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Northeastern University

Acceptance Rate

Fall 2021 admitted students

18.4%

Northeastern requires that all applicants must submit either SAT or ACT scores. During the Fall 2021 admissions cycle, approximately 0% of admitted students opted to submit SAT scores.

In Fall 2021, a total of 4504 first-time undergrad students enrolled at Northeastern. Among these students, 1,248 (0%) submitted SAT scores, while 627 (0%), submitted ACT scores.

The data shows that the SAT was more popular among the first-time enrolled students, with a majority of students opting for this test.

Average SAT Score

1490

Students submitting SAT Score

Out of the total 13829 admitted students 1248 students submitted their SAT score when applying.

28%

For the admitted students who submitted SAT scores, 50% of their scores fell within the following range 1430-1550. Specifically, in the Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (ERW) section, 50% of admitted students scored between 700 and 760, while 25% scored below 700 and another 25% scored above 760.

In the Math section, 50% of admitted students scored between 730 and 790, while 25% scored below 730 and 25% achieved a score of 790. The data suggests that, applicants with a composite SAT score of 1490 or higher have competitive chances of gaining admission to Northeastern.

Overall, for the admitted students who submitted SAT scores, their scores placed most of them within the top 4% nationally.

  • Reading and Writing

    700-760
  • Math

    730-790

Average ACT Score

The average ACT score of admitted students for Fall 2021 enrollment season.

34

Students who Submitted ACT Score

Out of the 13829 admitted students 627 students submitted their ACT score when applying.

14%

Similar to the SAT, Northeastern requires all applicants to submit either SAT or ACT scores. During the Fall 2021 admissions round, around 14% of admitted students submitted ACT scores.

The middle 50% of admitted students received a composite ACT score between 33 and 35, with 25% scoring above 35 and another 25% scoring below 33.

For the admitted students who submitted ACT scores, their scores placed most of them around the middle, above 52% of test takers nationally.

  • English

    34-35
  • Math

    30-35
  • Composite

    33-35

Application Fees

Fall 2021

$75

Undergraduate

$75

Graduate

Applicants Stats

The following table details the number of students who applied, admitted, and enrolled in Northeastern during the Fall 2021 enrollment season.

Total Men Women
Applicants 75,244 32,535 42,709
Admitted students 13,829 5,351 8,478
Enrolled students 4,504 1,777 2,727
Acceptance rate 18% 16% 20%
Yield rate 33% 33% 32%
    • Total Applicants

      During the Fall 2021 enrollment season, Northeastern received a total of 75,244 applications. These applications included 32,535 male applicants and 42,709 female applicants.
    • Admitted Students

      Out of the 75,244 applicants, Northeastern admitted 13,829 students. Among the admitted students, there were 5,351 males and 8,478 females who received offers of admission.
    • Enrolled Students

      Among the admitted students, 4,504 students chose to enroll at Northeastern. This means that 4,504 students accepted the admission offers and officially registered to attend the university for the Fall 2021 term. Among the enrolled students, 1,777 were male and 2,727 were female.
    • Acceptance Rate

      The acceptance rate is the percentage of applicants who were offered admission. In this case, Northeastern had an overall acceptance rate of 18% for the Fall 2021 enrollment season. When we break it down by gender, the acceptance rate for male applicants was 16% while the acceptance rate for female applicants was 20%.
    • Yield Rate

      The yield rate is the percentage of admitted students who actually chose to enroll at the university. Northeastern had an overall yield rate of 33% for the Fall 2021 term. The yield rate for male admitted students was 33%, and for female admitted students, it was 32%.

Admission and Enrollment Trends

The following table presents the application, admission, and enrollment statistics for Northeastern over the past 7 years.

Applicants Admitted Students Acceptance Rate Enrolled Students Yield Rate
Year Total Men Women Total Men Women Total Men Women Total Men Women Total Men Women
2015 50,523 23,474 27,047 14,388 6,803 7,583 28% 29% 28% 2,797 1,420 1,377 19% 21% 18%
2016 51,063 23,578 27,485 14,747 6,869 7,878 29% 29% 29% 2,676 1,320 1,356 18% 19% 17%
2017 54,209 24,993 29,216 14,876 6,786 8,090 27% 27% 28% 3,108 1,501 1,607 21% 22% 20%
2018 62,272 28,711 33,561 12,042 5,436 6,606 19% 19% 20% 2,746 1,306 1,440 23% 24% 22%
2019 62,263 28,736 33,527 11,240 5,273 5,967 18% 18% 18% 2,996 1,466 1,530 27% 28% 26%
2020 64,459 29,532 34,927 13,199 6,147 7,052 20% 21% 20% 3,128 1,472 1,656 24% 24% 24%
2021 75,244 32,535 42,709 13,829 5,351 8,478 18% 16% 20% 4,504 1,777 2,727 33% 33% 32%

Admission Requirements

Fall 2021

Northeastern University uses the following list of admission requirements and recommended documents when evaluating students' applications. All documents listed under the Required sections must be submitted with your application, but those listed under the Recommended section are optional.

Please double-check with the school to verify the current and complete admission requirements.

Required

  • Secondary school GPA
  • Secondary school record
  • Recommendation letters
  • Test scores (SAT/ACT)
  • TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language)

Recommended

  • Secondary school rank
  • Completion of college-preparatory program
  • Formal demonstration of competencies

Neither required nor recommended

  • Other tests (Wonderlic, WISC-III, etc.)

Accepted Credits

Fall 2021

The following is a list of college preparatory work and life experience that are accepted at Northeastern University.

  • Credit for life experiences

    Accepted
  • Advanced placement (AP) credits

    Accepted
  • Dual credit (college credit earned while in high school)

    Accepted

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