Vanderbilt vs Boston College

Vanderbilt University and Boston College, two prestigious private research universities, offer distinct educational experiences. Vanderbilt, located in Nashville, Tennessee, boasts a lower acceptance rate (10.3%) compared to Boston College's (26.5%) in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. While both universities excel in various disciplines, Vanderbilt is renowned for its engineering, music, and business programs, while Boston College is known for its strong liberal arts, nursing, and finance programs. Explore the detailed comparison table to delve into further differences, including student body demographics, graduation rates, and more, to determine which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.
Boston College logo

Boston College

Vanderbilt University logo

Vanderbilt University

Overview

Location Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts Nashville, Tennessee
Campus setting City: Small 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 95.0% 97.0%
Common app member Yes Yes
Religious affiliation Catholic

Admission

Acceptance rate 19.0% 7.1%
Application fees
Undergraduate: $80

Graduate: $75
Undergraduate: $50

Graduate: $95
SAT range 1420 - 1530 1480 - 1570
ACT range 33 - 34 34 - 35
Students submitting SAT score 30.0% 25.0%
Students submitting ACT score 20.0% 32.0%
Total number of applicants 39,846 47,152
Total number of admissions given out 7,587 3,368
Admitted students who chose to enroll 2,516 1,626
Yield rate 33.2% 48.3%
Test scores (SAT/ACT) N/A N/A
High school GPA Required Required
Recommendation letters Required Not required
High school transcript Not required Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL) Required Required

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price $76,606 $79,538
Average net price $30,159 $27,553
Tuition $60,530 $54,840
Room & board
Room/dormitory: $9,780

Meal plan: $5,822
Room/dormitory: $12,000

Meal plan: $6,376
Available payment plans
  • Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

39.0%
Average amount $48,693
64.0%
Average amount $49,730
Students receiving federal student loan 33.0%
Average amount $3,579
10.0%
Average amount $4,979
Students taking out private loans 0.0%
Average amount $2,200
2.0%
Average amount $27,798

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students 9,955
Men 47.1% Women 52.9%
7,111
Men 48.9% Women 51.1%
Graduate students 5,622
Men 42.2% Women 57.8%
6,685
Men 39.5% Women 60.5%
Racial/ethnic diversity
Low
Moderate
Out-of-state students N/A 89.5%
International students 12.4% 11.7%
Campus local/setting City: Small City: Large
Dormitory capacity 7,602 5,598
First year students are required to live on campus? No Yes
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from N/A Tennessee California New York Florida Texas

Academics

Popular study areas
  • Business
  • Health Professions
  • Education
  • Public Administration and Social Service
  • Legal Profession
  • Health Professions
  • Education
  • Engineering
  • Business
  • Legal Profession
Students to faculty ratio 14:1 8:1
Institutional accreditation New England Commission on Higher Education Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome

Graduation rate 90.8% 93.4%
Dropout rate 2.5% 6.4%
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
Medical Clinical Sciences/Graduate Medical Studies (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $101,041
  • Year 2: $122,038
  • Year 3: $169,145
Health and Medical Administrative Services (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $129,825
  • Year 2: $130,517
  • Year 3: $144,008
Finance and Financial Management Services (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $131,102
  • Year 2: $117,572
  • Year 3: $133,025
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $128,494
  • Year 2: $127,087
  • Year 3: $132,454
Law (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $132,293
  • Year 2: $114,324
  • Year 3: $130,516
Marketing (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $108,764
  • Year 2: $111,620
  • Year 3: $121,754
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $126,876
  • Year 2: $119,805
  • Year 3: $112,193
Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees)
  • Year 1: $91,224
  • Year 2: $104,192
  • Year 3: $108,525
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $99,979
  • Year 2: $93,249
  • Year 3: $101,010
Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $76,609
  • Year 2: $80,309
  • Year 3: $95,754

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