Boston University (BU) vs The Pennsylvania State University (PSU)

Boston University and The Pennsylvania State University, two esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Boston University, a private research university, boasts a vibrant urban campus in the heart of Boston, while Penn State, a public land-grant research university, is renowned for its sprawling campus in University Park, Pennsylvania. With acceptance rates of 21% and 54%, respectively, both universities attract a diverse student body. Boston University's student population is predominantly female (56%), while Penn State's is more evenly balanced (49% female, 51% male). Explore the comparison table below to delve into further details, including popular majors, graduation rates, and additional factors that may influence your decision in choosing the university that best aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Boston University	The Pennsylvania State University
Overview
Location	Boston, Massachusetts	University Park, Pennsylvania
Campus setting	City: Large	City: Small
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	94.0%	87.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	18.6%	92.3%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $80 Graduate: $95	Undergraduate: $65 Graduate: $65
SAT range	1360 - 1520	1140 - 1360
ACT range	31 - 34	25 - 31
Students submitting SAT score	32.0%	32.0%
Students submitting ACT score	13.0%	6.0%
Total number of applicants	75,778	96,686
Total number of admissions given out	14,129	89,207
Admitted students who chose to enroll	4,011	16,049
Yield rate	28.4%	18.0%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Not required
High school transcript	Required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$79,606	In state: $38,270 Out of state: $55,848
Average net price	$25,852	$24,012
Tuition	$58,560	In state: $18,368 Out of state: $35,946
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $10,990 Meal plan: $5,850	Room/dormitory: $7,360 Meal plan: $5,618
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	51.0% Average amount $9,884
Students receiving federal student loan	24.0% Average amount $4,317	49.0% Average amount $5,305
Students taking out private loans	5.0% Average amount $25,248	13.0% Average amount $19,837

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	18,229 Men 42.3% Women 57.7%	73,476 Men 53.7% Women 46.3%
Graduate students	17,875 Men 42.5% Women 57.5%	15,438 Men 51.7% Women 48.3%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	34.1%
International students	26.6%	10.5%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	11,356	20,547
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	Pennsylvania New Jersey New York Maryland Virginia

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Health Professions Computer and Information Science Education Biological and Biomedical Sciences	Business Engineering Computer and Information Science Health Professions Social Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	11:1	15:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	89.4%	72.3%
Dropout rate	10.3%	25.7%
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	Information Science/Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $109,295 Year 2: $120,549 Year 3: $125,527 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $99,798 Year 2: $95,930 Year 3: $120,289 Computer Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $100,190 Year 2: $97,959 Year 3: $113,544 Mining and Mineral Engineering (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $98,403 Year 3: $108,754 Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $100,372 Year 2: $100,455 Year 3: $107,874 Systems Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $96,574 Year 2: $99,291 Year 3: $104,370 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $95,304 Year 2: $97,855 Year 3: $104,056 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $92,512 Year 2: $94,864 Year 3: $103,461 Management Information Systems and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $92,632 Year 3: $98,201 Nuclear Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $89,155 Year 3: $94,780

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