Boston University
Boston, Massachusetts · Also known as BU|Boston U · Website
$83,238
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$83,238
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Boston University is a private nonprofit 4-year college in Boston, Massachusetts with 18,248 undergraduates and 18,932 graduate students. Its average net price after grants is $24,402 a year (tuition and fees $68,102). It admits 11% of applicants and 89% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $83,238 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $23,250 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$24,402
US median $17,138
Tuition and fees
$68,102
US median $11,837
Admission rate
11%
US median 78%
Completion rate
89%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$23,250
About $246 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$83,238
Rank 154 of 5,094 in the US
Cost
What a year costs: posted prices and the average after grants
Net price by family income
Average yearly cost after grants, for students who get aid
- Net price
- $24,402
- Tuition and fees
- $68,102
- Cost of attendance
- $86,285
- Students with a need-based grant
- 19%
- Students with federal loans
- 23%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $9,500
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $9,342
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $11,778
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $22,517
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $47,504
Net price is what students who get aid pay on average after grants.
Tuition and net price by year
School years 2015-16 to 2024-25. The year on the chart is the year the school year starts.
Yearly cost
Tuition and fees went from $48,436 in 2015-16 to $68,102 in 2024-25.
Admission, completion and retention
Share of applicants admitted, of students who finish and of first-year students who come back
Admission and students
- Admission rate
- 11%
- Average SAT
- 1,480
- SAT reading, middle
- 700
- SAT math, middle
- 740
- ACT, middle
- 33
- Undergraduates
- 18,248
- Graduate students
- 18,932
- Part-time students
- 1.1%
- Women
- 58%
- Students per teacher
- 10
- Completion rate
- 89%
- Retention rate
- 95%
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Programs
- 314
- Endowment
- $3.5B
Earnings and debt
Compared with the medians of the colleges of its state, of colleges of the same kind and of all US colleges
Median earnings 10 years after starting rank 154 of 5,094 US colleges and 17 of 106 in Massachusetts (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | MA median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $24,402 | $24,402 | $22,320 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $68,102 | $34,256 | $31,170 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | 11% | 71% | 74% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 89% | 69% | 57% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 95% | 79% | 77% | 75% |
| Median debt | $23,250 | $21,882 | $24,287 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $65,655 | $46,320 | $44,392 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $83,238 | $53,104 | $52,928 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US private nonprofit 4-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 82% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 84% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
314 fields of study and credentials, with graduates, debt and earnings
| Field of study | Graduates | Median debt | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | US median 4 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsMaster's | Master's | 1,198 | $47,962 | $110,558 | $147,178 | $103,485 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 672 | $23,196 | $71,545 | $108,412 | $68,257 |
| Public HealthMaster's | Master's | 375 | $62,334 | $68,423 | $88,820 | $82,751 |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative MethodsMaster's | Master's | 370 | $36,916 | $89,942 | $118,168 | $124,807 |
| Social WorkMaster's | Master's | 321 | $53,395 | $57,991 | $72,136 | $65,123 |
| EconomicsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 307 | $24,224 | $55,733 | $96,723 | $82,686 |
| Computer ScienceBachelor's | Bachelor's | 305 | $23,125 | $90,050 | $136,667 | $107,009 |
| Psychology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 305 | $23,250 | $39,175 | $63,838 | $50,706 |
| Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied CommunicationBachelor's | Bachelor's | 297 | - | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Finance and Financial Management ServicesMaster's | Master's | 277 | Withheld | $93,057 | $117,293 | $110,694 |
| Information Science/StudiesMaster's | Master's | 257 | $31,165 | $104,702 | $136,425 | $112,705 |
| LawProfessional | Professional | 245 | $117,740 | $139,986 | $194,750 | $107,773 |
| Computer ScienceMaster's | Master's | 227 | Withheld | $144,484 | $153,937 | $145,571 |
| Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population BiologyMaster's | Master's | 221 | $59,608 | $70,479 | $96,565 | $82,527 |
| Legal Research and Advanced Professional StudiesMaster's | Master's | 214 | $61,150 | $113,679 | $156,087 | $101,000 |
| Radio, Television, and Digital CommunicationBachelor's | Bachelor's | 195 | $22,167 | $37,225 | $55,804 | $50,497 |
| DentistryProfessional | Professional | 193 | $310,944 | $111,866 | $180,633 | $170,812 |
| Biological and Biomedical Sciences, OtherMaster's | Master's | 191 | $67,568 | $38,610 | $87,544 | $77,545 |
| International Relations and National Security StudiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 189 | $23,394 | $45,870 | $66,661 | $66,596 |
| Data ProcessingMaster's | Master's | 175 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| MarketingMaster's | Master's | 169 | Withheld | $61,136 | $103,316 | $79,106 |
| Rehabilitation and Therapeutic ProfessionsDoctoral | Doctoral | 163 | $61,375 | $76,682 | $86,687 | $82,893 |
| Political Science and GovernmentBachelor's | Bachelor's | 162 | $23,250 | $45,021 | $66,373 | $63,293 |
| EconomicsMaster's | Master's | 155 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $100,743 |
| Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 155 | $25,889 | $42,894 | $78,431 | $61,296 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of Boston and Massachusetts on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in Massachusetts
- Homes: Homes for sale in Massachusetts
Questions and answers
How much does Boston University cost?
$24,402 a year is the average net price at Boston University after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $68,102, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $86,285. Families earning under $30,000 pay $9,500 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Boston University?
11% of applicants are admitted to Boston University. The average SAT score of admitted students is 1,480 and the middle ACT score is 33. The median admission rate of colleges in Massachusetts is 71%.
How much do Boston University graduates earn?
$83,238 a year is the median pay of former Boston University students who work, 10 years after they started ($65,655 after 6 years). That ranks 154 of 5,094 US colleges and 17 of 106 in Massachusetts. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Insurance (Master's) at $144,715.
How much student debt do Boston University graduates have?
$23,250 is the median federal student loan debt of Boston University graduates, about $246 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 23% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Boston University?
89% of first-time, full-time students at Boston University finish within 6 years. 95% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of private nonprofit 4-year colleges is 57%.
What are the most popular majors at Boston University?
Business Administration, Management and Operations (1,198 master's graduates), Business Administration, Management and Operations (672 bachelor's graduates), Public Health (375 master's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 314 programs.
Official public data, June 2026 release. Net price is for first-time, full-time students who get aid. Completion counts first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of the normal time. Debt and earnings are medians of students who received federal student aid, measured a few years after they left, in the dollars of the year measured; earnings count former students who work and are not enrolled, including those who did not finish.