Graduate Tuition & Financial Aid

Cost of Attendance

Graduate engineering programs are composed of 32 semester hours of coursework (at the MS level), and tuition cost is based on per semester-hour. Complete information on current tuition rates and fees for dissertation, Masters or Doctoral continuation, student center, medical insurance, parking, room and board, and miscellaneous expenses can be found on the Student Financial Services website.

Financial Assistance

Northeastern University offers graduate students a variety of means of financial assistance. Assistantships are awarded on merit by individual graduate schools and administrative offices. Additionally, Student Financial Services administers financial aid programs for graduate students, primarily in the form of loans, including Federal Perkins Loans, Federal Work Study, and Federal Subsidized and Unsubsidized Stafford Loans. The financial aid application process can be rigorous and is strictly regulated.

Funding Opportunities

The Graduate School of Engineering offers full-time graduate students various types of highly competitive funding awards based on merit, as well as prestigious fellowships.

Note: All assistantship and fellowship appointments are considered a financial resource and may impact a student’s financial aid (if applicable) award as determined by Student Financial Services.

The Graduate School of Engineering awards Stipended Graduate Assistantships (SGAs) to students with strong academic backgrounds. SGAs are typically awarded to PhD students. Awardees are offered a stipend, health insurance waiver, and tuition remission for approved coursework. In exchange, students must work 20 hours per week for the applicable semesters. Stipends are considered taxable income.

SGA’s are typically awarded upon acceptance to a degree program. Continuing students interested in a GRA or GTA should discuss their interest with their academic advisor.

Types of SGAs:

  • Graduate Research Assistantships (GRA) are awarded to students who have a strong academic background and demonstrate an interest and proficiency in research. These appointments are typically funded by research grants made to faculty members by industry or governmental agencies. The continuation of any GRA is contingent upon funding availability.
  • Graduate Teaching Assistantships (GTA) are awarded by academic departments and are available to students with proficiency in teaching. These positions generally require the performance of teaching-related duties such as grading, conducting recitations and laboratories, and occasionally teaching undergraduate classes. GTAs are required to attend various training sessions and workshops sponsored by the College of Engineering and the University. In addition, GTAs who speak English as a second language must attend training sessions sponsored by Global Student Services.

Detailed SGA Information:

Dean Scholarships

Dean’s scholarships are awarded competitively to a limited number of well-qualified MS-level students. The scholarship provides a considerable tuition waiver.

Scholarship for Alumni

Double Husky Scholarships are awarded to alumni with a bachelor’s degree from Northeastern University enrolled in a full-time or part-time Master’s degree or graduate certificate program. The scholarship provides a 25% tuition waiver. Some engineering MS degree programs offer an accelerated application process.

New Program and Location Launch Scholarships

We will offer a 25% tuition discount for the duration of the program for all students who enroll in the following programs and corresponding entrance terms. Students who defer to future terms are not eligible for the scholarship. For more information, contact the Graduate School of Engineering at coe-gradadmissions@northeastern.edu.

Outside Scholarships – for Current Students

The College of Engineering recommends to our current students the following steps for identifying scholarship opportunities.

1. Register for the many free scholarship search services available on the web. These databases can be searched based on criteria including major, gender, ethnicity, and special interests. Such search engines are available at:

FastWeb    College Board    CollegeNet

2. Check the scholarship web pages of the national engineering professional societies associated with your student chapters:

AIChE    ASCE    ASME    IEEE    IIE    NSBE    SWE

3. Check the scholarship web pages of the national engineering honor societies associated with your student chapters:

Chi Epsilon    Eta Kappa Nu    Tau Beta Pi

4. Meet at least once a year with your counselor in Student Financial Services to review your current financial package and to confirm that you have met all the paperwork and other requirements to renew your scholarships/aid. Discuss any change in circumstance, such as a significant change in family income or a change in graduation year/division/major, that may affect your financial aid package. Ask the counselor if s/he is aware of any scholarships/aid for which you may qualify.

Dean’s Fellowship and Distinguished Dean’s Fellowships are prestigious awards offered upon admission to PhD students who demonstrate exceptional academic promise. Awardees are offered a stipend, health insurance waiver, tuition remission for approved course work, and teacher training. In exchange, students must work 20 hours per week for the applicable semesters. Stipends are considered taxable income.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Graduate Fellowships are offered annually to a limited number of African-American students in full-time graduate programs as long as the student demonstrates satisfactory academic progress and financial need as determined by Student Financial Services. Applicants must complete the financial aid process, as well as an application available from the African-American Institute.

The Northeastern Edge Grant offers undergraduates completing their Bachelor’s on a four-year plan up to a $5,000 grant to continue their education at Northeastern University. Eligible graduates may take advantage of this offer if they return to their graduate studies within five years of their graduation date. The Northeastern Edge Grant is applicable to all eligible alumni applying to any Graduate School of Engineering MS or Certificate program. Students of any Northeastern University undergraduate background are eligible for the grant regardless of the college from which they’ve graduated. *This grant is only available to those who graduate within 4 years.

The Graduate Thesis/Dissertation Grant Program supports the scholarly research of graduate students at Northeastern University. The grant program is a joint initiative through the Office of the Provost for Research and Graduate Education and the Graduate Student Government. It is designed to help full-time graduate students meet the costs associated with completing their thesis or dissertation research, to improve the quality and impact of their research, and/or to support research endeavors intellectually independent of the adviser.

Graduate Dissertation Completion Fellowships provide a one-semester stipend to outstanding Ph.D. candidates who would benefit from the financial security and the freedom to focus on their final semester writing. The award is one semester of support and the awardees are expected to be graduated at the end of the semester in which they hold the DCF.

The PhD Bridge Funding Program enables COE faculty to better support our PhD students by providing PhD students with a stipend, fringe benefit, and tuition coverage.

Henry Luce Foundation prestigious Clare Boothe Luce Graduate Fellowship. Northeastern University is honored to be the recipient of an award from the Clare Boothe Luce Program for Women in STEM to support fellowships for women pursuing a PhD in Mechanical, Electrical, Computer Engineering or Physics. Each fellowship recipient will be admitted with 5-years of funding – a combination of Clare Boothe Luce Program funds and institutional resources – receive a stipend for annual living expenses, a full tuition scholarship, health insurance, student fees, and professional development funds.

More Resources

The University’s Graduation Programs site provides Fellowship Opportunities and the Research site access to IRIS/GrantForward.

Beasiswa Unggulan Dosen Indonesia (BUDI) Scholarship for the Distinguished Indonesian Professors/Lecturers

Northeastern’s College of Engineering is a BUDI scholarship-eligible institution and welcomes applicants from Indonesia. This globally recognized scholarship enables Indonesian lecturers and professors to advance their career and improve the quality of their work in order to contribute to Indonesia’s economic development, science and technology, and create solutions for the nation’s problems.

Lembaga Pengelola Dana Pendidikan (LPDP) Scholarship for Distinguished Indonesian Professors/Lecturers

Northeastern University’s College of Engineering is a Lembaga Pengelola Dana Pendidikan (LPDP) scholarship-eligible institution and welcomes applicants from Indonesia.

Activate

Activate is creating a new path for world-changing innovators, helping scientists and engineers whose innovations could benefit society to develop and commercialize their technology. Activate is a two-year fellowship to turn your technology concept into a product.

American Society for Engineering Education eFellows

The new Engineering Postdoctoral Fellowship, known as the eFellows program, places early-career PhDs in engineering fields in university research postdoctoral fellowships. In addition to hands-on academic research with a faculty advisor, each fellowship cohort will participate in professional development and mentoring activities designed to prepare them for future research careers .

The Data Incubator

The Data Incubator is a Cornell-funded data science training organization that runs a free advanced 8-week fellowship (think data science bootcamp) for PhDs looking to enter industry. Fellows have the option to participate in the program either in person in New York, San Francisco Bay Area, Boston, Washington DC, or online.

NASA Internships, Fellowships, and Scholarships

The One Stop Shopping Initiative (OSSI) implemented by NASA seeks out students for Internships, Fellowships, and Scholarships. OSSI is a NASA-wide system for the recruitment, application, selection and career development of undergraduate and graduate students primarily in science, technology, engineering and mathematics disciplines. Complete your base application and apply for up to 15 different internship opportunities with a single application. Check out the video for tips on applying.

Pathways to Science

Pathways to Science provides a listing of funding opportunities and resources for both graduate and post-doc students. Search for opportunities by programs, institution, and disciplinary categories, or by geography!