Undergraduate Admissions

Northeastern’s emphasis on intellectual inquiry, experiential learning, and global thinking continues to attract the most talented students from around the country and around the world. CSSH provides a liberal arts education like no other.

Students who are ready to join our thriving academic community can visit the Northeastern Undergraduate Admissions website to get started. You’ll want to follow these steps to apply to Northeastern:

1.  Review the required materials
2.  Apply through the Common Application
3.  Check your application status

Graduate Admissions

Ready to join our graduate program? Apply today using the ApplyYourself online system. Submit all application materials, including letters of recommendation, via this online system.

For more information view our detailed page for Graduate Admissions. For questions about graduate admissions in the College of Social Sciences and Humanities, email gradcssh@neu.edu or call 617.373.5990.

Required Materials:

All required application materials must be uploaded and/or received by the stated deadlines in order for the application to be considered.

Certificate applicants only need to provide items 1, 2, 3, 4, 8 and one letter of recommendation.

Please note that because our certificate programs do not meet compliance eligibility requirements for F-1 and J-1 visa classifications, international students are ineligible to complete stand-alone certificate programs. However, certificate programs are available to currently enrolled gradute students, provising the certificate program requirements are completed at the same time.

Special Student applicants only need to provide items 1-4.

1.    Application – ApplyNow
2.    Application fee – US $75.00
3.    Personal Statement

Guidelines: Personal Statement is 2-3 pages and reflects on the applicant’s research and curricular interests, professional goals, and rationale for wanting a PhD.

4.    Unofficial transcripts from all institutions attended *

Unofficial transcripts should be uploaded to the ApplyYourself system as part of the application. If admitted, students will have 30 days after classes start to provide an official copy of all degree-bearing transcripts. If official transcripts are uploaded into ApplyYourself, these may be deemed sufficient.

• Transcripts from international applicants must be in English and, if applicable, also in the language of instruction. English translated transcripts must be from
  • the institution, or
  • an officially certified translator, or
  • an educational credential evaluation agency.

5.    Three Letters of Recommendation

          for all degree programs submitted online via ApplyYourself.

6. GRE General Exam

      (upload unofficial copies and then request ETS send official scores to institution code 3682)

• Exceptions:
  • Master of Arts in Political Science
    • GRE Optional
  • Master of Science in Security and Resilience Studies
    • GRE Optional

7.    Writing Sample (PhD and MA)

Guidelines: Please submit a writing sample of no more than 30 pages.  Ideally, it should be a seminar paper or thesis related to political science.  However, if you do not have a political science paper, we are happy to consider writing samples from related social science fields.  The writing sample should not be co-authored.  If you happen to have a published article, that is acceptable too.

8.    Résumé

10.    English proficiency

           for all international applicants

• Proof of degree earned from a U.S. institution, or
• Official exam scores from either the TOEFL iBT (ETS institution code is 3682),  IELTS  or PTE exam
  • 100 TOEFL iBT (or 7.0 IELTS or PTE equivalent): Department of Political Science (PhD, MA, MS) and all programs in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice. Target score for all programs in the School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs.
  • 90 TOEFL iBT (or 6.5 IELTS or PTE equivalent): All programs in the Department of English and the Department of Sociology and Anthropology
  • 79-80 TOEFL iBT (or 6.5 IELTS or PTE equivalent): All programs not previously mentioned

* Send official transcripts (only upon enrollment) to:
Graduate Office
College of Social Sciences and Humanities
Northeastern University
180 Renaissance Park
360 Huntington Avenue
Boston, MA 02115

Please note that materials submitted for admission consideration are university property and will not be returned to the  applicant.

• Deadlines:

Applicants must submit the online application and all required admission materials (found in the Required Materials section below) no later than the stated deadlines to be considered for admission.