Real costs by school · Boston, MA · Private nonprofit
At Boston University, families earning $75,000–$110,000 paid an average of $22,517 per year — the published cost of attendance is $86,285. (Federal College Scorecard data, July 2026 refresh.)
| Household income | Avg net price / yr | ≈ four years* |
|---|---|---|
| Under $30k | $9,500 / yr | $40,043 |
| $30–48k | $9,342 / yr | $39,377 |
| $48–75k | $11,778 / yr | $49,644 |
| $75–110k | $22,517 / yr | $94,909 |
| Over $110k | $47,504 / yr | $200,229 |
*Four-year figures grow each year's price by 3.5% — the same method College Compass uses in a family's plan. "Net price" is what families actually paid after grants and scholarships, as reported to the U.S. Department of Education — not a calculator's estimate. Federal reporting groups every income above $110k into one band; families well above it often pay closer to the full cost.
Why the sticker price is a fiction — and what families actually pay →
What are your student's real admit chances? The math, shown →
| Admit rate | 11% published — federal data |
|---|
Nine questions, then Boston University's odds for your student with the math shown — plus your income band's price and its deadlines. First three schools free.
Run Boston University for your student →At $75,000–$110,000 of household income, the distance between Boston University's published sticker price and what families in that band actually paid is $63,768 a year — a 74% discount off the number on the brochure. That ranks it the most expensive of the 5 Massachusetts schools on this site at that income. Graduates report a median $83,238 10 years out — roughly 88% of the four-year cost at this income band.
Earnings and completion from federal reporting — not the school's own placement survey.
These are averages. Your family isn't average.
Run Boston University against your student's real GPA, your income band, and your actual high school — odds with the math shown, the paperwork it requires, and its deadlines on one plan. First three schools free.
Stony Brook University · Northeastern University · University of Connecticut