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Student looking away smilingLast updated February, 2021

The University

Established in 1863 as a private, Boston College is one of the oldest and most prestigious Jesuit, Catholic universities in the United States. Ranked 35th among national universities by U.S. News and World Report, Boston College has consistently exhibited a strong dedication to academic excellence. With approximately 9,100 undergraduate and 4,900 graduate students, the University offers programs in eight colleges, and a wide variety of extracurricular activities, with 44 intramural or club sports, over 250 social and intercultural clubs, and volunteer opportunities.

The city of Boston is a blend of the past, present, and future.  Eighteenth- and nineteenth-century buildings are interspersed among tall, modern structures; the city is surrounded by a corridor of high-technology industries.  Boston boasts the greatest concentration of higher education institutions in the United States, and is a hub for the arts and culture with world-renowned museums and a wide variety of sports, music, and theater.

Exchange information

  • Undergraduate level exchange.
  • Academic Year: September - May (Fall Term: September - December; Winter Term: January - May).
  • Minimum course load: 4 classes (12 BC credits); maximum course load: 5 classes (15 BC credits).
  • Students must take classes in a variety of subjects/departments. Most departments will only guarantee one class per exchange student.
  • Limited/restricted courses: the Economics and Finance Department will enroll students in only one class. There is also a limited range of classes in the following departments: Communications, Management, and Marketing.
  • Some departments at BC have specific requirements, which may differ from Otago's. Students must have completed prerequisites prior to starting at BC.
    Prerequisites for certain courses may differ from Otago's. It is your responsibility to ensure you meet the prerequisites to attend selected courses at the host institution. (i.e.: Economics does not require Calculus or Statistics for the basic courses but for almost all others, they require Calculus and/or Statistics).
  • Suitable Otago papers to meet BC's requirements: BSNS112, BSNS113, ECON112 (Macroeconomics, Microeconomics, Statistics); FINQ 102 or MATH 160 (Calculus); STAT 110 or STAT 115 (Statistics for non-commerce students).
  • Due to limited on-campus housing, most exchange students find off-campus accommodations in shared houses or apartments with other BC students.

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