Northeastern University’s Boston campus is large and spread through the city, and new students, especially those arriving from abroad, have to learn quickly where to get help, how to get around Boston and what their student ID gets them. In March 2025 the Student Government Association (SGA) published a student-made guide to exactly these things. This article starts from that guide and adds the official information international students need for the 2026–27 year: costs, immigration support, housing rules, transportation, discounts and mental health resources.
The SGA’s student guide
The SGA’s eight-page guide was distributed as a printed pamphlet around the Boston campus and at the Student Life and SGA offices. A QR code links to a digital version. Its sections cover campus events and ways to get involved, food and dining, getting around Boston, campus centers and services, academics and the library, and student discounts. It also includes practical tips: how to get to Logan Airport, how to donate unused meal swipes, and how to get discounted subscriptions to major newspapers with Northeastern credentials. SGA vice president for campus affairs Julian Herzing-Burkard collected the information, and designers from the student magazine Artistry laid it out. “We get new students that information that we wish we had right away,” he said. The SGA said it hoped to update the guide every year and expand it to Northeastern’s other campuses (Northeastern Global News, March 26, 2025).
What a year costs (2026–27)
Northeastern’s estimated cost of attendance for a first-year student on the Boston campus in 2026–27 (Northeastern Admissions: Cost and Financial Aid):
| Item | 2026–27 estimate | 2025–26 |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition | $71,050 | $67,990 |
| Fees | $1,650 | $1,299 |
| Housing | $13,612 | $13,148 |
| Dining | $9,210 | $8,900 |
| Books, personal, transportation | $1,000 + $900 + $900 | |
| Total | $98,322 |
Full-time undergraduate tuition is $35,525 per semester in 2026–27. Students on co-op do not pay the $788-per-semester comprehensive fee during co-op terms (Northeastern Student Financial Services).
Immigration support: the Office of Global Services
The Office of Global Services (OGS) handles immigration matters for more than 20,000 international students and scholars from 147 countries. Its responsibilities include I-20 requests and transfers, deferrals, F-1 Curricular Practical Training for co-ops, post-completion OPT and the 24-month STEM OPT extension. New students complete the arrival steps it lists: arriving in the U.S., online immigration clearance, obtaining the I-94 record and international student orientation. OGS is in 354 Richards Hall, 360 Huntington Avenue (phone +1-617-373-2310), and its e-forms can take up to 15 business days to process, so submit requests early (Northeastern Office of Global Services).
Most Northeastern undergraduates do at least one co-op, a full-time paid work period built into the degree. For how co-op works and what F-1 students need to do, see our guide to Northeastern’s co-op program.
Housing: what to bring and what to leave home
Residence halls come with a bed (Twin XL), desk, chair, dresser and window coverings, and residents are asked to bring a surge-protected power strip. Prohibited items include outside furniture other than desk chairs, appliances with exposed heating coils, halogen lamps, air conditioners, tapestries and weightlifting equipment. Microwaves are allowed only as a rented micro-fridge unit (Northeastern Housing: What to Bring). Buy bedding and other bulky items after you arrive rather than packing them.
Getting around Boston
- MBTA semester pass: Northeastern students can buy an MBTA semester pass at an 11% discount through the Student Hub portal. The pass gives unlimited rides on the services it covers for the semester (the fall 2026 pass ran September 1 to December 31) (Northeastern Public Transportation). The HuskyCard office has listed a limit of one pass per student and a no-exchange, no-cancellation, no-refund policy, so decide on your commuting pattern before you buy (HuskyCard: MBTA).
- Logan Airport: the SGA guide includes directions to Logan, which is reachable by subway and bus from campus, a useful option for international flights.
Discounts and perks with a Northeastern ID
- Free admission to the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, which is close to campus.
- Your Husky email comes with a Google account.
- Discounted subscriptions to major newspapers, and local deals such as the 40% Domino’s discount the SGA guide highlighted (Northeastern Global News).
Discounts change from year to year, so check the current SGA guide or the Student Hub before relying on a specific offer.
Mental health support
All full-time, degree-seeking students (undergraduate, graduate and law) get unlimited free virtual counseling through Find@Northeastern, which partners with Uwill. Students can choose a therapist by availability, gender, ethnicity and focus area. A licensed clinician is available 24/7 by phone at 877-233-9477 in the U.S. or +1-781-457-7777 from abroad, which helps students on international co-ops or at home over breaks. All students can also use the anonymous peer-support community Togetherall, and full-time students get a free Headspace membership. In a medical emergency, call 911 (Northeastern University Health and Counseling Services: Find@Northeastern).
Northeastern at a glance
Northeastern University is No. 42 among national universities in the 2027 U.S. News Best Colleges ranking (Forward Pathway ranking database). First-year applicants can also be considered for programs such as the Oakland campus, NYC Scholars, London Scholars or N.U.in (Northeastern Admissions: Enrollment Opportunities).
A first-month checklist for international students
- Complete OGS online immigration clearance and download your I-94 after you arrive.
- Attend international student orientation and save the OGS contact details.
- Pick up a printed SGA guide or scan its QR code for the digital version.
- Decide whether you need an MBTA semester pass before the enrollment deadline in the Student Hub.
- Save the Find@Northeastern 24/7 number in your phone.
- If you plan to do a co-op, learn the CPT process from OGS early.
References
- Northeastern Global News: Student government releases a guide to the Boston campus (March 26, 2025)
- Northeastern Admissions: Cost and Financial Aid
- Northeastern Student Financial Services: Tuition and Fees
- Northeastern Office of Global Services
- Northeastern Housing: What to Bring
- Northeastern: Public Transportation
- Northeastern: Find@Northeastern Mental Health Services
- Forward Pathway: Northeastern University profile and rankings