Does BU or Northeastern have a more "prestigious" name/reputation?

I’m a transfer applicant who got accepted to both, and I’ve been having a really hard time coming to a decision. I feel like Northeastern has better opportunities in terms of internships and whatnot, but after being at a school where I was just reaaallly unhappy, I feel like I would really like BU’s better social opportunities and community. Both are good academically, though, so I guess right now the main thing I’m thinking about is which one has a better name or reputation when it comes to getting a job and whatnot.

I posted this in the Northeastern section, but I also wanted to post it here to avoid getting skewed answers in favor of Northeastern.

Overall, I’d say that both schools are pretty prestigious. But probably Boston University is somewhat better known.

However, personally, I like Northeastern much better. I’m also a transfer student, who applied to NEU and BU this year. In my opinion, NEU has a much better campus. NEU’s co-op programs are absolutely amazing for whatever major you are pursuing and will probably help you find a job afterwards. According to NEU’s own website, 50% of participants receive a job offer from their co-op employer. So if prices were the same and I were choosing between the two, I would have chosen NEU without even thinking twice.

Northeastern University gamed the ranking system and climbed higher in past 20 years.

https://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/2014/08/26/how-northeastern-gamed-the-college-rankings/

I’m currently committed to Northeastern and I received offers of admission at both schools. I picked Northeastern due to the co-op and amazing opportunities.I also very much preferred having an actual campus. Boston University has been more internationally well known, but Northeastern is definitely getting up there in ranking. Fifty percent of students at Northeastern receive job offers from one of their co-op employers, which is fantastic. In terms of opportunities, you can’t go wrong with either. It just comes down to the experience you want. Northeastern keeps getting more and more selective.

Northeastern is good school. Co op is an excellent path for many.

In the article it calls out Emory and Claremont McKenna for lying about their results and scores for years. And they are darlings of the lac crowd and college confidential posters. I never hear their names being bright up as cheaters when it’s admitted they have blatantly misrepresented their students achievements to game the system. NEU used tools but didn’t cheat. Big difference.

I would still personally choose BU for a myriad of reasons.

They are pretty much equal, the difference is negligible so I would pick the one that you would feel more happy at. Personally when I toured I liked Northeastern’s campus and co-op program better, however something important to note is because of that students tend to graduate in 5 years and your friends may not be all on campus at the same time – it may feel transient. It sounds like you are leaning towards BU, so I would go with that.

I think most people affiliated with Northeastern or who are well versed in their current admissions standards (last few years) would say they’re roughly equal. Outside of Boston, and especially outside of the Northeast, BU carries more weight. Northeastern made extremely strategic moves to climb rankings (jumping more than 100 spots on US News) in a very short time, whereas BU had hovered right outside the top 50 and made moves toward being solidly in the 30s. BU has been seen as better for longer, whereas Northeastern has a less traditionally earned sense of “prestige” that is almost gimmicky, which I think a lot of people see through.

I would say Boston U. just because it’s better known.

Hey, I’m actually having the same problem and am in the exact same situation. I really prefer the well-known aspect of BU and will be transferring in as a finance major. I think overall, the biggest thing Northeastern has over Boston is the co-op program. Although the co-op track at Northeastern is great, I wonder if BU’s alumni network, connections, and opportunities in boston will be just as strong in achieving a job post-graduation. Just some food for thought. I still haven’t chosen where I’m going yet and I kind of change my mind everyday lol. But rn I am currently leaning more towards BU, since I found myself really happy there while touring the school.

its a tough one - and really depends on what you want to do - for finance overall neither school is a target but BU is better represented at top institutions in my view

in my very much opinion, i prefer boston u (and am going there next fall!!) i decided to apply early decision there instead of northeastern (which was my #2 choice) purely because of fit. personally, i think they are both just as prestigious and you would have an equal chance at getting a job after attending both schools. but, when i toured both they felt very different. northeastern has more of a green campus, while i would argue that bu has a campus, but it is urban. while bu is basically split between east and west campus, both are very compact and each half is only made up of bu buildings (or like starbucks lol). bu also had more of a social and artistic feel to me, while northeastern seemed more focused on stem and was more career oriented (which is very important but i wanted to feel like i was at college instead of at a job for the next four). i am the only kid at my school going to bu, but the several kids going to northeastern are very stem oriented and hardworking but serious. i think it really comes down to fit and what kind of person you are, because i honestly don’t see any difference in prestige and i’m biased lol.

BU has been a name brand longer, & has an impressive list of alumni & faculty. BU has the added advantage of having a self-explanatory name (nobody will ever say "Where’s that?; though they might confuse it with that other “Boston” school a few miles down Comm Ave).

BU is a more prestigious name, with perhaps somewhat better (or higher-paid) faculty, and a little wealthier students, but the current Northeastern has many better programs, somewhat higher-scoring students, and a leading reputation for co-op, if you want to spend a lot of time in college on co-op assignments. BU might have the edge on student life. Frats there act more like traditional frats (for better or worse). Also: BU is more straightforward about not giving a lot of aid to most, whereas Northeastern claims to give a lot to many, but often inflates the family expected contribution like nobody else, so their stats look more generous, while skewing enrollment toward a profile of more wealthy students that is similar to BU’s.

@dolken Which programs at Northeastern are considered better than BU’s?

I wouldn’t say “many”. I think Northeastern is typically better in CS/Engineering but the schools are a very similar level in most programs (business, natural sciences, social sciences). BU tends to have better programs in arts and humanities subjects.

Rankings on n -i-c-h-e dot com for various programs look slightly better for NU, but there is admittedly a lot of subjectivity there. @Pengsphils comment reflects my impressions also.