Private nonprofit · University
Northeastern University
Boston, Massachusetts · Large city
- 5.2%
- Admit rate
- $30,915
- Avg net price
- 91%
- Graduation rate
- $92,538
- Median earnings
Northeastern University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Boston, Massachusetts (large city setting), enrolling 17,326 undergraduates.
Will you get in?
See where your numbers land against Northeastern University's admitted students.
- Admit rate
- 5.2%
- SAT (mid 50%)
- 1440–1540
- Avg GPA (est.)
- 4.00
Enter a test score to see where you land against Northeastern University's admitted students.
A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Northeastern University's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.
About Boston, Massachusetts
Boston is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Massachusetts. In 1630, settlers led by John Winthrop arrived, and found Shawmut Peninsula nearly empty of Native people. Most had died of European diseases borne by earlier settlers and traders. Boston shares many cultural roots with greater New England, including a dialect of the non-rhotic Eastern New England accent known as the Boston accent and a regional cuisine with a large emphasis on seafood, salt, and dairy products. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Large city
- Highest degree offered
- Graduate
- Nearest big city
- 2 miles to Boston, MA
- To the ocean
- 2 miles
- Nearest airport
- 4 miles to Boston Logan (BOS) · major hub
How Northeastern University compares
More selective than 99% · #3 most selective of 63 in Massachusetts
Higher than 96%
Higher than 96% · #10 of 66 in Massachusetts
Higher than 95%
Higher than 97% · #9 of 67 in Massachusetts
Cheaper than 14% · #45 cheapest of 65 in Massachusetts
Lower than 43%
Lower than 28%
Larger than 93%
Percentiles compare Northeastern University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Massachusetts.
Northeastern University campus
Student body
Undergraduate vs. graduate
- Undergraduate17,32653%
- Graduate15,12147%
Undergraduates by gender
- Women9,37554%
- Men7,95146%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White40%
- Black5.0%
- Hispanic10%
- Asian22%
- Other or multiracial22%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 17,326
- Graduate enrollment
- 15,121
- Student–faculty ratio
- 16 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 12%
- First-generation students
- 19%
- Students over 25
- 1%
- Median family income
- $80,224
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $145,962
- Endowment
- $1,711,265,094
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Admissions
- Admission rate
- 5.2%
- Test scores
- Considered but not required
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- 1440–1540
- SAT average
- 1497
- SAT reading
- 710–760
- SAT math
- 730–780
- ACT composite
- 33–35
- Average GPA (estimated)
- 4.00
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $66,162
- Room & board
- $19,580
- Books & supplies
- $1,000
- Total cost of attendance
- $84,641
- Average net price
- $30,915
Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.
Outcomes
- Graduated (within 6 years)
- 91%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 0%
- First-year retention
- 97%
- Transferred to another college
- 4%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $78,413
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $92,538
- Median debt at graduation
- $24,250
- Students with federal loans
- 27%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 75%
About 91% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.
Graduating on time
By student background (4 years)
When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.
Campus life & athletics
- On-campus housing
- Yes
- Dorm capacity
- 11,759
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 68%
- Housing charge (year)
- $10,610
- Meal plan (year)
- $8,180
- Application fee
- $75
- Athletics
- NCAA Division I without football
- Varsity athletes
- 697 (326 men · 371 women)
Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.
Varsity sports (10)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- B
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 1.0 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 57
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 38
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 9 campuses (32,553 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.
Reported offenses in an average year
The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.
By offense type, per year
Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.
What you'll actually pay, by family income
Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.
College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.
Four-year (or more) true cost
Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.
$5,301/year × about 5.5 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.
Does the school pay you to attend?
Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.
Northeastern University discounts heavily: 72% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $44,353. For many families the real price lands well below sticker.
Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 2,519 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.
Is it worth it?
A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.
- Median earnings (10 years)
- $92,538
- Typical debt at graduation
- $24,250
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 26%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 84%
Typical debt would take roughly 2.6 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
Graduates here tend to earn well relative to what they borrow — typical debt pays back fast, and most out-earn a high-school graduate.
Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.
The pay gap here
Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.
Men out-earn women by $18,392 (22%) a decade out.
Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.
Campus climate
- Summer high
- 85°F
- Winter low
- 19°F
- Annual rain
- 49.4″
- Annual snow
- 49.2″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Jamaica Plain, MA US station (3.1 mi from campus).
What Northeastern University graduates study — and earn
Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.
Colleges similar to Northeastern University
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Northeastern University side by side →
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California · Large city · 3 mi to Los Angeles
- Students
- 20,443
- Admission
- 10%
- Net price
- $33k
- SAT
- 1495
- GPA
- 3.8
- Earnings
- $92k
Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois · Small city · 12 mi to Chicago
- Students
- 9,201
- Admission
- 8%
- Net price
- $29k
- SAT
- 1533
- GPA
- 4.0
- Earnings
- $89k
Cornell University
Ithaca, New York · Small city · 45 mi to Syracuse
- Students
- 15,995
- Admission
- 9%
- Net price
- $29k
- SAT
- 1535
- GPA
- 4.0
- Earnings
- $104k
Boston University
Boston, Massachusetts · Large city · 3 mi to Boston
- Students
- 18,248
- Admission
- 11%
- Net price
- $24k
- SAT
- 1480
- GPA
- 3.9
- Earnings
- $83k
New York University
New York, New York · Large city · 1 mi to New York
- Students
- 28,663
- Admission
- 9%
- Net price
- $37k
- SAT
- 1520
- GPA
- 3.8
- Earnings
- $83k
University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, Indiana · Large suburb · 2 mi to South Bend
- Students
- 8,818
- Admission
- 11%
- Net price
- $27k
- SAT
- 1520
- GPA
- 4.0
- Earnings
- $100k
Colleges near Northeastern University
Northeastern University Professional Programs
Boston, MA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,802 students
The New England Conservatory of Music
Boston, MA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 393 students
Wentworth Institute of Technology
Boston, MA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 3,747 students
Berklee College of Music
Boston, MA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 7,468 students
Simmons University
Boston, MA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,670 students
Massachusetts College of Art and Design
Boston, MA · Public · Bachelor's · 1,831 students
Boston Architectural College
Boston, MA · Private nonprofit · Certificate · 280 students
Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
Boston, MA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 3,451 students
Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.














