Boston University Basics

Founded in 1839, Boston University is the fourth-largest private university in the nation, home each year to more than 33,000 students from all 50 states and 135 countries. Our 16 schools and colleges offer some 250 fields of study. A leading global research institution, BU was backed by over $356 million in sponsored program awards last year and offers nearly 100 study abroad programs in 26 cities on 6 continents. Our 300,000 alumni can be found in every sector and corner of the world.

But that’s only part of the picture. Want an even greater view? Just scroll down.

View our Fact Sheets

The Difference Is Our DNA

Celebrated thinkers: Our faculty consists of Nobel Prize winners, former Poets Laureate, and the first biomedical engineer ever to receive a MacArthur Foundation “Genius Award,” just to name a few.

Groundbreaking research: With faculty dedicated to a creative, interdisciplinary approach to problem solving, BU has become a leading global research institution—propelled forward by over $356 million in sponsored program awards last year.

Extraordinary students: Every day, BU students are positing, formulating, testing, discounting, and discovering ideas—and just doing great work all the time. From confronting diabetes in Belize to mastering Arabic through sign language, BU students are constantly pushing themselves.

Our Reputation

  • #54 in the world—The Times of London
  • #51 in the nation—U.S. News & World Report (Best National Universities 2013)
  • #7 in the nation for employability of graduates—2012 Global Employability Survey
  • #8 Biomedical Engineering in the nation—U.S. News & World Report
  • #2 Occupational Therapy in the nation—U.S. News & World Report
  • #11 Health Care Management—U.S. News & World Report
  • #18 in the nation for undergraduate business programs—Bloomberg Businessweek
  • #28 in research universities—Forbes
  • Top 50 Best Values in Colleges 2011–12 based on academic excellence and economic value—Kiplinger’s Personal Finance

Our Faculty

  • 78% of our full-time faculty have a PhD or equivalent
  • 2 Pulitzer Prize winners
  • 2 Nobel Prize winners
  • 17 members of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences
  • 2 MacArthur Fellows
  • 1 two-time Emmy Award winner
  • 12 Sloan Research Fellows
  • 2 former U.S. Poets Laureate
  • 30 Guggenheim Fellows

Our Current Funding

  • Received more than $318 million of federal funding through grants and contracts for research and training.
  • Recipient of more than $26 million in federal student aid funds.
  • $272.6 million came to the University from foundations, private corporations, and other non-federal sources for research, training, and student aid.
  • Boston University alumni, friends, corporations, and foundations donated more than $89 million to the University, nearly $55 million of which came from sources outside the Commonwealth.