You are considered a first-time freshman applicant if:
- You are still in high school
- You graduated from high school or earned your GED, but did not enroll in a degree-seeking program at a college or university
If you took college courses in high school, plan to attend a college summer session immediately after you graduate from high school, or are in a dual-enrollment program (receiving your high school diploma and an Associate’s degree at the same time), you would still apply as a freshman.
If you’re an international student or are applying from a high school located outside of the United States, you should also read the International Applicants page.
Application Requirements:
- Your Common Application or Coalition Application
- Your application must be submitted by the deadline, along with either the application fee ($75) or a fee waiver request.
- Your Secondary School Report and Official High School Transcript must be submitted directly from your high school. Please review “Additional Required Materials” below for further information.
- SAT/ACT Testing: Applicants required to submit SAT or ACT test results may do so by officially submitting through the testing service or by self-reporting through the Application Status Check
- High School students in the U.S.: Official or self-reported SAT or ACT results are accepted by the Admissions Committee. Official results should be sent using Northeastern’s CEEB College Code SAT 3667 / ACT College Code 1880. Self-reported results may be submitted directly through the Application Status Check. Self-reported results will be utilized during review for admission to the university, the University Honors Program, and merit scholarships. Upon choosing to enroll, all self-reported SAT or ACT results must be verified by sending official scores through the testing service.
- High Schools students outside of the US: SAT or ACT scores are not required and will not be considered for admission if submitted. Applicants are encouraged to submit results from nationally accredited exams that signify completion of secondary education and are required for entry into universities in their home country.
- English Proficiency: All students, regardless of citizenship must demonstrate English language proficiency when applying to Northeastern. You can meet the requirement if:
- English is your native language.
- You have lived, and studied, at a high school for 4 consecutive academic years, in the United States or another majority native English speaking country.
- You submit, along with your application, official test results directly from the testing agency for one of the following English language proficiency tests
- Please see the International Applicants page for more information
- Counselor Recommendation and Teacher Evaluation
- If you are applying to the College of Arts, Media and Design, you may be required to submit a creative portfolio through SlideRoom.
- If you are a U.S. Citizen, U.S. Permanent Resident or eligible noncitizen applying for need-based financial aid, you must submit the FAFSA and CSS Profile.
- If you are an international student, you must submit the Declaration and Certification of Finances (DCF). Please read the International Applicants page for more information.

Your Official High School Transcript must be submitted to Northeastern by your counselor or another school official. Transcripts should include any final grades from freshman, sophomore, and junior year; first trimester or first semester grades should be sent when they become available.
- Your high school should submit the Mid-Year Report if you were deferred to Regular Decision.
- You will need to provide an official translation for any transcripts which are not provided in English.
- If you are applying from a high school with non-traditional grading policies or narrative evaluations instead of traditional grades, you are required to submit your narrative reports in order for your application to be complete.
- If you have been out of high school for more than one year, you are still required to submit your most recent transcript.
- If you earned your GED, you must submit an official GED score report, along with your high school transcript through the final year you completed.
Advanced Credits
- Freshman are eligible to receive credit from Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) examinations, or from certain international maturity certificate examinations. Learn more here.
- If you received credit for any courses completed at a college or university, you must request for an official college or university transcript to be sent directly to Northeastern.