Boston College vs Boston University (BU)

Boston College and Boston University, two prominent institutions in the heart of Boston, offer distinct educational experiences. Boston College, a private Jesuit research university, boasts a lower acceptance rate and a smaller student body, fostering a close-knit community. Boston University, a private research university, offers a wider range of academic programs, including popular majors like business, engineering, and communication. While both universities boast impressive graduation rates, Boston College has a slightly higher rate. Explore the detailed comparison table to delve into further differences, such as student demographics, tuition costs, and notable alumni, to determine which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Boston College	Boston University
Overview
Location	Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts	Boston, Massachusetts
Campus setting	City: Small	City: Large
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	95.0%	94.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Catholic

Admission
Acceptance rate	19.0%	18.6%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $80 Graduate: $75	Undergraduate: $80 Graduate: $95
SAT range	1420 - 1530	1360 - 1520
ACT range	33 - 34	31 - 34
Students submitting SAT score	30.0%	32.0%
Students submitting ACT score	20.0%	13.0%
Total number of applicants	39,846	75,778
Total number of admissions given out	7,587	14,129
Admitted students who chose to enroll	2,516	4,011
Yield rate	33.2%	28.4%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$76,606	$79,606
Average net price	$30,159	$25,852
Tuition	$60,530	$58,560
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $9,780 Meal plan: $5,822	Room/dormitory: $10,990 Meal plan: $5,850
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	39.0% Average amount $48,693	53.0% Average amount $50,486
Students receiving federal student loan	33.0% Average amount $3,579	24.0% Average amount $4,317
Students taking out private loans	0.0% Average amount $2,200	5.0% Average amount $25,248

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	9,955 Men 47.1% Women 52.9%	18,229 Men 42.3% Women 57.7%
Graduate students	5,622 Men 42.2% Women 57.8%	17,875 Men 42.5% Women 57.5%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	12.4%	26.6%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	7,602	11,356
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	New York California New Jersey Connecticut Pennsylvania

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Health Professions Education Public Administration and Social Service Legal Profession	Business Health Professions Computer and Information Science Education Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	14:1	11:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	90.8%	89.4%
Dropout rate	2.5%	10.3%
Transferred out	6.4%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	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	Dentistry (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $115,398 Year 2: $125,611 Year 3: $147,490 Computer Science (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $110,318 Year 2: $110,878 Year 3: $142,427 Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $80,155 Year 2: $106,421 Year 3: $117,665 Computer Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $92,383 Year 2: $106,421 Year 3: $115,901 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $104,027 Year 2: $106,688 Year 3: $113,743 Information Science/Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $92,380 Year 2: $102,306 Year 3: $111,308 Insurance (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $112,170 Year 2: $97,959 Year 3: $108,260 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $108,069 Year 2: $92,743 Year 3: $106,517 Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $87,263 Year 2: $96,829 Year 3: $104,284 Mechanical Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $81,137 Year 2: $83,848 Year 3: $99,636

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Boston College vs Boston University (BU)

Boston College

Boston University

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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