Boston University (BU) vs Marquette

Boston University and Marquette University, two esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences to their students. Boston University, a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts, boasts a diverse student body and a wide range of academic programs, with popular majors in business, engineering, and health sciences. Marquette University, a private Jesuit research university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is known for its strong liberal arts and sciences curriculum, with popular majors in business, nursing, and education. While both universities offer excellent academic opportunities, they differ in acceptance rates, student body demographics, and graduation rates. Explore the comparison table below to discover which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.
Boston University logo

Boston University

Marquette University logo

Marquette University

Overview

Location Boston, Massachusetts Milwaukee, Wisconsin
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 94.0% 89.0%
Common app member Yes Yes
Religious affiliation Catholic

Admission

Acceptance rate 18.6% 86.3%
Application fees
Undergraduate: $80

Graduate: $95
$50
SAT range 1360 - 1520 1180 - 1360
ACT range 31 - 34 25 - 30
Students submitting SAT score 32.0% 13.0%
Students submitting ACT score 13.0% 37.0%
Total number of applicants 75,778 16,270
Total number of admissions given out 14,129 14,034
Admitted students who chose to enroll 4,011 1,657
Yield rate 28.4% 11.8%
Test scores (SAT/ACT) N/A N/A
High school GPA Required Required
Recommendation letters Required Not required
High school transcript Required Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL) Required Not required

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price $79,606 $65,562
Average net price $25,852 $33,566
Tuition $58,560 $44,970
Room & board
Room/dormitory: $10,990

Meal plan: $5,850
Room/dormitory: $9,280

Meal plan: $4,860
Available payment plans
  • Prepaid tuition plan
  • Tuition payment plan
  • Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

53.0%
Average amount $50,486
100.0%
Average amount $28,052
Students receiving federal student loan 24.0%
Average amount $4,317
45.0%
Average amount $5,497
Students taking out private loans 5.0%
Average amount $25,248
9.0%
Average amount $19,168

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students 18,229
Men 42.3% Women 57.7%
7,660
Men 43.7% Women 56.3%
Graduate students 17,875
Men 42.5% Women 57.5%
3,660
Men 39.1% Women 60.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity
Moderate
Low
Out-of-state students N/A N/A
International students 26.6% 3.3%
Campus local/setting City: Large City: Large
Dormitory capacity 11,356 5,295
First year students are required to live on campus? No No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from New York California New Jersey Connecticut Pennsylvania N/A

Academics

Popular study areas
  • Business
  • Health Professions
  • Computer and Information Science
  • Education
  • Biological and Biomedical Sciences
  • Health Professions
  • Business
  • Biological and Biomedical Sciences
  • Engineering
  • Legal Profession
Students to faculty ratio 11:1 13:1
Institutional accreditation New England Commission on Higher Education Higher Learning Commission

Outcome

Graduation rate 89.4% 81.4%
Dropout rate 10.3% 18.3%
Transferred out N/A N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)
Dentistry (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $115,398
  • Year 2: $125,611
  • Year 3: $147,490
Computer Science (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $110,318
  • Year 2: $110,878
  • Year 3: $142,427
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $80,155
  • Year 2: $106,421
  • Year 3: $117,665
Computer Engineering (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $92,383
  • Year 2: $106,421
  • Year 3: $115,901
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $104,027
  • Year 2: $106,688
  • Year 3: $113,743
Information Science/Studies (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $92,380
  • Year 2: $102,306
  • Year 3: $111,308
Insurance (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $112,170
  • Year 2: $97,959
  • Year 3: $108,260
Law (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $108,069
  • Year 2: $92,743
  • Year 3: $106,517
Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $87,263
  • Year 2: $96,829
  • Year 3: $104,284
Mechanical Engineering (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $81,137
  • Year 2: $83,848
  • Year 3: $99,636
Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services, Other (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $163,702
  • Year 3: $192,167
Dentistry (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $133,430
  • Year 2: $130,858
  • Year 3: $154,075
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $105,083
  • Year 3: $117,488
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $98,808
  • Year 2: $105,529
  • Year 3: $110,957
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $95,780
  • Year 2: $98,506
  • Year 3: $104,475
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $77,371
  • Year 2: $88,803
  • Year 3: $96,511
Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Doctoral Degrees)
  • Year 1: $65,252
  • Year 2: $87,309
  • Year 3: $95,662
Construction Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $73,949
  • Year 3: $85,078
Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $73,686
  • Year 2: $73,446
  • Year 3: $77,783
Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $57,717
  • Year 2: $63,115
  • Year 3: $75,024

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