Northeastern’s acceptance rate continued on its downward trend for the Class of 2028, dropping to a record low of 5.2% for the fall 2024 admissions cycle, according to a spokesperson for the university. This is the third year in a row the admit rate has been in the single-digits, declining from 5.6% in 2023 and 6.7% in 2022, as application rates soar.
The rate only includes first-year students admitted to the Boston campus and does not factor in students accepted through alternate admissions programs like N.U.in and Global Scholars, according to the university.
“Consistent with federal reporting guidelines — and the practice of other universities with alternative entry programs — the admit rate is determined by dividing the number of students admitted to the Boston campus by the total number of applicants. This is standard across higher education,” Vice President for Communications Renata Nyul wrote in an email statement to The News.
As Northeastern’s acceptance rate drops, the number of applicants to the university continues to skyrocket; Northeastern received a record-breaking 98,373 applications for the Class of 2028, around 5,115 of whom were offered admission to the Boston campus, making the university’s yield rate for the Boston campus approximately 51%.
Northeastern President Joseph E. Aoun told the faculty senate in February that the university received the most applications for fall of 2024 of any private university. Aoun attributed the consistent annual jumps in applicant numbers — which have amounted to a 53% increase over the past five years — to the university’s unique “brand” and global campus system.
Another draw that attracts applicants is the increasing avenues of entry Northeastern offers, Chancellor and Senior Vice President for Learning Ken Henderson told The News in April.
“We provide a lot of different experiences of different routes into the university, depending on what’s the right fit for that student,” Henderson said.
The incoming Class of 2028 consists of about 2,600 students on the Boston campus, 475 at Northeastern’s Oakland campus and 300 at the London campus, the university-run outlet Northeastern Global News reported in January. Northeastern does not publicly report its acceptance rate for alternate first-year admission programs nor the Oakland or London campuses, both of which now grant four year undergraduate degrees.
“For more than 15 years, Northeastern has run a robust set of first-year pathway programs, most notably our popular N.U.in program. As we continue to build the global university system, we are able to provide first-year students with even more opportunities to enter Northeastern,” Nyul wrote.
Northeastern’s declining acceptance over the past several years has approached that of elite, prestigious universities both in Boston and nationwide. Massachusetts Institute of Technology reported a 4% acceptance rate for the Class of 2028, while Yale admitted just 4.5% of applicants for the Class of 2027. Harvard accepted just over 3.5% of applicants for fall 2024, The Harvard Crimson reported.
Gaining admission to Northeastern’s Boston campus has also proven to be more competitive than similarly-ranked private universities in Massachusetts — for the class of 2028, Boston College recorded an acceptance rate of 14.7%, Boston University accepted about 11% of applicants and Tufts University offered a spot to just 10% of applicants.
College counselors and potential students cite the university’s lack of supplemental essays, high job placement rate and appealing Boston campus as key factors driving the consistently high number of applicants. Northeastern’s applications for the class of 2028 jumped by over 2,000 from the 96,327 applications the university received in 2023, which was another increase from 91,000 in 2022.
Northeastern has remained test-optional since the COVID-19 pandemic, and does not require applicants to write a supplemental essay. Ken Henderson told The News in April that the university is “unlikely” to begin requiring a supplemental essay from applicants in the future. Standardized testing scores, such as the ACT and SAT, will remain optional for potential students for the foreseeable future as well.
“We are unlikely to put that in as a requirement because the Northeastern philosophy is about flexibility. If you choose to do something, great. If you choose not to do it, that’s fine,” Henderson said.
When asked about the significance of the 5.6% acceptance rate for the Class of 2027, Henderson said it “reflects that great desire for the population to have a Northeastern experience.”
“But it’s not really about the acceptance rate,” he said. “It’s about ensuring that we choose the right student who is going to make the most of the opportunities that Northeastern offers.”
