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BU scholarships and merit aid

Two prices: the posted one, and yours.

Posted price$98,419per year · 2026-2027 · On-campus
Yours?depends on the rules below

The short answer

BU may be worth checking, but its awards do not follow a simple grades-and-scores chart. Start with the published scholarships below.

Where does your student land?

Verified Jul 2026
5 school sources to explore

Published rules, with the school sources close at hand. Confirm the details before you count on an award.

The award collection

Published scholarships

These amounts and requirements come from the school’s own published pages. Open an award to see who qualifies and how to keep it.

Where does your student land?

  1. Trustee Scholars ProgramNot published — confirm directly with BU AdmissionsNot automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    Trustee Scholars Program

    Not published — confirm directly with BU Admissions

    Published award termsNot recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    Start with the award’s published eligibility.

    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for Trustee Scholars Program

    Who qualifies

    Top-tier competitive scholarship for first-year applicants. Requires the regular admission application by December 1; BU's first-year-merit page describes its merit awards as recognizing 'academic, athletic, or artistic achievement, regardless of calculated financial need.'

    How to keep it

    Continued academic standing per BU's award terms; verify in the offer letter.

    Worth knowing

    Widely cited in third-party sources as BU's flagship full-tuition award, but BU does not publish the Trustee Scholars Program by name or its dollar value on its public scholarship pages. Treat the amount as confirmation-pending until verified directly with bu.edu/admissions. Re-checked 2026-05-13: BU's public scholarship and first-year-merit pages still do not name the Trustee Scholars Program or publish a dollar value; bu.edu/admissions/why-bu/trustee-scholars-program/ and bu.edu/admissions/tuition-aid/trustee-scholars/ both return HTTP 404.

  2. Methodist Clergy ScholarshipHalf-tuitionNot automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    Methodist Clergy Scholarship

    Half-tuition

    Published coverage or packageNot recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    Start with the award’s published eligibility.

    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for Methodist Clergy Scholarship

    Who qualifies

    Restricted to children of active, ordained Methodist ministers. Awarded by the University.

    How to keep it

    Renewable per BU's award terms; verify in the offer letter.

  3. College of Fine Arts Performance ScholarshipsVaries by studentNot automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    College of Fine Arts Performance Scholarships

    Varies by student

    Variable or qualified amountNot recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    Start with the award’s published eligibility.

    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for College of Fine Arts Performance Scholarships

    Who qualifies

    Performance scholarships based on audition and/or portfolio review by CFA. CFA application/portfolio deadline January 4.

    How to keep it

    Renewal terms not published on the public additional-merit page; verify with CFA.

  4. Athletic ScholarshipsVariesNot automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    Athletic Scholarships

    Varies

    Variable or qualified amountNot recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    Start with the award’s published eligibility.

    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for Athletic Scholarships

    Who qualifies

    Awarded based on athletic talent, as determined by recruiting coaches.

  5. ROTC ScholarshipsVariesNot automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    ROTC Scholarships

    Varies

    Variable or qualified amountNot recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    Start with the award’s published eligibility.

    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for ROTC Scholarships

    Who qualifies

    Determined through ROTC recruitment offices and the federal government, not BU's institutional aid office.

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Marsh Chapel at Boston University

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What makes BU different

Large urban private in Boston with a December 1 merit-application gate and a published $98K cost of attendance — merit awards exist but are competitively allocated and not driven by published stat cutoffs.

Merit tiers5See who qualifies
First-year students with school awards22%First-year students, CDS 2025-2026
Research checkedJul 2026By our research team

Selection beyond grades and scores

Start with the selection process.

These awards are not recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read each award's selection rules, application steps and dates. Meeting a minimum is not an award offer.

  1. Read the selection rules

    Look for the school's stated criteria and whether an additional application is needed.

  2. Check the application dates

    Confirm the current admission and scholarship deadlines directly with the school.

  3. Know what happens next year

    Check renewal, credit requirements and how other aid affects the award.

The fine print / Three questions to carry forward

Before you count on it.

Does it apply to us? Confirm the entering year, residency and every eligibility condition.

Can we keep it? Check renewal GPA, credits and how long the award lasts.

Can we combine it? Ask how outside scholarships and other school awards change the offer.

Take BU's decision sheet

A printable research summary, source links and room for your questions.

See what could change an award

Straight from the aid office

What BU's aid office says

Per the Financial Aid Office, Boston University, August 2026. How we verify

GPA calculation method

Is the GPA used for scholarships weighted or unweighted?

The Board of Admissions uses the school profile to see how each individual high school calculates GPA; if a school offers only weighted or only unweighted, BU uses whichever the school provides.

“The Board of Admissions will use the school profile to see how each individual high school calculates their GPA. If a school offers only weighted or only unweighted, we will use whichever the school provides.”
Course rigor consideration

Does BU consider the rigor of a student's course load?

BU also takes into account the rigor of a student's program through its review process.

“We also take into account the rigor of a student's program through our review process.”
In-state vs out-of-state merit eligibility

Does being out-of-state affect merit scholarship consideration?

As a private university, BU does not differentiate between in-state and out-of-state students for merit consideration.

“Because we are a private university, we do not differentiate between in state or out of state students.”
Merit scholarship deadline

Is there a deadline to be considered for merit scholarships?

Merit scholarship consideration is available for all students as long as they apply by the December 1st scholarship deadline.

“Merit scholarship consideration is available for all students, as long as they apply by the December 1st scholarship deadline.”
Stacking scholarships with outside awards

Can his academic award stack with departmental, honors, or outside scholarships?

BU will stack its institutional merit scholarships with outside awards a student receives, as long as the total does not exceed the cost of attendance.

“BU will "stack" our institutional merit scholarships with any outside awards a student receives, provided it does not exceed the cost of attendance.”
Adjustment order when exceeding cost of attendance

If an outside scholarship pushes aid over the cost of attendance, does BU reduce loans or the scholarship first?

If adjustments are needed, BU will remove optional federal loans first rather than reducing merit scholarships.

“If anything needs to be adjusted, BU will remove optional federals loans first as opposed to merit scholarships.”
Renewal requirement for merit scholarships

What academic standing must be maintained to keep the merit scholarship each year?

Students who receive merit scholarships must remain in good standing at BU, as specified in the student's award letter, with details provided via a linked renewal policy page.

“Students who receive merit scholarships need to remain in good standing at BU, which is specified in the student's award letter-”

What families often miss

  1. BU explicitly says, 'the only requirement is to complete your application for admission by December 1.' Applying after December 1 — even on a normal admission timeline — removes you from BU's merit-scholarship pool entirely.

  2. BU's overall published merit posture for first-year students is competitive and narrow, not stat-driven. Most of BU's $200M+ aid budget is need-based. Families who don't qualify for need-based aid and don't win the Trustee Scholars Program often see sticker-or-near-sticker pricing.

  3. CFA performance scholarships are available only to applicants who audition or submit a portfolio to the College of Fine Arts by January 4. Students admitted to other BU colleges with arts interests cannot retroactively claim CFA performance aid.

See costs and school data

Who this school may work for

Strong students who can submit a competitive application by December 1 and either fit a niche aid category (CFA performing arts, ROTC, Methodist clergy family) or have a top-of-class academic profile suitable for the school's flagship Trustee Scholars Program.

Cost of attendance$98,419 for 2026-2027Each bar is the full published cost for that scenario, sized against the highest figure so totals compare at a glance.
On-campus$98,419
  • Tuition & fees
  • Housing & food
  • Books
  • Travel
  • Personal

Private; single on-campus scenario. Health insurance required by MA law but billed separately and not included.

BU cost-of-attendance source

Cost and graduation facts

Federal reporting on who actually enrolls at BU, what they paid after aid, and what happened next — independent of anything the school markets.

Average annual net price by family income at BU, academic year 2021-22
Family incomeAverage net price paid
$0–$30,000$9,500
$30,001–$48,000$9,342
$48,001–$75,000$11,778
$75,001–$110,000$22,517
$110,001+$47,504
All income levels (average)$24,402

Sticker price vs. what students actually pay

Published tuition & fees, AY 2022-23
$68,102
Average net price paid (all Title-IV aid), AY 2021-22
$24,402

That works out to roughly a 72% discount below the federal AY 2021-22 average cost of attendance of $86,285 (College Scorecard — a separate, federally reported figure, not the published cost of attendance shown above).

Outcomes for students who enrolled here

Graduation rate (150% of normal time), 2016 cohort
89%
First-year retention rate, 2021 cohort
95%
Median debt at completion, 2020–2021 completers
$23,250 (~$246/mo on a 10-yr plan)
Median earnings, 10 years after entry (measured 2020-21)
$83,238
Share of students receiving a Pell grant, AY 2021-22
21%
Share of students receiving a federal loan, AY 2021-22
19%
See other scholarships and cost examples

If your student brings another scholarship

Outside scholarships reduce self-help components of the aid package before institutional grants or scholarships. Adjustments are made only if required by federal or state regulations or if total aid exceeds federal need-based eligibility (COA minus SAI) or BU's published cost of attendance.

BU's private-scholarship policy page (verified 2026-07-23) states its 'primary objective is to allow students to retain the maximum possible benefit from their outside scholarship by reducing self-help components of your financial aid package before reducing institutional grant or scholarship assistance.' Outside awards must be reported to BU Financial Assistance in writing. The page does not itemize which self-help component (loans vs. work-study) is reduced first, and it carries an asterisked note 'Effective for awards beginning in the 26/27 Academic Year.' A separate rule — internal combinability, not outside displacement — says an additional award from another entity within BU reduces the need-based grant by that amount.

Source

More school data

From the BU Common Data Set 2025-2026:

Merit penetrationHow likely is merit aid here?From BU’s Common Data Set: the share of first-year students who receive institutional merit and the average dollar amount when they do.
22%of admitsget merit
Average award$42,227Covers ~43% of $98,419 cost of attendance

At BU, roughly 1 in 5 first-year admits receive institutional merit aid. The average award is $42,227 — about 43% of total cost.

SAT mid-50%1420–151025th / 75th percentile
ACT mid-50%33–3425th / 75th percentile
Receive institutional merit22%First-year students
Average merit award$42,227Across recipients

Source: Common Data Set

BU merit aid FAQ

  • What is the deadline for Boston University merit scholarships?

    BU is explicit: 'the only requirement is to complete your application for admission by December 1.' That date applies to both the Early Decision pool and the Regular Decision pool for merit-scholarship consideration. Applying later disqualifies you from BU's institutional merit aid.

  • Does BU publish merit scholarship dollar amounts by stat tier?

    No. Unlike schools that publish a fixed ladder of automatic merit by GPA/test score, BU evaluates merit holistically and does not publish stat cutoffs. Of BU's named first-year merit awards, only the Methodist Clergy Scholarship (half tuition) has a publicly stated dollar amount; the Trustee Scholars Program is widely described as full-tuition but BU does not confirm a value on its public scholarship pages.

  • How much does Boston University actually cost?

    BU's 2026-27 published cost of attendance is $98,419 — $73,024 tuition, $13,170 housing, $7,570 food, $1,570 fees, plus about $3,085 for books, personal, and transportation. That's near the top of the four-year US private-college sticker range.

  • Is the Trustee Scholars Program at BU automatic?

    No. The Trustee Scholars Program requires both BU's regular admission application by December 1 AND a separate Trustee Scholarship application with additional essays. Even applicants with very strong stats must opt in to the Trustee process — it is not awarded passively.

  • Should I expect merit aid from BU if I'm a strong student without financial need?

    Probably not at scale. BU directs the majority of its aid budget to need-based grants. Strong applicants without need who don't win a Trustee Scholarship or fit a niche category (CFA, ROTC, athletic, Methodist clergy) commonly receive little or no institutional aid.

See sources and other schools

How BU compares

  • 145 of 749 verified schools in our dataset use loan-first displacement.

    BU is in a recognizable cluster (145 schools share this category). That framing matters when comparing peer schools that may publish the policy differently or not at all.

  • 665 of 749 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.

    BU is one of them. The cohort minority (84 schools) only awards one-year scholarships, which means the four-year value families assume on a brochure quote isn't guaranteed at every school.

Sources used on this page

Every claim is checked against BU’s own published materials. Below is the full reference set.

Compare with similar schools

  • BU Wheelock merit aid. Massachusetts private school — compare automatic merit, amounts, and stacking.
  • WPI merit aid. Massachusetts private school — compare automatic merit, amounts, and stacking.
  • Northeastern merit aid. Massachusetts private school — compare automatic merit, amounts, and stacking.
  • Bentley merit aid. Massachusetts private school — compare automatic merit, amounts, and stacking.

Keep exploring BU merit aid

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