Northeastern spent $1,080,000 lobbying the federal government in 2024, the fifth-highest among all U.S. universities and the highest among private universities.
The university recorded $270,000 in spending each quarter, according to public lobbying disclosures filed under the Lobbying Disclosure Act, and was only outspent by the University of California, California State University, University of Texas and University of Colorado state university systems.
Northeastern’s quarterly lobbying spending has remained stagnant at $270,000 since it abruptly soared in 2022. The increase came between the second and third quarters, when the university more than doubled its spending from $110,000 to $270,000. Despite the sharp uptick, in its disclosures, the university did not detail any major changes in the policy issues it lobbied on.
In its quarterly disclosures, Northeastern reported lobbying activity including funding for higher education programs and policy issues “including financial aid programs, work study, cooperative education, international students and lifelong learning.” The university also allocated money in support of federal research programs at the National Institutes of Health, Department of Defense, National Science Foundation, or NSF, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Department of Homeland Security.
“Like all major research universities, Northeastern engages with the federal government at many levels,” Renata Nyul, vice president for communications, said in a statement to The News. “We work to increase funding for our expanding research enterprise, shape federal policy that affects higher education, and maximize support for student financial aid.”
Northeastern paid over half of its 2024 lobbying sum — $590,000 — to four lobbying firms: Lewis-Burke Associates, Holland & Knight, CT Group and Congressional Solutions, Inc. In their lobbying income disclosures, the firms noted lobbying for Northeastern on specific legislation including the NSF AI Education Act, the National Quantum Initiative Reauthorization Act and Department of Defense appropriations for fiscal years 2024 and 2025.
Several of the agencies Northeastern lobbied are the same agencies that have granted it the most research funding, namely the Department of Health and Human Services, NSF and Department of Defense.
After the Supreme Court struck down affirmative action in June 2023, universities have questioned how to adapt to a changing admissions landscape. Northeastern President Joseph E. Aoun was among more than 130 leaders of Massachusetts institutions of higher education, advocacy organizations and elected officials who vowed in a joint statement after the ruling to ensure that the state remains “welcoming and inclusive” to students of color and students underrepresented in higher education. In the first admissions cycle since the Supreme Court ruling, the share of students who identify as Black in Northeastern’s first-year class dropped 35% from the previous year.
Last year also brought renewed focus to the future of artificial intelligence in higher education as generative AI programs grew rapidly. Aoun, a longtime proponent of AI, authored an essay in July 2024 arguing that colleges should continue incorporating AI education and research into their programs.
After President Donald Trump’s reelection, universities braced for turbulence across the higher education landscape. At the tail end of 2024, universities made preemptive efforts to safeguard international students and scale back controversial practices like diversity, equity and inclusion programs and political statements.
Northeastern listed five administrators as lobbyists in its 2024 reports: Vice President for Federal Relations Jack Cline, Associate Vice President for External Affairs Michael Ferrari, Assistant Dean of Workforce and Economic Development Strategy Dana DeBari, Assistant Director of Legislative Affairs Abigail Robbins and former Director of Federal Relations Kevin McColaugh. Cline joined Northeastern in May 2022, shortly before the university’s sudden surge in lobbying spending.
Editor’s Note: This article was updated at 10:40 a.m. Monday, June 2, to add a statement from the university. A previous version of this article said the university did not provide a comment, which was incorrect.
