Northeastern vs. Northwestern: Which College is Right for You?

What’s Covered:

• Northeastern vs. Northwestern: A Quick Overview
• Northeastern vs. Northwestern: A Closer Look
• How to Decide Between Northeastern vs. Northwestern
• What Are Your Chances of Acceptance?

Northeastern vs. Northwestern? While both schools share numerous commonalities—such as similar-sounding names and being ranked in CollegeVine’s top 100 best colleges—there are also a handful of ways the schools set themselves apart. Keep reading to learn which school is best for you.

Learn more about Northeastern University and Northwestern University and see your chances of acceptance.

Northeastern vs. Northwestern: A Quick Overview

Northeastern vs. Northwestern: A Closer Look

Location

Northeastern: Boston, Massachusetts, home of Northeastern, is one of the oldest big cities in the U.S. and boasts a variety of historical, cultural, and recreational opportunities. Despite its big-city status, Boston is a college town at heart—35 colleges, universities, and community colleges reside in the city, plus world-class institutions such as Harvard and MIT are located just outside the city.

Students studying in Boston should plan on packing their entire wardrobe; Mark Twain famously said, “If you don’t like the weather in New England, wait a minute.”

Northwestern: Evanston, Illinois, home of Northwestern, is roughly 15 miles north of Chicago, the U.S.’s third-largest city. Evanston offers everything a college student looks for on a college campus; there’s an abundance of eclectic eating options and interesting shops all within walking distance of the school, and one of the country’s great cities is just a short car ride away.

Northwestern’s campus is located on the shores of Lake Michigan, providing easy access to numerous beaches.

Size

Northeastern: There are 22,695 full-time undergraduate students and another 17,079 graduate students enrolled at Northeastern. Northeastern has a 15:1 student-faculty ratio, and most classes have fewer than 19 students.

Northwestern: When comparing enrollment between Northeastern vs. Northwestern, a major difference becomes apparent, which is that Northeastern is considerably larger. Northwestern has 9,117 undergraduate students and a total enrollment of 23,431. The student-faculty ratio is relatively small at 6:1, and in any given quarter, between 70% and 80% of classes have fewer than 20 students.

Academics

Northeastern: Northeastern offers more than 140 single majors through its nine undergraduate colleges:   

• Bouvé College of Health Sciences
• College of Arts, Media and Design
• College of Engineering
• College of Professional Studies
• College of Science
• College of Social Sciences and Humanities
• D’Amore-McKim School of Business
• Khoury College of Computer Sciences
• Mills College at Northeastern (located on Northeastern’s Oakland, CA, campus)

Another differentiator when comparing Northeastern vs. Northwestern is that Northeastern operates on a cooperative education model, or, as it’s called on campus, co-op. Co-op blends periods of study with periods of full-time employment, allowing students to apply lessons learned in the classroom to real-world situations. Co-ops are available with employers in 136 countries and provide students with a powerful path to employment.

Northwestern: Students at Northwestern can earn a degree in a broad spectrum of subjects ranging from anthropology to statistics through the university’s nine undergraduate schools and colleges:

• Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences
• School of Communication
• School of Education & Social Policy
• McCormick School of Engineering & Applied Science
• Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications
• Bienen School of Music
• Kellogg School of Management
• Bienen School of Music
• Northwestern in Qatar

Northwestern is notable for its multidisciplinary approach to education—71% of undergrads combine two or more areas of study. Northwestern also has a campus in Qatar for students who want to take “going away to college” to the extreme. For those students who just want to dabble in life outside of the U.S., studying abroad is a popular option. More than half of Northwestern undergraduates participate in one of Northwestern’s 150 study abroad programs spread across six continents.

Housing

Northeastern: First- and second-year undergraduates are required to live on campus at Northeastern. As of 2023, 56% of full-time Boston-based students live in university housing.

There’s a variety of housing available to Northeastern students, ranging from traditional residence halls to apartment-style complexes. The school also offers a multitude of living-learning communities, including:

• Bouvé College of Health Sciences
• Khoury College of Computer Sciences
• College of Engineering
• College of Science
• D’Amore-McKim School of Business
• Honors
• Pre-Health
• Politics, Philosophy, and Economics
• Creative Expressions
• Cultural Inclusion
• Healthy Living
• Leaders of the Pack
• Musical Motifs

Northwestern: All first- and second-year students are also required to live on campus at Northwestern. More than half (55%) of all Northwestern undergraduates live on campus. Students at Northwestern can choose to live in a residence hall, at a residence college, or in special interest housing, which includes:

• All Gender Housing
• GREEN House
• Fraternity and sorority housing

Financial Aid

Northeastern: Those who qualify for federal financial aid have their full demonstrated financial need met at Northeastern. According to the “Northeastern Promise,” the school is committed to increasing need-based funds at the same percentage as increases in tuition. More than 75% of undergraduates receive some form of financial aid, and more than half of Northeastern students graduate with no debt.

Northwestern: 61% of Northwestern undergraduates receive some kind of need-based aid. All need-based financial packages at Northwestern are no-loan for Pell Grant recipients, and 20% of first-year students are Pell Grant-eligible.

Sports and Extracurriculars

Northeastern: Competing in the Colonial Athletic Association Conference, the university fields 16 Division I sports teams. Professional sports teams like the Red Sox, Celtics, Bruins, and Patriots steal the spotlight in Boston; however, there is enthusiasm for college athletics at Northeastern—98% of Northeastern students attend a sporting event each year.

As for extracurriculars, Northeastern is home to a small Greek community—only about 3,400 (roughly 15%) students are active participants in the school’s more than 35 organizations. The university is home to more than 600 student clubs and organizations—in other words, there is an abundance of opportunity to explore interests outside of the classroom.

Northwestern: As a founding member of the Big Ten, one of the NCAA’s Power Five conferences, Northwestern has a long tradition of athletic excellence. While the focus is often on football games against national powerhouses like Ohio State, Northwestern’s women’s lacrosse team is the school’s most successful program, having won eight NCAA titles since 2005.

Comparing Northwestern vs. Northeastern Greek life is a notable place where the two schools differ. At Northwestern, Greek life is an integral part of the university’s social scene and history—the first fraternity appeared on Northwestern’s campus in 1859, and approximately 40% of today’s undergraduates are affiliated with a fraternity or sorority.

Northwestern is also home to almost 500 student organizations.

Culture and Diversity

Northeastern: LGBTQ+ students anecdotally report feeling safe and accepted at Northeastern, and Boston is an incredibly liberal and welcoming city. Northeastern has devoted a number of resources to its LGBTQ+ community. Its LGBTQA center is active and hosts many events, including Queer Prom and Rainbow Graduation to celebrate graduates.

The diversity makeup for Northeastern is:

Northwestern: Home to students from all 50 states and more than 75 countries, Northwestern offers an inclusive and welcoming campus environment. The university is located in Evanston, which is known for its progressive, open, and welcoming attitudes. On campus, LGBTQIA+ students will find a supportive and active community led by groups like the Rainbow Alliance, Northwestern’s premier undergraduate LGBTQIA+ student group.

The diversity makeup for Northwestern is:

How to Decide Between Northeastern vs. Northwestern

Northeastern is especially strong for students who:

• Want to live in the heart of a big city but still have the feel of being on a college campus.
• Want to build a resume while attending college through a co-op—94% of undergrads complete at least one co-op, and 50% complete two.
• Want to build a business—Entrepreneur Magazine ranked Northeastern as the 10th best undergraduate program for entrepreneurs.
• Want to study business—Poets & Quants ranks Northeastern’s D’Amore McKim School of Business as the 13th best undergraduate business program in the nation.
• Want to stay on the cutting edge—Northeastern is a top 55 research university.
• Want access to a large and global alumni network—more than 60,000 Northeastern alumni are living in over 150 countries.

Northwestern is especially strong for students who:

• Want to study in a small city but have easy access to a big one.
• Are outcome-focused—for example, within six months of the Class of 2022’s graduation, 69% of undergraduates were employed, 27% were studying on a fellowship or attending graduate or professional school, and 3% were engaged in military service, volunteer work, or other career-related activities.
• Care about a school’s reputation—Northwestern has fantastic name recognition and programs like its Medill School of Journalism are counted among the best in the nation.
• Don’t have or want a car—Evanston routinely ranks as one of the country’s most walkable college towns.
• Seek smaller classrooms and more accessible professors, advisors, and teaching assistants.

What Are Your Chances of Acceptance?

Will your odds of admission affect your choice between Northwestern and Northeastern? Our free chancing engine takes into account GPA, test scores, extracurriculars, and other data to predict your odds of acceptance at over 500 colleges across the U.S., including Northwestern and Northeastern. We’ll also let you know how you stack up against other applicants and how you can improve your profile.