Northeastern University

Northeastern University's program mix is anchored in Business, engineering, and computer science — a portfolio that reflects the university's co-op-driven, career-oriented identity in Boston's dense employer market. Business/Commerce, General is the largest program with 957 graduates, followed by Artificial Intelligence (483 graduates), Mechanical Engineering (275 graduates), Health Administration (163 graduates), and Engineering, Other (162 graduates).

Business accounts for 24% of degree output, with Engineering at 20% and Social Sciences at 8%, creating a mix tilted toward applied, high-demand fields. Across 47 programs serving roughly 4,478 students annually, 32 meet Azimuth's [ranking threshold](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/).

The strongest national ranks cluster in quantitative and applied-business fields. Azimuth ranks Business/Commerce, General #2 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions, with 957 graduates earning $113,620.

Azimuth ranks Artificial Intelligence #8 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions, with 483 graduates earning $163,708 — the highest four-year earnings at Northeastern University. Azimuth ranks Engineering, Other #2 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions, with graduates earning $112,019, and Azimuth ranks Mechanical Engineering #30 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions, with graduates earning $103,384.

Business/Commerce, General combines the largest cohort scale with strong earnings of $113,620, making it the program that contributes the most aggregate economic value across Northeastern University's degree output. Computer science and engineering programs are high-mobility pathways where graduates enter the national labor market directly — four-year earnings in these fields reflect actual workforce outcomes rather than graduate-school deferrals.

Health Administration and Engineering, Other follow a similar pattern, feeding into Boston's finance and consulting sectors. By contrast, fields like Economics (graduates earning $101,423) may include a larger share of students continuing to graduate study, where four-year earnings undercount the full trajectory.

The [supply-demand map](/analysis/supply-demand-map-college-degrees/) provides context for how Northeastern University's dominant program families align with national labor-market demand. ```

The current structured source does not include a published cost-of-attendance figure for this profile. After need-based aid, low-income families pay approximately $2,264, middle-income families pay around $5,301, higher-income families pay approximately $47,696.

Azimuth ranks Northeastern University #1218 for post-graduation affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions, in the 14.5 percentile. Median federal student loan debt at graduation is $24,250; families using Parent PLUS borrow a median of $34,984.

For a graduate at the institution's median four-year earnings of $101,903, median federal debt projects to a monthly payment of about $274 under standard ten-year repayment. For personalized projections across earnings scenarios, use Azimuth's Financial GPS tool.

Graduates of Northeastern University earn median earnings of $101,903 four years after enrollment, placing Northeastern University in the 94.1 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. That figure runs well above the $95,739 median at comparable institutions (same control and size band).

Graduates earn about $1,477 less than similar students at comparable institutions, placing Northeastern University in the 51.6 percentile for [earnings beyond expectations](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/) among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks Northeastern University #88 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Business/Commerce, General combines large cohort scale with strong pay, making it a central driver of Northeastern University's overall earnings profile. Business is the dominant program family, accounting for 24% of degrees, followed by Engineering at 20% and Social Sciences at 8%.

Among the highest-earning subfields, Azimuth ranks Business/Commerce, General #2 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions, with 957 graduates earning median earnings of $113,620 — 1.7x the national benchmark for the field. Azimuth ranks Artificial Intelligence #8 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions, with graduates earning median earnings of $163,708, and Azimuth ranks Mechanical Engineering #30 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions, with 275 graduates earning median earnings of $103,384.

Health Administration and Engineering, Other round out the top programs, with Azimuth ranking them #3 and #2 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions for median earnings four years after enrollment, respectively, per the [program-ranking methodology](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/).