Freshman Admissions

As a valued member of the Northeastern community, you will have the opportunity to be submersed into a diverse, global, and thriving environment. You will explore new opportunities and chart your own path to degree. We are excited to have you join us, and look forward to the strengths and experience you bring with you.

Application Materials

  • Completed Common Application or Coalition Application
  • Application fee of $75
  • Guidance counselor and teacher recommendations
  • Secondary school transcripts with final junior year grades. First-semester or first-trimester grades should be submitted when they are available; first-quarter grades are not required. If you have been out of high school for more than one year, you must send the most up to date version of your transcript. Transcripts should be evaluated by a recognized credentialing agency (For transfer applicants who have earned credits at an international institution, please visit The Center for Educational Documentation).
  • Early Action and Early Decision candidates should send their first-term grades as soon as they are available.
  • Testing: Please note, it is your responsibility to ensure that any test scores are submitted directly to Northeastern University by the testing service.
    • High Schools in the US: Official SAT or ACT results. Northeastern’s CEEB College Code is 3667 / ACT College Code is 1880. Test scores must be sent to Northeastern directly from the testing agency.
    • High Schools 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: If your first language and/or language spoken at home is not English, you will be required to demonstrate English language proficiency, by submitting valid results directly from the testing agency for one of the following exams:
    • TOEFL iBT (Composite 92+; Reading, Writing, and Listening subscores 22+; and, Speaking 24+)
    • IELTS Academic (6.5 Overall Band Score, with no subscore band below 6.0)
    • PTE Academic (62+)
    • C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency (Cambridge English Scale 176+

Northeastern’s English Proficiency Requirement may be waived at the discretion of the Admissions Committee if you will have spent at least 4 academic years studying at institutions (high schools, colleges or universities) where English was the primary language of instruction, and was studied at an academic level as opposed to being studied as a second or additional language. Students attending a high school or university outside of the United States, regardless of citizenship, should review information in the International Student Admissions page.

Application Information
  • Portfolios are required for Studio Art, and are encouraged for majors within the College of Arts, Media and Design. Beginning in Spring 2018, a portfolio is no longer required for Music Technology applicants. Northeastern uses SlideRoom for online portfolio submissions. Visit these pages to learn more about details regarding the portfolio requirements for Studio Art and portfolio guidelines for all other CAMD majors.
  • Non-U.S. citizen applicants are required to submit the Certification of Finances form for their application to be considered complete. The Certification of Finances is designed to assist colleges and universities in obtaining complete and accurate information about the funds available to international applicants. As Northeastern is unable to offer state or federally-funded financial support to international applicants, the process of verifying the financial resources of students is essential.
  • General Equivalency Diploma (GED) recipients should provide their official GED score reports and their most complete high school transcript.
  • Non-traditional grading policies: Students who attend schools where narrative evaluations are used instead of traditional letter grades are required to submit the narratives to complete their applications.
  • Home-schooled applicants: See Special Documents tab in our Application Information page.

Enrollment Checklist

Please view your Application Status Check to view your enrollment checklist and next steps/important dates to note in order to enroll at Northeastern.

Next Steps

You will receive a number of communications in the coming months, including information on financial planning, registering for spring admitted student events, registering for New Student Orientation, housing and roommate assignments, and moving in, among other items. Please be sure to contact the Office of Undergraduate Admissions if your email address changes. In addition, make sure to check your Application Status Check and your MyNEU Admitted Student Portal for the most up-to-date information.

What to Expect, and When

Here’s what admitted students can expect, and when.

  1. Offer of Financial Assistance: Available At Time Of Admission Decision
  2. New Student Orientation Information: In April, After Deposit Is Received
  3. Health Report Form: In April
  4. Information On Financial Planning, Billing, And Loans: May–July
  5. Housing Assignment: Beginning In Mid-June
  6. Information About the Mandatory Office of Global Services Sessions Scheduled For International Students With F-1 Visa: Beginning In Mid-June
  7. Move-In Instructions and Campus Information: 
Beginning In Mid-August
  8. First Billing Statement: Four To Six Weeks Before Start of Term
  9. Health Insurance and Waiver Information: Four To Six weeks before Start Of Term, along with First Billing Statement
  10. Student Employment Registration Information: During Orientation
Enrollment Information