Expect the unexpected — that’s the best advice we can give to those following Northeastern’s shifting acceptance rate. In 2024, the private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts, announced that it received the most applications during its fall cycle of all private colleges in the United States — a whopping 98,373! The 2020s have certainly treated Northeastern well. But a few short years ago, everything was different. Students weren’t banging down the door before the pandemic. Looking at Northeastern’s acceptance rate over the last 15 years is to glimpse a wormhole that transformed a moderately selective institution into one of the most competitive schools in the nation in a matter of years.

Northeastern’s Acceptance Rate Over 15 Years

Are you dying to see Northeastern’s unorthodox acceptance evolution rate yet? We sure hope so! Let’s take a look:

Northeastern University Class Year	Overall Acceptance Rate
Class of 2029	Not Yet Released
Class of 2028	5.65%
Class of 2027	6.80%
Class of 2026	18.00%
Class of 2025	20.48%
Class of 2024	18.05%
Class of 2023	19.34%
Class of 2022	27.44%
Class of 2021	28.88%
Class of 2020	28.48%
Class of 2019	32.22%
Class of 2018	32.31%
Class of 2017	31.86%
Class of 2016	34.53%
Class of 2015	37.92%
Class of 2014	41.02%
Class of 2013	35.21%

Across nearly every school in the United States, it was easier to earn admissions 15 years ago than it is today. Northeastern is no exception. Back then, over one in every three applicants to Northeastern could expect admission. However, the sheer decline in acceptance rate since then is remarkable, unlike many of Northeastern’s elite peers. By the time the Class of 2026 was applying to college, this 35% or so acceptance rate had dwindled by roughly half to 18%. But the real shocker took place the following year, when this already slim 18% would shrink, quite unbelievably, to 6.8% — a decrease of more than 250%!

Unpacking Northeastern’s Acceptance Rate

We at Ivy Coach have seen it all, from colleges manufacturing data for the sake of their US News & World Report rankings to responses to campus antisemitism that will go down in history as despicable. But a nearly three-fold drop in acceptance rate over a single year? Now, that’s something else.

So what does Northeastern have to say about this anomaly? According to reporting by The Huntington News (Northeastern’s independent campus newspaper), Northeastern’s president “attributed the consistent annual jumps in applicant numbers — which have amounted to a 53% increase over the past five years — to the university’s unique ’brand’ and global campus system.”

There’s something fishy going on here. Branding and global reach typically aren’t enough to transform a major university’s acceptance rate overnight. Is Northeastern inflating these numbers? Was it a crazy viral TikTok marketing campaign? Or is it just the sheer luck of the draw? No one can be sure, but the university insists that these numbers are legitimate, according to the same report:

“’Consistent with federal reporting guidelines — and the practice of other universities with alternative entry programs — the admit rate is determined by dividing the number of students admitted to the Boston campus by the total number of applicants. This is standard across higher education,’ Vice President for Communications Renata Nyul wrote in an email statement to The News.”

Ivy Coach’s Assistance With Northeastern Acceptance

Don’t rely on the luck of the draw to get into a school like Northeastern. Parents, take heed: the well-rounded approach hasn’t worked since the 1980s, and only those select students with a singular hook stand a chance in the face of this competitive admissions landscape.

Turning to Ivy Coach to help your child optimize their odds of admission to Northeastern will put their application in the hands of our team of former elite college admissions officers. To get started, fill out our complimentary consultation form, and we’ll be in touch with an outline of our services.