Boston University (BU) vs Nova Southeastern University (NSU)

Boston University and Nova Southeastern University, two esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Boston University, nestled in the heart of Boston, boasts a lower acceptance rate, indicating its highly selective admissions process. In contrast, Nova Southeastern University, located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, offers a more open admissions policy. While Boston University's student body is predominantly undergraduate, Nova Southeastern University has a larger graduate student population. Both universities offer a diverse range of popular majors, including business, nursing, and psychology, catering to students with varied academic interests. To help you make an informed decision about your educational journey, we present a comprehensive comparison of these two universities, delving into their acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, graduation rates, and more. Explore the table below to discover which university aligns best with your aspirations and goals.

	Boston University	Nova Southeastern University
Overview
Location	Boston, Massachusetts	Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Campus setting	City: Large	Suburb: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Trimester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	94.0%	78.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	18.6%	92.5%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $80 Graduate: $95	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $50
SAT range	1360 - 1520	1040 - 1310
ACT range	31 - 34	20 - 30
Students submitting SAT score	32.0%	42.0%
Students submitting ACT score	13.0%	17.0%
Total number of applicants	75,778	11,749
Total number of admissions given out	14,129	10,868
Admitted students who chose to enroll	4,011	1,672
Yield rate	28.4%	15.4%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	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	$57,175
Average net price	$25,852	$26,530
Tuition	$58,560	$33,510
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $10,990 Meal plan: $5,850	Room/dormitory: $10,944 Meal plan: $3,190
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	53.0% Average amount $50,486	100.0% Average amount $23,747
Students receiving federal student loan	24.0% Average amount $4,317	45.0% Average amount $5,272
Students taking out private loans	5.0% Average amount $25,248	7.0% Average amount $14,731

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	18,229 Men 42.3% Women 57.7%	6,637 Men 27.8% Women 72.2%
Graduate students	17,875 Men 42.5% Women 57.5%	14,261 Men 27.8% Women 72.2%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	26.6%	3.8%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	11,356	2,049
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	Health Professions Education Business Psychology Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	11:1	17:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	89.4%	60.5%
Dropout rate	10.3%	5.4%
Transferred out	N/A	33.3%
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	Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: $122,573 Year 2: $176,775 Year 3: $195,076 Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $166,493 Year 2: $166,905 Year 3: $169,931 Information Science/Studies (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $117,731 Year 2: $122,038 Year 3: $129,964 Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $89,302 Year 2: $112,701 Year 3: $117,811 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $92,664 Year 2: $114,892 Year 3: $116,799 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $101,520 Year 2: $100,224 Year 3: $110,420 Dentistry (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $98,409 Year 2: $104,935 Year 3: $109,861 Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $91,905 Year 2: $92,040 Year 3: $100,946 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $89,562 Year 2: $87,235 Year 3: $96,127 Optometry (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $91,752 Year 2: $88,588 Year 3: $94,659

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