Boston University Data & Information Overview
Get the facts about Boston University. Learn how it ranks, what majors it offers, how diverse it is, and much more. Want to dig deeper into a particular stat? Just click on its tile and you'll be taked to a more in-depth page on the figure. In addition, you can use the links below to quickly jump to any section on this page.- Rankings
- Admission and Acceptance
- Faculty
- Retention and Graduation Rates
- Diversity
- Cost
- Student Debt
- Average Earnings
- Location
- Majors
- Online Learning
- Related Schools
How Well Is Boston University Ranked?
2022 Rankings
In its yearly rankings, College Factual analyzes over 2,000 colleges and universities to determine which ones are the best in a variety of categories, such as overall value, quality, diversity, which schools are the best for each major, and much more.
Boston University was awarded 948 badges in the 2022 rankings. The highest ranked major at the school is directing and theatrical production.
Overall Quality
According to College Factual's 2022 analysis, Boston U is ranked #67 out of 2,576 schools in the nation that were analyzed for overall quality. This lands it a coveted spot in the top 5% of all colleges and universities in the country.
Boston U is also ranked #12 out of 72 schools in Massachusetts.
See all of the rankings for Boston University.
Is It Hard to Get Into Boston U?
Acceptance Rate
With an acceptance rate of 25%, Boston U is one of the most selective schools in the country. Good grades and high test scores alone may not be enough to get you into the school, so do your best to submit a stellar application.
Average Test Scores
About 63% of students accepted to Boston U submitted their SAT scores. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing scores ranged between 640 and 720. Math scores were between 660 and 760.
Learn more about Boston University admissions.
Boston University Faculty
Student to Faculty Ratio
At Boston U, the student to faculty ratio is an excellent 10 to 1. That's much better than the national average of 15 to 1. This indicates that many classes will probably be small, and students will have ample opportunites to work closely with their professors and classmates.
Percent of Full-Time Faculty
When estimating how much access students will have to their teachers, some people like to look at what percentage of faculty members are full time. This is because part-time teachers may not have as much time to spend on campus as their full-time counterparts.
The full-time faculty percentage at Boston University is 71%. This is higher than the national average of 47%.
Retention and Graduation Rates at Boston University
Freshmen Retention Rate
Boston University has a freshmen retention rate of 94%. That's a good sign that full-time students like the school and their professors enough to want to stick around for another year. It's also a sign that the admissions team did a good job in choosing applicants who were a good fit for the school.
Graduation Rate
The on-time graduation rate for someone pursuing a bachelor's degree is typically four years. This rate at Boston U for first-time, full-time students is 80%, which is better than the national average of 33.3%.
Find out more about the retention and graduation rates at Boston University.
Boston University Undergraduate Student Diversity
During the 2017-2018 academic year, there were 17,983 undergraduates at Boston U with 16,978 being full-time and 1,005 being part-time.
How Much Does Boston University Cost?
The overall average net price of Boston U is $30,259. The affordability of the school largely depends on your financial need since net price varies by income group. See the table below for the net price for different income groups.Net Price by Income Group for Boston U
| $0-30 K | $30K-48K | $48-75 | $75-110K | $110K + |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $12,903 | $13,256 | $20,231 | $31,075 | $48,048 |
The net price is calculated by adding tuition, room, board and other costs and subtracting financial aid.Note that the net price is typically less than the published for a school. For more information on the sticker price of Boston U, see our tuition and fees and room and board pages.
Student Loan Debt
While almost two-thirds of students nationwide take out loans to pay for college, the percentage may be quite different for the school you plan on attending. At Boston U, approximately 32% of students took out student loans averaging $11,099 a year. That adds up to $44,396 over four years for those students.
The student loan default rate at Boston U is 1.4%. This is significantly lower than the national default rate of 10.1%, which is a good sign that you'll be able to pay back your student loans.
Get more details about paying for Boston University.
How Much Money Do Boston U Graduates Make?
The pay for some majors is higher than others, but on average, students who graduate with a bachelor's degree from Boston U make about $65,300 a year during their first few years of employment after graduation. That's great news for Boston U students since it is 64% more than the average college graduate's salary of $39,802 per year.
See which majors at Boston University make the most money.
Location of Boston University
Boston University is a private not-for-profit institution situated in Boston, Massachusetts. The surrounding area of the school is a good match for students who enjoy city life.Get more details about the location of Boston University.
Contact details for Boston U are given below.
| Contact Details | |
|---|---|
| Address: | One Silber Way, Boston, MA 02215 |
| Phone: | 617-353-2000 |
| Website: | www.bu.edu/ |
| Facebook: | https://www.facebook.com/BostonUniversity |
| Twitter: | https://twitter.com/BU_Tweets |
Boston University Majors
During the most recent year for which we have data, students from 122 majors graduated from Boston University. Of these students, 4,825 received undergraduate degrees and 7,020 graduated with a master's or doctor's degree. The following table lists the most popular undergraduate majors along with the average salary graduates from those majors make.| Most Popular Majors | Bachelor’s Degrees | Average Salary of Graduates |
|---|---|---|
| Business Administration & Management | 691 | $56,300 |
| Communication & Media Studies | 428 | $42,900 |
| Economics | 300 | $50,000 |
| General Psychology | 264 | $33,700 |
| Computer Science | 232 | $78,200 |
| International Relations & National Security | 220 | $36,200 |
| Radio, Television & Digital Communication | 196 | $32,000 |
| Health Sciences & Services | 181 | $35,700 |
| Mechanical Engineering | 160 | $66,900 |
| Biomedical Engineering | 143 | $55,300 |
Online Learning at Boston U
Online courses area a great option for busy, working students as well as for those who have scheduling conflicts and want to study on their own time. As time goes by, expect to see more and more online learning options become available.
In 2018-2019, 3,205 students took at least one online class at Boston University. This is a decrease from the 3,464 students who took online classes the previous year.
| Year | Took at Least One Online Class | Took All Classes Online |
|---|---|---|
| 2018-2019 | 3,205 | 2,309 |
| 2017-2018 | 3,464 | 2,534 |
| 2016-2017 | 3,026 | 2,639 |
| 2015-2016 | 2,994 | 2,658 |
| 2013-2014 | 2,530 | 2,354 |
Learn more about online learning at Boston University.
Find Out More About Boston University
Related Schools
If you’re considering Boston University, here are some more schools you may be interested in knowing more about.
Curious on how these schools stack up against Boston U? Pit them head to head with College Combat, our free interactive tool that lets you compare college on the features that matter most to you!
Notes and References
Footnotes
*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.
References
- National Center for Education Statistics
- College Scorecard
- Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System
- Image Credit: By Cmcnicoll at English Wikipedia under License
More about our data sources and methodologies.
College Factual provides higher-education, college and university, degree, program, career, salary, and other helpful information to students, faculty, institutions, and other internet audiences. Presented information and data are subject to change. Inclusion on this website does not imply or represent a direct relationship with the company, school, or brand. Information, though believed correct at time of publication, may not be correct, and no warranty is provided. Contact the schools to verify any information before relying on it. Financial aid may be available for those who qualify. The displayed options may include sponsored or recommended results, not necessarily based on your preferences.
© College Factual – All Rights Reserved.
