Boston University was chartered in 1869 by Lee Claflin, Jacob Sleeper, and Isaac Rich, three successful Methodist businessmen. Their abolitionist ideals led them to create a university that was inclusive and engaged in service to and collaboration with the city of Boston.

From its opening, Boston University has admitted students of both sexes and every race and religion. Boston University is a private urban research university offering a broad range of undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs through its 17 Schools and Colleges and more than 250 fields of study.

Financial Aid
Boston University Financial Assistance offers comprehensive financial aid services to undergraduate students and their families. The University administer grants, scholarships, loans, and part-time employment funding. It also provides information to help students and their families make thoughtful decisions about options for financing a Boston University undergraduate education.

Special Academic Core Curriculum
Offered in the College of Arts and Sciences, the Core Curriculum presents an intensive great books program for any incoming freshmen who choose to participate. Occupying two classes a semester during freshman and sophomore years, the program has four humanities sections which start with Gilgamesh and work their way through Plato, Aristotle, Aeschylus, Machiavelli, Shakespeare, Milton, Dante, Bach and many more. The Social Sciences part of the program includes Hobbes, Marx, Rousseau, John Locke, Adam Smith, and continues through contemporary works. Finally, the science aspect of the program deals with major ideas including big bang theory, evolution, quantum mechanics and more. The program seeks to mix science, math, humanities, art, and the social sciences into a cohesive program to give students insight into their world and help them become more refined writers and scholars.

Accreditation
Boston University is proud to be a member of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC), one of six regional accrediting organizations in the United States, and has been accredited by NEASC since 1929.