Northeastern University Oakland

Private · Highly Selective · CA

School data & stats

TypePrivate

LocationCA · West

SettingUrban

Undergrads464

Student:faculty7:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate—

6-yr grad rate—

Drop-out rate99.8%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$68k

Out-of-state tuition$68k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity77.6%

Gender diversity51.7%

International15.1%

Identity—

Overview

Northeastern University Oakland occupies the historic campus of the former Mills College, one of the oldest women's colleges in the western United States before its 2022 merger into Northeastern's network. The oak- and eucalyptus-studded grounds, with their distinctive bell tower and early seminary-era buildings, now house Northeastern's Bay Area outpost, connecting the historic campus to a much larger, Boston-based university system rather than functioning as an independent institution.

Academics

Academics here run on Northeastern's signature co-op model, which builds paid, full-time professional work experience directly into the degree alongside coursework, and the Bay Area location gives that model particular relevance for students pursuing tech, design, or innovation-adjacent fields. Students are part of Northeastern's broader global network of campuses, and coursework and pathways are built to connect back to the main Boston campus rather than stand entirely on their own.

Campus & student life

The campus retains much of Mills College's character — smaller in scale, green, and residential, with architecture and grounds shaped by its long history as a women's seminary and college. Students here are typically part of a smaller cohort than Northeastern's main Boston campus, which makes for a more intimate day-to-day experience than the university's scale elsewhere would otherwise suggest to an incoming student.

Worth knowing

Because this is a satellite campus within Northeastern's global network rather than a standalone university, students and families should understand how coursework, co-op placement, and the option to transfer between campuses connect back to the Boston hub before enrolling — the experience here is deliberately part of a larger system, not a self-contained four-year path. The Mills College history embedded in the campus is a genuine, distinctive legacy worth knowing about even though the institution now operates under Northeastern's name.

northeastern.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate16.7%

Enrolled mid-50%SAT 1420–1520 · ACT 32–33

Test policyoptional

Rec letters2

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

Early actionNov 1

Early decisionNov 1

Regular decisionJan 1

Applying