How can I compare admissions difficulty between Boston College and Syracuse University?

Boston College is typically more difficult to gain admission to than Syracuse University for most undergraduate applicants. That conclusion is supported by annual admit-rate patterns, Boston College’s stronger expected academic profile, and greater competition for its limited first-year class. A student who would be a plausible applicant at Syracuse may still face a reach at Boston College.

Start with your transcript rather than a national number. Boston College applicants are commonly evaluated in the context of a demanding high-school curriculum, with strong performance across core academic subjects. Syracuse also values rigor and grades, but Boston College more often requires an applicant to stand out among classmates who have taken the most advanced courses available and earned excellent results.

Compare by college or program, not only by university. Admission can be more competitive for certain Syracuse programs, and a particularly selective Syracuse program may be closer to Boston College in difficulty than Syracuse overall.

For your own odds, look at several years of outcomes from students at your high school with comparable course rigor, grades, and intended academic area. Treat Boston College as the more ambitious option unless that local evidence shows an unusually different pattern, and build a list that includes choices beyond these two schools.