Contact: John Natale at 617-373-2802

(2-7-07) BOSTON, Mass. – Applications at Northeastern University topped 30,000 for the 2007 class, an increase of more than 12 percent over 2006 and double the number of applicants in 2000.

Northeastern has also seen a significant increase in applicants from different parts of the country. Over the past five years, applications have risen 144 percent from the West Coast, 75 percent from the Southeast, 73 percent from the Southwest, and 62 percent from the Midwest. Applications from international students have more than doubled, up 105 percent from 2003.

“This substantial rise in applications clearly shows Northeastern is high on the radar screens of high school students and their families,” says Ronne Patrick-Turner, Dean of Admissions at Northeastern University. “Our distinctive academic model, rooted in experiential education, is resonating across the country and worldwide.”

Gabe Wolf, a high school senior from Berkeley, California, was one of those applicants for whom experiential education was an important factor.

“I chose Northeastern for a variety of reasons, one of the strongest being its co-op program,” says Wolf, who applied for early admission this year. “Getting real-world experience in my field of study will prove invaluable, both during and after college.”

Northeastern has experienced a significant increase in online applicants, with 27,206 students applying online for the fall 2007 semester (90 percent of total applicants), up 37 percent from last year. This shift towards technology is complemented by Northeastern’s paperless office environment, where application materials are made available online for easy access by admissions counselors.

Northeastern places its applications through a comprehensive review process, in which counselors consider such factors as academic achievement, essays, and non-cognitive attributes, including leadership, creative thinking, resiliency, and contributions to school and community.

“This process allows us to diligently review every aspect of an application to ensure we’re acknowledging what is special about each student we admit,” says Patrick-Turner.

About Northeastern: Founded in 1898, Northeastern University is a private research university located in the heart of Boston. Northeastern is a leader in interdisciplinary research, urban engagement, and the integration of classroom learning with real-world experience. The university’s distinctive cooperative education program, where students alternate semesters of full-time study with semesters of paid work in fields relevant to their professional interests and major, is one of the largest and most innovative in the world. The University offers a comprehensive range of undergraduate and graduate programs leading to degrees through the doctorate in six undergraduate colleges, eight graduate schools, and two part-time divisions. For more information, please visit www.northeastern.edu.