Private nonprofit · Community college

Boston Architectural College

Boston, Massachusetts · Large city

#4 for grad earnings in Massachusetts
16%
Transfer rate
$25,865
Avg net price
32%
Grad / completion
$62,123
Median earnings

Boston Architectural College is a private nonprofit certificate-granting institution in Boston, Massachusetts (large city setting), enrolling 280 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). Admission is open to all applicants.

Private nonprofitSmall · 280 undergradsLarge cityCold wintersSnowyNear the coast

About Boston, Massachusetts

Boston is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Massachusetts. In 1630, settlers led by John Winthrop arrived, and found Shawmut Peninsula nearly empty of Native people. Most had died of European diseases borne by earlier settlers and traders. Boston shares many cultural roots with greater New England, including a dialect of the non-rhotic Eastern New England accent known as the Boston accent and a regional cuisine with a large emphasis on seafood, salt, and dairy products. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Large city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
2 miles to Boston, MA
To the ocean
2 miles
Nearest airport
4 miles to Boston Logan (BOS) · major hub

How Boston Architectural College compares

Graduation rate32%

Higher than 15% · #36 of 52 in Massachusetts

First-year retention75%

Higher than 55%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$62,123

Higher than 97% · #4 of 34 in Massachusetts

Average net price$25,865

Cheaper than 16% · #39 cheapest of 52 in Massachusetts

Median debt at graduation$37,250

Lower than 1%

Student–faculty ratio9 : 1

Lower than 86%

Undergraduate enrollment280

Larger than 52%

Percentiles compare Boston Architectural College with the nation's 3,519 two-year and certificate schools, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count two-year and certificate schools in Massachusetts.

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

813students
  • Undergraduate28034%
  • Graduate53366%

Undergraduates by gender

280undergrads
  • Women12043%
  • Men16057%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White35%
  • Black7.5%
  • Hispanic24%
  • Asian7.5%
  • Other or multiracial25%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
280
Graduate enrollment
533
Student–faculty ratio
9 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
29%
First-generation students
Students over 25
52%
Median family income
$24,033
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$64,143
Endowment
$11,098,252

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Cost

In-state tuition
$27,470
Room & board
Books & supplies
$1,200
Total cost of attendance
$40,343
Average net price
$25,865

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years)
32%
Graduated on time (4 years)
5%
First-year retention
75%
Transferred to another college
16%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$58,619
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$62,123
Median debt at graduation
$37,250
Students with federal loans
45%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
46%

About 26% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
No
Application fee
$50

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Campus safety

Safety grade
A
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.0 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
0
Property offenses (2022–2024)
0

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (853 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$24,056
$30–48k
$14,348
$48–75k
$30,097
$75–110k
$34,343
$110k+

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$158,014

$30,097/year × about 5.3 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

52%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$7,374
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 52% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $7,374. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 21 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$62,123
Typical debt at graduation
$37,250
Debt vs. one year's pay
60%
Out-earn a HS grad
72%

Typical debt would take roughly 6.0 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

Campus climate

Summer high
85°F
Winter low
19°F
Annual rain
49.4″
Annual snow
49.2″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.55.1JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Jamaica Plain, MA US station (3.7 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to Boston Architectural College

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Boston Architectural College side by side →

Colleges near Boston Architectural College

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.