Boston College (BC) is a private Jesuit Catholic research university located in the village of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, United States, 6 miles west of downtown Boston. It has 9,100 full-time undergraduates and almost 5,000 graduate students. The university’s name reflects its early history as a liberal arts college and preparatory school (now Boston College High School) in Boston’s South End. It is a member of the 568 Group and the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities. Its main campus is a historic district and features some of the earliest examples of collegiate gothic architecture in North America.

Boston College’s undergraduate program is currently ranked 30th in the National Universities ranking by U.S. News & World Report. Boston College is categorized as a research university with high research activity by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.[9] Students at the university earned 21 Fulbright Awards in 2012, ranking the school eighth among American research institutions. At $2.2 billion, Boston College has the 40th largest university endowment in North America.

Boston College offers bachelor’s degrees, master’s degrees, and doctoral degrees through its nine schools and colleges: Morrissey College of Arts & Sciences, Boston College Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, Carroll School of Management, Lynch School of Education, Connell School of Nursing, Boston College Graduate School of Social Work, Boston College Law School, Boston College School of Theology and Ministry, Woods College of Advancing Studies.

Boston College teams are known as the Eagles. They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level, primarily competing in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) for all sports since the 2005-06 season. Boston College athletes are among the most academically successful in the nation, according to the NCAA’s Academic Progress Rate (APR). In 2006 Boston College received Public Recognition Awards with fourteen of its sports in the top 10% of the nation academically. The Eagles tied Notre Dame for the highest total of any Division I-A university.