Columbia vs Boston University (BU)

Columbia University and Boston University, two prestigious institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences to their students. Columbia, located in the heart of New York City, boasts a lower acceptance rate and a more diverse student body, while Boston University, situated in the vibrant city of Boston, offers a wider range of undergraduate programs and a higher graduation rate. With their unique strengths and offerings, these universities cater to different student preferences and aspirations. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to delve into the details of each university's acceptance rates, popular majors, student demographics, and graduation outcomes, and make an informed decision about which institution aligns best with your academic goals and personal preferences.

	Boston University	Columbia University
Overview
Location	Boston, Massachusetts	New York, New York
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%	99.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	18.6%	4.1%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $80 Graduate: $95	Undergraduate: $85 Graduate: $120
SAT range	1360 - 1520	1470 - 1570
ACT range	31 - 34	34 - 35
Students submitting SAT score	32.0%	43.0%
Students submitting ACT score	13.0%	28.0%
Total number of applicants	75,778	61,110
Total number of admissions given out	14,129	2,524
Admitted students who chose to enroll	4,011	1,641
Yield rate	28.4%	65.0%
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	$90,882
Average net price	$25,852	$12,411
Tuition	$58,560	$60,514
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $10,990 Meal plan: $5,850	Room/dormitory: $9,450 Meal plan: $6,000
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	53.0% Average amount $57,726
Students receiving federal student loan	24.0% Average amount $4,317	7.0% Average amount $5,511
Students taking out private loans	5.0% Average amount $25,248	2.0% Average amount $34,119

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	18,229 Men 42.3% Women 57.7%	8,832 Men 50.6% Women 49.4%
Graduate students	17,875 Men 42.5% Women 57.5%	24,944 Men 44.8% Women 55.2%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	26.6%	37.0%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	11,356	13,071
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	Business Health Professions Engineering Computer and Information Science Public Administration and Social Service
Students to faculty ratio	11:1	6:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	89.4%	97.4%
Dropout rate	10.3%	1.7%
Transferred out	N/A	0.7%
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	Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $193,362 Year 2: $180,752 Year 3: $230,020 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $162,427 Year 2: $170,426 Year 3: $179,305 Management Information Systems and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $153,730 Year 2: $160,605 Year 3: $167,216 Computer Science (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $133,851 Year 2: $143,033 Year 3: $166,695 Operations Research (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $111,312 Year 2: $114,503 Year 3: $148,040 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $108,903 Year 2: $103,078 Year 3: $135,658 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $115,222 Year 2: $127,993 Year 3: $131,926 Construction Management (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $98,322 Year 2: $110,878 Year 3: $125,926 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $111,569 Year 2: $109,659 Year 3: $119,899 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $92,223 Year 2: $100,127 Year 3: $118,332

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