If Northeastern is your number one college choice, and you are committed to attending if admitted, Early Decision is the admissions program that is right for you. Early Decision is ideal for students who are confident that we are the right fit—academically, socially, and financially. Please note, Early Decision is binding—if you are admitted, you are committed to attending and required to withdraw all applications from other institutions.
Applying Early Decision this year comes with some clear and tangible benefits for those who consider Northeastern to be their number one choice. We expect to enroll up to half of our entering class through Early Decision—to calibrate, for the class entering Fall 2020, the ED admit rate was 32% compared to the overall admit rate of 20%. Learn more about our Early Decision benefits.
You will have two opportunities to apply for Early Decision consideration: by November 1 for Early Decision I or by January 1 for Early Decision II. Early Decision II allows students who realize that Northeastern is their first choice later in the application process to still show their high level of interest.
Choose Early Action if Northeastern is a top choice—and you feel that you can put your best foot forward at this earlier date, since the Admissions Committee will not see your senior year grades or late fall standardized testing.
Early Action is non-binding—you will be notified of your decision online by February 1.
Choose Regular Decision if you would like the Admissions Committee to review information from the first semester of your senior year, and to have additional time to put the finishing touches on your application.
Regular Decision is non-binding—you will be notified of your decision online by April 1.
Transfer students have the opportunity to apply for enrollment at Northeastern for spring 2021 entry. To ensure that your application is reviewed for spring admission, all required documents should be received by the application deadline.
The application for the Spring 2021 term will go live in late August/early September.
Our financial aid deadline for the FAFSA is aligned with the CSS Profile deadline, allowing us to deliver more complete award notifications to admitted students at the time of their decision release.
For additional information regarding aid, please see our Applying for Financial Aid page or contact Student Financial Services directly.
For freshman applicants, once you submit your application, you will receive one of the following admissions decisions:
