Boston University
 | |
| Latin: Universitas Bostoniensis[1] | |
Former names | Newbury Biblical Institute (1838–1847) Methodist General Biblical Institute (1847–1867) Boston Theological Seminary (1867–1869) Boston Theological Institute (1869–1871) |
|---|---|
| Motto | "Learning, Virtue, Piety"[2] |
| Type | Private research university |
| Established | April 24, 1839[3][4] |
| Accreditation | NECHE |
Religious affiliation | Nonsectarian, but historically affiliated with the United Methodist Church[5][6][7] |
Academic affiliations | |
| Endowment | $4.045 billion (2025)[8] |
| President | Melissa L. Gilliam[9] |
| Provost | Colin Duckett[10] |
| Faculty | 3,412 full-time, 1,122 part-time |
| Students | 38,093 (fall 2025)[11] |
| Undergraduates | 18,253 (fall 2025) |
| Postgraduates | 18,341 (fall 2025) |
| Location | , Massachusetts , United States 42°20′56″N 71°06′01″W / 42.34889°N 71.10028°W |
| Campus |
|
| Other campuses | |
| Newspaper | The Daily Free Press |
| Colors | Scarlet and white [12] |
| Nickname | Terriers |
Sporting affiliations | |
| Mascot | Rhett the Boston Terrier |
| Website | bu.edu |
 | |
 | |
Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. BU was founded in 1839 by a group of Boston Methodists with its original campus in Newbury, Vermont. It was chartered in Boston in 1869. The university is a member of the Association of American Universities and the Boston Consortium for Higher Education.[13][14]
The university has nearly 38,000 students and more than 4,000 faculty members[15] and is one of Boston's largest employers.[16] It offers bachelor's degrees, master's degrees, doctorates, and medical, dental, business, and law degrees through 17 schools and colleges on three urban campuses.[17] BU athletic teams compete in the Patriot League and Hockey East conferences, and their mascot is Rhett the Boston Terrier. The Boston University Terriers compete in NCAA Division I.
The university is nonsectarian, though it retains its historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church.[5][6][7] The main campus is situated along the Charles River in Boston's Fenway–Kenmore and Allston neighborhoods, while the Boston University Medical Campus is located in Boston's South End neighborhood. The Fenway campus houses the Wheelock College of Education and Human Development, formerly Wheelock College, which merged with BU in 2018.[18] The university is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity".[19]
History
[edit]Boston University traces its roots to the establishment of the "Newbury Biblical Institute" in Newbury, Vermont, in 1839,[20] and was chartered with the name "Boston University" by the Massachusetts Legislature when it moved there in 1869. The university organized formal centennial observances both in 1939 and 1969.[21] One or the other, or both dates, may appear on various official seals used by different schools of the university.
In Vermont and New Hampshire
[edit]On April 24–25, 1839, a group of Methodist ministers and laymen at the Old Bromfield Street Church in Boston elected to establish a Methodist theological school. Set up in Newbury, Vermont, the school was named the "Newbury Biblical Institute".
In 1847, the Congregational Society in Concord, New Hampshire, invited the institute to relocate to Concord and offered a disused Congregational church building with a capacity of 1200 people. Other citizens of Concord covered the remodeling costs. One stipulation of the invitation was that the Institute remain in Concord for at least 20 years. The charter issued by New Hampshire designated the school the "Methodist General Biblical Institute", but it was commonly called the "Concord Biblical Institute".[22]
In Beacon Hill
[edit]With the agreed twenty years coming to a close, the trustees of the Concord Biblical Institute purchased 30 acres (120,000 m2) on Aspinwall Hill in Brookline, Massachusetts, as a possible relocation site. The institute moved in 1867 to 23 Pinkney Street in the Beacon Hill neighborhood of Boston, and received a Massachusetts Charter as the "Boston Theological Seminary".
In 1869, three trustees of the "Boston Theological Institute" obtained from the Massachusetts Legislature a charter for a university by the name of "Boston University".[23] These trustees were successful Boston businessmen and Methodist laymen with a history of involvement in educational enterprises, and they became the founders of Boston University. They were Isaac Rich (1801–1872), Lee Claflin (1791–1871), and Jacob Sleeper (1802–1889), for whom Boston University's three West Campus dormitories were later named. Lee Claflin's son, William, was then Governor of Massachusetts and signed the University Charter on May 26, 1869, after it was passed by the Legislature.
As reported by Kathleen Kilgore in her book Transformations, A History of Boston University (see Further reading), the founders directed the inclusion in the Charter of the following provision, unusual for its time:
- No instructor in said University shall ever be required by the Trustees to profess any particular religious opinions as a test of office, and no student shall be refused admission ... on account of the religious opinions he may entertain; provided, nonetheless, that this section shall not apply to the theological department of said University.[24]
Every department of the new university was also open to all on an equal footing regardless of sex, race, or (with the exception of the School of Theology) religion.
Boston Theological Institute was absorbed into Boston University in 1871 as the BU School of Theology.[25]