Boston University (BU) vs Berkeley

Boston University and University of California-Berkeley, two prestigious 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. UC Berkeley, a public research university, is renowned for its strong academic reputation, with popular majors in engineering, computer science, and economics. While both universities offer excellent opportunities for students, they differ in acceptance rates, student body demographics, and graduation rates. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to discover which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Boston University	University of California-Berkeley
Overview
Location	Boston, Massachusetts	Berkeley, California
Campus setting	City: Large	City: Midsize
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%	96.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	18.6%	14.4%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $80 Graduate: $95	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $120
SAT range	1360 - 1520	N/A
ACT range	31 - 34	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	32.0%
Students submitting ACT score	13.0%
Total number of applicants	75,778	112,843
Total number of admissions given out	14,129	16,295
Admitted students who chose to enroll	4,011	6,931
Yield rate	28.4%	42.5%
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: $37,920 Out of state: $67,674
Average net price	$25,852	$17,652
Tuition	$58,560	In state: $11,442 Out of state: $41,196
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $10,990 Meal plan: $5,850	$20,236
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	52.0% Average amount $21,406
Students receiving federal student loan	24.0% Average amount $4,317	15.0% Average amount $4,586
Students taking out private loans	5.0% Average amount $25,248	6.0% Average amount $7,122

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	18,229 Men 42.3% Women 57.7%	31,814 Men 45.4% Women 54.6%
Graduate students	17,875 Men 42.5% Women 57.5%	13,222 Men 51.7% Women 48.3%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	16.9%
International students	26.6%	18.0%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	11,356	9,630
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	California New Jersey Texas Virginia New York

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Health Professions Computer and Information Science Education Biological and Biomedical Sciences	Engineering Business Computer and Information Science Legal Profession Health Professions
Students to faculty ratio	11:1	20:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	89.4%	92.8%
Dropout rate	10.3%	6.3%
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	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $171,936 Year 3: $191,597 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $122,038 Year 3: $167,052 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $125,250 Year 2: $125,388 Year 3: $161,399 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $126,367 Year 2: $128,868 Year 3: $160,666 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $160,390 Year 2: $142,470 Year 3: $143,984 Information Science/Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $119,358 Year 3: $143,516 Chemistry (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $107,442 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $112,973 Optometry (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $74,750 Year 2: $91,363 Year 3: $104,601 Mechanical Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $95,600 Year 2: $85,760 Year 3: $103,738 Applied Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $71,282 Year 2: $65,387 Year 3: $102,543

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