Providence College vs Boston College

Providence College and Boston College, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Providence College, a private Catholic university, boasts a tight-knit community with a strong focus on undergraduate education. Boston College, a private Jesuit research university, offers a wider range of academic programs and a more diverse student body. With acceptance rates of 68% and 26%, respectively, Providence College is generally easier to get into, while Boston College is more selective. Providence College's popular majors include nursing, biology, and finance, while Boston College's popular majors include economics, finance, and computer science. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more key differences between these two prestigious institutions and make an informed decision about which one aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.
Boston College logo

Boston College

Providence College logo

Providence College

Overview

Location Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts Providence, Rhode Island
Campus setting City: Small City: Midsize
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 95.0% 92.0%
Common app member Yes Yes
Religious affiliation Catholic Catholic

Admission

Acceptance rate 19.0% 58.0%
Application fees
Undergraduate: $80

Graduate: $75
Undergraduate: $65

Graduate: $65
SAT range 1420 - 1530 1120 - 1330
ACT range 33 - 34 26 - 31
Students submitting SAT score 30.0% 43.0%
Students submitting ACT score 20.0% 11.0%
Total number of applicants 39,846 11,129
Total number of admissions given out 7,587 6,453
Admitted students who chose to enroll 2,516 1,040
Yield rate 33.2% 16.1%
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 $76,606 $70,948
Average net price $30,159 $39,566
Tuition $60,530 $55,040
Room & board
Room/dormitory: $9,780

Meal plan: $5,822
Room/dormitory: $9,260

Meal plan: $6,800
Available payment plans
  • Tuition payment plan
  • Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

39.0%
Average amount $48,693
83.0%
Average amount $30,997
Students receiving federal student loan 33.0%
Average amount $3,579
52.0%
Average amount $5,377
Students taking out private loans 0.0%
Average amount $2,200
10.0%
Average amount $24,146

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students 9,955
Men 47.1% Women 52.9%
4,179
Men 45.3% Women 54.7%
Graduate students 5,622
Men 42.2% Women 57.8%
492
Men 40.4% Women 59.6%
Racial/ethnic diversity
Low
Very Low
Out-of-state students N/A 89.8%
International students 12.4% 1.7%
Campus local/setting City: Small City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity 7,602 3,560
First year students are required to live on campus? No No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from N/A Mississippi New York Connecticut New Jersey Rhode Island

Academics

Popular study areas
  • Business
  • Health Professions
  • Education
  • Public Administration and Social Service
  • Legal Profession
  • Business
  • Education
  • Social Sciences
  • Biological and Biomedical Sciences
  • History
Students to faculty ratio 14:1 11:1
Institutional accreditation New England Commission on Higher Education New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome

Graduation rate 90.8% 89.0%
Dropout rate 2.5% 2.8%
Transferred out 6.4% 8.2%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)
Finance and Financial Management Services (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $90,012
  • Year 2: $117,572
  • Year 3: $142,311
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $99,514
  • Year 2: $115,060
  • Year 3: $137,599
Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees)
  • Year 1: $114,055
  • Year 2: $111,435
  • Year 3: $126,491
Law (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $89,485
  • Year 2: $93,588
  • Year 3: $114,789
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $92,426
  • Year 2: $100,439
  • Year 3: $112,343
Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $89,714
  • Year 2: $84,100
  • Year 3: $105,872
Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $74,320
  • Year 2: $75,518
  • Year 3: $94,626
Information Science/Studies (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $69,748
  • Year 2: $76,460
  • Year 3: $90,750
Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $69,899
  • Year 2: $69,937
  • Year 3: $82,416
Economics (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $64,785
  • Year 2: $69,069
  • Year 3: $77,978
Economics (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $48,405
  • Year 2: $64,791
  • Year 3: $80,089
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $63,824
  • Year 2: $65,198
  • Year 3: $79,036
Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $58,761
  • Year 2: $55,964
  • Year 3: $75,198
Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $63,900
  • Year 2: $62,260
  • Year 3: $70,359
Marketing (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $50,440
  • Year 2: $49,899
  • Year 3: $63,339
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $52,956
  • Year 2: $51,722
  • Year 3: $60,804
Health and Medical Administrative Services (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $45,573
  • Year 2: $44,943
  • Year 3: $57,894
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $45,024
  • Year 2: $45,383
  • Year 3: $55,748
History (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $22,583
  • Year 2: $39,369
  • Year 3: $53,893
Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $36,317
  • Year 2: $44,649
  • Year 3: $52,717

Compare Similar Colleges

The list of suggested college comparisons provided below is generated automatically by our system, utilizing statistics gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and various online sources. If you don't find the colleges you wish to compare, please visit our comparison page. There, you can search for the specific colleges and initiate your comparison.
Boston College Boston College vs Samuel Merritt University Samuel Merritt University
Boston College Boston College vs University of San Francisco University of San Francisco
Boston College Boston College vs Fairfield University Fairfield University
Boston College Boston College vs Sacred Heart University Sacred Heart University
Boston College Boston College vs American University American University
Boston College Boston College vs Georgetown University Georgetown University
Boston College Boston College vs University of Miami University of Miami
Boston College Boston College vs Loyola University Chicago Loyola University Chicago
Boston College Boston College vs University of Notre Dame University of Notre Dame
Boston College Boston College vs Babson College Babson College
Boston College Boston College vs Bentley University Bentley University
Boston College Boston College vs Boston University Boston University
Boston College Boston College vs Northeastern University Northeastern University
Boston College Boston College vs Saint Peter's University Saint Peter's University
Boston College Boston College vs Manhattan College Manhattan College
Boston College Boston College vs Niagara University Niagara University
Boston College Boston College vs St. John's University-New York St. John's University-New York
Boston College Boston College vs Syracuse University Syracuse University
Boston College Boston College vs University of Rhode Island University of Rhode Island
Boston College Boston College vs Salve Regina University Salve Regina University
Boston College Boston College vs Baylor University Baylor University
Providence College Providence College vs Fairfield University Fairfield University
Providence College Providence College vs Quinnipiac University Quinnipiac University
Providence College Providence College vs Sacred Heart University Sacred Heart University
Providence College Providence College vs The University of Tampa The University of Tampa
Providence College Providence College vs Bradley University Bradley University
Providence College Providence College vs Loyola University Chicago Loyola University Chicago
Providence College Providence College vs Butler University Butler University
Providence College Providence College vs Loyola University New Orleans Loyola University New Orleans
Providence College Providence College vs Loyola University Maryland Loyola University Maryland
Providence College Providence College vs Mount St. Mary's University Mount St. Mary's University
Providence College Providence College vs Anna Maria College Anna Maria College
Providence College Providence College vs Assumption University Assumption University
Providence College Providence College vs Bentley University Bentley University
Providence College Providence College vs Boston College Boston College
Providence College Providence College vs Emmanuel College Emmanuel College
Providence College Providence College vs Endicott College Endicott College
Providence College Providence College vs Lesley University Lesley University
Providence College Providence College vs Merrimack College Merrimack College
Providence College Providence College vs Springfield College Springfield College
Providence College Providence College vs Stonehill College Stonehill College
Providence College Providence College vs Hamline University Hamline University
Providence College Providence College vs Rowan University Rowan University
Providence College Providence College vs Seton Hall University Seton Hall University
Providence College Providence College vs Colgate University Colgate University
Providence College Providence College vs Iona College Iona College
Providence College Providence College vs Ithaca College Ithaca College
Providence College Providence College vs Le Moyne College Le Moyne College
Providence College Providence College vs Manhattan College Manhattan College
Providence College Providence College vs Marist College Marist College
Providence College Providence College vs St. John's University-New York St. John's University-New York
Providence College Providence College vs Elon University Elon University
Providence College Providence College vs High Point University High Point University
Providence College Providence College vs Wake Forest University Wake Forest University
Providence College Providence College vs Xavier University Xavier University
Providence College Providence College vs Bucknell University Bucknell University
Providence College Providence College vs Dickinson College Dickinson College
Providence College Providence College vs Duquesne University Duquesne University
Providence College Providence College vs Franklin and Marshall College Franklin and Marshall College
Providence College Providence College vs Gannon University Gannon University
Providence College Providence College vs Lafayette College Lafayette College
Providence College Providence College vs Muhlenberg College Muhlenberg College
Providence College Providence College vs Saint Joseph's University Saint Joseph's University
Providence College Providence College vs University of Scranton University of Scranton
Providence College Providence College vs Ursinus College Ursinus College
Providence College Providence College vs Villanova University Villanova University
Providence College Providence College vs Bryant University Bryant University
Providence College Providence College vs University of Rhode Island University of Rhode Island
Providence College Providence College vs Roger Williams University Roger Williams University
Providence College Providence College vs Salve Regina University Salve Regina University
Providence College Providence College vs University of St Thomas University of St Thomas
Providence College Providence College vs St. Mary's University St. Mary's University
Providence College Providence College vs Saint Michael's College Saint Michael's College
Providence College Providence College vs Gonzaga University Gonzaga University
Providence College Providence College vs Marquette University Marquette University