Private nonprofit · University

Northeastern University

Boston, Massachusetts · Large city

#3 most selective in Massachusetts
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.

Private nonprofitLarge · 17,326 undergradsLarge cityHighly selective · 5% admitNCAA Division I without footballCold wintersSnowyNear the coast

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

Selectivity5.2%

More selective than 99% · #3 most selective of 63 in Massachusetts

SAT average1497

Higher than 96%

Graduation rate91%

Higher than 96% · #10 of 66 in Massachusetts

First-year retention97%

Higher than 95%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$92,538

Higher than 97% · #9 of 67 in Massachusetts

Average net price$30,915

Cheaper than 14% · #45 cheapest of 65 in Massachusetts

Median debt at graduation$24,250

Lower than 43%

Student–faculty ratio16 : 1

Lower than 28%

Undergraduate enrollment17,326

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

32,447students
  • Undergraduate17,32653%
  • Graduate15,12147%

Undergraduates by gender

17,326undergrads
  • 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)

All students
0%
Low-income (Pell)
63%
First-generation
65%

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)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)270
Rowing116
Soccer66
Ice Hockey57
Baseball43
Swimming and Diving (combined)35
Field Hockey31
Basketball30
Other Sports30
Volleyball19

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.

32reported offenses a year
19 violent a year13 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
9.7
Burglary
8.3
Fondling
6.3
Motor vehicle theft
4.0
Aggravated assault
1.7
Robbery
1.3
Arson
0.3

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.

< $30k
$2,264
$30–48k
$2,436
$48–75k
$5,301
$75–110k
$16,241
$110k+
$47,696

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.

Est. total to a degree
$29,156

$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.

72%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$44,353
average award, among those who get one

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.

Strong value

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.

Women
$84,799
Men
$103,191

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

HighLow
10°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.55.1JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Jamaica Plain, MA US station (3.1 mi from campus).

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 →

Colleges near Northeastern University

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.