Getting into Northeastern University has become more challenging than ever, with its acceptance rate plummeting to a hyper-selective 5.6% as it sifts through over 118,000 applications from hopeful students worldwide.
Key Takeaways
- Northeastern University's overall acceptance rate for the Class of 2027 was 6.8%, down from previous years due to record applications
- For Fall 2023, Northeastern's early decision acceptance rate was 39.2% compared to regular decision's 5.6%
- The transfer acceptance rate at Northeastern for Fall 2023 was 32%, significantly higher than first-year rate
- Northeastern received 91,000+ applications for Class of 2027
- Applications to Northeastern increased by 14% from 2022 to 2023, reaching 96,689
- For Fall 2023, Northeastern saw 118,000 undergraduate applications, a record high
- Northeastern admitted 6,215 students for Class of 2027 from 91,000 apps
- Northeastern's first-year enrollment for Fall 2023 was 3,300 students
- Yield rate for Northeastern Class of 2027 was 48%, highest ever
- 52% of Northeastern enrollees are women, 48% men for Class of 2027
- 25% of Northeastern undergrads identify as Asian American
- Hispanic/Latino students comprise 12% of Northeastern's undergrad population
- Average high school GPA of enrolled freshmen at Northeastern is 4.2 weighted
- 50% of Northeastern admits scored 1500+ SAT, 75th percentile 1560
- Northeastern enrolled freshmen ACT range: 34-36 (75th percentile)
Northeastern University admissions are now extremely selective at under 6%.
Academic Profiles
1Average high school GPA of enrolled freshmen at Northeastern is 4.2 weighted
Verified250% of Northeastern admits scored 1500+ SAT, 75th percentile 1560
Verified3Northeastern enrolled freshmen ACT range: 34-36 (75th percentile)
Verified492% of Northeastern admits ranked in top 10% of high school class
Directional5Average unweighted GPA for Northeastern Class of 2027: 3.91
Single source6Northeastern's mid-50% SAT Math: 750-800 for enrolled students
Verified782% submission rate for SAT among Northeastern enrollees pre-test-optional
Verified8AP/IB credits accepted by 95% of Northeastern admits, average 10+ exams
Verified9Northeastern freshmen average 4.1+ weighted GPA from rigorous HS curriculums
Directional10Top 25% HS rank for 98% of Northeastern enrolled freshmen
Single source11Mid-50% SAT EBRW at Northeastern: 730-770
Verified12ACT Composite 75th percentile: 35 for Northeastern admits who submitted
Verified1370% of Northeastern enrollees took 5+ AP courses
Verified14Average class rank percentile: top 5% for Northeastern Class of 2028
Directional15Northeastern grad programs require 3.5+ GPA average for admits
Single source16Honors program admits at Northeastern average 4.3 GPA
Verified17Engineering admits SAT Math 780+ average
Verified18Business school admits GPA: 4.0 weighted average
Verified19Nursing program admits: 3.95 GPA mid-50%
Directional20Computer Science admits ACT 35+
Single source2188% of Northeastern admits from public high schools
Verified22Transfer GPA average for Northeastern admits: 3.7
Verified23Law school median LSAT: 166 for Northeastern admits
VerifiedAcademic Profiles Interpretation
Northeastern's admissions statistics paint a picture of a student body so academically pedigreed that they aren't just a slice of the top, they're practically the whole meticulously iced and rigorously tested cake.
Acceptance Rates and Selectivity
1Northeastern University's overall acceptance rate for the Class of 2027 was 6.8%, down from previous years due to record applications
Verified2For Fall 2023, Northeastern's early decision acceptance rate was 39.2% compared to regular decision's 5.6%
Verified3The transfer acceptance rate at Northeastern for Fall 2023 was 32%, significantly higher than first-year rate
Verified4Northeastern's international student acceptance rate for undergraduates in 2023 hovered around 8-10%
Directional5For the Class of 2026, Northeastern reported a 18% acceptance rate before adjusting for test-optional policies
Single source6Northeastern's Early Action acceptance rate for Fall 2022 was approximately 22%
Verified7The Khoury College of Computer Sciences at Northeastern had a 5% acceptance rate for Fall 2023
Verified8Northeastern's overall undergraduate selectivity index score is 99/99 per US News, indicating extreme selectivity
Verified9For Fall 2024 cycle, Northeastern's acceptance rate dropped to 5.6% amid 118,000+ applications
Directional10Northeastern Law School's acceptance rate is 13.2% for JD programs
Single source11D'Amore-McKim School of Business undergrad acceptance rate estimated at 7% for Fall 2023
Verified12Northeastern's Bouve College of Health Sciences had a 12% acceptance rate for nursing programs in 2023
Verified13For graduate programs overall, Northeastern's acceptance rate averages 20.3% per recent data
Verified14Northeastern's Class of 2025 acceptance rate was 20%, reflecting pre-surge application era
Directional15International Early Decision acceptance rate at Northeastern was 51% for Class of 2027
Single source16Northeastern's waitlist acceptance rate for recent cycles is under 1%
Verified17For Fall 2023, Northeastern's female applicant acceptance rate was 7.1% vs 6.5% for males
Verified18Northeastern's Oakland campus acceptance rate is higher at around 40% for undergrad transfers
Verified19Class of 2028 saw Northeastern's acceptance rate at 5.64% with 96,634 admits from 118k apps
Directional20Northeastern's MPS programs have acceptance rates around 25-30%
Single source21For ED2, Northeastern's acceptance rate was 42% for Class of 2027
Verified22Northeastern's architecture program acceptance rate is approximately 15%
Verified23Overall grad school acceptance rate at Northeastern is 47% across 235 programs
Verified24Northeastern's Toronto campus undergrad acceptance rate mirrors Boston at ~6-7%
Directional25For Fall 2022, Northeastern's in-state acceptance rate was 8.2%
Single source26Northeastern's marine biology program has a 10% acceptance rate
Verified27Combined JD/PhD programs at Northeastern Law have <5% acceptance
Verified28Northeastern's data science MS acceptance rate is 25%
Verified29For Class of 2026, overall acceptance was 6.4%
DirectionalAcceptance Rates and Selectivity Interpretation
Northeastern's admissions statistics paint a stark picture of a strategic fortress, where the early decision drawbridge is lowered for a privileged few while the regular decision moat is nearly impassable, reflecting a masterclass in shaping a class through calculated selectivity.
Admit and Enrollment Numbers
1Northeastern admitted 6,215 students for Class of 2027 from 91,000 apps
Verified2Northeastern's first-year enrollment for Fall 2023 was 3,300 students
Verified3Yield rate for Northeastern Class of 2027 was 48%, highest ever
Verified4Total undergraduate enrollment at Northeastern is 16,025 as of Fall 2023
Directional5Northeastern enrolled 2,830 first-year students for Class of 2026
Single source6Graduate enrollment at Northeastern stands at 13,448 for 2023-2024
Verified7Northeastern's ED enrollment yield is 95%+ for recent classes
Verified8Transfer enrollment for Fall 2023 at Northeastern: 650 students
Verified9Class of 2028 enrolled 3,500+ first-years amid record admits
Directional10Northeastern's overall yield rate improved to 47% from 2022's 44%
Single source11Full-time undergrad admits enrolled: 85% of admitted pool virtually
Verified12Northeastern Law enrolled 180 JD students for Fall 2023
Verified13International student enrollment: 14% of undergrads at Northeastern
Verified14Northeastern's female enrollment is 54% of total undergrads
Directional15Retention rate for first-year enrollees at Northeastern: 97%
Single source16Graduating class size for undergrads averages 4,000 annually
Verified17Northeastern's co-op enrollment impacts 95% of undergrads post-enrollment
Verified18For Fall 2022, Northeastern enrolled 600+ transfers
Verified19Yield for waitlisted students at Northeastern <2% annually
Directional20Northeastern's Charlotte campus enrolled 1,200 undergrads in 2023
Single source21Business school undergrad enrollment: 4,500 at Northeastern
Verified22Engineering enrollment: 5,200 undergrads Fall 2023
Verified23Northeastern's part-time enrollment is 2,100 across programs
Verified24First-to-second year retention: 98% for full-time students
Directional25Northeastern enrolled 25% more international students in 2023 vs 2020
Single source26Undergrads living on-campus: 80% of first-years enrolled
VerifiedAdmit and Enrollment Numbers Interpretation
Northeastern’s admissions strategy is a masterclass in calculated selectivity: they’ve engineered a process where admitting a huge pool creates the illusion of exclusivity, but it’s the near-guaranteed yield from early decision that truly fills their seats while maintaining impressive retention.
Application Volume
1Northeastern received 91,000+ applications for Class of 2027
Verified2Applications to Northeastern increased by 14% from 2022 to 2023, reaching 96,689
Verified3For Fall 2023, Northeastern saw 118,000 undergraduate applications, a record high
Verified4International applications to Northeastern rose 25% YoY for 2023 cycle
Directional5Northeastern's Early Decision applications doubled since 2019 to over 4,000 in 2023
Single source6Graduate program applications at Northeastern totaled 62,000+ in 2023
Verified7Transfer applications to Northeastern numbered 5,200 for Fall 2023
Verified8Northeastern's Common App submissions increased 20% for Class of 2028
Verified9For 2022-2023, Northeastern had 74,000+ first-year applications
Directional10Applications from California to Northeastern surged 30% in recent years
Single source11Northeastern's online program applications grew 40% post-pandemic
Verified12ED1 applications to Northeastern hit 2,500 for Class of 2027
Verified13Total apps to all Northeastern campuses exceeded 120,000 for 2024 cycle
Verified14Female applications to Northeastern comprised 52% of total in 2023
Directional15STEM program apps at Northeastern increased 35% from 2020-2023
Single source16Northeastern's QuestBridge applications rose 50% since partnership began
Verified17For Fall 2023, Northeastern received 10,000+ apps from New York state
Verified18Coalition App usage for Northeastern apps was 15% of total submissions
Verified19Applications to Northeastern's Silicon Valley campus doubled to 1,200 in 2023
Directional20Record 65,000+ graduate apps processed in 2022-2023 cycle
Single source21Northeastern's test-optional policy boosted apps by 25% initially
Verified22Apps from underrepresented minorities increased 18% YoY at Northeastern
Verified23For Class of 2026, apps totaled 80,000+
Verified24Northeastern's business school apps reached 15,000 for undergrad in 2023
Directional25International grad apps to Northeastern: 45% of total 62k in 2023
Single source26First-gen applicant apps to Northeastern up 22% since 2020
VerifiedApplication Volume Interpretation
Northeastern's admissions numbers paint the picture of an academic gold rush, where its strategic brilliance in programming and policy has transformed it into a global magnet for students of every conceivable background.
Student Demographics
152% of Northeastern enrollees are women, 48% men for Class of 2027
Verified225% of Northeastern undergrads identify as Asian American
Verified3Hispanic/Latino students comprise 12% of Northeastern's undergrad population
Verified4Black/African American enrollment at Northeastern: 6% undergrads
Directional514% international students in Northeastern undergrad class of 2027
Single source6First-generation college students: 20% of Northeastern enrollees
Verified755% of Northeastern students from out-of-state, 45% in-state or international adjusted
Verified8LGBTQ+ identifying students: 12% at Northeastern undergrad
Verified9Pell Grant recipients: 15% of Northeastern undergrads
Directional10Veterans enrolled: 300+ active/military affiliated at Northeastern
Single source11Average age of undergrads at Northeastern: 20 years
Verified128% Multiracial students in Northeastern's undergrad demo
Verified13White/Caucasian: 42% of Northeastern undergraduate enrollment
Verified14Northeastern's geographic diversity: students from 50 states and 120+ countries
Directional15Women in STEM at Northeastern: 45% of engineering enrollees
Single source16Low-income students (family income <50k): 18% at Northeastern
Verified17Northeastern's rural student enrollment: 5% of total undergrads
Verified18Transfer students: 10% of Northeastern undergrad population
Verified19Non-binary/Other gender: 2% self-reported at Northeastern
Directional20Top states for Northeastern enrollees: MA 25%, NY 15%, CA 10%
Single source21Athletes: 3% of undergrads participate in NCAA Division I at Northeastern
Verified22Adult learners (25+): 5% of total enrollment at Northeastern
Verified23Native American/Alaska Native: 0.3% of Northeastern students
Verified24Pacific Islander: 0.1% undergrad demo at Northeastern
Directional25Unknown ethnicity: 7% of Northeastern enrollees
Single sourceStudent Demographics Interpretation
While Northeastern paints a convincing mosaic of global and domestic diversity, it still struggles to reflect America's full racial and socioeconomic portrait in its finer brushstrokes.
Sources & References
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