Two powerhouse Boston universities, separated by a few T stops and a fundamental disagreement about what college should be. BU believes in the traditional four-year experience. NEU thinks you should spend half of it working. Let's settle this.
TALE OF THE TAPE
Head-to-head by the numbers
NEU's co-op model drives selectivity
Mid-50% range
Co-op extends NEU to 5 years typically
NEU co-op provides work experience edge
2024-2025 academic year
BU has hockey, NEU cut football
Category Battles
Vote on who wins each category. Click a side to cast your vote.
Campus Vibe
Dining Quality
Dorm Life
Career Outcomes
Social Scene
Athletics & Spirit
Location & Access
Value for Money
Unfiltered opinions. Handle with care.
NEU's co-op program is genuinely impressive—if you're cool with spending half your college years as an underpaid corporate temp instead of, you know, being a college student.
We'll give them this: NEU grads do hit the ground running career-wise. But they also never experienced a real spring semester or built lifelong friendships that didn't get interrupted by a six-month work rotation.
BU has hockey. NEU cut football. This isn't complicated.
The real reason NEU's acceptance rate is so low? Half their applicants are just gunning for the co-op placements, not the actual education.
Northeastern's campus is beautiful and modern. We'll admit it. But it also has the soul of a WeWork.
If you want to be a software engineer at a big tech company, NEU's co-op network is legitimately hard to beat. Credit where it's due.
BU students have actual college memories. NEU students have LinkedIn connections. Different priorities.
THE VERDICT
This rivalry comes down to what you want from college. If you're laser-focused on career outcomes and don't mind a fragmented social experience, NEU's co-op model delivers. If you want the full college experience—friendships, traditions, athletics, community—while still landing a great job, BU is the move.
Choose BU if...
- You want a traditional four-year college experience
- School spirit and athletics matter to you
- You value deep, continuous friendships over networking
- You're not sure exactly what career you want yet
Choose NEU if...
- You're 100% certain about your career path
- Work experience matters more than college memories
- You're okay with a five-year graduation timeline
- You're targeting specific companies that recruit heavily from NEU co-op
NEU optimizes for your first job. BU optimizes for your whole life. Choose accordingly.
— The Rivalry Zone
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