Boston College

Boston College

Boston College (BC) is a private Jesuit university founded in 1863 to educate Boston’s predominantly Irish, Catholic immigrant community. It was the first institution of higher education to operate in the city of Boston and today is considered a leader in the liberal arts, scientific inquiry and student formation. Boston College welcomes students from all faiths and backgrounds while also sharing tenets of Catholicism with the entire campus.

Academic Highlights

BC has 50 fields of study over nine schools, which include such highly ranked graduate programs as the Lynch School of Education, Boston College Law School and Carroll School of Management. Students at the university earned 15 Fulbright Awards in 2017, ranking the school in the top twenty Fulbright-producing American research institutions.

Location

Boston College is located in the suburban village of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, about 10 kilometres from Boston’s city centre. Its historic main campus features some of the earliest examples of collegiate gothic architecture in North America. It occupies over 70 hectares and includes over 120 buildings.

Did you know?

Each year BC undergraduates devote around 555,000 hours to community service. It also has a School of Advancing Studies that provides education opportunities tailor made for non-traditional students.

Language of Instruction

English

Program Duration

1 semester

Academic Level

Undergraduate

Minimum Result Required

Partner entry requirement of 3.0 GPA

Previous Round Cut-off (WAM (%) or GPA)80% WAM

Anticipated Places in Semester 1, 2027

No places

Exchange Availability

Closed

Eligible Monash Campus

Monash Australia, Monash Malaysia

Agreement Scope

All Faculties

Handbook/Catalogue

Boston College's course catalogue

For the course syllabi or outline, Boston has advised to contact the departments directly to inquire if syllabi for courses are available.

Academic Restrictions

  • Due to high demand, the Economics and Finance Department will enrol students in only one class. There is also a very limited range of classes in Communications, International Studies and Marketing (both undergraduate and postgraduate).
  • Law students must have the equivalent minimum GPA of 3.7 to be eligible. Law students can take a full-time load of Law courses at Boston College Law School.
  • All international students in the US are required to maintain full-time student status for the duration of their studies in the US.

Full-time Credit Load Equivalents

Semester

Min. 18 Monash points

Max. 24 Monash points

12 credits - UG

15 credits - UG

Amended October 2019.

Year

Min. 36 Monash points

Max. 48 Monash points

N/A

30 credits - UG

Academic Calendar

BC Fall Semester (Monash semester 2): late August – late December
BC Spring Semester (Monash semester 1): mid-January – mid-May

BC's Academic Calendar

Accounting

Banking and finance

Biological sciences

Business law and taxation

Chemistry

Communications and media studies

Earth, atmosphere and environmental sciences

Economics

Film and screen studies

French languages & culture studies

German languages & culture studies

History

Italian languages & culture studies

Law

Linguistics

Management

Marketing

Philosophy

Physics and astronomy

Politics and international relations

Spanish and Latin American languages & culture studies

Sociology

  

Note

  • The listed disciplines are not necessarily exhaustive and other fields of study might also be available at the institution.
  • Approval to study particular subjects at any institution is always at the discretion of the departmental/discipline and faculty advisers in your managing faculty(ies) and subject to available places at the host.

Accommodation

BC has a number of residence halls and the Boston College Office of Residential Life provides a limited number of rooms for visiting undergraduate exchange students. Most exchange students live in off-campus accommodations such as shared houses or apartments.

BC is not able to guarantee accommodation to exchange students, but there is a better chance of securing accomodation if going during the Spring semester (mid-January – mid-May). Students interested in on-campus housing will be put in a housing lottery. Some dorms require a meal plan and students living on campus must pay the Health Services fee. Additional information can be found here.

BC provides further information on on-campus and off-campus accommodation.

Visas

International exchange students studying in the U.S. must obtain the J-1 Exchange Visitor’s visa before leaving their home country. The application process requires a personal interview at the Consulate.

For more information on visas, please refer to the the U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Australia here, and the U.S. Visa Information Service for Australia here.

Once accepted to Boston College, students will receive e-mail notification of their acceptance. The acceptance package and visa documents will be sent to students’ home university’s international exchange office.

Health and insurance

Massachusetts law requires international students to have medical insurance underwritten by a US-based insurance carrier. It is mandatory for all exchange students to be insured through the BC medical plan.  You will be automatically enrolled in the BC medical insurance upon your admission to the university. BC medical insurance is mandatory and cannot be waived. Students living on campus will also have an additional Health Services Fee.

BC offers additional information on the medical insurance plan.

When travelling on a Monash Abroad approved program, you are automatically covered under the Monash University Student Travel Insurance policy. This will provide cover to and from your exchange.

Orientation and extra-curricular 

BC organises an international student orientation which provides important information for new students about student life at Boston College. It is compulsory for all exchange students to attend.

BC has a vibrant campus life, with student organisations, sports and recreation, and arts and culture for exchange students to enjoy.

Cost of living

BU offers guidance on estimated expenses for exchange students.

For information about funding available to support study on exchange overseas, see the Financial Information page on the Monash Abroad website.

Important notes

  • Boston College requires exchange applicants to have a minimum GPA of 3.0.
  • It is not recommended that postgraduate Business students apply as units can be very difficult to be admitted into.

Due to the popularity of this partner institution, for semester 1, 2026 onwards Monash students can only apply to study here on exchange for one semester.

This program is not currently accepting applications.

Have you been to Boston College and want to share your experience? 
Let us know about your exchange via this survey form and your testimonial could be shown here!

Madeline Alcock
Bachelor of Arts
Semester 2, 2015
Studied: Arts units

Study Experience

I studied units in Linguistics, Journalism, and Music History. These were interesting as they highlighted some social issues present in the US which I wouldn’t have otherwise learnt about. I participated in a lot of extracurricular musical activities including gospel choir and volunteering. Exchange students are also offered to spend Thanksgiving with a BC faculty member and their family. This was a great experience and one of the highlights of my exchange.

Culture

Boston culture is pretty similar to Melbourne culture - serious people who love their sport, music and food and are very proud of their city. Sport is a huge event on the social calendar, particularly at university level. BC students seem more stressed than Australian students - they work very hard in their studies while also participating in multiple extracurricular activities. Tipping can sometimes be confusing but you catch on pretty quickly.

Benefits of going on exchange

Going on exchange gave me a broader, global perspective on my areas of study. My organisational skills and level of independence also benefited from my exchange experience.

Career Benefits

Going on exchange has shown employers that I can be organised, self-sufficient, independent, and adaptable. Loving to travel is one thing, but actually living overseas shows a lot of these positive qualities that employers can appreciate. Exchange also increased my self-confidence and what I was capable of, I believe employers see this too.

Money and Budgeting

Try to set an allowance for yourself before leaving (e.g. if you set yourself a $100 limit per week and you get paid $210 that week, put $110 in your savings and live off the $100). Also, STA Travel can sometimes lay-by flights for $99 which don't have to be paid off until 10 weeks before departure, so this may be a great way to lock in a good flight price.

Top tips

  • Go to orientation, you will meet a lot of other exchange students there and make friends fast (everyone is in the same boat!)
  • Although your units may be pass/fail, make sure you know what your pass rate is (at Boston it was 70%).
  • Make sure you make time to go see the city you're in (especially towards the end of semester people can get bogged down in assignments and revision, try to complete your work early and reserve a day to go explore somewhere).
  • Extracurricular activities are a great way to meet local students.