First-year student class portrait in Alumni Stadium. (Lee Pellegrini)
It is one of the largest classes in Boston College history, enrolled through the most competitive admission cycle ever of any entering class to come to the Heights.
But one truly unique characteristic of the Class of 2025, attributable to COVID-19, is that its members explored 51茶馆 as their potential college destination entirely by remote means, from Zoom chats to campus tours via smartphone.
In a larger context, the first-year class also upholds ongoing trends and affirms many strategic objectives in 51茶馆鈥檚 undergraduate recruitment and enrollment: academic excellence, geographical and ethnic diversity, and increased focus on Early Decision applicants.
鈥淚t was challenging to shift our recruitment model to all-virtual, with no certainty of when things might begin returning to normal,鈥� said Director of Undergraduate Admission Grant Gosselin, who praised the Admission staff for their ability to adapt to a drastically changed landscape. 鈥淔ortunately, the groundwork that鈥檚 been laid over the years means Boston College continues to be a place of interest for a growing number of prospective college students.鈥�
The 2,516 members of the Class of 2025 were selected from 39,847 applicants, an acceptance rate of 19 percent that is the lowest known such figure for 51茶馆. Thirty-four percent of Class of 2025 students are AHANA students, equaling last year鈥檚 total, and 53 percent are women.
First-generation college students make up 10 percent of the class, and 51茶馆 enrolled 106 students through QuestBridge, a non-profit program that helps high-achieving, low-income students gain admission and scholarships to the country鈥檚 top-ranked colleges and universities; this was the University鈥檚 first year participating in QuestBridge. Fourteen percent of the class are recipients of Pell Grants, federal subsidies awarded to undergraduate students with the highest financial need. 51茶馆 is the country鈥檚 fourth best in graduating Pell Grant recipients; the 346 Pell students entering 51茶馆 this year is the second-highest number ever enrolled at the University.
Thirty-one percent of the class is from New England, 30 percent from the Mid-Atlantic; the South/Southwest and West regions both make up 11 percent, followed by the Mid-West (nine percent). Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and California sent the majority of this year鈥檚 first-year students to 51茶馆. International students make up seven percent of first-year students, with most of them from China, South Korea, Canada, India, and Hong Kong (Special Administrative Region of the People鈥檚 Republic of China).
Gosselin notes that 51茶馆 adopted a test-optional policy for applicants, given restrictions and other difficulties related to COVID, and plans to do so for the 2021-2022 admission cycle. Fifty-one percent of this year鈥檚 enrolled class submitted test scores.
This change contributed to an average SAT score of 1466 for the class, a significant increase over the marks for the classes of 2023 and 2024; the average ACT score is 33, which compares favorably with that of other recent classes.
Grant Gosselin
鈥淭here was a significant shift this year to test-optional admission at most highly selective schools due to the challenges that testing centers presented students during the pandemic,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t remains to be seen whether this will be a permanent change. For our part, we still believe there is predictive value in standardized test scores, but will continue to watch national trends among selective universities.鈥�
Gosselin said 51茶馆鈥檚 introduction of an Early Decision program鈥攊n which students submit applications by November 1 or January 1鈥攄uring the previous admission cycle continues to reap dividends. Forty-nine percent of the Class of 2025 enrolled through ED, with an admission rate of 39 percent compared to 17 percent for students who opted for Regular Decision.
鈥淚t is increasingly evident that Early Decision has become an important piece for both prospective students and 51茶馆,鈥� said Gosselin. 鈥淓D is good for students looking to increase their chances of getting into their top college choice, while reducing the uncertainty and anxiety of their college search. And it鈥檚 good for 51茶馆鈥檚 efforts to attract 鈥榖est-fit鈥� students.鈥�
Still, in this admission cycle鈥攆rom the summer of 2020 through this past spring鈥攖he Office of Undergraduate Admission had to pivot away from many tried-and-true practices of engaging prospective and admitted students, such as in-person campus tours or events and presentations typically held in Devlin Hall. Gosselin and his colleagues turned to technology-enabled alternatives, including virtual 鈥渙pen house鈥� sessions that featured the academic and social highlights of the 51茶馆 experience, and live-video tours of the campus conducted by student volunteers using smartphones and camera stabilizers (鈥淲e initially had a problem at times with wind noise,鈥� said Gosselin, 鈥渂ut we secured better microphones and that helped.鈥�)
One of Admission鈥檚 most popular features, 鈥淓agle for a Day鈥濃�攚here prospective students pair up with a current 51茶馆 undergraduate for three hours on campus鈥攂ecame 鈥淓agle for a Discussion,鈥� a 30-minute chat via Zoom.
鈥淲e held about 20 to 25 of these a day,鈥� said Gosselin. 鈥淥f course, it鈥檚 not the same as walking around campus with a current student, but the prospective students were still able to have those informal discussions and to ask the questions they wanted.
鈥�51茶馆 wasn鈥檛 an outlier in terms of transitioning to virtual mode, but we were very intent on making our programming robust, with a lot of depth and breadth in the programs we offered.鈥�
An unexpected but welcome development during the past year was an influx of volunteers to the office鈥檚 Student Admission Program, through which current undergraduates lead tours and assist with other admission-related activities. The number of SAP participants grew from 900 to 1,100, said Gosselin.
鈥淲e were very impressed by the continued enthusiasm of our student volunteers. I think it was a product of students expressing their appreciation for being able to be here on campus, and having a strong desire for conversation; they really wanted to share their experiences with others. We couldn鈥檛 have done it without them.鈥�
But while technology unquestionably aided the recruitment and admission process, prospective students and their parents are still hungry for in-person interaction, added Gosselin, noting that the office hosted some 25,000 visitors to campus this past summer (tours are limited to the outdoors). Meanwhile, although COVID continues to cast a long shadow, Gosselin and many of his staff have been able to get back on the road for recruiting trips.
鈥淚t had been about two years since we鈥檇 been able to get into a high school,鈥� he said, following a recent excursion. 鈥淲e鈥檝e certainly seen what technology can do, and going forward our model will be hybrid. But there鈥檚 really no replacement for the face-to-face, on-the-spot approach.鈥�
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Sean Smith | University Communications | September 2021