5.2%
Acceptance Rate
$66,162
Avg Cost (In-State)
$66,162
Avg Cost (Out-of-State)
90.5%
Graduation Rate
17,326
Total Enrollment
Popular programs
Application requirements
Regular Deadline
January 1
Early Deadline
November 1 (Early Decision and Early Action)
Common App
Yes
Test Policy
Test Optional
Essays Required
1
Letters of Rec
2
Application Fee
$75
Interview
Not required
Essays: Common App personal essay required; supplemental essay optional but recommended
Requirements are AI-generated from public data and may change. Always verify directly with the college.
Getting there
Graduate outcomes
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard
$78,413
Median Earnings at 6 Years
median graduate salary 6 years after starting
$92,538
Median Earnings at 10 Years
median graduate salary 10 years after starting
Earnings data: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Figures reflect federal aid recipients only — actual median earnings may be higher at schools where many students receive grants rather than loans.
Earnings by major
Median earnings 1 year after graduation, by bachelor's program. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard FieldOfStudy data.
| Program | Median earnings (1yr) | Earnings (4yr) | Graduates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business/Commerce, General. | $74,868 | $113,620 | 679 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing. | $78,713 | $91,003 | 466 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General. | $115,587 | $163,708 | 330 |
| Mechanical Engineering. | $80,255 | $103,384 | 260 |
| Chemical Engineering. | $81,880 | $107,767 | 166 |
| Communication and Media Studies. | $47,465 | $80,191 | 142 |
| Political Science and Government. | $52,516 | $73,539 | 136 |
| Economics. | $70,531 | $101,423 | 122 |
Tracked through federal tax records. Programs with fewer than 30 graduates with reported earnings are privacy-suppressed. 4-year figure tracks the same cohort 3 years later.
What current students say
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Personalized cost estimate based on your family's finances and academic profile
Calculate Your Cost at Northeastern University
Get a personalized estimate of what you'd pay to attend Northeastern University
Tactics that apply here
Things you can do that most families don't know about.
Early Action priority deadlines unlock the biggest merit pools
~$15k valueAt many public universities, applying by the EA deadline (Nov 1) instead of regular (Feb 1) decides whether you're considered for the top merit awards.
Who it helps: Students with their applications ready by November of senior year, especially those targeting merit-rich publics.
How to use: List each target school's EA deadline (commonly Nov 1, sometimes Oct 15 or Dec 1). Submit complete applications + test scores by then. Confirm merit-scholarship deadlines separately — some require a different priority date or supplemental essay.
Source ↗File FAFSA the day it opens
~$5k valueMost schools award state and institutional aid first-come-first-served from a fixed pool. Filing FAFSA in October beats filing in February by thousands.
Who it helps: Every student applying for need-based aid, but especially families relying on state grants or institutional aid.
How to use: Set a calendar reminder for the FAFSA opening date (currently Oct 1 most years; Dec 1 in the 2024-25 transition year). Use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool to auto-fill tax info. Submit even if you have to estimate; corrections are easy.
Source ↗CSS Profile is required by 200+ private schools — separate from FAFSA
Most selective private colleges use the CSS Profile in addition to FAFSA. It costs $25 + $16/school and reaches deeper into family finances than FAFSA does.
Who it helps: Any student applying to a private 4-year with significant institutional aid needs.
How to use: Check the CSS Profile school list for each of your target colleges. Open the app at cssprofile.collegeboard.org as soon as it opens (early Oct). Submit ahead of each school's earliest priority date — often before the FAFSA deadline.
Source ↗Scholarships
Scholarships you may qualify for.
Wellesley College Need-Met Aid
100% need met (loans capped per year)
universityAll admitted Wellesley students with demonstrated need.
Deadline: CSS Profile + FAFSA + IDOC
Learn more ↗UMass Boston Chancellor's Scholarship
Full tuition + fees
universityTop UMass Boston freshmen via competitive process; need + merit considered.
Deadline: December 1
Learn more ↗Boston University Trustee Scholarship
Full tuition (~$66,000)
universityTop ~20 BU freshmen via competitive process; strong academic + leadership.
Deadline: December 1
Learn more ↗Boston Foundation Scholarships
$1,000-$5,000
localEastern Massachusetts students with academic merit + financial need.
Deadline: Varies
Learn more ↗Smith College Need-Met Aid
100% need met; loans replaced for first-year families under $60k
universityAll admitted Smith students with demonstrated need.
Deadline: CSS Profile + FAFSA
Learn more ↗Salem State Scholarship
$1,500-$5,000/year
universitySSU incoming freshmen via automatic merit grid.
Deadline: December 1
Learn more ↗Mount Holyoke Need-Met Aid
100% need met for international + most domestic students
universityAdmitted Mount Holyoke students with demonstrated need.
Deadline: CSS Profile + FAFSA
Learn more ↗UMass Lowell Chancellor's Scholarship
Up to full tuition + fees
universityTop UML freshmen with 3.5+ GPA + 1300+ SAT.
Deadline: December 1
Learn more ↗Western New England University Presidential Scholarship
$20,000-$25,000/year
universityTop WNE freshmen with 3.6+ GPA + 1250+ SAT.
Deadline: December 1
Learn more ↗Net price by income
What it actually costs your family.
Average net price (tuition, fees, room/board minus grant aid) by household income tier, AY 2023–24. Source: IPEDS NPRC1.
| Household income | Average net price / year |
|---|---|
| $0 – $30,000 | $24,300 |
| $30,001 – $48,000 | $28,600 |
| $48,001 – $75,000 | $37,100 |
| $75,001 – $110,000 | $48,400 |
| $110,001+ | $63,800 |
Cost calculator
See the full income-tier cost breakdown for Northeastern University →
Type your household income and get a per-family estimate, plus % off sticker and a methodology breakdown.
Round-by-round
Acceptance rates by application round.
The single overall 5.2% rate hides a 2–4x gap between ED and RD at most selective schools. Class of 2027 cycle.
Early Action
6%
acceptance
EA pool is huge; admit rate has dropped to ~5-7%.
Source ↗Early Decision I
50%
acceptance
ED edgeEarly Decision II
38%
acceptance
ED edgeRegular Decision
5%
acceptance
Overall ~6.7%; many RD applicants deferred to NU.in or guaranteed transfer.
Source ↗Regular Decision
5.22%
acceptance
Bulk-imported from College Scorecard (admission_rate.overall). Deadline/notification dates are typical RD defaults; revise as needed.
Source ↗Class profile
Who actually goes here.
From the most recent Common Data Set and IPEDS.
14.0%
% Pell-eligible
Federal Pell grant recipients
14.0%
% first-generation
First in family to attend college
27.0%
% in-state
Residents of the college's home state
18.0%
% URM
Black, Hispanic/Latino, Native combined
23.0%
Yield rate
Share of admitted students who enroll
97.0%
1st-to-2nd year retention
Freshmen who return as sophomores
90.0%
6-year grad rate
Graduate within 150% normal time
Demonstrated interest
Considered
Visiting, attending info sessions and opening admissions emails meaningfully helps your chances. Track your touchpoints.
Peer colleges
Similar colleges to consider.
Similar selectivity
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA
5.4% acceptance
Both admit around 5% of applicants, with 11k undergrads and a u campus — a close selectivity match.
Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY
4% acceptance
Both admit around 4% of applicants, with 9k undergrads and a u campus — a close selectivity match.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, MA
3.5% acceptance
Both admit around 4% of applicants, with 12k undergrads and a u campus — a close selectivity match.
Cheaper alternatives
Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus
Atlanta, GA
14.1% acceptance
Similar selectivity (14% vs 5%) but out-of-state cost runs $34k — meaningfully less than $66k.
University of California, Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA
8.6% acceptance
Similar selectivity (9% vs 5%) but out-of-state cost runs $45k — meaningfully less than $66k.
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA
11.6% acceptance
Similar selectivity (12% vs 5%) but out-of-state cost runs $46k — meaningfully less than $66k.
Safer alternatives
Berklee College of Music
Boston, MA
43.5% acceptance
Same u setting in the Northeast, but higher admit rate (44% vs 5%) — a likelier admit with a similar feel.
Syracuse University
Syracuse, NY
45.9% acceptance
Same u setting in the Northeast, but higher admit rate (46% vs 5%) — a likelier admit with a similar feel.
CUNY Bernard M Baruch College
New York, NY
47.5% acceptance
Same u setting in the Northeast, but higher admit rate (48% vs 5%) — a likelier admit with a similar feel.
Transfer pathways
Routes in from a community college.
From MA community colleges
articulation onlyNortheastern is one of the more transfer-friendly private research universities. The Torch Scholars and NU Foundation Year programs explicitly serve community college transfers. Northeastern has articulation agreements with several Massachusetts community colleges. Transfer deadl…
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