Northeastern University
Boston, Massachusetts
- Private nonprofit
- City
- 17,326 undergrads
- Admit rate
- 5%Source: College Scorecard
- Average net price
- $17,850per year, after grantsSource: College Scorecard
- Graduation rate
- 91%within 6 yearsSource: College Scorecard
- Median earnings
- $99,37110 years after startingSource: College Scorecard
What's special
Students can do up to three co-ops: full-time jobs in their field lasting four to six months, usually paid, starting after the fall of second year. Co-op is optional.
Some admitted students start college abroad through N.U.in, spending their first semester in places like Ireland, Greece, Italy, Spain or Germany (fall 2026 locations).
Source: N.U.in program overview
Getting in
- Admit rate
- 5%About 1 in 19 applicants get in.Source: College Scorecard
- Test policy
- Test-optionalScores are considered if you send them, but not required.Source: College Scorecard
- SAT (middle 50%)
- 1440–1540Reading + math, enrolled first-years who sent scoresSource: College Scorecard
- ACT (middle 50%)
- 33–35Composite, enrolled first-years who sent scoresSource: College Scorecard
From Northeastern University's own report
These numbers come from the school's Common Data Set for 2025–26, a standard report colleges publish about their applicants and first-year students. Open the report.
92% had a 3.75 or higher. The average was 4.22. Schools count GPA differently (weighted or not), so compare ranges loosely.
- Admit rate in this report
- 6%5,920 admitted of 105,256 first-year applicants
- Early decision admit rate
- 35%1,910 admitted of 5,404. Early decision is binding: you commit to attend if admitted.
- SAT, middle 50%
- 1440–151022% of first-years sent SAT scores
- ACT, middle 50%
- 33–346% of first-years sent ACT scores
- Top 10% of their class
- 40%70% were in the top quarter. Based on the 7% whose school ranks.
Early applicants often include recruited athletes and students who knew this was their first choice, so a higher early rate doesn't mean applying early raises any one student's odds by that much.
What the admissions office says it weighs
Very important
- How challenging your classes were
- GPA
Important
- Activities
- A talent or ability
- Character and personal qualities
- Volunteer work
- Work experience
Considered
- Class rank
- Being first in your family to go to college
- Where you live
- Showing interest in the school
Not considered
- Interview
- Family who went there (legacy)
- Living in the state
- Religious affiliation
Where you'd stand
Enter your numbers to see where they'd fall among Northeastern University's first-year students. This isn't a prediction: it shows how you compare with students who enrolled, using the sources linked below.
Leave out anything you don't have. Your numbers stay in this browser and fill in on other school pages. See my list
Sources: Northeastern University Common Data Set 2025–26. Test ranges describe enrolled students who sent scores.
What it really costs
Most families pay less than the sticker price. Net price is what's left after grants and scholarships.
- Average net price
- $17,850full-time first-years who got grant aidSource: College Scorecard
- Total cost of attendance
- $88,412sticker price incl. housing, per yearSource: College Scorecard
- Tuition
- $69,289Source: College Scorecard
After you enroll
- Graduation rate
- 91%first-time, full-time students finishing within 6 yearsSource: College Scorecard
- Came back for year two
- 97%full-time first-year studentsSource: College Scorecard
- Median earnings
- $99,37110 years after starting, for students who got federal aidSource: College Scorecard
- Median debt at graduation
- $20,000federal loans, students who finishedSource: College Scorecard
Students
- Undergraduates
- 17,326Source: College Scorecard
- Receive Pell grants
- 16%a sign of economic diversitySource: College Scorecard
- First-generation students
- 19%parents didn't go beyond high schoolSource: College Scorecard
Similar schools
Similar, and easier to get into
- Worcester Polytechnic Institute Worcester, MA — admits 60%
- Syracuse University Syracuse, NY — admits 46%
- Baylor University Waco, TX — admits 51%
- Bentley University Waltham, MA — admits 45%
Also worth a look
- Harvard University Cambridge, MA — admits 4%
- University of Chicago Chicago, IL — admits 4%
- Columbia University in the City of New York New York, NY — admits 4%
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, MA — admits 5%
- Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN — admits 6%
- Emory University Atlanta, GA — admits 11%
Where these numbers come from
Every number on this page comes from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard page for Northeastern University, which draws on what the school reports to the federal government and on federal student aid and tax records. We last pulled the data on November 4, 2026. Different measures cover different years; here's how each one works.
Spot something wrong? Report a data error.