will remain test optional for students applying for admission through fall 2028 and spring 2029. The school states that this window covers fall 2027. The policy applies to first-year applicants, and BU states it plainly rather than burying it in a footnote. We treat that as a real choice, not a hint.

28 percent of enrolled first-years sent an SAT In the latest federal file, 28 percent of enrolled first-years submitted an SAT score and 10 percent submitted an ACT score. Those shares count each test on its own, so one student can sit in both. The bands describe only the students who chose to send. A 1400 to 1520 SAT band is the band for senders, not a bar for every applicant.

Early decision admitted 31.35 percent, against 12.83 percent overall For fall 2025 entrants, BU received 6,907 early decision applications and admitted 2,165, an early decision rate of 31.35 percent. The overall rate that same year was 12.83 percent, from 76,776 applicants and 9,853 admits. The early pool is stronger and binding, so the gap is not a free gift. Still, it is the single biggest choice in the file that a family controls.

What is Boston University's official test policy?

This row comes from the college's own admissions page. The quote is the school's own wording.

College	Policy	Applies to	Source	In their words
Boston University	optional	fall 2028 and spring 2029 (covers fall 2027)	Source	Boston University has decided to remain test optional for students applying for admission through fall 2028 and spring 2029.

The changed field is not reported in our data, so we do not say when the policy last moved.

What are BU's score bands, admit rate, and costs?

These figures come from IPEDS Admissions 2023 and the College Scorecard, by way of the Reach profile. Score bands describe enrolled first-years who submitted that test.

Measure	Value
applicants	80495
sat_25	1400
sat_75	1520
act_25	32
act_75	34
sat_submit_pct	28
act_submit_pct	10
test_policy_2026	Test-optional
admits	8693
admit_rate	10.8
application_fee	80
net_price_with_aid	24402
full_price	86285
npc_url	https://www.bu.edu/finaid/aid-basics/cost-of-education/net-price-calculator/
earnings_10yr	83238
ten_years_pay	832380
four_years_cost	97608
net_gain	734772
four_year_grad_pct	88.7
median_debt_completers	23250

Bands describe enrolled first-years who submitted that test (fall 2023 class, the latest federal file). Repeated applicant rows in the source file were shown once here.

How do BU's early decision odds compare to the overall rate?

These counts come from Boston University's own Common Data Set for 2025-26.

Cycle	ED applicants	ED admits	ED rate	Total applicants	Total admits	Overall rate	Source
fall 2025 entrants (CDS 2025-26)	6,907	2,165	31.4%	76,776	9,853	12.8%	Source

Early decision is binding. The early pool and the overall pool are not the same mix of students.

Does Boston University require the SAT or ACT in 2026?

No. Boston University is test optional for students applying for admission through fall 2028 and spring 2029. That is the school's own sentence on its own test policy page, and it is the sentence we trust over any rumor.

The window matters more than the label. Many schools say test optional for one year at a time. BU named two terms out, fall 2028 and spring 2029, and the school says that span covers fall 2027. If you want to know how your child's class year maps onto that window, read the policy page itself, since our data stops at the terms named.

Test optional means the reader will judge the file without a score if no score arrives. It does not mean scores are ignored when they do arrive. Our data does not say how BU weighs a score that is sent, so we do not claim to know.

So the real question for your family is not whether BU requires a test. It is whether a score adds to this student's file. The rest of this page gives you the numbers to think it through, one at a time.

We also want to be clear about what our file does not hold. It does not report a date for when BU last moved this rule. We can tell you the policy as the school states it today, and nothing more than that.

What SAT score does Boston University report?

Among enrolled first-years who sent an SAT, the middle band ran from 1400 at the low end to 1520 at the high end. That is the fall 2023 class, the latest federal file we have.

Read the band the right way. A quarter of score senders came in at or below 1400. A quarter came in at or above 1520. The middle half sat between those two marks. The band is a picture of one class, not a rule.

The pack does not give a cut score, and neither do we. BU does not publish a minimum, and our data does not hold one. The band simply tells you where sent scores landed.

A score near 1520 sits at the top edge of that band. A score near 1400 sits at the bottom edge. A score under 1400 falls below the band for senders in the fall 2023 class. That is a fact about the data, not a verdict on a student.

One more caution. These are enrolled students, not admitted students, and only the ones who chose to submit. The band describes a slice of the class, not the whole class.

What ACT score does Boston University report?

Among enrolled first-years who sent an ACT, the middle band ran from 32 at the low end to 34 at the high end. That band is narrow, which is normal for the ACT's 36-point scale.

A 34 sits at the top edge of that band. A 32 sits at the bottom edge of the middle half. Anything under 32 falls below the low end of the band for senders.

Among enrolled first-years, 10 percent submitted an ACT, against 28 percent for the SAT. The ACT group at BU is the smaller of the two. That makes the 32 to 34 band rest on fewer students than the SAT band does.

We do not read that gap as a preference. BU takes either test, and the policy page names no favorite. The split likely reflects which test students in BU's feeder regions sit for.

If your child has taken both, look at where each score lands against its own band. A 34 sits at the top of the ACT band, while a 1400 sits at the bottom of the SAT band. That is the kind of plain read our data supports.

How many enrolled students sent a score to BU?

Among enrolled first-years, 28 percent submitted an SAT and 10 percent submitted an ACT. Each share counts one test, so a student who sent both shows up in both.

Our file does not report how many students sent no score at all. It reports only the share who submitted each test. We will not turn those two shares into a third number the data does not hold.

What we can say is this. Sending is a choice at BU through fall 2028 and spring 2029. The bands are built from the students who made that choice, not from every student in the class.

So treat 1400 to 1520 as the band for senders, not as a cut line for everyone. A student below 1400 with a tough course load and strong grades is still a real BU applicant.

The size of the pool is the other half of the picture. The federal file counts 80,495 applicants for one entering class. In a file that large, every clear, strong part of an application has to do its job.

Should my child send a score to Boston University?

That is a family call, and BU leaves it open through fall 2028 and spring 2029. Our data gives you two reference points: the SAT band of 1400 to 1520 and the ACT band of 32 to 34.

Here is how we talk it through with families, and this is our own view, not a rule from BU. First, take a full, timed practice test under real rules. Then see where the result falls against the band for senders.

A score inside or above the band looks like the scores enrolled senders had. A score below the band does not match that group. Our data cannot tell you how a reader at BU would treat either case.

Because the policy is optional, no score is required at all. A student who leaves the score out still gets a full read, by the school's own wording. Nothing in the stated policy punishes a student for staying quiet.

One habit we never bend: decide after a real score exists, not before. Guessing in October about a March test wastes the whole fall. A real number makes the choice simple.

How hard is it to get into Boston University?

BU admitted 8,693 students from 80,495 applicants, an admit rate of 10.8 percent in the federal file. That is close to one seat for every nine applications.

The Common Data Set for fall 2025 entrants shows a similar picture from a different year. BU received 76,776 applications and admitted 9,853 students, an overall rate of 12.83 percent. The two files cover different classes, so the small gap is expected.

Either way, this is a school where a strong file still loses often. Families should plan for that outcome and build a list that holds up without BU on it.

Volume is part of the story. The federal file counts 80,495 applications for a single entering class. A file has to make its case clearly. A sharp, specific essay and a steady transcript both do that work.

We tell parents to treat 10.8 percent as the base rate, then look at what moves it. The early decision numbers move it most, and the next section shows by how much.

Does applying early decision to BU improve the odds?

For fall 2025 entrants, BU admitted 2,165 of 6,907 early decision applicants, a rate of 31.35 percent, against an overall rate of 12.83 percent. The early rate is more than double the overall rate.

That gap is real, but it is not all cause and effect. Early decision applicants tend to be more prepared and more sure of the school. Some of them would have been admitted in the regular round anyway.

Still, the signal counts. Early decision is binding, so a student who applies that way is saying BU is the first choice. A family that is certain about BU and at ease with the cost should take the early path seriously. Our file does not report what share of the class arrives through the early round.

The cost point is the catch. A binding offer removes the chance to compare aid packages in April. Families who need to weigh offers side by side should stay in the regular round, even with weaker odds.

Timing matters for testing too. An early file lands in a pool of 6,907 rather than 76,776. If a score is going in, plan for it to exist before the early deadline, not after it.

What does Boston University cost, and what does aid bring it down to?

The full price is 86,285 dollars a year, and the average net price with aid is 24,402 dollars. The gap between those two numbers is the whole reason to run the net price calculator.

Sticker price scares families off before they check their own case. Aid at BU is large on average. Your number will not be the average, which is why BU publishes a calculator at its financial aid site.

Over four years, the federal data lists a four-year cost of 97,608 dollars. That figure is built from the net price, not the full price. It is the realistic planning number for a family near the average.

There is also an 80 dollar application fee. Fee waivers exist for families who qualify, and the application form handles them.

We put the money talk early in junior year, not late in senior year. A family that knows its net price in October can apply early decision with confidence. A family that does not know should wait for the regular round.

Does a Boston University degree pay off?

Median earnings ten years out are 83,238 dollars a year, which the data adds up to 832,380 dollars over ten years. Against a four-year cost of 97,608 dollars, that leaves a net gain of 734,772 dollars.

Treat those figures as a rough frame, not a forecast. Earnings vary a great deal by major and by field. A ten-year median blends engineers, teachers, and everyone in between.

Two other numbers matter for the money question. The four-year graduation rate is 88.7 percent, and median debt for completers is 23,250 dollars. Both are good signs.

Graduation speed is money. A student who finishes in four years pays for four years. At 88.7 percent, most BU students do finish on time, so the four-year cost figure holds for most families.

Median debt of 23,250 dollars is close to one year of the average net price. That is a load most graduates earning near 83,238 dollars can carry. It is still real money, and it is still a loan.

What does the data not tell us about BU?

Our policy row does not report a date for when BU last changed its test rule, so we do not state one. We only know the policy as the school states it now.

The score bands also have limits. They cover enrolled first-years, not admitted students, and only the share who chose to submit each test. Bands for admitted students are not reported in our file.

The years do not line up either. The bands, the 10.8 percent admit rate, and the price figures come from federal files tied to the fall 2023 class. The early decision counts come from BU's own Common Data Set for fall 2025 entrants.

That is why the admit rate appears twice at two values, 10.8 percent and 12.83 percent. Neither one is wrong. They count different classes in different files.

Our file also says nothing about how BU reads a score once it arrives. Any sentence you see on this page about sending or holding a score is our own view, built from the bands. We say all of this out loud because parents deserve the edges of the data.

How should my child prepare for the SAT or ACT for BU?

Plan 6 to 12 weeks of prep before the next sitting, and prepare for the whole test every time. That is the routine we use with families aiming at bands like 1400 to 1520.

Start with one full, timed test to set a baseline. A score on paper tells you how far the gap runs. Without it, families guess, and guessing leads to late panic in the senior fall.

Pick one test and stay with it. Students who split their hours across the SAT and the ACT often land below students who focus. The free mock of each test makes that choice easy.

Study every section every cycle. A student who drills math only will give back points in reading. A balanced sitting is the safer plan.

Finish testing before the early decision deadline if early decision is the plan. A score that lands in December cannot reach a file read in November.

What should we do this month?

Take a full, timed practice SAT and a full, timed practice ACT, then compare each result to BU's bands of 1400 to 1520 and 32 to 34. That one step turns the submit question into a real talk.

Next, run the net price calculator on BU's financial aid site. A family that sees a number near 24,402 dollars can plan early decision. A family that sees a much larger number should keep its options open.

Then set the calendar. Count back 6 to 12 weeks from the next test date and block the study time now, before the school year fills in around it.

Last, read BU's test policy page once as a family. It is short, it is plain, and it is the only place the window through fall 2028 and spring 2029 is stated by the school.

The move: take a free mock SAT and a free mock ACT with us, then decide with a real number in hand. Call 949.229.5359 or start at prepgurus.com/take-the-next-step.

Questions parents ask

Is Boston University test-optional for 2026?
No. Boston University is test optional for students applying for admission through fall 2028 and spring 2029.

What SAT score does Boston University report?
Among enrolled first-years who sent an SAT, the middle band ran from 1400 at the low end to 1520 at the high end.

What ACT score does Boston University report?
Among enrolled first-years who sent an ACT, the middle band ran from 32 at the low end to 34 at the high end.

How many BU students submit test scores?
Among enrolled first-years, 28 percent submitted an SAT and 10 percent submitted an ACT.

What is Boston University's acceptance rate?
BU admitted 8,693 students from 80,495 applicants, an admit rate of 10.8 percent in the federal file.

Do early decision applicants have better odds at BU?
For fall 2025 entrants, BU admitted 2,165 of 6,907 early decision applicants, a rate of 31.35 percent, against an overall rate of 12.83 percent.

What does Boston University actually cost after aid?
The full price is 86,285 dollars a year, and the average net price with aid is 24,402 dollars.

How long should my child prepare for the test?
Plan 6 to 12 weeks of prep before the next sitting, and prepare for the whole test every time.

Method and sources: The policy row and quote come from Boston University's own first-year test policy page, read in October 2026. Score bands, submit shares, admit rate, price, debt, and earnings come from IPEDS Admissions 2023 and the College Scorecard, by way of the Reach college profile. Early decision counts come from BU's Common Data Set for 2025-26, which covers fall 2025 entrants. Score bands and submit shares describe only enrolled first-years who submitted that test, so they exclude admitted students who did not enroll, and admitted-student bands are not reported. Our data does not report a date for when BU last changed its policy, what share of the class enters through early decision, or how readers weigh a submitted score, so we do not state any of those; the single college row needs no ranking.