Northeastern University vs. Tufts University

Northeastern is meaningfully harder to get into, admitting about 5.2% of applicants in the most recent cycle against roughly 10.8% at Tufts. Scale widens the gap: Northeastern drew more than 98,000 first-year applications to Tufts' roughly 33,400. Applying early helps at both. Northeastern admitted 1,492 of 3,466 Early Decision applicants and also runs a nonbinding Early Action option, while Tufts admitted 1,071 of 3,344 Early Decision applicants and offers no Early Action plan.

On size, Northeastern dwarfs Tufts, enrolling about 22,695 undergraduates to Tufts' 7,031, roughly three times as many. That difference reaches the classroom: Tufts runs a 10-to-1 student-faculty ratio against Northeastern's 16-to-1, so sections tend to be smaller and faculty contact closer. A large, Boston-plugged university points you toward Northeastern, while a tighter community points you toward Tufts.

Both schools train strong technologists, but they get there by different routes. Northeastern leans into volume and work experience: engineering makes up about 18% of degrees and computer and information sciences about 16%, two of its largest programs, and the co-op model places students in paid, full-time industry roles before they graduate. Tufts keeps the cohort smaller, with computer science and engineering each at about 10% of degrees, taught inside a liberal-arts framework rather than a co-op one. Northeastern delivers built-in professional experience at scale, whereas Tufts offers a smaller technical cohort grounded in the liberal arts.

On cost, Northeastern carries the lower sticker, charging about $69,289 in tuition and required fees versus roughly $73,616 at Tufts, though aid decides the actual bill. Both schools meet 100% of demonstrated financial need. Northeastern's average need-based package runs about $60,416 and reaches around 50% of first-years, while Tufts averages about $66,244 but reaches a narrower 37%. Tufts also runs its Tuition Pact, covering full tuition for families with total income under $150,000, which can drop the cost below its higher sticker for many lower- and middle-income families.

Cooperative education anchors Northeastern: students alternate semesters of study with up to a full year of paid, full-time work in their field, and business leads as its single most popular area at about 23% of degrees. Tufts runs no formal co-op, and its most popular field is the social sciences at about 20% of degrees, covering international relations, political science, and economics, with hands-on experience coming through internships, research, and study abroad. Following the more explicitly pre-professional path is Northeastern, while Tufts keeps to a more traditional liberal-arts one.

Neither school requires test scores, since both go test-optional. Enrolled first-years who did submit landed in nearly overlapping middle-50% ranges: 1450–1520 SAT and 33–35 ACT at Northeastern, and 1460–1520 SAT and 33–35 ACT at Tufts. Both weigh course rigor and academic GPA as very important, though Northeastern counts submitted scores as a very important factor while Tufts merely considers them.