About Northeastern University
Location: Boston, MA
Undergraduate Population: 21,330
Most Popular Majors: Architecture, Journalism, Business and Marketing, Engineering
Motto: Lux, Veritas, Virtus (“Light, Truth, Courage”)
Demographics:
White 41.3%
Asian/Asian American 20.3%
Latinx 11%
Multiracial 6.5%
Black/African American 5.1%
Native American less than 1%
History:
In May 1896, directors of the Boston Young Men’s Christian Association, the first in the U.S., established an Evening Institute for Younger Men. This was followed by the establishment of The School of Law, the first Automobile Engineering School in the country was established, a Polytechnic School in 1904 and a School of Commerce and Finance in 1907. Day classes began in 1909. In 1916, a bill was introduced into the Massachusetts Legislature to incorporate the institute as Northeastern College. It was passed in March 1916. In 1922, the college changed its name to Northeastern University to better reflect the depth of its instruction. In March 1923, the university gained general (A.B. and B.S.) degree-granting power from the Legislature.
The College of Liberal Arts was added in 1935. Following World War II, Northeastern began admitting women. By 1974–75, women accounted for 33% of the nearly 14,000 undergraduates students, while 5% were Black. Over 900 students came from different foreign countries. To attract more women, the university refurbished existing facilities, constructed new women’s dormitories and encouraged their participation in all programs. The merger with Boston-Bouvé, a women’s college dedicated to physical health, and the creation of the College of Nursing, also added to the increase.
In the 1990s, the then-President reorganized the co-operative education system, decentralizing it into a department-based system to allow better integration of classroom learning with workplace experience. As part of a five-year, $75 million Academic Investment Plan from 2004 to 2009, the university concentrated on undergraduate education, core graduate professional programs, and centers of research excellence.
Today Northeastern offers 329 undergraduate majors, including 199 combined majors among the seven schools within the university.
Notable Northeastern University alumni include broadcaster Wendy Williams, co-founder of Twitter Biz Stone, actor DJ Cortona, former Dominican baseball player Carlos Peña, and model and actress Beverly Johnson.
Traditions:
- Winter Fest is an opportunity for Northeastern students to learn about student organizations, Club Sports teams, fraternities/sororities as well as a variety of campus resources offered by campus departments/offices.
- Homecoming week features a week of activities held each fall that celebrates the university and typically includes a major speaker or concert, Fan Fest, and hockey games, open to students and alumni.
- Peace and Social Justice Week provides a full week of opportunities for all Northeastern learners to engage in dialogue, reflection, and action.
Noteworthy Features:
- NU’s undergraduate programs are divided among seven colleges and schools: the College of Arts, Media, and Design; the D’Amore-McKim School of Business; the Khoury College of Computer Sciences; the College of Engineering; the Bouvé College of Health Sciences; the College of Science; and the College of Social Sciences and Humanities.
- The Explore Program offers experiential learning opportunities and academic advising to help undeclared students learn about potential majors and careers.
- NU’s International Business program offers an “expat year,” in which students spend one semester studying at an overseas university and six months working at an international co-op.
Admissions Profile
Average GPA: Not reported
Test Scores (mid-50% range): 1460-1530 SAT/33-35 ACT
Admit Rate: 5.6%
Test-optional? Yes
Offers Early Admissions? Yes—Early Decision I and II
Supplemental Essays
Northeastern University does not have a supplemental essay.
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