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Northeastern University

5 Reviews

Salary Score

Bachelor's

 93

Master's

 73

Doctoral

 40

100% of 5 students said this degree improved their career prospects
60% of 5 students said they would recommend this school to others
By the OnlineU team | Updated 2/6/2023

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FAQs

Northeastern University (NU) is a very competitive, private, nonprofit institution in historic Boston, MA. It serves over 28,000 students. While only 1% of undergraduate and 9% of graduate students attend entirely remotely, NU offers 10 online bachelor's degree completion programs, 69 online master's degree programs, 3 doctoral programs, and numerous certificates at all levels. 

Fast Facts

Average Financial Aid: $34,094

Accreditation: Northeastern University is accredited by 12 agencies

Find an Online Degree:

Rankings by Salary Score and Affordability

Salary Score for Online Degrees at Northeastern University

Bachelor's Degrees

Business Administration, Management and Operations $28,870 $68,843 100
Communication and Media Studies $23,153 $48,567 100
Business/Commerce, General $22,909 $65,358 99
Journalism $23,937 $38,872 95
Research and Experimental Psychology $21,500 $35,413 74
Finance and Financial Management Services $25,810 $52,540 65
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing $24,737 $69,253 64

Master's Degrees

Accounting and Related Services $40,000 $70,005 96
Taxation Not Reported $103,863 96
Communication and Media Studies $36,345 $63,842 92
Business/Commerce, General $51,004 $105,065 89
Finance and Financial Management Services Not Reported $100,801 88
Biotechnology Not Reported $79,825 86
Education, General $29,844 $59,064 86
Computer and Information Sciences, General $39,437 $98,777 81
Criminal Justice and Corrections $35,932 $63,827 80
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing $61,500 $113,631 75
Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology $41,000 $51,959 74
Medical Illustration and Informatics Not Reported $80,886 73
Law Not Reported $47,842 66
Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration $29,168 $93,339 60
Public Health Not Reported $56,788 59
Nutrition Sciences $34,646 $47,803 56
Public Administration $41,000 $55,914 56
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods $38,407 $75,179 35
Homeland Security $35,875 $58,941 35
Business Administration, Management and Operations $36,052 $60,451 32
Journalism Not Reported $37,996 28
Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology $41,000 $63,942 25
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions $40,435 $77,383 21
Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology Not Reported $31,381 15

Doctoral Degrees

Education, General Not Reported $93,357 92
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions $35,500 $69,715 44

FAQs About Northeastern University

Is Northeastern University Online?


NU is online and offers remote degree completion programs at the bachelor's level. You must transfer into the program with previously completed credits. In general, you must complete at least 60 credits at NU as part of a 120-credit online bachelor's completion program. You can transfer up to 60 credits from other schools. 

Undergraduate majors include psychology, healthcare administration, and project management, among others. NU also offers dozens of master's degrees and certificates you can complete remotely.

Is Northeastern University a Prestigious University?


Though it's not an Ivy League school, NU is still prestigious. It's a top-tier RI research university as designated by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education due to its high research activity. It has more than 30 research centers and eight university-wide institutes that work on a range of initiatives, such as creating better cancer diagnostic tools, developing alternatives to opioid painkillers, developing advanced materials and technologies for the military and Homeland Security, and working to reduce the reliance on rare earth metals used in electronics components.

NU also has an exceptionally high 98% retention rate, according to College Scorecard data. This fact speaks to its ability to attract, engage, and support students.

Are Online Degrees From Northeastern University Respected by Employers?


Employers respect NU online degrees because an accredited school confers them. NU is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NECHE), a US Department of Education-recognized agency. This accreditation status means that NU can prove its financial practices are sound and its academic programs offer rigor and high quality. It also means that students can transfer credits from one accredited institution to another. 

Importantly, OnlineU only includes accredited online institutions on its site.

What Is Northeastern University Known For?


NU has been known for being a world leader in cooperative education for over 100 years. Its experiential learning model encourages students to engage with the world through professional work. Co-op students can alternate semesters of academic study with periods of full-time work to apply the skills gained in school immediately to real-world situations. They participate in six-week virtual projects to build a more prepared, productive workforce. This integrative experience aims to help develop students who are highly competitive and appeal to employers when they graduate. 

Additionally, NU has an 88% graduation rate based on College Scorecard data. This rate is significantly higher than the 57% midpoint for four-year colleges and universities due to the caliber of its students and academic program rigor. 

Which Degrees at Northeastern University Provide the Highest Earnings for Graduates?


College Scorecard also shows that NU's degrees in computer information sciences, such as its online bachelor's degree in information technology, provide the highest earnings for graduates, with a median annual salary of $108,000. Other high earning degrees include computer engineering, electrical engineering, and mechanical engineering, which all provide $83,000 or higher incomes. Generally, undergraduates' median earnings are significantly high at over $79,700.

OnlineU's proprietary Salary Score ranks colleges by how much their alumni earn compared to graduates with the same degree nationwide. NU has a high Salary Score of 93 out of 100 for its bachelor's degrees, 73 for its master's degrees, and 40 for its doctoral degrees.

Do You Need To Take SATs or ACTs to Get Into Northeastern University?


NU is currently a test-optional school through 2026. However, NU will consider entrance exam scores, if submitted. Admitted students have high combined SAT scores between 1410 and 1540 and ACT scores between 33 and 35. 

NU is very competitive and only accepts 20% of applicants, according to College Scorecard.

What Are the Admission Requirements for Northeastern University?


NU's admission requirements are similar to other competitive colleges and universities. Applying to college always requires planning to ensure you have enough time to get what you need to submit together. Due to NU's competitiveness, consulting an enrollment advisor can help you through the process.

In general, undergraduate admissions at NU for its online bachelor's degree completion programs include the following:

  • An application and a $75 application fee
  • A minimum 3.5 GPA or higher 
  • Official college transcripts 
  • A college report completed by the registrar or dean of your previous school
  • Official high school transcripts or GED
  • Military transcripts, if applicable

If you're still exploring your options, we've identified the most popular online colleges to help you with your search. 

Student Reviews

Student Reviews

Write a Review 

Meghan Tedder

Reviewed: 4/18/2023

Degree: Public Administration

I am in my first semester of an online grad program. Expect to spend a lot of time fixing administrative errors and shortcomings. Departments bounce you back and forth. Ticket system is ignored. I called accounts today and was 26th in line. After 45 minutes I made it to 10th.

Mary

Reviewed: 4/12/2023

Degree: MBA

The online MBA program at Northeastern is largely designed the same way the in-person classes are designed - heavily focused on group projects. As is typical of Northeastern, the instruction is poor, explanations are insufficient, and grading is harsh. The online classes are supposed to be asynchronous, but there is significant pressure from the individuals doing grading (who somehow are not the course professors?) to attend multiple weekly meetings that are effectively useless and do nothing to... Read More

Marlee

Reviewed: 5/26/2019

Degree: English

I earned my Bachelor's of Science degree at Northeastern University College of Professional Studies in Boston, Massachusetts. NEU was especially appealing for me because I wanted to take classes online, and it was one of the few at the time that was highly accredited. Now, online education is very common, but in 2008 there were not as many options to choose from. Northeasterns transcripts do not even indicate that classes were online, so as far as employers knew, your classes were on campus. The... Read More

AAM

Reviewed: 1/12/2015

Degree: Organizational Leadership

Northeastern University's online Leadership program through the College of Professional Studies is the best online school I have been through. I received my bachelor's degree in the same online format from a Brick and Mortar and I wanted to do the same for my Masters degree as I am a working adult. I started Northeastern University online and was immediately informed that my degree would be viewed the same as if I was on campus. There is absolutely no difference between online and on campus for the... Read More

Deborah Dirk-Haley

Reviewed: 8/8/2014

Degree: Environmental Science

I have received a lot of support from my classmates as well as my Instructors in all of my classes. As an older student, I have benefited from all several different departments at Northeastern University.