Northeastern invests a record $525m in financial aid, welcomes talented class to multiple campuses

Northeastern is investing a record $525 million in financial aid – grants, not loans – for the 2026-2027 academic year, showcasing its commitment to meeting the full demonstrated financial need for every undergraduate student who attends the university.

Today, 60% of undergraduate students at the university receive financial aid, including merit scholarships and need-based grants. Need-based grant funds increase every year by the same percentage rate as tuition increases.

This fall, Northeastern welcomed an academically talented freshman class from a record 106,300 applicants, the second year in a row that the university’s applicant pool has exceeded 100,000.

Many of these students chose Northeastern for its academic excellence coupled with flexibility through combined majors and the university’s leadership in experiential learning, according to Satyajit Dattagupta, chief enrollment management officer, executive vice chancellor and head of global expansion.

Co-op and experiential learning continues to show return on investment for students—and employers

Every year, 12,000 students participate in Northeastern’s signature co-op program. Students pursue co-op and experiential learning opportunities in 156 countries and all continents — including Antarctica. The real-world, professional experience gained during co-op is integrated with classroom learning, exposing students to industries ranging from artificial intelligence and technology to healthcare and public service. Students join small startups and global conglomerates, consumer brands, not-for-profits and NGOs, for six months at a time. This enables them to graduate with not only a degree, but up to 18 months of work experience on their resumes.

As a result, 97% of undergraduate students are employed full time or in graduate school within nine months of graduation, and 92% of employed graduates are in jobs that are related to their majors.

Fifty-eight percent of Northeastern graduates are offered a job from a previous co-op employer, and graduates’ starting salaries are 33% higher than the national average.

The university has a global network of more than 4,000 employer partners ranging from small, local startups to large multinational corporations in every industry.

Experiential learning opportunities also include global experiences such as the faculty-led Dialogue of Civilizations program that takes students to multiple countries for several weeks at a time.

One-in-three first-year students want to pursue a combined major

Combined majors are degree programs that integrate different academic fields such as computer science and philosophy, or environmental engineering and artificial intelligence. The university offers more than 230 combined majors, which encourage students to explore multiple academic fields through an integrated curriculum. In fact, 30% of first-year students applied to a combined major.

“The journey that students have here at Northeastern is unparalleled,” Dattagupta says.

He added that families are also looking for a value proposition that gives their students an edge in the global job market upon graduation.

“Students and families have a major emphasis on return on investment,” Dattagupta says. “Northeastern answers that need better than anybody else with the university’s many opportunities for students to learn, do research and gain leadership experience across the globe.”

Mobility across Northeastern’s campuses is a compelling value proposition

The university welcomed 2,820 first-year undergraduate students to its Boston campus this fall. The Oakland campus welcomed 920 students, its largest class ever, and 980 students enrolled on the London campus. This includes 790 London Scholars, who will spend their first year in London and then come to the university’s Boston campus. The university’s newest campus in New York City welcomed 485 students. This includes 330 New York City Scholars, who will spend their first year in New York City and then transition to the university’s Boston campus.

An additional 1,130 undergraduate students began their Northeastern experience by participating in the N.U.in Program, spending their first semesters studying in the Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Spain.

Northeastern also offers regionally aligned graduate programs and research on its campuses in Arlington, Va.; Burlington, Mass.; Charlotte, NC; Miami; Nahant, Mass.; Portland, Maine; Seattle; Silicon Valley, Calif.; Toronto; and Vancouver, British Columbia.

The university expects over 7,000 professional learners or graduate students will start at Northeastern this year across the global network of campuses.

The incoming class includes students from 68 countries and 47 U.S. states.