Northeastern University acceptance rate and your odds of getting in
Northeastern University is a private college in Massachusetts that admits about 5% of applicants, which puts it in the most selective range. A rate like this means it admits roughly one in ten applicants or fewer; the bar is less about clearing a single cutoff and more about how your full profile compares to admitted students.
Use this page to see what Northeastern University weighs, where it ranks among Massachusetts schools, and how a profile like yours is likely to land. Admitted students post a 75th-percentile SAT around 1530, a useful checkpoint for where your scores sit, though it is a reference range and not a cutoff.
What is the early decision acceptance rate at Northeastern University?
In its 2024-25 Common Data Set, Northeastern University admitted 43% of Early Decision applicants (1,492 of 3,466), against about 3.8% of everyone else. Its overall rate that year was 5.2%.
Source: Northeastern University Common Data Set 2024-25, IPEDS admissions survey, fall 2023. Updated October 31, 2026.
Northeastern University application deadlines, 2026-27
What do students study at Northeastern University?
Bachelor's degrees awarded by field in 2023 (IPEDS completions). Each field has its own page with the school's numbers, the model's major adjustment, and peers offering it.
Will I get into Northeastern University?
Direct answers to what applicants ask about getting into Northeastern University, plus a free way to calculate your own odds.
What are my chances of getting into Northeastern University?
At Northeastern University, your real chance depends on far more than the published 5% admit rate. Your real odds depend on how your GPA, course rigor, test scores, and activities compare to its admitted students. Run your profile through the free CollegeCalcAI calculator to get a personalized acceptance percentage for Northeastern University in about three minutes, with no account needed to start.
Is Northeastern University hard to get into?
Northeastern University is most selective: it admits roughly one in ten applicants or fewer, with about a 5% acceptance rate. At this level, strong grades and scores are the baseline, so essays, recommendations, and a distinctive story are what separate admits.
What GPA do you need to get into Northeastern University?
There is no hard GPA cutoff at Northeastern University, but admitted students almost universally present a 3.9 to 4.0 GPA earned in the most demanding courses their school offers. Northeastern University reads your GPA alongside the rigor of your courses, so a challenging schedule matters as much as the number itself.
Your chances at Northeastern University by GPA and SAT
Estimated chance of admission at Northeastern University for plain profiles, from the same model as the calculator. Unweighted GPA, 6 AP courses, Regular Decision, no legacy, athletic or first-generation hook. The last column is test-optional (no score sent).
What are my chances at Northeastern University with a 3.9 GPA and a 1490 SAT?
About 10% (Reach), by CollegeCalcAI's deterministic model, for an applicant with a 3.9 unweighted GPA and a 1490 SAT, the middle of Northeastern University's admitted range, applying Regular Decision without a hook. A 4.0 GPA with a 1540 SAT comes out near 11%. Courses, activities, essays and the application round move the number; the free calculator includes them.
Estimates, not guarantees. Get yours with your real courses and activities. Assistants and developers can fetch this table from the free API: /api/v1/colleges/northeastern-university.
Early Decision, Early Action and the waitlist at Northeastern University
From Northeastern University's own 2024-25 Common Data Set (fall 2024 entering class): sections C1, C2, C21-C22 and D2.
What is the early decision acceptance rate at Northeastern University?
43%. Northeastern University admitted 1,492 of 3,466 Early Decision applicants for fall 2024, against 5.2% of all 98,425 first-year applicants (Northeastern University's 2024-25 Common Data Set).
Does applying early decision help at Northeastern University?
On the raw numbers, yes: Early Decision applicants were admitted at 43% versus about 3.8% for everyone who applied another way, 11.3x the rate, and Early Decision filled 29.1% of the admitted class. Part of that gap is who applies early (recruited athletes and legacy applicants often do), so it is not all the round itself. Early Decision is binding: apply only if Northeastern University is your clear first choice and the family can commit without comparing aid offers.
What is the transfer acceptance rate at Northeastern University?
19.7%: 675 of 3,420 transfer applicants were admitted for fall 2024 (Northeastern University's 2024-25 Common Data Set).
Source: Northeastern University Common Data Set 2024-25. Every figure appears verbatim in the document. See how early rounds compare across colleges in the Early Decision rankings.
How to get into Northeastern University
Built from Northeastern University's admitted class and what it reports weighing. The typical-admit GPA and SAT are CollegeCalcAI's modeled figures, not published cutoffs.
Getting into Northeastern University comes down to four decisions, each one visible in the data on this page.
CollegeCalcAI's modeled typical admit at Northeastern University carries about a 3.95 core GPA and a 1490 SAT, in the most rigorous schedule available. At this selectivity that is the entry ticket, not the deciding factor.
The admitted middle 50% is 1440 to 1540 SAT (33 to 35 ACT). Submit a score at 1490 or higher; below 1440, apply test-optional if the policy allows.
Northeastern University rates rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and standardized test scores highest in its own Common Data Set. Put your depth there: and a transcript whose rigor rises through junior year.
Selective private colleges admit a larger share of their class in binding Early Decision; if Northeastern University is your clear first choice and the net price works, ED is the single biggest lever an applicant controls. Most early deadlines fall on November 1 and Regular Decision on January 1 to 15; confirm Northeastern University's exact dates at www.northeastern.edu.
How many students apply to Northeastern University, and how many get in?
96,631 students applied to Northeastern University for fall 2023; 5,459 were admitted (5.6%). 2,744 enrolled. Roughly 50% of admitted students enrolled, a typical yield for a school in this range. Northeastern University enrolls about 17,326 undergraduates in total, 57% of them women, with a student-to-faculty ratio of 16 to 1.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS 2023 admissions and enrollment.
What SAT and ACT scores do you need for Northeastern University?
Admitted students at Northeastern University post SAT scores of 1440 to 1540 in the middle 50%, with an average of 1497. On the ACT the middle 50% runs from 33 to 35. A score above 1540 puts you in the top quarter of admits and turns the test into an asset; a score below 1440 puts you in the bottom quarter, where the rest of the application has to carry more weight. Northeastern University is test-optional: scores are considered if you submit them but not required. Send a score at or above the middle of the admitted range; otherwise apply without one and let your transcript lead.
Source: College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education), release 2026-06-10.
What Northeastern University looks for
What Northeastern University weighs most heavily in its admissions review, informed by its reported Common Data Set.
Northeastern University signals that it values rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and standardized test scores above the rest of the file. At this level of selectivity, the difference between admits is rarely the transcript alone; essays, recommendations, and a coherent story matter. These ratings come from Northeastern University's reported Common Data Set, so the full chart below reflects what the school itself says it values, not a generic guess.
SAT score positioning at Northeastern University
How common SAT scores sit relative to the admitted middle. This is context, not a probability. Your full profile determines the real estimate.
How much does Northeastern University cost after financial aid?
The full sticker price at Northeastern University (tuition, fees, housing, food, books) is about $84,641 a year. Tuition and fees alone are $66,162. What families actually pay is different: the average net price after grants and scholarships is $30,915 a year, and it ranges from $2,264 for families earning under $30,000 to $47,696 for families earning over $110,000. 12% of undergraduates receive a federal Pell Grant.
Source: College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education), release 2026-06-10. Net price is what students receiving aid paid after grants, by family income.
What do Northeastern University graduates earn, and how many graduate?
Median earnings for Northeastern University students ten years after entry are $92,538 ($78,413 at the six-year mark). 91% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 97% return for a second year. Among graduates who borrowed, median federal debt at graduation is $24,250; 27% of undergraduates take federal loans.
Source: College Scorecard (U.S. Department of Education), release 2026-06-10. Earnings cover students who received federal aid.
How Northeastern University compares in Massachusetts
Northeastern University ranks #2 most selective of 36 schools in Massachusetts in our database.
Among the 36 Massachusetts schools we track, Northeastern University ranks #2 most selective by acceptance rate. Schools like Harvard University (4%) and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (5%) sit nearby, which makes Massachusetts a useful frame for calibrating a balanced list.
Similar to Northeastern University
Schools with a similar selectivity profile, worth comparing as you build a balanced list.
If Northeastern University is on your list, schools with a similar admit profile are worth a look: Brown University, Dartmouth College, and Princeton University. Running the same profile against each one in the free calculator is the fastest way to see where you are a reach, a match, or a likely.
Frequently asked questions
What is Northeastern University's acceptance rate?
Northeastern University admitted 5,459 of 96,631 applicants for the fall 2023 entering class, an acceptance rate of 5.6% (U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS). 50% of admitted students enrolled.
What SAT score do you need for Northeastern University?
The middle 50% of admitted students scored 1440 to 1540 on the SAT and 33 to 35 on the ACT. A score above 1540 is in the top quarter of admits. Northeastern University is test-optional, so only submit a score that helps.
Is Northeastern University test-optional?
Yes. Northeastern University reports that test scores are considered but not required. Submit a score at or above the middle of the admitted range; otherwise apply without one.
How much does Northeastern University cost after financial aid?
The average net price at Northeastern University, what students receiving aid paid after grants and scholarships, is $30,915 a year against a sticker price of about $84,641. Families earning under $30,000 paid about $2,264 on average.
What do Northeastern University graduates earn?
Median earnings ten years after entering Northeastern University are $92,538 a year among students who received federal aid, and 91% of students graduate within six years (College Scorecard).
What does Northeastern University value most in applicants?
Based on its admissions profile, Northeastern University weighs rigor of secondary school record, academic GPA, and standardized test scores most heavily. The full factor breakdown is on this page.
Does Northeastern University consider legacy or demonstrated interest?
Many private colleges weigh legacy relationships and demonstrated interest. Northeastern University's full factor profile is charted on this page, and CollegeCalcAI models a legacy effect scaled to a school's selectivity.
How can I improve my chances at Northeastern University?
Focus on the highest-leverage parts of your application: course rigor and GPA trajectory first, then test scores, then a focused leadership or activity spike. CollegeCalcAI's Power-Ups quantify how much each change would move your odds at Northeastern University specifically.
Can I get into Northeastern University with a perfect GPA and test scores?
Top grades and scores are necessary but not sufficient at Northeastern University. At this selectivity most applicants are already academically qualified, so essays, recommendations, and a distinctive story are what separate admits.
Acceptance rate, application counts, admitted test ranges, cost, and outcomes reflect publicly reported federal data (U.S. Department of Education: IPEDS 2023 and the College Scorecard) and each school's Common Data Set; figures are rounded and lag the current cycle by one to two years, so confirm deadlines and policies on the school's own site. The typical-admit GPA and SAT are CollegeCalcAI's modeled estimates. Estimates from CollegeCalcAI are a planning tool computed by a fixed, transparent model, not a guarantee of any admission decision.