How to Apply to Business at Boston College: Apply Directly to the Carroll School of Management and Choose a Concentration Later, and Requirements and Timeline for Chinese, Canadian High School and Transfer Students

At Boston College (BC), undergraduate business is taught by the Carroll School of Management (CSOM), and the degree is the Bachelor of Science in Management. Here is what you need to know for fall 2027 entry, based on BC’s official information, for students at high schools in China, students at Canadian high schools (including BC and Vancouver students), and transfer students.

1. Apply directly to the Carroll School

• Apply to a school, not a major: applicants choose one of four undergraduate divisions (Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences, Carroll School of Management, Lynch School of Education and Human Development, Connell School of Nursing) and are considered only for that division. To study business, apply to Carroll; you do not choose a concentration on the application.
• Getting in later is hard: the admission FAQ says students cannot change divisions after admission but may apply for internal transfer to Carroll after two semesters, with limited space that may not be available every year. Carroll’s own FAQ is more specific: one chance, by 1 May of the first year, by lottery, with no more than 10 students per class year; eligibility requires a 3.4 GPA, Principles of Economics and no academic deficiencies. The transfer admission page, however, says transferring into Carroll once enrolled is not allowed and the only way in is to apply directly. These pages disagree, but all point to applying to Carroll from the start.
• Selectivity: the transfer FAQ says selectivity is very similar across the four divisions.

2. What Carroll students study

• Degree requirements: 120 credits, covering the BC Core, the Carroll School Core and concentration requirements.
• Carroll Core: Portico in the first semester, Excel for Business Analytics, Principles of Economics, Introduction to Law, Financial Accounting, Coding for Business, Organizational Behavior, Operations Management, Fundamentals of Finance, Principles of Marketing and Strategic Management in senior year, plus 4–6 concentration courses and 15 credits of non-CSOM electives (which AP credit cannot fill).
• Ten concentrations: Accounting, Accounting for Finance & Consulting, Business Analytics, Entrepreneurship, Finance, General Management, Management & Leadership, Marketing, Information Systems and Operations Management. Students may hold up to two; many sophomores are still undeclared.
• Across schools: after declaring a concentration, Carroll students can add a major or minor in Morrissey or Lynch.
• AP and IB: AP, IB, A-level and similar results may let you place out of requirements, but BC says they do not count toward the 120 credits (students with 30 or more AP credits may be eligible to graduate early through Advanced Standing).
• The school is accredited by AACSB.

3. Deadlines and decisions

• Early Decision I (binding): 1 November, decisions 15 December.
• Early Decision II (binding): 4 January, decisions 15 February.
• Regular Decision: 4 January, decisions 1 April.
• Scholarships: apply by 1 November to be considered for the Gabelli Presidential Scholars Program.
• Apply through the Common App; the fee is $85 and two teacher evaluations are required. BC has no admission interviews and does not track demonstrated interest.

4. Testing and English

• Test optional, including for international students, though students who took the SAT or ACT are encouraged to submit. About two-thirds of enrolled members of the Class of 2030 submitted scores, with SATs from 1200 to 1600 and ACTs from 28 to 36.
• English required for non-US citizens: TOEFL iBT, IELTS or Duolingo. Recommended minimums are IELTS 7.5, Duolingo 130 and TOEFL 100 (5.0 on the new scale).
• Waivers: English is your native language; at least three years at a high school in the US or another majority native-English-speaking country without ESOL; or SAT EBRW 650+ or ACT English 29+. Students at Canadian high schools should confirm with admissions whether the second option applies.
• InitialView: BC encourages students at national schools in China to do an InitialView interview (optional, not a substitute for the English test).

5. Students at high schools in China and Canada (including BC and Vancouver)

• BC publishes no Gaokao policy and no grade requirements for Canadian or BC curricula, and Carroll publishes no separate admission requirements.
• BC’s most competitive applicants usually take four years of English, math, social science, natural science and a foreign language, with teacher evaluations ideally from those subjects.

6. Costs and aid

• 2026-27 (US$): tuition 75,075, mandatory fees 1,354, room and board 18,834, for a total of 95,978. First-years also pay a one-time $670 orientation charge and a $50 ID charge; books and incidentals are estimated at $3,250. BC does not mention any separate business tuition.
• No need-based aid for international students: BC does not provide need-based aid to students who are not US citizens or permanent residents.

7. Transfer students

• Deadlines: fall entry 15 March, notification by 20 May; spring entry 1 November, notification by 15 December. First-semester students are typically not eligible for January transfer.
• Eligibility: at least nine credits completed before the deadline. Transfers also apply to one of the four divisions; spaces are proportionate to division size, so Carroll typically has the most after Morrissey.
• Recommended courses for Carroll: about 30 credits after one year or 60 after two, including calculus (or higher) or computer science, two English courses (literature and writing), statistics, macro- and microeconomics, business law, Accounting I and II, organizational behavior, two natural sciences, two modern world history courses, and one each of theology and philosophy. Carroll transfers also take a 3-credit Management Ethics course at BC.
• Business credit: Carroll is AACSB-accredited and does not accept upper-level business courses from institutions without the same accreditation. Courses must match BC courses in depth and breadth with a C- or better; at most 60 credits transfer, and you must spend at least four semesters at BC.
• Testing: the transfer page says transfer admission is test optional and international applicants submit TOEFL, IELTS or Duolingo, but its FAQ says international students whose first language is not English need an English score and the SAT or ACT. The page contradicts itself; confirm with transfer@bc.edu.

Checklist

Students at high schools in China:

• Apply to the Carroll School of Management on the Common App by 1 November (ED I and scholarship deadline) or 4 January (ED II, RD)
• TOEFL 5.0 on the new scale (100 old), IELTS 7.5 or Duolingo 130 or above; optional InitialView interview
• Take four years of the five main subjects, including math; decide whether to send SAT or ACT scores
• Be ready to cover about $95,978 a year

Students at Canadian high schools (including BC and Vancouver):

• Same deadlines; apply directly to Carroll; no need-based aid for non-US citizens
• Ask admissions whether your Canadian schooling waives the English test

Transfer students:

• Fall deadline 15 March, at least nine credits, apply to Carroll
• Take calculus, statistics, economics, accounting, business law and organizational behavior; upper-level business credit must come from an AACSB-accredited school

Sources: Boston College, Carroll School undergraduate program; Carroll School academics; Carroll School concentrations; Carroll School FAQ; Application instructions and deadlines; International applicants; Test-optional policy; Transfer admission; Admission FAQ; Majors and minors. Information is for fall 2027 entry (costs are 2026-27 figures). Check Boston College for the latest details.