Columbia vs Brandeis

Columbia University and Brandeis University, two esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Columbia, nestled in the heart of New York City, boasts a lower acceptance rate, a more diverse student body, and a wider range of academic programs, including highly ranked programs in business, law, and medicine. Brandeis, situated in the vibrant Boston area, offers a more intimate learning environment, with a higher acceptance rate and smaller class sizes. Both universities excel in research and offer ample opportunities for undergraduate research and engagement. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to delve into further details about these two exceptional universities and make an informed decision that aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Brandeis University	Columbia University
Overview
Location	Waltham, Massachusetts	New York, New York
Campus setting	City: Small	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	91.0%	99.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	39.1%	4.1%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $80 Graduate: $75	Undergraduate: $85 Graduate: $120
SAT range	1370 - 1530	1470 - 1570
ACT range	31 - 34	34 - 35
Students submitting SAT score	40.0%	43.0%
Students submitting ACT score	17.0%	28.0%
Total number of applicants	9,796	61,110
Total number of admissions given out	3,834	2,524
Admitted students who chose to enroll	943	1,641
Yield rate	24.6%	65.0%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	Not required
Recommendation letters	Required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$75,006	$90,882
Average net price	$35,147	$12,411
Tuition	$59,408	$60,514
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $9,380 Meal plan: $7,070	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)	83.0% Average amount $29,119	53.0% Average amount $57,726
Students receiving federal student loan	26.0% Average amount $3,948	7.0% Average amount $5,511
Students taking out private loans	3.0% Average amount $22,397	2.0% Average amount $34,119

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	3,591 Men 40.5% Women 59.5%	8,832 Men 50.6% Women 49.4%
Graduate students	1,967 Men 43.5% Women 56.5%	24,944 Men 44.8% Women 55.2%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	25.4%	37.0%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	2,950	13,071
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Mississippi New York New Jersey California Connecticut	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Social Sciences Business Biological and Biomedical Sciences Mathematics and Statistics Computer and Information Science	Business Health Professions Engineering Computer and Information Science Public Administration and Social Service
Students to faculty ratio	10:1	6:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	87.5%	97.4%
Dropout rate	4.5%	1.7%
Transferred out	7.2%	0.7%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $84,340 Year 2: $80,309 Year 3: $101,400 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $66,678 Year 2: $72,214 Year 3: $85,160 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $55,105 Year 2: $66,401 Year 3: $70,790 Economics (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $50,731 Year 2: $55,840 Year 3: $64,826 Business/Commerce, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,010 Year 2: $54,192 Year 3: $63,166 Public Policy Analysis (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $46,126 Year 2: $55,286 Year 3: $59,597 Anthropology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $32,925 Year 3: $49,902 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,983 Year 2: $44,356 Year 3: $49,523 History (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,142 Year 2: $37,208 Year 3: $47,023 Sociology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,477 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $46,669	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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Brandeis

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