Boston College vs Syracuse University

Boston College and Syracuse University, two esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Boston College, a private Jesuit research university, boasts a lower acceptance rate (26%) compared to Syracuse University's (50%). Both universities offer a diverse range of undergraduate programs, with popular majors at Boston College including Economics, Finance, and Biology, while Syracuse University excels in fields like Communications, Public Relations, and Engineering. Boston College's student body is predominantly white (63%) and Catholic (48%), while Syracuse University's student population is more diverse, with a larger international student presence. In terms of graduation rates, Boston College holds a slight edge with a 92% four-year graduation rate compared to Syracuse University's 88%. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to delve deeper into the unique characteristics of each university and determine which one aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.
Boston College logo

Boston College

Syracuse University logo

Syracuse University

Overview

Location Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts Syracuse, New York
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% 90.0%
Common app member Yes Yes
Religious affiliation Catholic

Admission

Acceptance rate 19.0% 59.2%
Application fees
Undergraduate: $80

Graduate: $75
Undergraduate: $85

Graduate: $75
SAT range 1420 - 1530 1220 - 1400
ACT range 33 - 34 27 - 32
Students submitting SAT score 30.0% 25.0%
Students submitting ACT score 20.0% 13.0%
Total number of applicants 39,846 39,682
Total number of admissions given out 7,587 23,489
Admitted students who chose to enroll 2,516 3,765
Yield rate 33.2% 16.0%
Test scores (SAT/ACT) N/A N/A
High school GPA Required Not 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 $77,896
Average net price $30,159 $43,545
Tuition $60,530 $55,920
Room & board
Room/dormitory: $9,780

Meal plan: $5,822
Room/dormitory: $9,075

Meal plan: $7,820
Available payment plans
  • Tuition payment plan
  • Prepaid tuition plan
  • Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

39.0%
Average amount $48,693
86.0%
Average amount $31,590
Students receiving federal student loan 33.0%
Average amount $3,579
37.0%
Average amount $5,350
Students taking out private loans 0.0%
Average amount $2,200
7.0%
Average amount $26,377

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students 9,955
Men 47.1% Women 52.9%
14,778
Men 45.4% Women 54.6%
Graduate students 5,622
Men 42.2% Women 57.8%
6,994
Men 48.0% Women 52.0%
Racial/ethnic diversity
Low
Low
Out-of-state students N/A 67.2%
International students 12.4% 16.9%
Campus local/setting City: Small City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity 7,602 8,291
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 Mississippi California Pennsylvania

Academics

Popular study areas
  • Business
  • Health Professions
  • Education
  • Public Administration and Social Service
  • Legal Profession
  • Business
  • Computer and Information Science
  • Engineering
  • Communication and Journalism
  • Public Administration and Social Service
Students to faculty ratio 14:1 14:1
Institutional accreditation New England Commission on Higher Education Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome

Graduation rate 90.8% 82.4%
Dropout rate 2.5% 17.0%
Transferred out 6.4% N/A
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
Information Science/Studies (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $78,789
  • Year 2: $88,195
  • Year 3: $94,942
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $98,396
  • Year 2: $77,966
  • Year 3: $88,763
Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $63,925
  • Year 2: $66,989
  • Year 3: $82,179
Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $68,264
  • Year 2: $64,087
  • Year 3: $79,186
Civil Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $60,439
  • Year 2: $66,653
  • Year 3: $79,132
Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $65,871
  • Year 2: $62,343
  • Year 3: $77,924
Business/Managerial Economics (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $62,674
  • Year 3: $77,843
Information Science/Studies (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $60,673
  • Year 2: $67,101
  • Year 3: $76,227
Law (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $59,689
  • Year 2: $56,776
  • Year 3: $74,295
Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $64,229
  • Year 2: $61,303
  • Year 3: $73,883

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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.
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