David S. Bakst

Boston College is one of the nation's best and most selective universities, with U.S. News & World Report ranking Boston College 31st among national universities, and Forbes ranking it 26th in its 2012 America's Best Colleges listing. Boston College confers more than 4,000 degrees annually in more than 50 fields of study through eight schools and colleges. Faculty members are committed to both teaching and research having earned nearly $60 million in research grants in the last year alone. The University has made a major commitment to academic excellence. As part of its Strategic Plan, Boston College is in the process of adding 100 new faculty positions, expanding faculty and graduate research, increasing student financial aid to more than $128 million annually, and widening opportunities in key undergraduate programs, such as international study, internships and student formation. Boston College has experienced tremendous growth in recent years, including a 75 percent increase in undergraduate applications over the past decade, to more than 34,000 for the 2,250 seats in its freshman class. During the same period, an increase in voluntary giving from alumni has helped to move the University's endowment to approximately $1.9 billion. Boston College students have also earned more than 200 prestigious academic scholarships over the past decade, including 2 Rhodes Scholarships, 4 Marshalls, 9 Goldwaters and 162 Fulbright grants.