1.  [College research](/)
2.  /
3.  [Northeastern University](/school/northeastern-university/)
4.  /
5.  Admissions & selectivity

Admissions & selectivity

Copy linkPrint brief

# Northeastern University Acceptance Rate & Admissions

Updated October 1, 2026

[Overview](/school/northeastern-university/)[Cost & aid](/school/northeastern-university/cost/)[Outcomes](/school/northeastern-university/outcomes/)Admissions[Majors](/school/northeastern-university/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/northeastern-university/similar/)

**On this page**+

## What is the acceptance rate at Northeastern?

Northeastern’s reported acceptance rate is 5.2%.

**Acceptance rate · Fall 2024**
5.2%

Source: College Scorecard · Fall 2024 admissions. Acceptance rates can change from year to year; this figure does not predict the current or next admission cycle.

First-year applicants and admitted students · CDS 2024-25

**Applicants**
98,397

**Admitted**
5,132

Source: Northeastern University Common Data Set 2024-25, C1 · first-time, first-year students.

How to interpret the acceptance rate

Northeastern University admits 5.2% of applicants, a rate far below the median of 47.1% for comparable institutions (same type and size). In its 2024-25 Common Data Set, the university reported 98,397 applicants and 5,132 admitted students.

## What SAT and ACT scores do enrolled Northeastern students report?

In its 2024-25 Common Data Set, the university reported that 24% of enrolled first-year students submitted SAT scores, ranging from 1450 to 1520. ACT submitters, who made up 7% of the class, ranged from 33 to 35.

Among enrolled first-year students who reported a class rank, 69% placed in the upper tenth of their high-school class and 94% placed in the upper quarter. Applicants should compare their own scores against Northeastern University's 1450 to 1520 SAT range and 33 to 35 ACT range as context, not as a minimum.

The ranges below describe enrolled students who submitted test scores at Northeastern. Use them as academic context, then check the university’s current testing policy for your application cycle.

**24% of entering students submitted SAT scores**

SAT: reported composite scores

**25th percentile**
1450

**Median**
1490

**75th percentile**
1520

CDS 2024-25 · enrolled first-year score submitters. This range is not an admission cutoff.

**7% of entering students submitted ACT scores**

ACT: reported composite scores

**25th percentile**
33

**Median**
34

**75th percentile**
35

CDS 2024-25 · enrolled first-year score submitters. This range is not an admission cutoff.

Source: Northeastern University Common Data Set 2024-25, C9 · Enrolled first-time, first-year score submitters.

## Who enrolls at Northeastern?

**Pell Grant recipients**
12.3%

**Entering students outside the first-time, full-time group**
39.2%

**First-year retention**
96.9%

Retention source: College Scorecard; full-time first-year retention.

About these student measures

The entering-student group includes part-time entrants as well as other attendance patterns.

An estimated 39.2% of undergraduates at Northeastern University arrive as transfers or part-time students, so many students begin their coursework elsewhere before finishing here. 12.3% receive Pell Grants.

The university enrolls 17,326 undergraduates overall. That combination means the campus includes both direct entrants and students who started elsewhere.

In its 2024-25 Common Data Set, the university reported 3,420 transfer applicants, 675 admitted, and 288 enrolled. Pell-eligible applicants should estimate their own net price using the cost calculator.

Completion and persistence figures are high for the first-time full-time cohort, with a 90.5% [six-year graduation rate](/analysis/what-the-graduation-rate-doesnt-count/) above the peer median of 80.0% for comparable institutions. The first-year retention rate is 96.9%, also above the peer median of 90.1%.

These measures describe returning after the first year and completing within six years, respectively. Pell recipients in that cohort have a 60.5% six-year completion rate, below the overall rate by 30.0 percentage points.

Enrolled students can expect that most first-time full-time classmates return for a second year and that the overall cohort's completion rate exceeds the comparable-institution median. High overall persistence and completion sit alongside a lower completion rate for Pell recipients.

## Data & methodology

Sources and reporting periods: [methodology](/methodology/).

Analysis and methodology by [Daniel Rogers](/about/#founder), founder of College Azimuth.

Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.

Admission rates describe past applicants, not an individual’s chance of admission; confirm requirements and deadlines with the institution.

Figure notes link to sources and limitations. [About College Azimuth](/about/).