Boston University

Boston University (most commonly referred to as BU or otherwise known as Boston U.) is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but is historically affiliated with the United Methodist Church.

The university has more than 3,800 faculty members and 33,000 students, and is one of Boston's largest employers. It offers bachelor's degrees, master's degrees, and doctorates, and medical, dental, business, and law degrees through eighteen schools and colleges on two urban campuses. The main campus is situated along the Charles River in Boston's Fenway-Kenmore and Allston neighborhoods, while the Boston University Medical Campus is in Boston's South End neighborhood.

BU is categorized as an RU/VH Research University (very high research activity) in the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. BU is a member of the Boston Consortium for Higher Education and the Association of American Universities.

The university counts seven Nobel Laureates, twenty-three Pulitzer Prize winners, nine Academy Award winners, and several Emmy and Tony Award winners among its faculty and alumni. BU also has MacArthur, Sloan, and Guggenheim Fellowship holders as well as American Academy of Arts and Sciences and National Academy of Sciences members among its past and present graduates and faculty.

The Boston University Terriers compete in the NCAA's Division I. BU athletic teams compete in the Patriot League, and Hockey East conferences, and their mascot is Rhett the Boston Terrier. Boston University is well known for men's hockey, in which it has won five national championships, most recently in 2009.

You probably wouldn’t have guessed that Boston University began as a Methodist seminary in Vermont. Its founder was an ardent Bostonian abolitionist who raised $15,000 to start a progressive secondary school in 1839. Originally named the Newbury Biblical Institute, the school moved to New Hampshire in 1847 and to Boston in 1867. It was chartered as Boston University in 1869.

• In 1875, BU professor Alexander Graham Bell received a year’s salary advance to pursue his research. The following year, he invented the telephone in a BU lab.
• BU established the nation’s first academic program in public relations in 1947.
• In 1965, Boston University established the nation’s first combined cancer research and teaching laboratory at its Medical Center.
• In 1971, Boston University began a collaboration with the Framingham Heart Study, the largest project to study the root causes of cardiovascular disease, following three generations of participants in the town of Framingham, Massachusetts. BU continues this collaboration today.
• In 1985, Professor Charles DeLisi initiated what would become the Human Genome Project.

What’s BU all about? Stand anywhere on campus, close your eyes, and listen.

Wow. There’s a lot to take in. Twenty different languages spoken in a hundred different dialects. Whispers of thoughts your brain hasn’t wrapped itself around yet. Ideas swimming upstream instead of down. And that’s just for starters. You’ll also hear:

The crackles of electricity as students and teachers connect.

• Study and conduct research alongside a MacArthur genius, Fulbright Scholar, or Pulitzer Prize winner.
• Seventy-eight percent of our faculty have a PhD or equivalent. Don’t be shy about tapping into all that brainpower!
• Our Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) allows you to participate in hands-on research with faculty.

The buzzing sound of the whole world spinning around you.

• Boston is one of the top three destinations in the U.S. for international students to study which means BU students come from all over the world.
• Our Study Abroad program offers over 100 life-changing opportunities in over 25 countries.
• At BU, you’ll find a global curriculum taught by faculty with global perspectives.

The rhythm of a city pulsing with life.

• Boston is your campus. Embrace its culture, its rich history, and the excitement of new discoveries and breakthroughs that occur almost every day.
• Internship opportunities are all around you, too. The financial sector, health care, law, entertainment, marketing, teaching, research. It’s all here. And we’ll help you take advantage of it.
• With more than 125,000 college students in the Boston area, meeting new people and experiencing new things will never be a problem.

Like what you hear so far? Look around this site a bit more and you’ll quickly understand why BU is ranked in the top 4 percent of all universities in this country. And why you should give some serious thought about attending here.

Choosing a college or university has become a more complex process than ever before. It’s important to understand the value your future degree will hold, and why BU could be the smartest choice you can make. Considering it’s the investment of a lifetime, we feel that Boston University provides unparalleled opportunities for students to fulfill their promise and potential. Here’s why:

• The Cutting Edge of Knowledge and Academic Excellence
• Reputation
• Classmates of Distinction
• Living on Campus for Four Years
• Preparation for the Future
• Global Experience

• Presidential Scholarship
• Trustee Scholarship