Northeastern Transfer Acceptance Rate and Requirements — 2024

Just a generation ago, Northeastern accepted the vast majority of quality applicants they received. However, last year, they took under 7%. There aren’t many schools that have skyrocketed in selectivity in such a short period of time. If attending Northeastern is your dream, but you didn’t make it through this brutal admission gauntlet the first time, there is still hope. In fact, you have a much better chance of gaining acceptance to NU as a transfer applicant than you did as a first-year applicant. Accordingly, this blog will share the Northeastern transfer acceptance rate as well as other essential pieces of information like the Northeastern University transfer application deadline, requirements, decision date, and much more.

Northeastern Transfer Acceptance Rate

Below we present the most current available Northeastern University transfer acceptance rate as well as historical data.

For entry in the fall of 2022, 3,644 students applied for transfer admission and 1,105 were successful. This means that the Northeastern transfer acceptance rate is 30.3%. Moreover, if we break this down by gender, the acceptance rates are as follows:

• Male transfer applicants: 30.5%
• Female transfer applicants: 30.1%

For entry in the fall of 2021, there were 3,248 transfer applicants, and 662 individuals were accepted. This means that the Northeastern transfer acceptance rate was 20.4%.

When trying to get the complete picture of how difficult it is to transfer into a given school, it is important to look at historical data. This is because many schools have wild fluctuations in transfer acceptance rates from year to year; Northeastern qualifies as one such school. Specifically, the Northeastern transfer acceptance rate has swung between 16% and 48% in recent years.

Historical transfer rates are as follows:

Northeastern Transfer Application Deadline

The university offers only a fall transfer option this cycle. Moreover, the application becomes available in January and is due by April 1.

Northeastern Transfer Requirements

The Northeastern transfer application requirements are as follows:

• Completed Common App for Transfer
• Final high school transcripts
• Official college transcripts
• SAT or ACT scores (optional through 2026)
• College Report
• Academic Evaluation
• Mid-Term Report (strongly recommended)
• One letter of recommendation
• Supplemental materials or auditions for certain programs. For example, the College of Arts, Media and Design requires a portfolio.
• Current Year Courses. To clarify, these can be on your official transcript or you can send a PDF screenshot of your current college courses.

Northeastern University Transfer Acceptance Rate (Continued)

Students who have the best chance to gain admission to Northeastern have done the following:

• Have completed at least 12 semester credit hours.
• Earned exceptional grades in their first year at a community college or 4-year university.
• Have strong SAT/ACT and AP/IB results (even in a test-optional time).
• Completed program-specific prerequisite coursework (see below).

Recommended/Required Courses for NU Transfer

Bouvé College of Health Sciences

Health Science

• College Writing
• Biology I & II with labs
• Chemistry I & II with labs
• Calculus or higher
• Foundations of Psychology

School of Nursing*

• College Writing  (rec)
• Anatomy & Physiology I & II with labs (rec)
• Chemistry with lab (rec)
• Microbiology with lab (rec)
• Foundations of Psychology (rec)
• Nutrition (rec)
• Mathematical Thinking (rec)

*Please note that Nursing students must complete all recommended coursework in order to progress into year 2 of the program’s course sequence

Pharmacy

• Transfer into the second year of the Early Assurance PharmD (Sophomore year pre-pharmacy; usually 12 credits or more). 
  • Chemistry I with lab (required)
  • Biology I with lab (required)
  • Chemistry II with lab (strongly recommended)
  • Biology II with lab (strongly recommended)
  • College Writing (equivalent to ENGW 1111)
  • Calculus or higher
  • Foundations of Psychology

Northeastern University Transfer Acceptance Rate (Continued)

Arts, Media and Design

• College Writing
• Mathematical Thinking or Calculus
• Foreign Language (BA students only)

College of Engineering

• Calculus I (required – level should be for Engineering/Science majors)
• Physics I (rec – level should be calculus based)
• Chemistry I (rec) 
• College Writing

Khoury College of Computer Sciences

• Calculus 1 (Required)
• College Writing
• Natural Science with lab

College of Social Sciences and Humanities

• College Writing
• Mathematical Thinking or Calculus
• Foreign Language (BA students only)

College of Science

• College Writing
• Calculus or higher
• Natural Science with lab

D’Amore-McKim School of Business

• Calculus at the college level (rec)
• Macroeconomics (BSBA only, rec)
• Language (Intermediate level strongly recommended for BSIB)
• College Writing
• Business Statistics
• Microeconomics

Northeastern Transfer GPA

Northeastern does not have an official minimum GPA that makes you eligible to apply. However, based on our experience counseling successful NU transfers, having at least a 3.5 GPA will give you the best odds. Furthermore, a 3.75 or better will certainly improve your chances; several years ago, the school published data that the average GPA for accepted students was 3.6.

In sum, the admissions committee shares: “We review all applications holistically and are looking for students who are the best fit for Northeastern. We look closely at the student’s academic coursework and grades, along with extracurricular involvement, including work, clubs, community service, and internships. We value all information, and students should show how they are the best fit for NU and how they will take advantage of the opportunities here.”

Northeastern Transfer Decision Date

Northeastern transfer application decisions will be made no later than June 15.

Final Thoughts – Northeastern University Transfer Acceptance Rate

Getting into Northeastern as a transfer is a realistic goal for students who have excelled in their early college coursework. Unlike other schools with single-digit acceptance rates, NU possesses a generous transfer process. Although it varies from year to year, the transfer acceptance rate at this institution gives plenty of reason for optimism. Given this favorable landscape, applying to NU is well worth the $75 application fee.

However, it is important to note that if you are 100% committed to leaving your current college, you’ll want to apply to other schools in addition to Northeastern University. Even if you have near-perfect college grades, admission into Northeastern is far from a guarantee, so you’ll want to create a balanced list of institutions that include safety schools.

If you are looking for information on how to apply to Northeastern as a first-year student, you may find the following blog to be of interest:

• How to Get Into Northeastern

Those searching for application info on other colleges may wish to visit our Dataverse pages/blogs:

• Transfer Admissions Deadlines
• Transfer Acceptance Rates