Home
Colleges
Boston University
Academics

Boston University
Academics

Back to Profile

How strong are the academics at Boston University?

Let's cover class sizes, graduation rates, and outcomes.

10:1
Student to faculty ratio
27
Average class size
83%
4-year grad rate

Class Sizes

Class sizes likely stayed the same for you through high school. You'll find that college is much different. Some of the largest universities have classes that can seat hundreds of students in giant lecture halls. Conversely, as they progress and their focus narrows, higher-level courses can sometimes have just a handful of students.

Boston University has an average student-to-faculty ratio of 10:1. The typical school is 14:1. While this ratio is important, what’s more important is how big a typical class is.

Class Sizes
2-9
506
10-19
1,188
20-29
357
30-39
249
40-49
196
50-99
235
100+
135

Honors Programs

Boston University has an honors program and/or honors college. Specifics of these programs vary, but benefits of being in an Honors Program might include priority registration, being part of a tight-knit community, and accessing unique learning opportunities.

Learn more about honors options on Boston University's website.

Outcomes

It’s critical to understand a school’s outcomes to understand if your four (or more) years at the school will be worth it. Here are some key statistics about the outcomes of students who enroll at Boston University:

95%
First-year retention rate
83%
4-year grad rate
90%
6-year grad rate

The average base annual salary of students who were employed within six months of graduation is $68,126. This is higher than the national average of $48,300.

$68,126
$48,300 (National Average)

Majors

Many students choose a school largely based on the what they want to study. The are Boston University's most popular majors, ranked by how many people graduated with the concentration in the most recent year:

Business Administration and Management, General
Computer Science
Psychology, General
Economics, General
Radio and Television
92.4
208.32
324.24
440.16
556.08
672

The Full List

Major Graduates
Architecture And Related Services
  • Architectural History and Criticism, General 14
Area
  • American/United States Studies/Civilization 4
  • Latin American Studies 3
  • Asian Studies/Civilization 0
  • East Asian Studies 0
  • European Studies/Civilization 0
  • Near and Middle Eastern Studies 0
  • Italian Studies 0
  • Area Studies, Other 0
Biological And Biomedical Sciences
  • Biology/Biological Sciences, General 149
  • Neuroscience 117
  • Physiology, General 92
  • Molecular Biology 84
  • Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 53
  • Marine Biology and Biological Oceanography 30
  • Conservation Biology 9
  • Biochemistry 1
  • Environmental Biology 0
Business
  • Business Administration and Management, General 672
  • Hospitality Administration/Management, General 63
  • Hospitality Administration/Management, Other 10
Communication
  • Radio and Television 189
  • Public Relations/Image Management 150
  • Advertising 139
  • Journalism 88
  • Communication and Media Studies 60
  • Communication, General 60
Computer And Information Sciences And Support Services
  • Computer Science 283
  • Computer and Information Sciences, General 4
Education
  • Early Childhood Education and Teaching 12
  • Elementary Education and Teaching 7
  • Bilingual and Multilingual Education 6
  • Special Education and Teaching, General 4
  • English/Language Arts Teacher Education 4
  • Education/Teaching of Individuals with Hearing Impairments Including Deafness 3
  • Music Teacher Education 3
  • Social Studies Teacher Education 3
  • Education, General 1
  • Art Teacher Education 1
  • Foreign Language Teacher Education 1
  • Mathematics Teacher Education 1
  • Science Teacher Education/General Science Teacher Education 0
  • Education, Other 0
Engineering
  • Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering 132
  • Mechanical Engineering 124
  • Computer Engineering, General 91
  • Electrical and Electronics Engineering 40
  • Engineering Physics/Applied Physics 3
  • Engineering, General 0
English Language And Literature/Letters
  • English Language and Literature, General 51
Foreign Languages
  • Linguistics 18
  • Japanese Language and Literature 5
  • Spanish Language and Literature 4
  • Chinese Language and Literature 2
  • French Language and Literature 2
  • Comparative Literature 1
  • Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services, Other 1
  • East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Other 1
  • German Language and Literature 1
  • Russian Language and Literature 0
  • Hispanic and Latin American Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General 0
  • Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Other 0
  • Middle/Near Eastern and Semitic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Other 0
  • Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics 0
  • Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General 0
  • Latin Language and Literature 0
  • Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Other 0
Health Professions And Related Programs
  • HEALTH PROFESSIONS AND RELATED PROGRAMS 155
  • Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General 155
  • Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General 155
  • Rehabilitation Science 29
  • Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences, Other 29
  • Pre-Medicine/Pre-Medical Studies 18
  • Audiology/Audiologist and Speech-Language Pathology/Pathologist 12
  • Clinical/Medical Laboratory Technician 3
  • Athletic Training/Trainer 0
  • Pre-Dentistry Studies 0
  • Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions, Other 0
History
  • History, General 36
Homeland Security
  • Criminal Justice/Safety Studies 2
Mathematics And Statistics
  • Mathematics, General 106
  • Computational Mathematics 30
  • Financial Mathematics 0
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies
  • Mathematical Economics 71
  • Nutrition Sciences 22
  • Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other 19
  • Ancient Studies/Civilization 5
Natural Resources And Conservation
  • Environmental Science 31
Philosophy And Religious Studies
  • Philosophy 47
  • Religion/Religious Studies 1
Physical Sciences
  • Physics, General 38
  • Chemistry, General 28
  • Astronomy 16
  • Chemistry, Other 8
  • Physical Sciences, General 1
  • Geology/Earth Science, General 0
  • Geophysics and Seismology 0
Psychology
  • Psychology, General 271
  • Counseling Psychology 1
Public Administration And Social Service Professions
  • Youth Services/Administration 0
Social Sciences
  • Economics, General 271
  • International Relations and Affairs 169
  • Political Science and Government, General 142
  • Sociology, General 45
  • Social Sciences, Other 31
  • Cultural Anthropology 10
  • Archeology 5
  • Anthropology, General 3
  • Physical and Biological Anthropology 3
  • Medical Anthropology 2
  • Geography 0
  • Urban Studies/Affairs 0
Visual And Performing Arts
  • Graphic Design 37
  • Music Performance, General 24
  • Acting 20
  • Painting 18
  • Art History, Criticism and Conservation 15
  • Technical Theatre/Theatre Design and Technology 14
  • Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General 11
  • Music, General 9
  • Directing and Theatrical Production 6
  • Printmaking 2
  • Music Theory and Composition 2
  • Film/Cinema/Media Studies 1
  • Art/Art Studies, General 1
  • Sculpture 1
  • Visual and Performing Arts, General 0
  • Musicology and Ethnomusicology 0
  • Keyboard Instruments 0

Mistakes were made

(But not by you!)

These are the top 10 mistakes people make when searching for colleges

Top Ten Mistakes

CollegeIQ relies on data from government and private resources. Always confer with the individual college or university for the most recent data. Learn more about our data and methodology.

© 2025 Whittier Media, LLC. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service