Boston College vs American University

Boston College and American University, two esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Boston College, rooted in Jesuit tradition, boasts a lower acceptance rate and a student body with a higher percentage of White students. American University, known for its international relations and public affairs programs, has a more diverse student body and a higher acceptance rate. Both universities offer a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs, with popular majors such as Business, Economics, and Political Science. While Boston College has a slightly higher graduation rate, American University offers a more affordable tuition. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	American University	Boston College
Overview
Location	Washington, District of Columbia	Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
Campus setting	City: Large	City: Small
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	90.0%	95.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Methodism	Catholic

Admission
Acceptance rate	64.1%	19.0%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $75 Graduate: $61	Undergraduate: $80 Graduate: $75
SAT range	1280 - 1440	1420 - 1530
ACT range	29 - 33	33 - 34
Students submitting SAT score	28.0%	30.0%
Students submitting ACT score	18.0%	20.0%
Total number of applicants	19,650	39,846
Total number of admissions given out	12,594	7,587
Admitted students who chose to enroll	2,372	2,516
Yield rate	18.8%	33.2%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$70,512	$76,606
Average net price	$28,622	$30,159
Tuition	$52,542	$60,530
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $10,096 Meal plan: $6,314	Room/dormitory: $9,780 Meal plan: $5,822
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	64.0% Average amount $27,332	39.0% Average amount $48,693
Students receiving federal student loan	38.0% Average amount $4,933	33.0% Average amount $3,579
Students taking out private loans	4.0% Average amount $25,877	0.0% Average amount $2,200

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	8,463 Men 37.2% Women 62.8%	9,955 Men 47.1% Women 52.9%
Graduate students	6,389 Men 37.1% Women 62.9%	5,622 Men 42.2% Women 57.8%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	10.6%	12.4%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	4,080	7,602
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Legal Profession Social Sciences Public Administration and Social Service Education	Business Health Professions Education Public Administration and Social Service Legal Profession
Students to faculty ratio	12:1	14:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	78.7%	90.8%
Dropout rate	20.9%	2.5%
Transferred out	N/A	6.4%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Taxation (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $93,187 Year 2: $97,907 Year 3: $111,993 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $89,205 Year 2: $99,458 Year 3: $107,216 Economics (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $62,457 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $93,099 Public Administration (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $69,734 Year 2: $74,953 Year 3: $85,544 Public Policy Analysis (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $59,308 Year 2: $60,771 Year 3: $80,276 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $60,267 Year 2: $63,203 Year 3: $78,002 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $61,356 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $76,697 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $66,014 Year 3: $76,448 International Relations and National Security Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $59,460 Year 2: $63,692 Year 3: $73,342 Curriculum and Instruction (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $63,600 Year 3: $72,861	Finance and Financial Management Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $90,012 Year 2: $117,572 Year 3: $142,311 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $99,514 Year 2: $115,060 Year 3: $137,599 Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $114,055 Year 2: $111,435 Year 3: $126,491 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $89,485 Year 2: $93,588 Year 3: $114,789 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $92,426 Year 2: $100,439 Year 3: $112,343 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $89,714 Year 2: $84,100 Year 3: $105,872 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $74,320 Year 2: $75,518 Year 3: $94,626 Information Science/Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $69,748 Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $90,750 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $69,899 Year 2: $69,937 Year 3: $82,416 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,785 Year 2: $69,069 Year 3: $77,978

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Boston College vs American University

American University

Boston College

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Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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