The student population at Northeastern University is 32,553 (17,432 undergraduate and 15,121 graduate students) . The number of students has increased by 12,613 (63.25%) over the past decade.
The average student population over the last 11 years is 25,044 where 32,553 students are attending the school for the academic year 2024-2025.
Total enrollment increased every year from 2016 to 2025, growing from 19,940 to 32,553 students, a gain of 12,613 (63.3%).
The following table and chart illustrate the changes in student population by gender at Northeastern University since 2015.
| Year | Total | Undergraduate | Graduate | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Men | Women | Total | Men | Women | ||
| 2015-16 | 19,940 | 13,697 | 6,800 | 6,897 | 6,243 | 3,344 | 2,899 |
| 2016-17 | 20,381 441 | 13,473 -224 | 6,648 -152 | 6,825 -72 | 6,908 665 | 3,812 468 | 3,096 197 |
| 2017-18 | 21,489 1,108 | 13,825 352 | 6,715 67 | 7,110 285 | 7,664 756 | 4,353 541 | 3,311 215 |
| 2018-19 | 21,627 138 | 13,909 84 | 6,743 28 | 7,166 56 | 7,718 54 | 4,520 167 | 3,198 -113 |
| 2019-20 | 22,207 580 | 14,202 293 | 6,883 140 | 7,319 153 | 8,005 287 | 4,632 112 | 3,373 175 |
| 2020-21 | 22,905 698 | 15,156 954 | 7,351 468 | 7,805 486 | 7,749 -256 | 4,386 -246 | 3,363 -10 |
| 2021-22 | 28,167 5,262 | 15,747 591 | 7,221 -130 | 8,526 721 | 12,420 4,671 | 6,465 2,079 | 5,955 2,592 |
| 2022-23 | 30,013 1,846 | 16,302 555 | 7,153 -68 | 9,149 623 | 13,711 1,291 | 7,113 648 | 6,598 643 |
| 2023-24 | 31,159 1,146 | 15,891 -411 | 6,934 -219 | 8,957 -192 | 15,268 1,557 | 8,006 893 | 7,262 664 |
| 2024-25 | 32,553 1,394 | 17,432 1,541 | 7,570 636 | 9,862 905 | 15,121 -147 | 8,074 68 | 7,047 -215 |
| Average | 25,044 | 14,963 | 7,002 | 7,962 | 10,081 | 5,471 | 4,610 |
The average number of Undergraduate students over the last 11 years is 14,963 where 17,432 students are attending the Undergraduate school for the academic year 2024-2025. The following table and chart illustrate the changes in Undergraduate enrollment by attending status and gender at Northeastern University since 2015.
| Year | Total | Full-time | Part-time | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Men | Women | Total | Men | Women | ||
| 2015-16 | 13,697 | 13,664 | 6,785 | 6,879 | 33 | 15 | 18 |
| 2016-17 | 13,473 | 13,444 | 6,632 | 6,812 | 29 | 16 | 13 |
| 2017-18 | 13,825 | 13,786 | 6,701 | 7,085 | 39 | 14 | 25 |
| 2018-19 | 13,909 | 13,864 | 6,725 | 7,139 | 45 | 18 | 27 |
| 2019-20 | 14,202 | 14,156 | 6,862 | 7,294 | 46 | 21 | 25 |
| 2020-21 | 15,156 | 15,131 | 7,342 | 7,789 | 25 | 9 | 16 |
| 2021-22 | 15,747 | 15,711 | 7,199 | 8,512 | 36 | 22 | 14 |
| 2022-23 | 16,302 | 16,278 | 7,138 | 9,140 | 24 | 15 | 9 |
| 2023-24 | 15,891 | 15,857 | 6,917 | 8,940 | 34 | 17 | 17 |
| 2024-25 | 17,432 | 17,401 | 7,551 | 9,850 | 31 | 19 | 12 |
| Average | 14,963 | 14,963 | 6,985 | 7,944 | 14,963 | 17 | 18 |
The average number of Graduate students over the last 11 years is 10,081 where 15,121 students are attending the Graduate school for the academic year 2024-2025. The following table and chart illustrate the changes in Graduate enrollment by attending status and gender at Northeastern University since 2015.
| Year | Total | Full-time | Part-time | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Men | Women | Total | Men | Women | ||
| 2015-16 | 6,243 | 5,357 | 2,876 | 2,481 | 886 | 468 | 418 |
| 2016-17 | 6,908 | 6,053 | 3,364 | 2,689 | 855 | 448 | 407 |
| 2017-18 | 7,664 | 6,830 | 3,919 | 2,911 | 834 | 434 | 400 |
| 2018-19 | 7,718 | 6,921 | 4,093 | 2,828 | 797 | 427 | 370 |
| 2019-20 | 8,005 | 7,241 | 4,216 | 3,025 | 764 | 416 | 348 |
| 2020-21 | 7,749 | 6,917 | 3,934 | 2,983 | 832 | 452 | 380 |
| 2021-22 | 12,420 | 11,189 | 5,900 | 5,289 | 1,231 | 565 | 666 |
| 2022-23 | 13,711 | 12,570 | 6,566 | 6,004 | 1,141 | 547 | 594 |
| 2023-24 | 15,268 | 13,881 | 7,381 | 6,500 | 1,387 | 625 | 762 |
| 2024-25 | 15,121 | 13,554 | 7,342 | 6,212 | 1,567 | 732 | 835 |
| Average | 10,081 | 10,081 | 4,959 | 4,092 | 10,081 | 511 | 518 |
The percentage of white students is 30.74% and the percentage of black students is 3.71% at Northeastern University. 15.43% of enrolled students is Asian. Hispanic students comprise 7.13% of the student body.
Over the past 10 years, the racial composition has shifted. The percentage of white students decreased from 42.97% to 30.74%. Asian enrollment grew from 9.54% to 15.43%. Black student enrollment increased from 3.24% to 3.71%. Hispanic student representation expanded from 5.60% to 7.13%.
The overall racial diversity, measured by the Census Bureau Diversity Index, is 0.8732 which indicates that highly diverse. This increased from 0.8012 a decade ago, suggesting that racial diversity has improved.
The following table and chart illustrate the student population trends by race/ethnicity at Northeastern University over the past 11 years (2015-2025).
| Year | American Indian or Native American | Asian | Black | Hispanic | Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander | White | Two or More Races |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-16 | 13 | 1,903 | 646 | 1,116 | 5 | 8,568 | 595 |
| 2016-17 | 13 | 1,994 | 660 | 1,160 | 4 | 8,218 | 647 |
| 2017-18 | 9 | 2,163 | 644 | 1,296 | 2 | 8,397 | 668 |
| 2018-19 | 8 | 2,279 | 712 | 1,402 | 4 | 8,271 | 705 |
| 2019-20 | 9 | 2,452 | 750 | 1,501 | 5 | 8,367 | 796 |
| 2020-21 | 8 | 3,103 | 834 | 1,670 | 1 | 8,961 | 948 |
| 2021-22 | 12 | 3,713 | 1,236 | 2,180 | 3 | 9,705 | 1,132 |
| 2022-23 | 12 | 4,092 | 1,258 | 2,296 | 4 | 9,865 | 1,283 |
| 2023-24 | 14 | 4,356 | 1,216 | 2,288 | 11 | 9,418 | 1,292 |
| 2024-25 | 13 | 5,023 | 1,208 | 2,322 | 11 | 10,006 | 1,479 |
| Average | 11 | 3,108 | 916 | 1,723 | 5 | 8,978 | 955 |
1,730 students are enrolled in online degree programs exclusively for the academic year 2024-2025, which is 5% of total students. The number of online students has increased 739.81% since 2015. The following table and chart illustrate the changes in the online student population by enrolled type at Northeastern University from 2015 to 2025.
| Year | Total Enrollment | Online Completely | Enrolled in Some Online Courses | Not Enrolled in Online Courses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-16 | 19,940 | 206 | 1,219 | 18,515 |
| 2016-17 | 20,381 | 240 | 1,396 | 18,745 |
| 2017-18 | 21,489 | 249 | 1,443 | 19,797 |
| 2018-19 | 21,627 | 173 | 1,838 | 19,616 |
| 2019-20 | 22,207 | 209 | 2,115 | 19,883 |
| 2020-21 | 22,905 | 663 | 10,390 | 11,852 |
| 2021-22 | 28,167 | 1,286 | 7,987 | 18,894 |
| 2022-23 | 30,013 | 1,058 | 6,469 | 22,486 |
| 2023-24 | 31,159 | 1,308 | 7,097 | 22,754 |
| 2024-25 | 32,553 | 1,730 | 7,507 | 23,316 |
| Average | 25,044 | 712 | 4,746 | 19,586 |
Share your experiences and thoughts about Northeastern University. It will be a great help to applicants and prospective students!