CollegeDroid logo
Login
CollegeDroid logo

Boston University (BU) vs American University

Boston University and American University, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Boston University, nestled in the heart of Boston, boasts a vibrant urban campus and a diverse student body, while American University, situated in the nation's capital, offers a more intimate learning environment with a strong focus on international relations. With acceptance rates of 21% and 35%, respectively, both universities are highly selective, attracting academically accomplished students. While Boston University excels in STEM fields, American University shines in social sciences and public affairs. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more about these universities' unique strengths, including graduation rates, student demographics, and popular majors, and make an informed decision that aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.
American University logo

American University

 		Boston University logo

Boston University

Overview

Location Washington, District of Columbia Boston, Massachusetts
Campus setting City: Large 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 90.0% 94.0%
Common app member Yes Yes
Religious affiliation Methodism

Admission

Acceptance rate 64.1% 18.6%
Application fees
Undergraduate: $75
Graduate: $61
Undergraduate: $80
Graduate: $95
SAT range 1280 - 1440 1360 - 1520
ACT range 29 - 33 31 - 34
Students submitting SAT score 28.0% 32.0%
Students submitting ACT score 18.0% 13.0%
Total number of applicants 19,650 75,778
Total number of admissions given out 12,594 14,129
Admitted students who chose to enroll 2,372 4,011
Yield rate 18.8% 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 $70,512 $79,606
Average net price $28,622 $25,852
Tuition $52,542 $58,560
Room & board
Room/dormitory: $10,096
Meal plan: $6,314
Room/dormitory: $10,990
Meal plan: $5,850
Available payment plans
  • Prepaid tuition plan
  • Tuition payment plan
  • Prepaid tuition plan
  • Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

 64.0%
Average amount $27,332 		53.0%
Average amount $50,486
Students receiving federal student loan 38.0%
Average amount $4,933 		24.0%
Average amount $4,317
Students taking out private loans 4.0%
Average amount $25,877 		5.0%
Average amount $25,248

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students 8,463
Men 37.2% Women 62.8% 		18,229
Men 42.3% Women 57.7%
Graduate students 6,389
Men 37.1% Women 62.9% 		17,875
Men 42.5% Women 57.5%
Racial/ethnic diversity
Low
Moderate
Out-of-state students N/A N/A
International students 10.6% 26.6%
Campus local/setting City: Large City: Large
Dormitory capacity 4,080 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
  • Legal Profession
  • Social Sciences
  • Public Administration and Social Service
  • Education
  • Business
  • Health Professions
  • Computer and Information Science
  • Education
  • Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Students to faculty ratio 12:1 11:1
Institutional accreditation Middle States Commission on Higher Education New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome

Graduation rate 78.7% 89.4%
Dropout rate 20.9% 10.3%
Transferred out N/A N/A
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
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

Compare Similar Colleges

The list of suggested college comparisons provided below is generated automatically by our system, utilizing statistics gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and various online sources. If you don't find the colleges you wish to compare, please visit our comparison page. There, you can search for the specific colleges and initiate your comparison.
American University American University vs University of Arizona University of Arizona
American University American University vs University of Denver University of Denver
American University American University vs Quinnipiac University Quinnipiac University
American University American University vs University of Georgia University of Georgia
American University American University vs Loyola University Chicago Loyola University Chicago
American University American University vs University of Maryland-College Park University of Maryland-College Park
American University American University vs Clark University Clark University
American University American University vs Endicott College Endicott College
American University American University vs Hampshire College Hampshire College
American University American University vs Saint Louis University Saint Louis University
American University American University vs Adelphi University Adelphi University
American University American University vs Hofstra University Hofstra University
American University American University vs The New School The New School
American University American University vs Elon University Elon University
American University American University vs University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
American University American University vs University of Dayton University of Dayton
American University American University vs Villanova University Villanova University
American University American University vs Belmont University Belmont University
American University American University vs Southern Methodist University Southern Methodist University
American University American University vs Shenandoah University Shenandoah University
American University American University vs University of Virginia-Main Campus University of Virginia-Main Campus
American University American University vs The Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University
Boston University BU vs University of California-Berkeley University of California-Berkeley
Boston University BU vs University of Denver University of Denver
Boston University BU vs University of Delaware University of Delaware
Boston University BU vs American University American University
Boston University BU vs George Washington University George Washington University
Boston University BU vs University of Miami University of Miami
Boston University BU vs Nova Southeastern University Nova Southeastern University
Boston University BU vs Emory University Emory University
Boston University BU vs Northwestern University Northwestern University
Boston University BU vs University of Notre Dame University of Notre Dame
Boston University BU vs Tulane University of Louisiana Tulane University of Louisiana
Boston University BU vs Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University
Boston University BU vs University of Maryland-College Park University of Maryland-College Park
Boston University BU vs Babson College Babson College
Boston University BU vs Bentley University Bentley University
Boston University BU vs Brandeis University Brandeis University
Boston University BU vs Clark University Clark University
Boston University BU vs Emmanuel College Emmanuel College
Boston University BU vs Endicott College Endicott College
Boston University BU vs Hampshire College Hampshire College
Boston University BU vs Harvard University Harvard University
Boston University BU vs Massachusetts Institute of Technology Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Boston University BU vs Simmons University Simmons University
Boston University BU vs Suffolk University Suffolk University
Boston University BU vs Wentworth Institute of Technology Wentworth Institute of Technology
Boston University BU vs University of Michigan-Ann Arbor University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
Boston University BU vs Washington University in St Louis Washington University in St Louis
Boston University BU vs University of New Hampshire-Main Campus University of New Hampshire-Main Campus
Boston University BU vs Fordham University Fordham University
Boston University BU vs Hofstra University Hofstra University
Boston University BU vs The New School The New School
Boston University BU vs Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Boston University BU vs St. John's University-New York St. John's University-New York
Boston University BU vs Duke University Duke University
Boston University BU vs University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Boston University BU vs University of Cincinnati-Main Campus University of Cincinnati-Main Campus
Boston University BU vs University of Rhode Island University of Rhode Island
Boston University BU vs Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University
Boston University BU vs Rice University Rice University
Boston University BU vs Southern Methodist University Southern Methodist University
Boston University BU vs George Mason University George Mason University
Boston University BU vs University of Virginia-Main Campus University of Virginia-Main Campus
Boston University BU vs Marquette University Marquette University
Boston University BU vs Stanford University Stanford University
Boston University BU vs Northeastern University Professional Programs Northeastern University Professional Programs
Boston University BU vs The Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University

Find Colleges By State

Colleges In California Colleges In Colorado Colleges In Florida Colleges In Georgia Colleges In Illinois Colleges In Massachusetts
Colleges In Missouri Colleges In Michigan Colleges In New Jersey Colleges In New York Colleges In North Carolina Colleges In Ohio
Colleges In Pennsylvania Colleges In South Carolina Colleges In Texas Colleges In Virginia View all states

Resources

High School GPA Calculator College GPA Calculator

About

About CollegeDroid Privacy Policy Contact Us
CollegeDroid logo