Quad

Head-to-head

Boston
Northwestern

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    Northwestern's yield is 18 pts higher than Boston's

    Yield rate
  2. 2

    Northwestern graduates 9 pts more of its students than Boston (97% vs. 87%)

    Graduation rate
  3. 3

    Boston has 2.0× as many undergrads as Northwestern

    Undergrads
  4. 4

    Northwestern's SAT midpoint is 65 points higher than Boston's

    SAT midpoint
  5. 5

    Northwestern grads earn $6.1K more ten years out than Boston's ($89,363 vs. $83,238)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs
  6. 6

    Northwestern admits 7.7% vs. 11% at Boston

    Acceptance rate

The shape of each school

Each axis is a national rank among 4-year colleges; further out = more of it.

SelectivityTest scoresSizePell shareFirst-genDiversity

Who's hardest to get into

Northwestern admits 7.7%, Boston 11%; Northwestern's yield is higher, at 55%.

Acceptance rate
Boston11%
Northwestern7.7%
Quad's selectivity
  • BostonHighly selective
  • NorthwesternUltra selective
SAT middle 50%Axis 1300–1600
Boston
1420–1530
Northwestern
1510–1570
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • BostonGPA, school record, and prep program required78%
  • NorthwesternSchool record and prep program required

Who's on each campus

Boston is twice Northwestern's size; both have the same Pell share, 19%.

Undergrads
Boston18.2K
Northwestern9.2K
Pell Grant share
Boston19%
Northwestern19%

Majors and faculty

Business Administration and Management leads at Boston, and Econometrics and Quantitative Economics at Northwestern.

Students per faculty member
Boston10 to 1
Northwestern6 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • BostonBusiness Administration and Management, General15%
  • NorthwesternEconometrics and Quantitative Economics11%

What each costs

Boston costs about $1K less a year than Northwestern on average; Northwestern's grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
Boston$56.2K
Northwestern$57.2K
Aid generosity
Boston35%
Northwestern37%

What each pays off

Northwestern's former students earn more, a median $89.4K ten years after enrolling; both graduate more than 80% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
Boston$83.2K
Northwestern$89.4K
Graduation rate
Boston87%
Northwestern97%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; both got more selective.

Applications, 10-year change
  • BostonGrowing+45%
  • NorthwesternGrowing+47%
All the numbersEvery figure for these colleges in one table, with differences highlighted.
Sources for this comparisonEvery dataset and year behind the numbers in this comparison; tap any ⓘ for one number's source

Sources:IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, most recent release;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey, 2023–24;IPEDS Student Financial Aid survey, 2023–24;Boston University Common Data Set 2024–25, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Entered fall 2023;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard, 2023–24;IPEDS Graduation Rates survey (Pell Grant and subsidized loan recipients), Entered fall 2018About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)

Figures are the newest each college has published; years can differ between colleges. Each value's ⓘ shows its source and year. Why