Boston College

Latin: Collegium Bostoniense[1]
Motto	Αἰὲν ἀριστεύειν (Greek)
Motto in English	"Ever to Excel"
Type	Private research university
Established	March 31, 1863; 163 years ago (1863-03-31)
Founder	John McElroy
Accreditation	NECHE
Religious affiliation	Roman Catholic (Jesuit)
Academic affiliations	AJCU ACCU NAICU
Endowment	$4.24 billion (2025)[2]
President	William P. Leahy
Provost	David Quigley
Academic staff	917 full-time, 601 part-time
Students	15,234 (fall 2024)[3]
Undergraduates	9,654 (fall 2024)
Postgraduates	5,072 (fall 2024)
Other students	508 (fall 2024)
Location	Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts , United States 42°20′06″N 71°10′13″W / 42.33500°N 71.17028°W / 42.33500; -71.17028
Campus	Small City,[4] 388 acres (157 ha) (total)[5] Chestnut Hill (main campus), 175 acres (71 ha) Chestnut Hill (Pine Manor Institute), 48 acres (19 ha) Newton Campus, 40 acres (16 ha) Brighton Campus, 65 acres (26 ha)
Newspaper	The Heights
Colors	Maroon and gold[6]
Nickname	Eagles
Sporting affiliations	NCAA Division I FBS – ACC Hockey East NEISA EISA EAWRC
Mascot	Baldwin the Eagle
Website	bc.edu

Boston College (BC) is a private Catholic Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1863 by the Society of Jesus, a Catholic religious order, the university has more than 15,000 total students.^[7]

Boston College was originally located in the South End of Boston before moving most of its campus to Chestnut Hill in 1907. Its main campus is a historic district and features some of the earliest examples of collegiate gothic architecture in North America. The campus is 6 miles west of downtown Boston. It offers bachelor's degrees, master's degrees, and doctoral degrees through its nine colleges and schools. Boston College is classified as a "Research 1: Very High Research Spending and Doctorate Production" university by the Carnegie Classification.^[8]

Boston College athletic teams are the Eagles. Their colors are maroon and gold and their mascot is Baldwin the Eagle. The Eagles compete in NCAA Division I as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference in all sports offered by the ACC. The men's and women's ice hockey teams compete in Hockey East. Boston College's men's ice hockey team has won five national championships.^[9]

Alumni and affiliates of the university include governors, ambassadors, members of Congress, scholars, writers, medical researchers, Hollywood actors, and professional athletes.^[10] Boston College alumni include three Rhodes, 22 Truman, and 171 Fulbright scholars.^{[11][12][13][14]}