Boston University (BU) vs NorthWestern

Boston University and Northwestern University, two prestigious private research universities located in vibrant urban settings, offer distinct educational experiences. Boston University, situated in the heart of Boston, boasts a larger student body and a more diverse range of undergraduate programs, with popular majors spanning the humanities, social sciences, and STEM fields. Northwestern University, nestled in the charming suburb of Evanston, Illinois, is known for its strong academic reputation, particularly in engineering, business, and journalism. While both universities share a commitment to academic excellence and offer a vibrant campus life, their acceptance rates, student demographics, and graduation rates vary, making it essential for prospective students to delve into the comparison table to find the institution that best aligns with their aspirations and goals.

	Boston University	Northwestern University
Overview
Location	Boston, Massachusetts	Evanston, Illinois
Campus setting	City: Large	City: Small
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Quarter
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	94.0%	99.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	18.6%	7.0%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $80 Graduate: $95	Undergraduate: $75 Graduate: $95
SAT range	1360 - 1520	1470 - 1570
ACT range	31 - 34	34 - 35
Students submitting SAT score	32.0%	43.0%
Students submitting ACT score	13.0%	39.0%
Total number of applicants	75,778	47,636
Total number of admissions given out	14,129	3,321
Admitted students who chose to enroll	4,011	2,086
Yield rate	28.4%	62.8%
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	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$79,606	$83,838
Average net price	$25,852	$29,999
Tuition	$58,560	$60,276
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $10,990 Meal plan: $5,850	Room/dormitory: $11,271 Meal plan: $6,993
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	57.0% Average amount $51,087
Students receiving federal student loan	24.0% Average amount $4,317	23.0% Average amount $4,625
Students taking out private loans	5.0% Average amount $25,248	2.0% Average amount $38,595

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	18,229 Men 42.3% Women 57.7%	8,847 Men 46.1% Women 53.9%
Graduate students	17,875 Men 42.5% Women 57.5%	14,562 Men 47.3% Women 52.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	26.6%	17.8%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	11,356	4,409
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	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Health Professions Computer and Information Science Education Biological and Biomedical Sciences	Business Communication and Journalism Engineering Health Professions Legal Profession
Students to faculty ratio	11:1	6:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	89.4%	95.2%
Dropout rate	10.3%	4.2%
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	Medical Clinical Sciences/Graduate Medical Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $150,242 Year 2: $188,472 Year 3: $221,242 Business/Commerce, General (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $188,472 Year 3: $216,176 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $187,194 Year 2: $170,971 Year 3: $206,288 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $120,709 Year 2: $189,565 Year 3: $194,961 Business/Commerce, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $162,478 Year 2: $163,561 Year 3: $177,652 Engineering-Related Fields (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $111,200 Year 2: $157,779 Year 3: $159,304 Engineering, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $140,321 Year 2: $141,586 Year 3: $154,556 Medical Illustration and Informatics (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $88,288 Year 2: $118,465 Year 3: $132,325 Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $118,780 Year 2: $111,323 Year 3: $130,124 Community Organization and Advocacy (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $115,760 Year 2: $113,668 Year 3: $128,046

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Boston University (BU) vs NorthWestern

Boston University

Northwestern University

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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