Comparison tool
Rankings across 8 publishers plus admissions, cost, debt and outcome data for Boston University, New York University, Brown University. Every figure is sourced and dated.
| Metric | BUBoston, MA | NYUNew York, NY | BrownProvidence, RI |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acceptance rate | 11.1% | 9.2% | 5.4% |
| SAT middle 50% | 1420–1530 | 1480–1560 | 1510–1580 |
| Average net price | $24,40219.1% on Pell grants | $37,05017.9% on Pell grants | $25,18413.8% on Pell grants |
| Published tuition & fees | $68,102Most recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release | $62,796Most recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release | $71,412Most recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release |
| 6-year graduation rate | 88.7% | 87.6% | 95.7% |
| First-year retention | 94.7% | 95.8% | 98.8% |
| Undergraduates on Pell grants | 19.1% | 17.9% | 13.8% |
| Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry | $83,238 | $82,509 | $93,487 |
| Median federal debt at graduation | $23,250 | $20,500 | $11,428 |
| Student-faculty ratio | 10:1 | 8:1 | 6:1 |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 18,248 | 28,663 | 7,226 |
| Consensus percentile | 13Lower is better | 15Lower is better | 3Lower is better |
| Methodology sensitivity | 33 ptsHow far published lists disagree, in percentile points | 52 ptsHow far published lists disagree, in percentile points | 7 ptsHow far published lists disagree, in percentile points |
Highlighted cells mark the most favourable value in that row where a direction is meaningful. No highlight appears for metrics like enrollment or SAT range, where “better” depends entirely on what you want.
“Not ranked by this source” means that publisher’s list does not include the school — not missing data and not a poor rank.
| Source | BU | NYU | Brown |
|---|---|---|---|
| US News | #42 of 436National universitiesNational Universities · 2026 | #32 of 436National universitiesNational Universities · 2026 | #13 of 436National universitiesNational Universities · 2026 |
| Forbes | #45 of 500Top colleges (Forbes)America's Top Colleges · 2026 | #49 of 500Top colleges (Forbes)America's Top Colleges · 2026 | #18 of 500Top colleges (Forbes)America's Top Colleges · 2026 |
| Washington Monthly | #293 of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars · 2026 | #143 of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars · 2026 | #17 of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars · 2026 |
| WSJ | #171 of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)Best Colleges in the U.S. · 2026 | #273 of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)Best Colleges in the U.S. · 2026 | #36 of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)Best Colleges in the U.S. · 2026 |
| Niche | #40 of 2,605Overall (Niche)Best Colleges (Overall) · 2026 | #59 of 2,605Overall (Niche)Best Colleges (Overall) · 2026 | #12 of 2,605Overall (Niche)Best Colleges (Overall) · 2026 |
| Money | Listed | Listed | Listed |
| Princeton Review | Listed | Listed | Listed |
| QS | #88 of 1,504World (QS)World University Rankings · 2026 | #55 of 1,504World (QS)World University Rankings · 2026 | #69 of 1,504World (QS)World University Rankings · 2026 |
Students comparing Boston University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.
This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
Full profileStudents comparing New York University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.
This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
Full profileStudents comparing Brown University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.
This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
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