Northeastern’s co-op program and global opportunities are the biggest draws for applicants
Experiential learning, career outcomes, research opportunities and global campus network are key to the university’s draw among students and their parents.
When Aiden Tran stepped foot on Northeastern University’s Boston campus in January 2025, it was for his first college tour. As soon as he saw the cutting-edge, ridged solar shielding of its Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Complex, he felt like he was in the “big leagues,” he said.
As the tour went on and he learned more about Northeastern’s leadership in experiential learning and career outcomes for students, Tran realized his college search was over.
“I always thought, ‘What school will help my career out more toward the future?’” Tran, 17, said. “I thought to myself for a while, and I said, ‘Northeastern.’”
Tran, who was accepted to Northeastern and will start in fall 2026, is far from alone. Applications for Northeastern rose to a record high of 106,907 for the 2026-2027 academic year. Year after year, students, parents and high school guidance counselors said they are increasingly excited about what the university has to offer.
They all cited the university’s combination of academic rigor, experiential learning and research opportunities spread across a network of campuses that spans countries and even continents.
Most of all, students and their parents are invested in Northeastern because they view it as precisely that, an investment that pays big dividends for their future, university officials said.
“Northeastern’s message has been very clear in the marketplace –– the value derived from our focus on a personalized experiential education through global experiences, coupled with outstanding academics and research, is unparalleled in higher education,” said Satyajit Dattagupta, the university’s chief enrollment officer and executive vice chancellor. “This is why we remain a top choice of students and families from all over the world.”
The highest number of domestic applicants this year came from New York, Massachusetts, California, New Jersey, and Texas. Internationally, applicants from China, India, South Korea, Canada, and Brazil top the list.
Northeastern’s co-op program and emphasis on experiential learning is the single biggest draw, according to the prospective students who spoke with NGN.
For Tran, who will arrive at Northeastern in the fall as a mechanical engineering student, the experience he hopes to gain off campus will be just as important as what he learns in the classroom, he said.
“Being able to do co-op during my sophomore or junior year, most likely, that hands-on experience is so valuable just overall for working on your skills, your overall confidence, honestly,” Tran said.
Northeastern partners with 4,661 employers and students participate in co-op and experiential learning programs in 151 countries, and on all continents. Between co-op, research and experiential learning opportunities that are integrated into their coursework, Northeastern students graduate with up to 18 months of professional experience that sets them up for success after graduation.
For the parents of prospective students, co-ops come with the promise that their children will have a leg up when they enter the working world after graduation.
“For me as a parent, certainly you cannot divorce yourself from the realities of the job market right now,” said Ami Schmitz, the parent of incoming Northeastern student Peyton Levine. “I’m about to launch my kid into who knows what career path, so I wanted to make sure she had every competitive advantage that she could have.”
According to the university’s most recent data, 96% of graduates are employed or in graduate school within nine months of graduating from Northeastern. Out of those who are fully employed, 93% have jobs that are related to their major. More than half of graduating students get full-time job offers upon graduation from one of their co-op employers.
“My students want four years of fun, but they also want a return for their investment,” said Linda Dwyer, a guidance counselor for Miami Palmetto Senior High School. “Northeastern provides that without a doubt.”
Beyond the co-op program, the university’s academic rigor and innovative research are foundational for its reputation, students and parents said.
For Nancy Hernandez, the biggest draw is that Northeastern has programs that are a match made in heaven for both of her children.
Her son, Gregorio, will soon graduate this spring, while her daughter, Rachael, is about to begin her Northeastern journey. Rachael’s dual interest in Spanish and physical therapy was matched by a double major at Northeastern. The program comes with hands-on experiential opportunities that elevate the academic offerings, Hernandez said.
“That curriculum is really thought through, where she would have to spend a semester in a Spanish-speaking country for that degree,” Hernandez said. “That’s the best of all worlds for her.”
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Northeastern’s global campus network and array of international learning experiences also help it stand apart for students like Isaac Lowry, 17, a wanderlust-filled incoming business administration student from Puerto Rico.
Lowry was accepted to Northeastern as part of the N.U.in program, which allows students to study abroad for their first fall semester before coming to Northeastern’s Boston campus in January.
“I wanted to explore outside in the world, how it was in Italy, maybe even go to Switzerland for a weekend and Germany,” Lowry said. “I just want to see everything.”
The university’s global network of 14 campuses has also given students multiple pathways into Northeastern. Undergraduate students can study in Boston, Oakland, New York, and London, with graduate-level programs available in Boston, Toronto, Vancouver, Seattle, Charlotte, Miami, Silicon Valley, Arlington, Virginia, Portland, Maine, and Nahant and Burlington, Massachusetts.
For Nikki Desgrosellier, the dean of college and career counseling at UIC College Prep, a Chicago charter high school, Northeastern’s relatively smaller Oakland and London campuses provide opportunities for students who want a more “intimate onboarding” to the Northeastern experience.
“Our school is only 950 kids approximately, so a lot of them are actually more successful if they start at a smaller institution where they’re well known, they’ll know their professors and build relationships with other students that are a little bit easier to form in a small setting,” Desgrosellier said.
That level of personalization and care extends from the admissions process to onboarding at Northeastern, regardless of what pathway students take, some parents said.
“Northeastern, it felt like they really understood who Peyton is and what she wants to become,” Schmitz said of her daughter’s experience. “That really, as a parent, gave me a lot of confidence.”
