Boston University (BU) vs Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

Boston University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, two prominent institutions in the heart of Boston, offer distinct educational experiences. With an acceptance rate of 21%, BU welcomes a diverse student body, while MIT's highly selective admissions process results in an acceptance rate of just 7%. BU's popular majors span the humanities, social sciences, and business, while MIT excels in STEM fields, consistently ranking among the top engineering and technology schools globally. While both universities boast impressive graduation rates, MIT's slightly higher rate of 91% compared to BU's 88% reflects its rigorous academic standards. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to delve into further details and discover which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Boston University	Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Overview
Location	Boston, Massachusetts	Cambridge, Massachusetts
Campus setting	City: Large	City: Midsize
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	4-1-4
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	94.0%	99.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	18.6%	4.1%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $80 Graduate: $95	Undergraduate: $75 Graduate: $75
SAT range	1360 - 1520	N/A
ACT range	31 - 34	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	32.0%
Students submitting ACT score	13.0%
Total number of applicants	75,778	33,240
Total number of admissions given out	14,129	1,365
Admitted students who chose to enroll	4,011	1,177
Yield rate	28.4%	86.2%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Not required
Recommendation letters	Required	Required
High school transcript	Required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$79,606	$58,920
Average net price	$25,852	$30,958
Tuition	$58,560	$55,510
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $10,990 Meal plan: $5,850	Room/dormitory: $11,550 Meal plan: $6,550
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	53.0% Average amount $50,486	100.0% Average amount $32,562
Students receiving federal student loan	24.0% Average amount $4,317	6.0% Average amount $5,112
Students taking out private loans	5.0% Average amount $25,248	1.0% Average amount $17,891

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	18,229 Men 42.3% Women 57.7%	4,638 Men 51.9% Women 48.1%
Graduate students	17,875 Men 42.5% Women 57.5%	7,296 Men 62.0% Women 38.0%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	26.6%	29.2%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	11,356	6,280
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	New York California New Jersey Connecticut Pennsylvania	California Texas New York Florida New Jersey

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Health Professions Computer and Information Science Education Biological and Biomedical Sciences	Engineering Business Computer and Information Science Architecture Mathematics and Statistics
Students to faculty ratio	11:1	3:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	89.4%	96.2%
Dropout rate	10.3%	3.0%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	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	Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $144,716 Year 2: $150,045 Year 3: $183,153 Business/Commerce, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $170,089 Year 2: $165,236 Year 3: $182,183 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $118,191 Year 2: $127,993 Year 3: $163,496 Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $82,796 Year 2: $117,572 Year 3: $155,540 Systems Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $133,685 Year 2: $137,214 Year 3: $155,079 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $104,229 Year 2: $121,226 Year 3: $139,548 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $141,603 Year 2: $126,504 Year 3: $132,987 Mechanical Engineering (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $112,885 Year 3: $124,425 Mechanical Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $135,266 Year 2: $111,435 Year 3: $112,404 Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $109,955 Year 2: $104,749 Year 3: $109,672

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