Boston University Academy: A Tiny High School Inside a Very Large University

The small-school reality

A high school of 225 inside a very large university

Boston University Academy sits at One University Road, inside Boston University's Charles River campus. The dated 2025–26 school profile reports 225 students, 58 members in the Class of 2026, 23 faculty members, and an average class size of 12.

Current live pages disagree, variously reporting 227, 234, or 245 students. The Class of 2026 matriculation list names thirty-five institutions with one or more enrollees.

The social circle is intimate: a class of roughly 55–60 students.

Grades 9 and 10

The ninth and tenth grade academic runway

Ninth and tenth graders do not start in college lecture halls. They spend their first two years in a shared liberal arts curriculum built around primary texts, close reading, seminar discussion, and writing.

The core includes humanities, biology then chemistry, mathematics by placement, two years of Latin or ancient Greek, visual or performing arts, and physical education.

There is no tracking. Every BUA academic course is honors level, grades are unweighted, and neither class rank nor GPA is reported to colleges.

BUA and BU use letter grades without A+. Ninth and tenth graders also take ungraded, homework-free seminars exploring health and wellness, cultural competency, language and logic, research, Python and machine learning, and engineering and entrepreneurship.

The BUA sequence runs from Integrated Math I through Calculus I, Calculus II, and Multivariate Calculus; Calculus I is required for graduation. Returning students need an A or A– in Precalculus plus department approval for the accelerated Calculus I route.

Modern language in Grades 9 and 10 is optional and additional: students apply for the online sixth course, and a committee considers prior level, academic standing, and maturity.

Returning tenth graders may replace the second classical-language year with a BU modern-language course only if they place at the 211 level or above and pass a committee review.

Interscholastic athletics are not required. BUA fields teams across three seasons and competes in the Massachusetts Bay Independent League and Girls’ Independent League.

The BU transition

How Boston University coursework actually works

The university door opens in Grade 11. Juniors typically take one or two BU courses—usually a science and a modern language—while taking American literature, U.S. history, and math at BUA.

Seniors take up to four BU courses each semester alongside a yearlong thesis. Over four years, graduates typically complete six to twelve undergraduate courses.

Some younger students reach BU earlier for advanced mathematics or language. That is not the baseline Grade 9 experience.

The currently linked guidebook says course requests are monitored for difficulty, attendance, and appropriateness. It also advises students to consult BUA leaders and departments before advanced math or science choices, but it is not unrestricted catalog shopping.

All BU courses appear as undergraduate coursework and count toward the BUA diploma, and students can request an official BU transcript; those who enroll at BU often begin with 24–48 credits.

Another college decides whether to award transfer credit, placement, general-education credit, or nothing: BUA explicitly says selective private universities are least likely to grant transfer credit, and courses used for high-school graduation may be excluded.

BUA students still complete a BU application and submit required materials. The current agreement grants admission to most four-year BU programs when a student has at least a 3.0 cumulative GPA in academic-year BU coursework, no D or F in any BUA or BU course, and no reportable disciplinary infraction.

College of Fine Arts programs require additional review, and BUA students are not eligible for the College of General Studies or Metropolitan College through the agreement. Students who miss the conditions may still apply through ordinary review but lose the early assurance.

The agreement says the aid package meets 100% of BU’s calculated need. That is BU’s need calculation, not a promise of a particular family price, merit award, housing, or preferred major.

Workload and schedule

Two calendars, college professors, and the weekly routine

BUA and BU start fall classes on consecutive days, and BUA holidays or snow days do not always pause university classes. An empty high school hallway does not excuse an upperclass student from a college chemistry lecture down the street.

BUA classes meet three times a week: two 60-minute periods and one 75-minute block, with 10- or 15-minute passing times across campus. Ninth and tenth graders get two scheduled academic blocks during the day for homework or teacher meetings.

A September 2024 post described phones resting in classroom caddies during BUA instruction, with students carrying them between buildings and in BU courses.

BUA's guidebook notes that adjustment can feel overwhelming and may take half of the first year. Senior thesis is a full academic course, with structured benchmarks and a grade each semester.

Seniors may simultaneously carry the equivalent of a full undergraduate load. The latest profile’s course distributions show real spread, including grades below B in advanced math.

Support and wellbeing

Advising, accommodations, and the self-advocacy cliff

Every student has a faculty adviser who serves as the family's primary contact. Ninth- and tenth-grade advisers focus on academic adjustment and well-being; upperclass advisers help students manage University work while staying connected to BUA, and the adviser is expected to keep parents informed about progress or concern.

A university liaison meets with juniors biweekly and communicates with BU instructors.

Day-to-day academic help is layered: peer tutoring, a teacher-staffed Writing Center, physics and computer-science help, Homework Club, BU tutors, and the University’s Educational Resource Center.

The currently linked guidebook names an important boundary: BU professors are not obligated to tell BUA when a student misses class or is not understanding the material. BUA attempts contact, but timely intervention still depends partly on the student speaking up.

BUA says students with documented learning differences receive support “as appropriate and possible within the structure of the program.” Its learning specialist offers one-to-one academic, organization, and study-strategy coaching.

University-course accommodations run through BU Disability and Access Services, with BUA’s learning specialist acting as liaison.

BUA lists a director of counseling and learning services who is also the school psychologist; the psychologist is on campus daily for student and family meetings, teaches health and wellness, provides social-emotional programming, and helps families find outside mental-health resources. The site describes one-on-one support “as needed,” not ongoing psychotherapy or psychiatric care.

Campus and commute

The urban campus, transit, and the commute

Students cross Commonwealth Avenue for classes, eat lunch next door at the George Sherman Union food court using dining funds on their Terrier Card, and use BU's FitRec center. Evening schedules run late: after a 4:45 practice, Homework Club meets at 5:15, and university labs or rehearsals can push arrival home into the evening.

For transit riders, BUA directs families to the Green Line B branch at Boston University Central, then one block west. The public pages do not describe a school-operated bus network.

Active pickup and drop-off fits only about five vehicles beside the building, and parents may use limited BU lots for school business, subject to current policy and availability. Run the real morning and evening route on a school day, including the walk from athletics, before you commit.

Cost and aid

Tuition, hidden extras, and how financial aid works

Tuition and fees are $63,528 for 2026–27. BUA states directly that this figure excludes books, lunch, and incidental expenses.

Every student must bring a dedicated laptop. The school warns that iPads and Chromebooks are incompatible with some required software and recommends particular Mac or Windows specifications.

Aid-eligible new students may receive laptop assistance.

For 2026–27, BUA reports that 27% of students receive need-based aid. The average grant is $48,147, and grants range from $6,574 to $63,238.

Aid is not repaid, and the school says it tries to meet 100% of demonstrated need “where possible.” BUA says limited resources mean aid is not guaranteed to every qualifying applicant and every family must pay something toward tuition.

New families apply through Clarity by January 31 and pay a $65 application fee. New-family aid applications are due January 31, with 2026 tax documents due February 15.

Divorced, separated, or never-married parents generally file separately, and BUA considers all parents and guardians. Families reapply annually; similar aid may continue if finances remain materially stable, but renewal is not a fixed award.

Some grants also help with books, laptops, supplies, lunch, trips, and college-application fees.

Admissions

Applying for Fall 2027: steps, testing, and deadlines

The application and visit calendar opens August 25, 2026. Families must attend either a virtual information session or an in-person student-led tour between September 29 and January 15.

Required Zoom interviews run from October 7 through mid-January. The preliminary Ravenna application must be submitted before the interview.

The fee is $60 for domestic applicants and $100 for international applicants; BUA offers hardship waivers. The 45–60 minute interview begins with the student and then includes a parent or guardian.

The international section explicitly accepts applications for Grades 9, 10, and 11.

The full file is due January 15, 2027. It includes a student questionnaire, graded school essay, parent questionnaire, school report or recommendation, current English and math recommendations, and transcripts with current grades plus the prior two years.

Homeschool applicants submit a detailed academic record and weekly schedule. The SSAT is required for every applicant in the 2026–27 admission cycle.

BUA’s school code is 1761, and the school plans test administrations in October, November, December, and January. Fee waivers are available; Grade 11 applicants should also submit PSAT, SAT, or ACT scores.

An optional video is “highly encouraged” and may show music, dance, athletics, an academic interest, or a simple introduction. Admission and aid decisions release March 10, and the enrollment reply is due April 10.

How BUA students juggle university courses, advising and costs

At BUA, high-school students take Boston University courses, so ask how advising, accommodations and incidental costs work when they do.