Northeastern University Ranking

Boston, USA

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#388

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Northeastern University (NU) has steadily emerged as a globally recognized institution, celebrated for its innovative programs and strong industry integration. According to the QS World University Rankings 2026, NU secured the 384th spot, marking an improvement from #396 in 2025. In the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2025, it consistently ranked within the 201–250 band, maintaining its 2024 standing.

On the national front, U.S. News & World Report placed Northeastern at #54 among U.S. universities in 2025, slightly lower than previous years. With a diverse portfolio of programs spanning engineering, business, humanities, and health sciences, Northeastern empowers students with the skills and experience needed to excel in today’s competitive global market.

Let’s now explore Northeastern University’s ranking trends over the past few years to see how it has progressed on the global stage.

Northeastern University World Rankings 2025-26

Northeastern University’s rankings over the past three years reflect stability with minor fluctuations. In the QS World University Rankings, NU moved from #375 in 2024 to #396 in 2025, before improving to #384 in 2026. The U.S. News & World Report placed it consistently at #54 in National Universities for both 2025 and 2026, highlighting steady national recognition. Meanwhile, the Times Higher Education (THE) ranking remained within the 201–250 band for 2024 and 2025, underscoring sustained global performance in teaching, research, and international outlook.

Here’s how Northeastern University has performed over the years in various rankings.

Ranking System	2024	2025	2026
QS World University Rankings	375	396	384
U.S. News & World Report (National Ranking)	—	54	54
Times Higher Education (THE)	201–250	201–250	—

QS Rankings: Northeastern slipped slightly from #375 in 2024 to #396 in 2025, but bounced back to #384 in 2026, reflecting renewed momentum in academic reputation and research impact.
U.S. News: NU maintained a consistent position at #54 in National Universities for 2025 and 2026, indicating stable national standing despite competition among top U.S. universities.
THE Rankings: Northeastern held steady in the 201–250 band for both 2024 and 2025, showcasing resilience in global teaching, research, and international outlook metrics.

Overall, the trend suggests Northeastern is maintaining a solid global presence, with minor fluctuations that reflect the competitive nature of university rankings worldwide.

Rankings only tell part of the story, discover how Northeastern’s global standing can shape your academic and career future. Book a free 1:1 counselling session with upGrad’s experts to uncover courses, opportunities, and pathways tailored to your goals.

Subject-Wise Ranking of Northeastern University

University rankings provide insight into the quality and reputation of specific academic programs. Subject-wise rankings, such as those for engineering or business, help students make informed decisions based on their field of interest.

Here's a breakdown of Northeastern University’s subject rankings across three major ranking systems.

QS Rankings

Northeastern University’s QS subject-wise rankings show a mixed performance across disciplines between 2023 and 2025. In Computer Science, the university slipped from #151–200 in 2023 to #197 in 2025, indicating increased competition in this field. Similarly, Psychology, Communication and Media, and Pharmacology all declined from the #151–200 range in 2023 to #201–250 by 2025. Business and Management also followed a downward trajectory, moving from #151–200 (2023) to #251–300 (2025).

On the other hand, some subjects showed stability or slight improvements. Biological Sciences improved modestly from #301–350 in 2023 to #251–300 in 2025, while Economics maintained its position in the #251–300 band across all three years. Environmental Sciences and Mathematics reflected relative stability but with a slight decline for Mathematics, dropping from #301–350 in 2023 to #351–400 in 2025.

When looking at broader subject areas, Social Sciences saw the most notable decline, slipping from #384 in 2023 to #451–500 in 2025. This suggests that while Northeastern maintains a strong global reputation in niche fields, consistent ranking challenges highlight the need for greater research output and academic visibility to compete with top global peers.

Subject	2023	2024	2025
Psychology	#151-200	#201-250	#201-250
Computer Science	#151-200	#=175	#=197
Communication and Media	#151-200	#201-250	#201-250
Pharmacology	#151-200	#201-250	#201-250
Biological Sciences	#301-350	#301-350	#251-300
Economics	#251-300	#251-300	#251-300
Business and Management Studies	#151-200	#201-250	#251-300
Social Sciences	#384	#401-450	#451-500
Environmental Sciences	#451-470	#451-500	#451-500
Mathematics	#301-350	#301-350	#351-400

THE Rankings

Northeastern University’s subject rankings between 2023 and 2025 highlight both impressive gains and certain areas of decline. Psychology has shown steady growth, rising from the 176–200 range in 2023 to 101–125 in 2025. Law also improved significantly, climbing from 98th in 2023 to 76th in 2025.

On the other hand, Clinical & Health slipped from 126–150 in 2023 to 201–250 in 2025, and Social Sciences dropped from 126–150 to 201–250 over the same period. Computer Science remained consistently strong, holding near the top 100 globally. Physical Sciences and Life Sciences showed gradual improvements, while Business & Economics saw fluctuations, peaking in 2024 but falling slightly in 2025.

Overall, Northeastern has demonstrated strength in fields like Law, Psychology, and Computer Science, though some disciplines face challenges maintaining upward momentum. Here's the breakdown of subjects at Northeastern University by THE rankings:

Subject	2023	2024	2025
Psychology	176-200	126-150	101-125
Law	=98	=90	76^th
Clinical & Health	126-150	176-200	201-250
Engineering	151-175	151-175	176-200
Business & Economics	201-250	151-175	176-200
Arts & Humanities	251-300	251-300	251-300
Physical Sciences	301-400	251-300	201-250
Computer Science	101-125	92^nd	100^th
Life Sciences	201-250	201-250	176-200
Social Sciences	126-150	151-175	201-250

The ranking of Northeastern University’s subjects reflects the quality of specific fields, helping students choose colleges based on their desired area of study.

Impressed by Northeastern’s University rankings? Explore the Northeastern University admission process and take the first step toward your future here.

Now, let’s explore other rankings beyond those mentioned above.

Miscellaneous Ranking 2025

In addition to traditional sources like QS Rankings, platforms such as Forbes America's Top Colleges can be used to track university performance.

Here’s the performance of Northeastern University in different rankings.

Ranking Name	Ranking Description	Ranking 2025
U.S. News & World Report	In 2024, for co-ops and internships It highlights the university's commitment to preparing students for real-world success through hands-on learning, industry connections, and career-focused education.	#1
Forbes America's Top Colleges	It ranks US institutions based on the best return on investment (ROI). It considers factors like alumni success, student satisfaction, and post-graduation earnings.	#73
Academic Ranking of World Universities (Shanghai Ranking)	Ranks universities worldwide based on their research output, quality of faculty, and academic achievements. It emphasizes indicators like the number of Nobel laureates and highly cited researchers.	#201-300

Northeastern University, is ranked #1 in Co-ops/Internships by U.S. News & World Report. Renowned for its experiential learning model, Northeastern integrates classroom studies with professional experience, offering students unmatched opportunities to work with top global companies through its signature co-op program.

In Forbes America's Top Colleges, the university fares comparatively better with a rank of #73, indicating a moderate return on investment in terms of alumni success.

However, in the Academic Ranking of World Universities (Shanghai Ranking), the university performs poorly, with a rank of #201-300. This shows its struggles in research output, faculty quality, and academic achievements compared to leading global institutions.

Now, let’s get into Northeastern University's academic and extracurricular achievements.

Northeastern University: Excellence and Achievements

Apart from academic excellence, Northeastern University offers diverse student organizations, cultural events, and global engagement opportunities.

Here’s a breakdown of Northeastern University's achievements.

Academic Excellence and National Recognition

Academic honors like the Huntington Award, Experiential Learning Award, and Compass Award highlight the university's focus on student achievement and their ability to apply knowledge effectively.

Here’s a look at its academic achievements.

Category	Recognition
Huntington 100	The Huntington 100 honors outstanding students whose achievements embody the mission, ideals, values, and Academic Plan of Northeastern They were honored for their service, leadership, innovation, entrepreneurship, and impact on the campus community.
Compass Award	John Ruggieri-Lam won the Compass Award. It honors students showing leadership, academic integrity, and commitment to Northeastern.
Experiential Learning Awards	University students who integrated the classroom with real-world projects in three main categories were given experiential learning awards. Categories include co-op Excellence, XN Excellence, and Humanics.

Community and Lifestyle Recognitions

Northeastern University invests in community development initiatives, such as transforming public places and offering scholarships, as part of its community engagement efforts.

Here are the contributions of Northeastern University to community development:

Transforming the Columbus Avenue Corridor: Northeastern University has invested more than USD 500 million to transform the Columbus Avenue Corridor.
Full–tuition scholarships: Northeastern invests USD 13.5 million in full–tuition scholarships for Boston Public Schools students and other Boston–area residents.
Community Service: The university students have contributed an estimated USD 8 million over 280,000 service hours through community service programs.

Cultural and Creative Excellence

Cultural activities at Northeastern University focus on celebrating inclusivity and diversity. Events like Halloween and pride parades create a sense of belonging for students from marginalized groups, creating an environment where all students feel valued.

Here are the cultural achievements at Northeastern University.

Category	Recognition & Activity
Heritage Celebrations	Signature heritage events include Asian American Heritage Month (January), Black History Month (February), Faith-Tastic February, Latin+ Heritage Month (Sept 15–Oct 15), and OUTober for LGBTQ+ pride (October).
Creative & Expressive Events	The university hosts experiences like Celebrate World Music, CSDS Open Mic Nights, and Art & Identity: Who We Are sessions for cultural expression and storytelling .
Community-Building Traditions	Beloved traditions such as Winter Fest, Fall Fest, Mardi Gras, and Family & Friends Weekend foster school spirit, performance, and camaraderie among students.
Humanities Engagement	The Humanities Center supports the cultural scene by funding panels, symposia, and speaker events during the 2025–2026 academic year through its Events & Programs Fund.

Now, let’s explore how rankings and acceptance rates are interrelated.

Ranking Methodologies

QS, Times Higher Education (THE), and U.S. News & World Report are the leading university ranking systems that have become benchmarks for assessing university performance. Each ranking focuses on aspects such as academic reputation, research quality, and global outlook to gauge the performance of universities.

Here’s a detailed look at the criteria used for ranking universities.

QS World University Rankings

The QS world ranking emphasizes employer reputation and academic outcomes, obtained from surveys of thousands of academic experts and employers worldwide. It also gives importance to faculty research and international student admissions.

Here are the criteria used in QS World University Rankings.

Indicator	Score (%)
Overall	39.3
Academic Reputation	28.0
Citations per Faculty	33.7
Employment Outcomes	54.3
Employer Reputation	31.3
Faculty-Student Ratio	23.3
International Faculty Ratio	63.3
International Research Network	66.3
International Student Diversity	96.1
International Student Ratio	95.8
Sustainability	80.2

Times Higher Education (THE) Rankings

The Times Higher Education (THE) Rankings focus on research influence, teaching reputation, and staff-to-student ratio. It also emphasizes international diversity and industry income, assessing how well universities collaborate with industries and global academic networks.

Here are the criteria used by THE rankings.

Indicator	Score (%)
Overall	–
Teaching	39.5
Research Environment	32.7
Research Quality	91.9
Industry	69.5
International Outlook	82.7

U.S. News and World Report Rankings

This indicator uses special criteria like first-year retention rates, graduation rates, and student-faculty ratio. Other criteria like borrower debt and financial resources measure how well universities support low-income students.

Here are the criteria used in U.S. News and World Report Rankings

Indicator	Weighting (%)
Graduation Rates	16
First-Year Retention Rates	5
Graduation Rate Performance	10
Pell Graduation Rates	5.5
Pell Graduation Performance	5.5
College Grads Earning More than High School Grads	5
Borrower Debt	5
Peer Assessment	20
Financial Resources per Student	8
Faculty Salaries	6
Full-Time Faculty	2
Student-Faculty Ratio	3
Standardized Tests (SAT/ACT)	5
Citations per Publication	1.25
Field-Weighted Citation Impact	1.25
Publication Share in Top 5% of Journals by CiteScore	1
Publication Share in Top 25% of Journals by CiteScore	0.5
Total	100

The above rankings reflect how well a university is positioned to offer quality education and outcomes to students, using indicators like employability and industry applications.

Conclusion

Northeastern University continues to strengthen its position in global rankings, reflecting its academic excellence, innovative research, and strong industry ties. With steady placements in QS and THE World Rankings and recognition by U.S. News for its experiential learning model, Northeastern has proven itself as a competitive choice for international students seeking world-class education with career outcomes.

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FAQs

How does Northeastern University’s co-op program influence its global ranking?

Northeastern’s signature co-op program, which integrates classroom learning with professional work, significantly boosts its employability reputation. Employers recognize graduates for their real-world readiness, which positively impacts global ranking indicators like employer reputation and industry partnerships in both QS and THE metrics.

What role do Northeastern alumni play in its reputation rankings?

Alumni success in leadership roles, entrepreneurship, and research contributes to Northeastern’s prestige. High-profile alumni in technology, finance, and healthcare strengthen employer reputation scores, which directly influence QS rankings. This strong alumni network also improves global visibility for current students and applicants.

How does Northeastern’s acceptance rate affect its global ranking?

While acceptance rate isn’t directly included in QS or THE methodologies, Northeastern’s selective admissions help build its reputation as a competitive university. A more competitive profile attracts high-achieving students, indirectly enhancing performance in academic and research ranking metrics.

Is Northeastern’s ranking impacted by its strong research output in AI and health sciences?

Yes. Northeastern’s growing investment in AI, data science, cybersecurity, and health sciences has boosted its research citations and academic reputation. These factors play a crucial role in THE’s Research Quality and Research Environment metrics, raising its global visibility in rankings.

Does Northeastern perform differently in graduate vs. undergraduate rankings?

Most global rankings, such as QS and THE, do not distinguish between undergraduate and graduate performance. However, Northeastern’s graduate programs in computer science, business, and law often receive subject-specific recognition, which can enhance the overall university profile in global rankings.

How does international diversity at Northeastern influence its rank?

Northeastern attracts students from over 140 countries, which directly boosts its QS "International Students" score and THE’s "International Outlook." A diverse campus enriches global engagement and collaboration, strengthening Northeastern’s reputation as a truly international university.

Are scholarships and financial aid considered in Northeastern’s ranking performance?

Scholarships and aid are not directly factored into ranking methodologies. However, Northeastern’s extensive merit and need-based support attract top-tier global talent, which indirectly improves metrics like student quality, research collaboration, and reputation, all of which impact rankings.

How does Northeastern compare with Ivy League universities in rankings?

Northeastern is not Ivy League, but its ranking trajectory often places it close to mid-tier Ivies in subject-specific areas like computer science and business. While Ivy Leagues rank higher globally, Northeastern competes strongly in innovation, co-op education, and research impact.

What’s the outlook for Northeastern’s global ranking in the next five years?

Given its steady improvements in research, global partnerships, and academic reputation, Northeastern is projected to climb further in QS and THE rankings. Its growth in STEM and interdisciplinary research makes it well-positioned to achieve higher global standing by 2030.

Do employer reputation scores heavily influence Northeastern’s QS ranking?

Yes. QS assigns 30% weight to employer reputation, and Northeastern benefits significantly due to its co-op program and global partnerships. Employers value its graduates for work-readiness, giving the university an edge over institutions with less practical training integration.

How does Northeastern perform in sustainability and SDG-related rankings?

Northeastern participates in THE Impact Rankings, which measure performance against UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Its strong focus on climate action, sustainable research, and community engagement boosts its profile in these specialized rankings, complementing its academic and research achievements.