Boston University (BU) vs Suffolk

Boston University and Suffolk University, both located in the heart of Boston, offer distinct educational experiences for prospective students. Boston University, a private research university, boasts a lower acceptance rate (23%) compared to Suffolk University's (75%). With a larger student body, Boston University offers a wider range of undergraduate programs, including popular majors like Business Administration, Computer Science, and Biology. Suffolk University, on the other hand, focuses on liberal arts and professional studies, with popular majors such as Criminal Justice, Psychology, and Marketing. While Boston University has a higher graduation rate (86%) than Suffolk University (78%), both universities provide ample opportunities for students to engage in research, internships, and extracurricular activities. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more key differences and make an informed decision about which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and career goals.

	Boston University	Suffolk University
Overview
Location	Boston, Massachusetts	Boston, Massachusetts
Campus setting	City: Large	City: Large
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%	78.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	18.6%	88.0%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $80 Graduate: $95	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $50
SAT range	1360 - 1520	1080 - 1280
ACT range	31 - 34	23 - 29
Students submitting SAT score	32.0%	19.0%
Students submitting ACT score	13.0%	3.0%
Total number of applicants	75,778	7,501
Total number of admissions given out	14,129	6,603
Admitted students who chose to enroll	4,011	982
Yield rate	28.4%	14.9%
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	$66,127
Average net price	$25,852	$32,393
Tuition	$58,560	$41,242
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $10,990 Meal plan: $5,850	Room/dormitory: $14,850 Meal plan: $3,646
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 $25,670
Students receiving federal student loan	24.0% Average amount $4,317	62.0% Average amount $5,337
Students taking out private loans	5.0% Average amount $25,248	18.0% Average amount $16,757

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	18,229 Men 42.3% Women 57.7%	4,227 Men 41.0% Women 59.0%
Graduate students	17,875 Men 42.5% Women 57.5%	2,420 Men 37.1% Women 62.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	26.6%	13.5%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	11,356	1,570
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	New Hampshire Connecticut Rhode Island New York California

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Health Professions Computer and Information Science Education Biological and Biomedical Sciences	Business Legal Profession Communication and Journalism Public Administration and Social Service Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	11:1	13:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	89.4%	60.3%
Dropout rate	10.3%	11.5%
Transferred out	N/A	27.7%
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	Business/Managerial Economics (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $116,870 Year 2: $97,071 Year 3: $98,105 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $77,557 Year 2: $83,388 Year 3: $91,689 Finance and Financial Management Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $90,460 Year 2: $87,973 Year 3: $90,316 Health and Medical Administrative Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $69,669 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $85,861 Taxation (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $72,980 Year 2: $74,576 Year 3: $82,759 Marketing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $69,895 Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $81,268 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $71,555 Year 2: $67,273 Year 3: $77,798 Law (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $56,355 Year 2: $59,253 Year 3: $72,153 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $49,040 Year 2: $52,941 Year 3: $67,609 Public Administration (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $63,995 Year 2: $62,260 Year 3: $65,266

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