10-YEAR PAYOFF CURVECumulative economic payoff after graduation
+$191,620at year 10Net gainInvestment not yet recovered
NET GAIN$0UNRECOVERED
Private nonprofit · COLLEGE PAYOFF
Northeastern University
Boston, MA · 82 field-and-degree records
Earnings reported for 79 · Federal debt reported for 37
Based onObserved earnings + college priceEstimate10-year payoff
Estimated 10-year payoff
Positive payoff
+$191,620 over 10 years
Modeled from observed year-5 institution earnings and the institution-wide average net price over four years.
6.1 yrsTime to earn back the modeled cost
+63%Estimated return after 10 years
$94,528Observed earnings · year 5
$78,820Highest annual price before payoff reaches $0
The price benchmark is $47,905 per year below this threshold.
Start with your question
What do you want to understand?
ECONOMIC INVESTMENT → PAYBACK
Estimated payoff over ten years.
The scenario counts direct price and earnings forgone upfront, then applies the reported annual earnings premium.
FEDERAL COST DATA
Four ways to read college price.
Annual college-wide figures from the current College Scorecard release. Average net price covers full-time, first-time undergraduates receiving federal aid; public-college figures use in-state students. Program tuition and individual aid offers may differ.
PUBLISHED STUDENT BUDGET · 2024–25
What makes up the annual price?
Sticker-price components reported to IPEDS. Grants and scholarships are not subtracted here.
Living off campus: $19,580 housing and food allowance plus $1,800 in other expenses.
Do not confuse this with net price. Net price subtracts average grants and scholarships. DegreeVerdict continues to use the separately labeled average net price in its standard college ROI scenario.
PRICE SENSITIVITY
The price can change the verdict.
Hold observed earnings constant and see how the modeled ten-year payoff changes as annual price rises.
← Negative payoff$0Positive payoff →
$0Annual price+$315,280
$20,000Annual price+$235,280
$31,000Current college-wide context+$191,280
$40,000Annual price+$155,280
$60,000Annual price+$75,280
$80,000Annual price−$4,720
$100,000Annual price−$84,720
HOW STUDENTS ATTEND · 2023-24
Online study is a meaningful part of the student experience.
IPEDS enrollment counts show course delivery across the whole institution. They do not indicate whether a specific degree can be completed online.
Institution-level attendance context from IPEDS. Program delivery is reported separately on degree pages and in the program directory. These figures do not enter ROI.
College identity and local contextAccreditation, institution type, dual enrollment and state prices
COLLEGE AT A GLANCE
Institution details
Current federal characteristics describing the college, not the outcomes of a specific program.
- Accreditor
- New England Commission on Higher Education
- Main award level
- Bachelor’s degrees
- Campus setting
- City
- Admissions
- Selective admission
- Delivery
- Campus or mixed delivery
- Federal designation
- No special designation reported
STATE PRICE CONTEXT · 2024
Prices in Massachusetts run 6% above the U.S. level.
BEA Regional Price Parities compare price levels across states. A value of 100 equals the national average.
What it costs and what graduates earn
$30,915Average net price / year
$84,641Cost of attendance
$24,250Median federal student debt · completer borrowers
$257/moPublished 10-year payment estimate
$94,528Median earnings · year 5 after completion
90.5%Completion rate
5.2%Admission rate
1,497Average SAT score
34ACT midpoint
17,326Student size
Debt covers federal student-loan borrowers who completed. It does not include Parent PLUS or private loans. We show admissions scores only when a valid federal value is available.
What the numbers say about Northeastern University
What does Northeastern University cost?
Northeastern University reports an average annual net price of $30,915 after grants and scholarships. This is an institution-wide average, not an individual aid offer.
What do Northeastern University graduates earn?
The observed median earnings figure is $94,528 5 years after completion. It describes a federal cohort, not a guaranteed starting salary.
How much federal debt do Northeastern University graduates have?
Completer borrowers report median cumulative federal student debt of $24,250. Parent PLUS and private loans are not included.
Is every degree at Northeastern University worth the same?
No. The current release contains 82 field-and-degree records for Northeastern University; 79 report year-4 earnings and 37 report federal debt. Outcomes can differ substantially by field and degree level.
DEBT AFTER COLLEGE
Are borrowers making progress?
Repayment progress, default and debt at exit describe different federal borrower cohorts. They are shown separately and do not change the ROI estimate.
Source: College Scorecard. Repayment progress is the share of borrowers who reduced principal by at least $1 at the stated measurement point. Debt covers federal student loans; Parent PLUS and private loans are excluded. Cohorts and reporting periods differ across measures.
Who studied here during the year
43,059Students enrolled at any point
24,663Undergraduate students
18,396Graduate students
Unduplicated students enrolled at any point from July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025. This full-year measure is different from a fall headcount and does not enter ROI.
More student and earnings detailPrice by family income, retention, equity and common industries
WHO PAYS, WHO FINISHES, WHO EARNS
Outcomes are not the same for every family.
These federal cohorts add context that a single college average can hide. Missing figures remain unreported rather than estimated.
Complete within 150% of the expected time
90% received a Pell Grant within eight yearsMedian Parent PLUS debt
686 parent borrowers in the reported cohortMedian federal student debt
70% making progress in repayment after three yearsStudent family incomeMedian earnings after 10 yearsObserved federal cohorts
Lower income$79,067Earnings are not a guarantee
Middle income$91,789Earnings are not a guarantee
Higher income$96,778Earnings are not a guarantee
Three-year repayment progress
Lower income63%
Middle income75%
Higher income87%
Undergraduate student composition
White40%
Black5%
Hispanic10%
Asian22%
Source: College Scorecard, June 2026 release. Parent PLUS debt belongs to parents; student-debt measures exclude Parent PLUS and private loans. Cohort definitions differ by measure.
NATIONAL CONTEXT
How this college compares
Percentiles compare this institution with currently operating colleges that report the same federal measure.
WHAT STANDS OUT
A faster read on this college
These summaries use every reportable field-and-credential record at this institution. They do not fill privacy-suppressed outcomes.
EARNINGS OVER TIME
What graduates earned in later years
$74,155Year 1
$101,903Year 4
$94,528Year 5
Each year can represent a different federal cohort, so the points do not track the same people over time.
Your choice of degree can change the payoff.
Graduate earnings differ by field and credential, even within the same college.
1Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing · First Professional Degree$191,0832Finance and Financial Management Services · Master's Degree$169,2343Computer and Information Sciences, General · Bachelor's Degree$163,7084Computer Software and Media Applications · Master's Degree$158,5425Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering · Master's Degree$155,4836Business/Commerce, General · Master's Degree$148,4907Computer and Information Sciences, General · Master's Degree$145,9098Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration · First Professional Degree$145,722Observed year-4 earnings · compare the same field and credential across colleges
Programs that stand out against the same-degree benchmark
This view rewards performance relative to the same field and credential, not simply majors that pay more everywhere.
1MathematicsBachelor's Degree · $125,084 reported+80%vs same-degree national median$21,750federal debt2Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralBachelor's Degree · $163,708 reported+77%vs same-degree national median$23,001federal debt3International BusinessBachelor's Degree · $125,162 reported+71%vs same-degree national median$25,729federal debt4Design and Applied ArtsBachelor's Degree · $87,336 reported+70%vs same-degree national median$28,250federal debt5Business/Commerce, GeneralBachelor's Degree · $113,620 reported+66%vs same-degree national median$24,000federal debt6Legal Professions and Studies, OtherFirst Professional Degree · $133,189 reported+54%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt
Comparable colleges in MA
Currently operating private nonprofit institutions with the closest combination of annual net price and observed year-5 earnings. Similarity is descriptive, not a quality ranking.
Boston, MA
Wentworth Institute of Technology
- Annual net price
- $34,170
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $94,129
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- +55%
Amherst College
- Annual net price
- $23,367
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $88,665
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- +60%
Boston College
- Annual net price
- $41,704
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $90,978
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- +33%
Tufts University
- Annual net price
- $39,998
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $86,650
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- +23%
Compare fields and degree levels
Showing the 40 highest-earning records from 82 field-and-degree records. Use the program directory to search the complete set.
| Major or field | Degree level | Earnings, year 4 | Federal debt | 2024–25 graduates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | First Professional Degree | $191,083 | Not available | Not reported |
| Finance and Financial Management Services | Master's Degree | $169,234 | Not available | Not reported |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General | Bachelor's Degree | $163,708 | $23,001 | Not reported |
| Computer Software and Media Applications | Master's Degree | $158,542 | Not available | Not reported |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering | Master's Degree | $155,483 | Not available | Not reported |
| Business/Commerce, General | Master's Degree | $148,490 | Not available | Not reported |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General | Master's Degree | $145,909 | Not available | Not reported |
| Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration | First Professional Degree | $145,722 | Not available | Not reported |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | Master's Degree | $143,345 | Not available | 2 |
| Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration | Bachelor's Degree | $142,985 | $31,000 | Not reported |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering | Graduate/Professional Certificate | $138,018 | Not available | Not reported |
| Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration | Master's Degree | $136,474 | Not available | Not reported |
| Computer Engineering | Bachelor's Degree | $135,416 | $25,005 | Not reported |
| Legal Professions and Studies, Other | First Professional Degree | $133,189 | Not available | Not reported |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions | Master's Degree | $125,862 | Not available | Not reported |
| Biotechnology | Master's Degree | $125,179 | Not available | Not reported |
| International Business | Bachelor's Degree | $125,162 | $25,729 | Not reported |
| Mathematics | Bachelor's Degree | $125,084 | $21,750 | Not reported |
| Mechanical Engineering | Master's Degree | $124,007 | Not available | Not reported |
| Chemical Engineering | Master's Degree | $122,043 | Not available | Not reported |
| Engineering, General | Master's Degree | $119,842 | Not available | Not reported |
| Accounting and Related Services | Master's Degree | $118,744 | Not available | Not reported |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering | Bachelor's Degree | $118,150 | $24,835 | Not reported |
| Systems Engineering | Master's Degree | $117,700 | Not available | Not reported |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods | Master's Degree | $117,139 | Not available | Not reported |
| Engineering, Other | Master's Degree | $116,924 | Not available | Not reported |
| Law | First Professional Degree | $116,706 | Not available | Not reported |
| Business/Commerce, General | Bachelor's Degree | $113,620 | $24,000 | Not reported |
| Engineering, Other | Bachelor's Degree | $112,019 | $22,512 | Not reported |
| Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology | Master's Degree | $111,725 | Not available | Not reported |
| Industrial Engineering | Bachelor's Degree | $111,430 | $25,000 | Not reported |
| Education, General | First Professional Degree | $110,524 | Not available | Not reported |
| Chemical Engineering | Bachelor's Degree | $107,767 | $27,000 | Not reported |
| Medical Illustration and Informatics | Master's Degree | $104,317 | Not available | Not reported |
| Mechanical Engineering | Bachelor's Degree | $103,384 | $25,893 | Not reported |
| Economics | Bachelor's Degree | $101,423 | $24,500 | Not reported |
| Civil Engineering | Master's Degree | $100,767 | Not available | Not reported |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and Services | First Professional Degree | $100,761 | Not available | Not reported |
| Civil Engineering | Bachelor's Degree | $100,613 | $24,750 | Not reported |
| Communication and Media Studies | Master's Degree | $97,115 | Not available | Not reported |
Graduate counts come from IPEDS and group related majors into the same federal field. Missing earnings or debt values remain labeled as unavailable.
Search every Northeastern University program record →Earnings, price, completion and enrollment are observed federal measures. ROI, payoff and break-even are modeled scenarios built from those measures and fixed assumptions. College payoff is not the payoff of every degree at this school; use the program table for a more precise comparison.