Quad

Head-to-head

Northeastern
Georgetown

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    Northeastern costs about $20.8K less per year on average than Georgetown ($51,270 vs. $72,116, all students)

    Average cost, all students
  2. 2

    Northeastern's grants cover 39% of its full price on average, vs. 19% at Georgetown

    Aid generosity
  3. 3

    Northeastern is 2.6× more selective than Georgetown

    Acceptance rate
  4. 4

    Northeastern has 2.3× as many undergrads as Georgetown

    Undergrads
  5. 5

    Georgetown grads earn $11K more ten years out than Northeastern's ($103,494 vs. $92,538)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs
  6. 6

    Northeastern's yield is 10 pts higher than Georgetown's

    Yield rate

The shape of each school

Each axis is a national rank among 4-year colleges; further out = more of it.

SelectivityTest scoresSizePell shareFirst-genDiversity

Who's hardest to get into

Northeastern admits 5.2%, Georgetown 13%; Northeastern's yield is higher, at 54%.

Acceptance rate
Northeastern5.2%
Georgetown13%
Quad's selectivity
  • NortheasternUltra selective
  • GeorgetownHighly selective
SAT middle 50%Axis 1300–1600
Northeastern
1440–1540
Georgetown
1405–1530
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • NortheasternRigor, GPA, and tests very important95%
  • GeorgetownRigor, GPA, rank, and tests very important

Who's on each campus

Northeastern has 2.3× as many undergrads as Georgetown and has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
Northeastern17.3K
Georgetown7.6K
Pell Grant share
Northeastern12%
Georgetown10%

Majors and faculty

Business/Commerce leads at Northeastern, and International Relations and Affairs at Georgetown; Georgetown has 11 students per faculty member to Northeastern's 16.

Students per faculty member
Northeastern16 to 1
Georgetown11 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • NortheasternBusiness/Commerce, General18%
  • GeorgetownInternational Relations and Affairs15%

What each costs

Northeastern costs about $20.8K less a year than Georgetown on average, and its grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
Northeastern$51.3K
Georgetown$72.1K
Aid generosity
Northeastern39%
Georgetown19%

What each pays off

Georgetown's former students earn more, a median $103.5K ten years after enrolling; both graduate more than 90% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
Northeastern$92.5K
Georgetown$103.5K
Graduation rate
Northeastern91%
Georgetown95%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; both got more selective.

Applications, 10-year change
  • NortheasternGrowing+98%
  • GeorgetownGrowing+34%
All the numbersEvery figure for these colleges in one table, with differences highlighted.
Sources for this comparisonEvery dataset and year behind the numbers in this comparison; tap any ⓘ for one number's source

Sources:IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, most recent release;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey, 2023–24;IPEDS Student Financial Aid survey, 2023–24;Northeastern University Common Data Set 2023–24, Fall 2025 applicants;Northeastern University Common Data Set 2023–24, Fall 2023;College Scorecard, Entered fall 2023;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard, 2023–24;IPEDS Graduation Rates survey (Pell Grant and subsidized loan recipients), Entered fall 2018;Georgetown University (Fall 2025), Fall 2025;Georgetown University Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2025;Georgetown University Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2027 applicants;Georgetown University Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2019About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)

Figures are the newest each college has published; years can differ between colleges. Each value's ⓘ shows its source and year. Why