Boston University (BU) vs RPI Troy

Boston University and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, two esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Boston University, a private research university, boasts a diverse student body and a wide range of academic programs, with popular majors in business, engineering, and health sciences. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, a private research university with a focus on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), offers a smaller student body and a more intimate learning environment, with popular majors in engineering, computer science, and management. While both universities offer excellent academic opportunities, 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 academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Boston University	Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Overview
Location	Boston, Massachusetts	Troy, New York
Campus setting	City: Large	City: Small
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	94.0%	89.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	18.6%	53.0%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $80 Graduate: $95	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $75
SAT range	1360 - 1520	1360 - 1520
ACT range	31 - 34	32 - 34
Students submitting SAT score	32.0%	43.0%
Students submitting ACT score	13.0%	15.0%
Total number of applicants	75,778	17,498
Total number of admissions given out	14,129	9,277
Admitted students who chose to enroll	4,011	1,322
Yield rate	28.4%	14.3%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Required
High school transcript	Required	Required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$79,606	$77,763
Average net price	$25,852	$40,070
Tuition	$58,560	$57,100
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $10,990 Meal plan: $5,850	Room/dormitory: $9,119 Meal plan: $7,260
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	97.0% Average amount $35,754
Students receiving federal student loan	24.0% Average amount $4,317	52.0% Average amount $5,116
Students taking out private loans	5.0% Average amount $25,248	10.0% Average amount $24,172

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	18,229 Men 42.3% Women 57.7%	5,614 Men 69.0% Women 31.0%
Graduate students	17,875 Men 42.5% Women 57.5%	1,160 Men 69.1% Women 30.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	26.6%	19.5%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	11,356	3,930
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	Yes
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	Engineering Computer and Information Science Business Mathematics and Statistics Physical Science
Students to faculty ratio	11:1	13:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	89.4%	84.2%
Dropout rate	10.3%	14.9%
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	Computer Science (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $112,746 Year 2: $119,061 Year 3: $127,865 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $83,880 Year 2: $92,277 Year 3: $111,450 Computer Engineering Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $76,042 Year 2: $88,933 Year 3: $99,954 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $71,265 Year 2: $87,973 Year 3: $94,503 Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $71,333 Year 2: $79,284 Year 3: $93,665 Applied Mathematics (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $81,333 Year 3: $90,716 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $72,826 Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $88,913 Mechanical Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $80,471 Year 2: $81,702 Year 3: $85,953 Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,066 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $84,973 Industrial Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $65,458 Year 2: $77,213 Year 3: $84,039

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