The UMass Boston acceptance rate is 83.78% for the 2024-25 admissions cycle. UMass Boston received 21,262 applications, admitted 17,813 students and enrolled 2,187 of them.
The figure that tells you more about the university than the acceptance rate is the yield: only 12.28% of admitted students actually enrolled. Nearly nine in ten people who get in choose somewhere else. That is not a quality signal, it is a structural one, and understanding why explains the single biggest practical problem with going here, which is where you are going to live.
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UMass Boston Acceptance Rate at a Glance
| Metric | 2024-25 cycle |
| Acceptance rate | 83.78% |
| Applicants | 21,262 |
| Admitted | 17,813 |
| Enrolled | 2,187 |
| Yield rate | 12.28% |
| Median SAT | 1190 |
| SAT, 25th to 75th percentile | 1070 to 1290 |
| Median ACT | 26 |
| ACT, 25th to 75th percentile | 22 to 29 |
Source data was last updated in December 2024 and applies to the 2024-25 admissions cycle. Confirm the current cycle on UMass Boston's own admissions pages before relying on these numbers.
Why the Yield Is So Low
A 12.28% yield means UMass Boston functions as a backup option for most of the people it admits. Three reasons, and they are worth understanding because they affect your experience if you do enrol.
It competes in the densest higher education market in the country. Massachusetts has 148 colleges and universities. A student admitted to UMass Boston is often also admitted to UMass Amherst, a private with a strong aid package, or a community college with a transfer pathway.
It is historically a commuter campus. UMass Boston was built to serve working and local students, many of whom live at home. That shapes campus life, and it shapes the housing supply around it, covered below.
The high acceptance rate attracts volume applications. At nearly 84%, students apply as insurance, which inflates the denominator without increasing commitment.
None of this makes it a weak choice. Access is the point of the institution, and for a student who needs an affordable Boston degree it does a job no selective private will do. But go in understanding what the community looks like.
What GPA and Test Scores Do You Need for UMass Boston?
A median SAT of 1190 and an ACT of 26 sit close to national averages, and the 25th percentile at 1070 SAT tells you the door is genuinely open. At an 83.78% acceptance rate, meeting the basic academic requirements is usually enough.
That makes UMass Boston a sensible safety school for students whose reach list includes Boston University at 12.8% or Northeastern at around 5.6%. A balanced Massachusetts list needs something in this band, and our guide to colleges in Massachusetts shows the full spread.
Is UMass Boston Hard to Get Into?
No. At 83.78% it is among the more accessible four-year institutions in Massachusetts. If your grades and scores are near the national average and you meet the course requirements, you have a strong chance.
The difficulty at UMass Boston is not admission. It is affording and finding somewhere to live in Boston on a public university budget, which is a harder problem than the application.
What UMass Boston Costs
As a public university, UMass Boston charges materially less to Massachusetts residents than to out-of-state students, which is the opposite of the Boston privates where residency makes no difference. Statewide 2024-25 averages were $27,152 in-state and $31,232 out-of-state across all institutions, though those are all-institution figures rather than UMass Boston's own.
Flagged for editorial review. Confirm the current year's tuition, fees and total cost of attendance on UMass Boston's own bursar and financial aid pages. Public rates are set annually and often confirmed late in the cycle.
Where UMass Boston Students Live
This is the section that matters most, and it is where a high acceptance rate stops being the useful number.
UMass Boston sits on the Columbia Point peninsula in Dorchester, on the JFK/UMass Red Line stop. As a historically commuter campus it has far less university housing than its enrolment would suggest, so most students either live at home or find something in the private Boston market. That market does not discount for public university students.
| Option | Typical monthly cost per person |
| Room in a shared apartment, Dorchester and nearby | Generally below the Fenway level; check current listings |
| Room in a shared apartment, Allston or Brighton | $1,100 to $1,500 |
| Room in a shared apartment, Mission Hill or Roxbury | $1,300 to $1,700 |
| Room in a shared apartment, Fenway or Kenmore | $1,800 and up |
| Studio of your own | $2,800 to $3,000 |
Three things to plan around.
The Red Line is your deciding factor. Because the campus is on a single line, a cheaper room several stops out on the Red Line is often a better deal than a pricier one nominally closer as the crow flies. Map the journey before you commit to a neighbourhood.
The September 1 cycle applies to you too. Boston's rental market turns over almost entirely on one date, with listings appearing from January. Public university students are on the same timetable as everyone else, competing with BU and Northeastern students for the same apartments.
Upfront costs are the real barrier. Massachusetts landlords typically ask first month, last month and a security deposit of up to one month, and a broker fee is common. On a $1,300 room that is roughly $5,200 before you get keys. For a student choosing UMass Boston partly on cost, this is the number that catches people out, and it arrives months before your first tuition bill.
Acolyte Living lists verified options across Boston. If you are weighing living at home against renting, our comparison of college dorms versus off-campus housing covers the trade-offs, and how to book on-campus housing at US universities explains the university route.
Before you sign anything private, use our apartment tour checklist, and if you have no US credit history read renting without a credit history in the USA first.
Who UMass Boston Suits
A strong fit if you are a Massachusetts resident who wants an affordable Boston degree, you can live at home or already have housing in the city, you are transferring from a community college, or you want a public university option in a market dominated by expensive privates.
Think carefully if you are coming from out of state or abroad and need to find housing from scratch, want a traditional residential campus experience, or are choosing it primarily on cost without having priced the Boston rental market first. The tuition saving can disappear into rent.
A serious alternative worth pricing. If cost is the driver, compare UMass Boston against a Massachusetts community college with a transfer pathway into the UMass system. See the best community colleges in the US.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the UMass Boston acceptance rate?
UMass Boston's acceptance rate is 83.78% for the 2024-25 cycle, from 21,262 applicants and 17,813 admissions.
Is UMass Boston hard to get into?
No. At nearly 84% it is one of the more accessible four-year institutions in Massachusetts. Students near national average scores who meet course requirements have a strong chance.
What SAT score do you need for UMass Boston?
The median SAT is 1190, with a 25th to 75th percentile range of 1070 to 1290. The median ACT is 26, with a range of 22 to 29.
Why is UMass Boston's yield rate so low?
Only 12.28% of admitted students enrol, because it competes in a state with 148 institutions, is historically a commuter campus, and attracts a high volume of insurance applications.
Is UMass Boston a commuter school?
Historically yes. It was built to serve local and working students, and it has less university housing than its enrolment would suggest, so many students commute or rent privately.
How much is housing near UMass Boston?
It depends on the neighbourhood and the Red Line. Rooms in shared apartments across Boston run from about $1,100 in Allston and Brighton to $1,800 and up in Fenway. Upfront costs typically add four months of payments.
Is UMass Boston cheaper than Boston University?
On tuition, substantially, especially for Massachusetts residents. On housing, no, because both sets of students compete in the same Boston rental market.
What is the difference between UMass Boston and UMass Amherst?
Amherst is the residential flagship in a college town with a 60% acceptance rate and much cheaper housing. Boston is an urban, historically commuter campus with a far higher acceptance rate and Boston-level rent.
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The Bottom Line
The UMass Boston acceptance rate of 83.78% means getting in is rarely the hard part. The hard part is housing: a historically commuter campus in one of the most expensive rental markets in the United States, on the same September 1 lease cycle as every private university student in the city. If you are choosing UMass Boston on cost, price the rent and the four months of upfront payments before you decide, because that is where the tuition saving either holds up or disappears.