Northeastern vs American University

Northeastern University and American University, both located in vibrant urban settings, offer distinct educational experiences. Northeastern boasts a higher acceptance rate (32%) compared to American University's (25%), making it slightly easier to gain admission. While Northeastern excels in STEM fields, with popular majors like Computer Science and Engineering, American University shines in the social sciences, with International Studies and Political Science among its top programs. Northeastern's student body is more diverse, with a higher percentage of international students, while American University has a slightly larger undergraduate population. Both universities boast impressive graduation rates, with Northeastern's at 88% and American University's at 86%. 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 personal preferences.

	American University	Northeastern University
Overview
Location	Washington, District of Columbia	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	90.0%	97.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Methodism

Admission
Acceptance rate	64.1%	18.4%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $75 Graduate: $61	Undergraduate: $75 Graduate: $75
SAT range	1280 - 1440	1430 - 1550
ACT range	29 - 33	33 - 35
Students submitting SAT score	28.0%	28.0%
Students submitting ACT score	18.0%	14.0%
Total number of applicants	19,650	75,244
Total number of admissions given out	12,594	13,829
Admitted students who chose to enroll	2,372	4,504
Yield rate	18.8%	32.6%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$70,512	$78,202
Average net price	$28,622	$38,927
Tuition	$52,542	$56,500
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $10,096 Meal plan: $6,314	Room/dormitory: $9,900 Meal plan: $7,910
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	64.0% Average amount $27,332	80.0% Average amount $36,308
Students receiving federal student loan	38.0% Average amount $4,933	44.0% Average amount $5,154
Students taking out private loans	4.0% Average amount $25,877	5.0% Average amount $28,495

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	8,463 Men 37.2% Women 62.8%	15,747 Men 45.9% Women 54.1%
Graduate students	6,389 Men 37.1% Women 62.9%	12,420 Men 52.1% Women 47.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	10.6%	34.0%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	4,080	10,481
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	New York New Jersey Connecticut California Texas

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Legal Profession Social Sciences Public Administration and Social Service Education	Engineering Computer and Information Science Health Professions Business Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	12:1	15:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	78.7%	90.6%
Dropout rate	20.9%	5.1%
Transferred out	N/A	3.8%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Taxation (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $93,187 Year 2: $97,907 Year 3: $111,993 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $89,205 Year 2: $99,458 Year 3: $107,216 Economics (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $62,457 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $93,099 Public Administration (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $69,734 Year 2: $74,953 Year 3: $85,544 Public Policy Analysis (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $59,308 Year 2: $60,771 Year 3: $80,276 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $60,267 Year 2: $63,203 Year 3: $78,002 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $61,356 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $76,697 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $66,014 Year 3: $76,448 International Relations and National Security Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $59,460 Year 2: $63,692 Year 3: $73,342 Curriculum and Instruction (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $63,600 Year 3: $72,861	Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $77,157 Year 2: $102,123 Year 3: $124,358 Taxation (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $103,863 Year 2: $100,518 Year 3: $122,957 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $113,631 Year 2: $110,878 Year 3: $121,357 Business/Commerce, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $105,065 Year 2: $101,072 Year 3: $110,392 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $95,288 Year 2: $89,413 Year 3: $108,000 Information Science/Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $86,867 Year 3: $104,196 Finance and Financial Management Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $100,801 Year 2: $89,415 Year 3: $103,529 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $98,777 Year 2: $86,867 Year 3: $102,904 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $88,529 Year 2: $89,564 Year 3: $99,566 Biotechnology (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $79,825 Year 2: $80,556 Year 3: $98,428

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