Northeastern University is a private research university that was established in 1898. Its urban campus spans 73 acres and is located in Boston, a city that is often named as one of the best college towns in the United States.
According to US News and World Report’s annual list, Northeastern University is ranked 49 among the best colleges in the country. As of the fall of 2020, the school had a total undergraduate enrollment of 15,156 students.
While first- and second-year students at Northeastern are required to live on campus, upper-level students may choose to live off-campus. Transfer students may live in university-owned campus residence halls or off-campus housing, depending on availability.
The school offers over 318 different undergraduate major programs. 110 of these are single majors, while the other 208 are combined majors, or interdisciplinary degree programs that synthesize concepts across different areas of study to create an individualized, unique major that allows students to explore more than one of their interests.
Students at Northeastern who are looking to get involved on campus have no shortage of options to choose from, with over 400 clubs and student organizations, more than 30 of which are Greek life.
Northeastern’s sports teams are known as the Huskies and compete in the NCAA’s Division I Colonial Athletic Conference.
On top of student organizations, Northeastern also offers students the option to engage in cooperative education opportunities called co-ops.
During co-op, students are placed with an employer in order to learn about the real-world experience of working professionals in their field.
Over 95% of Northeastern’s most recent graduating class participated in co-op with one of the school’s 2,935 participating employers.
Notable Northeastern alumni include Napster founder Shawn Fanning, current Kodak CEO Jeff Clarke, Twitter co-founder Biz Stone, and George D. Behrakis, the inventor of Tylenol.
If you are a college student who is unhappy at your current institution, then transferring to a different school may be the best decision to make to improve your undergraduate experience.
Here, we have gathered the most important things that you will need to know about applying to Northeastern University as a transfer student, including the school’s transfer student acceptance rate, application requirements, and more.
Northeastern Transfer Acceptance Rate
The acceptance rate for transfer students at Northeastern University is estimated to be about 32%, as of the fall of 2019.
For comparison’s sake, the acceptance rate for non-transfer first-year students at the school is more than 10% lower at just 20.5%.
For even further comparison, the average acceptance rate for all colleges in the United States is as high as 66%.
This means that a majority of colleges and universities admit over half of all students who apply.
Thus, it can be said that admission to Northeastern University is highly competitive. Still, it is worth noting that it may be less challenging to be accepted to this college as a transfer student than as a first-year student.
To boost the odds of being admitted as a transfer student, applicants should put forth their best effort to maintain high grades.
Because Northeastern utilizes a holistic application review process, there is no specific minimum GPA requirement.
The school, however, has stated that the most successful transfer applicants have no less than a 3.3, on top of strong standardized test scores and a well-crafted personal statement.
Application Requirements & GPA
The average GPA of admitted transfer students at Northeastern University is 3.6. This means that in order to be a competitive applicant to this school, students should earn a mixture of mostly As and a small handful of Bs in all courses.
To apply to Northeastern University as a transfer student, the first step is to complete either the Common Application or the Coalition Application online.
Next, students will need to submit an official transcript from each college or university they have attended in the past, which must include a complete list of courses taken and grades earned. In addition, transfer applicants are required to provide an official final high school transcript or an equivalent, such as a GED score report.
Then, transfer applicants should request an academic evaluation to be completed by a college advisor, current or past professor, or an employer.
For transfer applicants who have completed less than a year of full-time, college-level course work, submitting SAT or ACT scores is also required.
Transfer applicants whose first language is not English must provide English language proficiency test scores to the school.
ESL students will also need to provide certified translations and evaluations of all documents relating to the application that are not already written in English.
There will be a nonrefundable application fee of $75 due at the time of applying. Fee waivers are available for those for whom the fee poses an insurmountable financial barrier.
Northeastern Transfer Deadline
The deadline to apply to Northeastern University as a transfer student to enroll for the fall semester is April 1 of each year.
While some colleges only allow transfer students to begin classes during the fall semester, Northeastern offers students the option of transferring to the school in either the fall or spring semester.
For those who wish to transfer during the spring semester, the transfer application deadline is October 1 every year.
In order to be considered for federal financial aid, Northeastern transfer applicants must complete the FAFSA by no later than April 15 and October 15 for the fall and spring semesters, respectively.
This gives transfer applicants a full two weeks after submitting an application to work on financial aid applications.
In addition to federal student aid, Northeastern also offers a number of merit-based scholarships.
Among these are the Phi Beta Kappa scholarships, which are awarded exclusively to fall semester transfer students.
To be eligible for a Phi Beta Kappa scholarship at Northeastern, students must have earned a GPA of at least 3.5 in no less than 32 credit hours worth of university-level coursework.
What Is the Decision Date for Northeastern?
Fall semester transfer applicants can expect to receive notification of Northeastern University’s admission decision by the first of June each year.
For prospective transfer students applying for the spring semester, the decision date is December 1 every year.
Deciding Whether You Should Transfer to Northeastern
There is no definitive answer to the question of whether or not transferring to Northeastern University is right for you.
There are a number of different factors that can influence how happy you will be at a given school, such as the campus environment, school location and campus size, and many more.
That being said, Northeastern certainly has a lot to offer its students. For one, earning a degree at a well-known, top 50 university like Northeastern will set you apart from others in your field when it comes time to find a job after graduation.
On top of that, Northeastern is known for placing a unique emphasis on experiential learning and real-world application of what you learn in the classroom.
At Northeastern, students can benefit from the use of innovative pedagogical techniques, such as flipped classrooms, simulations, and case studies.
Outside the classroom, students have numerous opportunities to participate in research projects with faculty members, explore a new country while studying abroad, and lend a helping hand through service-learning activities.
In addition to the many experiential learning opportunities, Northeastern also boasts a nearly perfect first-year retention rate of 97%.
As this statistic is widely acknowledged as an indication of student satisfaction at a college, this figure gives further reason to believe that transferring to Northeastern University just might be the best decision to make for your undergraduate education.
RECAP: How to Apply As a Transfer Student to Northeastern
To apply to Northeastern University as a transfer student, the first thing you will need to do is fill out the Common Application or the Coalition Application. Be sure to complete one of these two applications before the deadline, which is April 1 each year for fall semester transfer students and October 1 for spring semester applicants.
The next step is to collect and submit the required application documents. These include official transcripts from all colleges you have ever attended and must be sent to Northeastern directly from the previous school or schools.
Additionally, transfer applicants must submit an official transcript from their high school or GED program.
For those who have completed less than a year of college-level coursework, submitting SAT or ACT scores is another required part of the transfer application process.
Transfer applicants whose first language is something other than English must provide English language proficiency test scores.
For any required materials that are not already in English, ESL transfers must include a translation and evaluation of the documents.
Then, transfer applicants must obtain an academic evaluation report from a past or present professor, employer, or college advisor. The last step is to pay the $75 application fee, unless you have already obtained a fee waiver.
After submitting all of the above supporting materials to the school before the application deadline, transfer applicants have an additional two weeks to complete and submit the FAFSA and other financial aid applications.
