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This fall, the university welcomed 2,775 first-year undergraduate students to its Boston campus. They hail from all 50 states and more than 100 countries.
Northeastern University’s freshman class is an academically talented group of students who represent a multitude of backgrounds and aspirations, as well as a deep interest in global experiential learning opportunities.
This fall, Northeastern welcomed 2,775 first-year undergraduate students to its Boston campus. They hail from all 50 states and more than a hundred countries.
The university is investing a record $470 million in financial aid for the 2024-2025 academic year and remains committed to meeting the full demonstrated financial need for every student who attends the university.
In fact, it has been doing so for every freshman and transfer student who attends Northeastern since 2015-16, says Satyajit Dattagupta, chief enrollment officer and executive vice chancellor.
Today, 61% of undergraduate students at the university receive financial aid, including merit scholarships and need-based grants. The current average annual net price of enrollment is $28,521.
Average undergraduate debt has dropped by 34%
Because of the steady increase in undergraduate financial aid, the average debt that undergraduate students carry after graduating from Northeastern has dropped by 34% over the past decade.
Demonstrated financial need represents the difference between the cost of attendance and a student’s expected family contribution, or ability to pay that cost. Demonstrated need is calculated based on several factors, including family income, once a student has filled out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA.
“Our focus has always been on bringing in students who come from all walks of life,” Dattagupta says. “Our admissions review process is catered around picking students based on qualities beyond just academics.”
Of the first-year U.S. students matriculating to the Boston campus, 19% are eligible for the Pell Grant, a federal grant program that provides financial assistance to low-income students.
In addition, undergraduate students are covered by the Northeastern Promise, a compact that guarantees eight semesters of funding for students who receive need-based financial aid from the university. Under the Promise, need-based grant funds automatically increase at the same rate as tuition and are guaranteed not to decrease.
Meanwhile, the number of applicants to the university continues to skyrocket. Northeastern received a record 98,373 undergraduate applications for the 2024-2025 academic year — up from 26,400 in 2006.
While standardized test scores are not required for prospective students, the average two-part SAT score for the Class of 2028 is 1490 — a 260-point jump from 2006 (1230). The average high school GPA is now 4.3.
Also, one-third of enrolled first-year undergraduate students applied to a combined major — Northeastern now has over 270 of these hybrid degree programs that encourage students to explore multiple academic fields.
Opportunities outside of the classroom
When evaluating an applicant, the university looks at a number of factors, Dattagupta says, such as their desire to take advantage of opportunities outside of the traditional classroom.
For example, Northeastern students participate in experiential learning programs in 148 countries and seven continents. They work in full-time co-op positions across multiple industries, ranging from small startups to large multinational corporations.
Experiential learning opportunities also include educational experiences such as the faculty-led Dialogue of Civilizations program.
Because of the breadth and depth of their experience, Northeastern students have an advantage in the job and graduate school market — 93% of students are employed full time or in graduate school within nine months of graduation, and 91% of employed graduates are in jobs that are related to their majors. Many Northeastern students graduate with job offers from previous co-op employers.
First-year class is demographically diverse
The first-year class of undergraduate students on the Boston campus is also demographically diverse — 49.25% of enrolled students identify as non-white. That’s after the Supreme Court ruled in June 2023 that colleges and universities can no longer consider race in admissions.
Of first-year undergraduate students in Boston, 5.1% identify as Black, 5.3% as two or more races, 13.3% as Hispanic, 0.35% Native American and 25.2% as Asian American.
Northeastern’s global university system also makes it possible for undergraduate students to start their Northeastern journey on the London and Oakland campuses, as well as other locations around the world.
This fall, 635 first-year undergraduate students are enrolled in London, while 460 are enrolled in Oakland. Also, 703 students enrolled as Global Scholars — meaning they will spend one semester in London and one semester in Oakland.
The N.U.in program includes 1,537 students who will spend their first semesters at Northeastern studying in France, Germany, Greece, the Czech Republic, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Scotland or Spain.