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College Ledger

Statement · Boston, MA

Boston University

Private nonprofit4-year · Bachelor's degreesCompare with other schools →

  1. Families earning under $30k paid $9,500 a year after grants and aid, against a published cost of $86,285.

  2. Students who received federal aid earned a median $83,238 ten years after entering, the 93rd percentile among private nonprofit 4-years.

  3. 89% of students finish within 150% of normal time.

Founded
1869
Enrollment, 2023
45,548
Website
bu.edu
Campus of Boston University

Fletcher6 · CC BY-SA 3.0

AboutPrivate university in Boston, Massachusetts, US. Wikipedia ↗

Read the Wikipedia extract

Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. BU was founded in 1839 by a group of Boston Methodists with its original campus in Newbury, Vermont. It was chartered in Boston in 1869. The university is a member of the Association of American Universities and the Boston Consortium for Higher Education.

From the Wikipedia article “Boston University”, revision 1362077536, used under CC BY-SA 4.0.

What it costs

The published sticker cost is $86,285 a year; after grants, families who received aid paid between $9,342 and $47,504 a year depending on income at Boston University.

Statement of cost · Boston University

Family income (per year)
Sticker costPublished yearly cost of attendance, all students
$86,285
What families earning under $30k paidYearly net price after grants, for students receiving federal aid
$9,500
Average net price, all incomesAided students, all family incomes
$24,402
In-state tuition & feesLatest reported, 2024
$68,102

Each figure is reported separately; none is computed from another.

Net price by family income

Pick an income bracket above; the marked point follows. Dollars are what aided families paid each year after grants.

Yearly net price by family income, in dollars

under $30k: $9,500; $30–48k: $9,342; $48–75k: $11,778; $75–110k: $22,517; over $110k: $47,504. Shaded band: middle half of private nonprofit 4-years, from $17,360 to $28,210; dotted line at the median, $22,313.
  • Shaded: the middle half of private nonprofit 4-years (all incomes), $17,360 to $28,210. Dotted line: the median, $22,313.
Table of the same numbers
Average yearly net price by family income bracket
Family incomePaid per year
Under $30k$9,500
$30k–$48k$9,342
$48k–$75k$11,778
$75k–$110k$22,517
Over $110k$47,504

College Scorecard, 2023–24 aid cohort (students who received federal aid)

What graduates earn and owe

Ten years after entry, the median federally aided student here earns $83,238; the median graduate who borrowed owes $23,250.

Statement, continued

Earnings, 6 years after entryFederally aided (Title IV) students only. Median.
$65,655
Earnings, 8 years after entryFederally aided (Title IV) students only. Median.
$73,661
Median earnings 10 years after entryFederally aided (Title IV) students only. Median.
93rd percentile among private nonprofit 4-years
$83,238
Median debt, graduatesStudents who finished and borrowed federal loans.
41st percentile among private nonprofit 4-years
$23,250
Median debt, all who borrowedEveryone who borrowed, whether or not they finished.
$21,500

Earnings and debt come from federal aid records, so students who never received federal aid are not counted.

Earnings after entry

The shaded band is the middle half of private nonprofit 4-years at 10 years: $43,845 to $62,830.

6 yrs after entry: $65,655; 8 yrs after entry: $73,661; 10 yrs after entry: $83,238. Median graduate debt: $23,250. Shaded band: middle half of private nonprofit 4-years at 10 years, from $43,845 to $62,830; dotted line at the median, $52,889.
  • Shaded: middle half of private nonprofit 4-years, 10 years out ($43,845 to $62,830); dotted line is the median.
  • Dashed: median graduate debt, $23,250.

Earnings cover federally aided (Title IV) students only. Hollow marks are rungs with no reported value, not zero.

Table of the same numbers
Earnings after entry and graduate debt
MeasureDollars
Median earnings, 6 yrs after entry$65,655
Median earnings, 8 yrs after entry$73,661
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry$83,238
Median graduate debt$23,250

College Scorecard, federal tax and aid records

What programs pay

Median earnings five years after completing, by field of study. Small programs are privacy-suppressed and shown as not reported, never zero.

What programs pay at Boston University
ProgramCredentialGraduatesEarnings, 5 yrsMedian debt
Business Administration, Management and OperationsMaster's Degree1,198$147,297not reported
Business Administration, Management and OperationsBachelor's Degree672$102,943$25,000
Public HealthMaster's Degree375$81,182not reported
Management Sciences and Quantitative MethodsMaster's Degree370$137,068not reported
Social WorkMaster's Degree321$71,160not reported
EconomicsBachelor's Degree307$88,959$24,500
Computer ScienceBachelor's Degree305$137,182$23,250
Psychology, GeneralBachelor's Degree305$60,374$26,000
Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied CommunicationBachelor's Degree297not reportednot reported
Finance and Financial Management ServicesMaster's Degree277$114,832not reported
Information Science/StudiesMaster's Degree257$137,506not reported
LawFirst Professional Degree245$155,312not reported
Show all 25 programs
Remaining programs
ProgramCredentialGraduatesEarnings, 5 yrsMedian debt
Computer ScienceMaster's Degree227$177,092not reported
Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population BiologyMaster's Degree221$87,937not reported
Legal Research and Advanced Professional StudiesMaster's Degree214$139,643not reported
Radio, Television, and Digital CommunicationBachelor's Degree195$58,649$23,750
DentistryFirst Professional Degree193$162,482not reported
Biological and Biomedical Sciences, OtherMaster's Degree191$67,428not reported
International Relations and National Security StudiesBachelor's Degree189$74,117$25,000
Data ProcessingMaster's Degree175not reportednot reported
Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral SciencesGraduate/Professional Certificate61not reportednot reported
InsuranceMaster's Degree16$129,588not reported
Health and Medical Administrative ServicesMaster's Degree89$98,124not reported
Computer Software and Media ApplicationsMaster's Degree102not reportednot reported
Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences, OtherMaster's Degree25not reportednot reported

Source: College Scorecard field-of-study data.

Who goes here

Boston University: 18,248 undergraduates; 19% of students receive Pell grants; 11% of applicants are admitted.

Admission rate

11%

3rd percentile among private nonprofit 4-years

Undergraduates

18,248

99th percentile among private nonprofit 4-years

Pell share

19%

of undergraduates receive Pell grants

19th percentile among private nonprofit 4-years

Completion

89%

finish within 150% of normal time

93rd percentile among private nonprofit 4-years

First-generation

17%

parents did not attend college

Median family income

$81,244

89th percentile among private nonprofit 4-years

Students by family income

Share of students in each family-income bracket, for students who received federal aid.

  • Under $30k19%
  • $30k–$48k11%
  • $48k–$75k14%
  • $75k–$110knot reported
  • Over $110knot reported
Show as a table
Students by family income
Family incomeShare of students
Under $30k19%
$30k–$48k11%
$48k–$75k14%
$75k–$110knot reported
Over $110knot reported

Who Wikipedia remembers

Wikidata records 4,943 people who studied at Boston University, most often in science & academia (43%). That is the archive's memory, not a census.

What the recorded alumni are remembered for

Share of recorded people by field, in a fixed order so schools compare.

Fields of the people the archive recorded for this school, in a fixed order: science & academia 43% (2,115 people); medicine 1.3% (66 people); law 3.2% (158 people); politics & gov 6.8% (339 people); business 4.3% (213 people); engineering & tech 1.8% (88 people); writing & journalism 11% (535 people); film & stage 6.4% (316 people); music 3.3% (162 people); visual arts 2.7% (136 people); sports 15% (725 people); religion 1.5% (73 people); military 0.9% (46 people). These are shares of people recorded in Wikidata, the archive's memory, not a census of alumni.
Table of the same numbers
Fields of the people the archive recorded for this school (the archive's memory, not a census)
FieldPeople recordedShare
science & academia2,11542.5%
medicine661.3%
law1583.2%
politics & gov3396.8%
business2134.3%
engineering & tech881.8%
writing & journalism53510.8%
film & stage3166.4%
music1623.3%
visual arts1362.7%
sports72514.6%
religion731.5%
military460.9%

Source: Wikidata, via the archive's memory (not a census).

most recorded occupationsresearcher (1,415) · basketball player (464) · university teacher (333) · politician (288) · writer (266) · journalist (178) · ice hockey player (163) · actor (160)

Women among recorded alumni, by birth decade

Counts reflect who the archive records, not a census.

Share of women among recorded alumni, from 27% for the 1840s to 37% for the 2000s. Decades with fewer than 5 recorded people are not drawn, and 2 decades are marked not reported for women. The line breaks at every decade not drawn.

Counts only people the archive records with a gender. Hollow marks are decades with no women reported or fewer than 5 recorded, not zero.

Table of the same numbers
Recorded alumni by birth decade
BornWomenMenShare women
1810snot reported1not reported
1830snot reported3not reported
1840s3827%
1850s113226%
1860s52417%
1870s41818%
1880s32013%
1890s173433%
1900s246128%
1910s126516%
1920s2411517%
1930s5515127%
1940s10020733%
1950s9523229%
1960s9123028%
1970s9815239%
1980s5713030%
1990s647945%
2000s284837%

Source: Wikidata, via the archive's memory (not a census).

Wikipedia attention, by month

Wikipedia attention

monthly views

Monthly Wikipedia article views from 2015-07 to 2026-06; peak 63,440 in 2019-01.
Table of the same numbers
Wikipedia article views by month
MonthViews
2026-0623,351
2026-0529,268
2026-0424,404
2026-0328,077
2026-0226,984
2026-0125,788
2025-1224,527
2025-1127,780
2025-1030,613
2025-0930,628
2025-0828,622
2025-0726,298
2025-0629,622
2025-0537,439
2025-0434,695
2025-0344,759
2025-0232,162
2025-0134,219
2024-1233,491
2024-1135,640
2024-1034,419
2024-0935,778
2024-0836,969
2024-0730,453
2024-0627,764
2024-0534,442
2024-0435,710
2024-0340,425
2024-0234,866
2024-0146,656
2023-1238,027
2023-1132,646
2023-1036,539
2023-0937,907
2023-0839,358
2023-0735,767
2023-0632,778
2023-0538,021
2023-0439,973
2023-0343,070
2023-0236,694
2023-0140,766
2022-1236,863
2022-1141,062
2022-1041,196
2022-0938,007
2022-0837,796
2022-0733,927
2022-0632,922
2022-0535,719
2022-0438,624
2022-0337,964
2022-0236,318
2022-0143,661
2021-1238,397
2021-1135,480
2021-1038,843
2021-0940,716
2021-0839,890
2021-0738,927
2021-0627,890
2021-0533,242
2021-0436,782
2021-0337,352
2021-0234,691
2021-0151,822
2020-1243,584
2020-1159,047
2020-1051,488
2020-0932,436
2020-0843,082
2020-0739,766
2020-0636,043
2020-0540,260
2020-0454,071
2020-0345,694
2020-0246,327
2020-0148,072
2019-1244,106
2019-1144,285
2019-1044,560
2019-0942,485
2019-0840,766
2019-0748,666
2019-0636,431
2019-0543,471
2019-0449,230
2019-0359,510
2019-0260,977
2019-0163,440
2018-1244,903
2018-1149,635
2018-1042,391
2018-0940,000
2018-0840,315
2018-0739,839
2018-0632,511
2018-0548,366
2018-0440,073
2018-0340,764
2018-0231,113
2018-0138,270
2017-1234,961
2017-1135,080
2017-1036,127
2017-0933,818
2017-0831,433
2017-0728,993
2017-0629,146
2017-0532,184
2017-0435,744
2017-0338,633
2017-0232,534
2017-0137,912
2016-1233,960
2016-1132,720
2016-1034,340
2016-0933,117
2016-0832,074
2016-0733,821
2016-0629,956
2016-0534,830
2016-0436,508
2016-0338,353
2016-0232,171
2016-0139,964
2015-1234,143
2015-1133,490
2015-1035,628
2015-0934,312
2015-0832,888
2015-0731,814

Source: Wikimedia pageviews.

Nobel laureates who studied here

  • Martin Luther King Jr. Peace 1964
  • Sheldon Glashow Physics 1979
  • Óscar Arias Sánchez Peace 1987
  • Daniel C. Tsui Physics 1998
  • Drew Weissman Medicine 2023

The portrait wall

Ordered by Wikipedia footprint (language editions).

Show all 15 portraits

Similar schools

These are the nearest neighbors in the same sector. The list is not an ordering.

Sources & caveats

Figures come from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Built 2026-07-17.

not reported
Not reported: suppressed for privacy or never collected. It is not zero, and nothing has been filled in.
Percentiles
A percentile compares this school with others in its own sector (for example, public 4-year schools). It describes position, not quality.
Earnings
Earnings cover students who received federal (Title IV) aid, measured from the year they entered. Students who never received federal aid are not included.
Provenance notes
  • U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard, 2026-06 release. Earnings cover federally aided (Title IV) students only. Suppressed values are null, never imputed.
  • Annual Scorecard files 1996-2026. A null in early years usually means the measure was not yet collected, not zero.
  • Coordinates and locale describe the campus address, not where students live.
  • Wikidata is not an alumni census: a person appears only when volunteer editors record them. Counts measure the archive's memory - access x achievement x documentation - never placement rates or institutional quality.
  • Images are from Wikimedia Commons under free licenses. Render the credit line (artist + license) with every image.

Lead text from Wikipedia (revision 1362077536), licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.