Northeastern is an impressive university with campuses in Boston, London, and Oakland, CA. There are nearly 20,000 undergraduate students at Northeastern across the three campuses, with thousands participating in global experiences each year. The main campus, though, is Boston, and Northeastern is considered a top-50 research university.
Northeastern offers a globally-minded and multi-disciplinary education, and boasts impressive employment outcomes following graduation — which is your eventual goal, after all. We find that transfers are drawn to Northeastern because they want outcomes. They’ve explored, they’ve experimented, and now they are ready to buckle down.
Luckily, Northeastern has a robust transfer program. , they received about 3.5 thousand applications and accepted 675, or just under 20%. Like most schools, though, the transfer acceptance rate fluctuates year-to-year. For entry in the fall of , they received 4,267 applications and accepted 1,037, or 24%. Most years, the Northeastern transfer acceptance rate falls somewhere between 20% and 25%.
Transfer requirements
Northeastern accepts transfers for a fall or spring start, but first you need to make sure that the college you are interested in actually accepts transfer students. The Bouvé College of Health Science, D’Amore-Mckim School of Business, the Explore Program, and the College of Engineering for transfer students — if they accept them at all.
Once you’ve confirmed that the program that you are interested in is accepting transfers, you need to make sure that you’re academically ready for serious consideration as a candidate. Transfers need at least 12 completed college credits, have “attempted” at least one semester of full-time coursework, or have already received a bachelor’s degree from another institution and are looking for another bachelor’s degree. This is not the norm for other top four-year universities, as most do not allow transfers who already have a bachelor’s degree.
Below, we break down the Northeastern transfer application to guide you toward your best outcomes.
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There are a number of schools that you can pick from when you are applying, but the two essays that Northeastern asks applicants to complete remain the same regardless of your selection.
In many ways, this is very similar to when you applied to college as a high school senior. However, there is no main college essay that gives you space to introduce yourself. Instead, it’s much more to-the-point. That doesn’t mean that you can let this feel dry or boring, though. You still need to keep this application creatively, intellectually, and personally compelling. You need to show that you care about more than simply getting a degree: you want Northeastern.
THE TRANSFER ESSAYS
Please explain your reasons for transferring and the goals you hope to achieve. (600 word max)
Before you start drafting up ideas for a response to this prompt, read the next one. Whereas the second essay is the “why us” for the application, this one is more of a “why you?” They want to know what made you think that Northeastern would be a better school for you, and why.
What this prompt is not, however, is an invitation to gossip or speak badly about your current school. They do not want to read about how you think all the professors are idiots or the students are boring, or the community is a bummer. That may be true to your experience, but it is irrelevant for your transfer. It also reflects poorly on your character if you spend time complaining. You want the admissions officials to be able to imagine you as a positive addition to the Northeastern community. Starting this supplement with complaints is a quick way to put a bad taste in their mouth.
So how should you start? With dreams. Your vision for your college experience has shifted in some way. For this we are going to focus in on the academic portion of that evolution. Ideally, your prospective major has shifted to something that is not offered (or emphasized) at your current school, or your academic interest has focused into a niche that your current school doesn’t offer. Tell this story of passion and drive, and focus on what Northeastern can offer not what your current school can’t. Don’t get into specific, though. Again, that will be in the next supplement. Keep this big picture.
Much of this supplement should also look beyond Northeastern. Share what your bigger goals are beyond the classroom.
But what should you do if you aren’t sure? Fake it. Don’t lie. Don’t make things up. But do write with confidence even if you are still a bit iffy. Northeastern wants to see clear direction, not uncertainty, in their transfers. Show them a side of you that is confident about your future — and how Northeastern could take you there.
What types of experiences inside and outside of the classroom do you want to engage in during your Northeastern journey? (250 word max)
This is the “why us” essay, and it’s where you give Northeastern an idea of where, specifically, you’ll fit into their academic program. Start by researching the major, courses you are excited about, and a professor or two that you hope to study under. Maybe include a minor in your research, too, that would build upon an interest that shows up in your transcript but that is outside of your major department.
You have to go beyond academics, too, so find two student groups that speak to the community you want as part of Northeastern. These could be academic, but they could also simply be fun. What they shouldn’t be, though, is random. Don’t pick clubs to spotlight that are disconnected from anything the application readers will see in your activities and experiences elsewhere in your application. What you put down should make sense, and ideally make them smile a little.
Structure your response around an aspect of a community you are part of now (college, home, faith, anything) that you particularly value, starting the supplement with a story that spotlights a moment of connection.
Then you need to transition to how you see those same experiences and traits at Northeastern. Pull those characteristics into the academic classroom, highlighting how the Northeastern program in your prospective major emphasizes that things that you value most. Share the research you did, but frame it all as within the idea of working with others. Northeastern is looking for applicants who want to be fully-integrated into the community, not a step back and just there for school.
End the supplement with the student groups and clubs you are interested in, and what you feel it would bring to your college experience.
Beyond the essays, there are a few more things you need to do to round out your application.
Resume
The resume is technically optional, but we don’t treat it like it is. When Northeastern offers you the opportunity to give them more reasons to love you, take it. Upload a one-page professional resume that is specifically tuned for what you want to do at the university. This is not a place to put everything you’ve done in your lifetime. Focus on the last two years, and edit out anything that isn’t relevant to your academic or community work.
Recommendations
They also allow for a professional recommendation in addition to up to two academic recommendations (one required). Don’t assume that the job experience needs to be fancy to be an amazing addition to your application. The supervisor at your summer day camp job could write an acceptance-cinching recommendation if they really liked working with you. It is better to have a personal, complimentary, and warm application from a ‘unrelated’ professional connection than a fancy recommender with nothing meaningful to say about you.
Creative Portfolio
If you are applying to the College of Arts, Media, and Design, they recommend submitting a create portfolio, which should include your Academic Profile, uploaded files of your work, and a personal statement (500 words).
Like the resume, this isn’t actually optional if you are applying to the CAMD. If you haven’t completed a creative portfolio before, we can help.
SAT/ACT
Standardized test scores are also optional, and all applicants are seriously considered whether or not scores are submitted. We do, however, highly recommend submitting strong scores to underline the strength of your application.
The Northeastern transfer application offers you plenty of space to make a compelling case for admission. The flip side of that is that it’s also enough space to royally mess it up. Don’t do that. Ask for help instead.
If you want a customized transfer application strategy, contact us.