What Is the BU RISE Acceptance Rate? 2026 Data + How to Get In
TL;DR: BU calls RISE highly competitive and selective: about 190 students attended in 2025, chosen from thousands of applicants, and BU publishes no acceptance rate. The program runs six weeks each summer in two tracks, a lab-based Internship and a course-based Practicum in computational neurobiology or data science. Applications for summer 2027 open December 17, 2026 and close February 3, 2027. The Lumiere Individual Research Program is another strong route into real research: one-on-one with a PhD mentor, on your own question, in any season.
If you are a high schooler hoping to spend a summer at BU, this guide is for you. BU does not publish a BU RISE acceptance rate, and this guide covers what BU does publish, checked against its live pages in September 2026. RISE also tells you what it looks for, so you will find everything you need below to put together a strong application.
What is BU RISE?
The Research in Science & Engineering (RISE) program is Boston University's six-week summer research program for high school students entering their senior year. You spend the summer on BU's Boston campus doing real research: either inside a university laboratory on the Internship track or in a structured computational research course on the Practicum track. Both tracks end at the same Poster Symposium, where you present your work.
RISE runs residential or commuter: most students live in the dormitory, and commuting from home is allowed. It is a noncredit program, so you finish with a certificate of completion rather than college credit, and Practicum students also receive a letter of evaluation from their instructor. BU has run RISE for 45 years, and its alumni include scientists, researchers, and professors.
How hard is it to get into BU RISE?
BU's own answer is that RISE is very hard to get into. The closest thing to a public number is scale: BU says about 190 students attended RISE in 2025, and it expects a similar group each summer, drawn from thousands of applicants. BU does not publish application or offer counts, so any exact percentage you see quoted online is invented.
What BU does publish is a profile of the competitive applicant. Its how-to-apply page says the most competitive applicants hold a cumulative, unweighted GPA in the A- to A range, alongside rigorous courses, strong essays, one recommendation, and optional test scores (RISE is test-optional).
Selectivity also works differently by track. Internship applicants who pass the first review enter a matching phase, and you receive an offer only if a BU faculty member agrees to host you. BU warns that the odds vary by field: popular subjects with few available labs are the hardest. Even a strong application can end with no offer if no mentor match exists, and unmatched applicants can join a waitlist or be considered for another BU Summer Term program.
BU RISE Internship vs Practicum: which track fits you?
Dimension | Internship | Practicum |
Research setting | A mentor's university laboratory | A supervised group research course |
Fields | Astronomy, biology, biomedical engineering, chemistry, computer science, engineering, neuroscience, physics, psychology, public health, and more | Computational neurobiology or data science (the 2026 options) |
Weekly rhythm | 40 hours of lab research, plus one workshop day each week | Two-hour lecture each morning, four hours of group research each afternoon, plus weekly biotech or pharma visits |
Who runs it | Faculty, postdoctoral fellows, and graduate students design your project | A BU instructor teaches a set syllabus whose research outcome is not fixed in advance |
How admission works | Pass initial review, then a faculty member must agree to host you | Offers go to first-choice Practicum applicants, plus a small number of second-choice applicants |
Equipment | Laptop or tablet strongly encouraged | Laptop required (Chromebooks cannot run the software) |
The finish | Present your research at the Poster Symposium | Present your project at the same Poster Symposium |
Choose the Internship if you want the real texture of lab life and can name professors whose work excites you. Choose the Practicum if you prefer structure, clear instruction, and a cohort working through the same project: apply to the one that matches how you like to work, because the essays will ask you to explain the fit. If you are still narrowing down a topic or a mentor, the mentor-fit guide walks through how to choose a research mentor and subject area that fits you.
Who can apply to BU RISE, and when are the deadlines?
For the most recent cycle, applicants had to be entering their senior year of high school and be US citizens or legal permanent residents; international students are not eligible. BU says full details for summer 2027 post on December 17, 2026, and its timeline page already lists the key dates:
Application window: opens December 17, 2026, and applications and recommendations are both due February 3, 2027 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern.
Materials: a transcript from 9th grade onward with your latest fall grades, three essays, one recommendation, and optional SAT, ACT, PSAT, or PreACT scores. RISE is test-optional.
Fees: a $75 nonrefundable application fee, then a $1,000 nonrefundable deposit due within one week if you accept an offer.
Cost (2026 figures): $6,415 for commuters and $10,735 for residential students, covering tuition, housing, dining, and fees. Summer 2027 rates post December 17.
Financial aid: limited and need-based. Request it inside the application and include the required documents by the application deadline.
The decision: expect a response roughly six to eight weeks after the deadline, and track your status in the Applicant Portal.
The BU RISE essays: how to stand out
The most recent application asked for three short essays, and Internship applicants wrote a fourth piece. The word caps are tight, so every sentence needs a job:
Subject of interest (300 words): build around one question that has stayed with you, and show what you have already done about it - reading, coursework, a project, even an attempt that failed. If your question grew out of research you have already done, this guide on how to write about research in your application shows how to describe it without overstating.
Academic achievements (250 words): pick evidence of how you learn, not a second transcript. One or two specific moments beat a list of honors.
Why RISE (200 words): connect your question to what RISE specifically offers, a lab or a structured course, and what you will bring to it.
Internship faculty match (250 words): name three BU faculty and tie each one's research to your interests. BU warns that placement in a listed lab is not guaranteed, so show range.
Your one recommendation matters as much as the essays. BU requires a STEM teacher, guidance counselor, or research supervisor who has known you for at least six months; tutors, coaches, and course-prep facilitators do not count. The form is mostly multiple-choice with one open field, so choose someone who will use that field well, and send the request the day you get access to the application.
Is BU RISE worth it?
If you want a full summer inside university research, yes. Six weeks, up to forty hours a week in a lab or a structured research course, a poster presentation, and a cohort of equally serious students is a real experience, not a resume sticker. The 45-year alumni legacy and a college workshop with BU's admissions office add to it.
Be clear-eyed about what RISE is not. It is not college credit, and no program can promise a college-admissions payoff. It is a significant cost: $6,415 to $10,735 in 2026 before spending money, with limited need-based aid that is not guaranteed. And it is domestic-only, for students just finishing junior year.
Worth it comes down to fit. If you can afford it or win aid, want structured on-campus research, and sit near the A- to A bar BU describes, RISE is one of the strongest summer options in the country. A mentored research project of your own builds the same skills on your own schedule and budget.
Build research experience alongside BU RISE
BU RISE is one strong route into research, and most serious students build on more than one. It takes a couple hundred students from thousands of applicants, and its Internship track depends on a lab having room, so many applicants pair it with other work: a school or community lab, another summer program, or a mentored project of their own.
Mentored research also stands on its own as a path into real work. The Lumiere Individual Research Program pairs you one-on-one with a PhD mentor to design and complete your own research project, remotely and year-round, across STEM and the humanities. Many students run both tracks at once: apply to RISE for the summer, and build a project of their own alongside it. The research timing guide shows how to finish before application deadlines.
FAQs
What is the BU RISE acceptance rate?
BU does not publish one. It says about 190 students attended in 2025, chosen from thousands of applicants. Any site quoting an exact percentage is guessing.
Is the Internship harder to get into than the Practicum?
Different, not officially ranked. Internship admission requires a faculty host after a matching phase, and BU says the odds vary by field. Practicum offers go mainly to first-choice applicants.
Can international students apply to RISE?
No. The current FAQ limits RISE to US citizens and legal permanent residents.
Does RISE give college credit?
No. It is noncredit: you receive a certificate of completion, and Practicum students also get a letter of evaluation from their instructor.
If I reach the Internship matching phase, am I in?
No. You receive an offer only if a faculty member agrees to host you. Unmatched applicants can stay on a waitlist or be considered for another BU Summer Term program.
How much does BU RISE cost?
In 2026, $6,415 for commuters and $10,735 for residential students, plus a $75 application fee; 2027 rates post on December 17. Limited need-based aid is available, and admission decisions are made without regard to aid requests.
Can I do research alongside BU RISE?
The Lumiere Individual Research Program pairs you one-on-one with a PhD mentor on your own project and your own question, remotely and year-round. RISE gives you a structured campus summer; Lumiere gives you a mentored project you can start in any season, and many students do both.