NU.in: Information and FAQ

Colleges and Universities A-Z Northeastern University
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NU.in is a program that is offered to some students instead of Fall admission. While explained on the website, this thread has a nice accessible summary as well as a small FAQ.

NU.in is a program where you begin your Fall semester abroad at one of many locations (Australia, Germany, England, Greece, Ireland, Canada) and then begin classes in Boston in the Spring. The programs are major specific by location, and the classes are selected to fully transfer back to Northeastern for credit.

The program is not for everyone but can be an amazing experience for the right student, allowing you to study abroad early in your college years without upsetting your upper-level major classes or co-op plans while completing more “core” classes (NUpath) while abroad.

Northeastern Website: http://www.northeastern.edu/nuin/
Northeastern FAQ’s: https://www.northeastern.edu/nuin/what-is-nuin/faqs/

Additional FAQ

What is the transition back to Boston like?

Northeastern has a spring club fair that is highly attended by NU.in students and is a great way for students to get involved right away on campus. Clubs are run per semester rather than year because of co-op, so starting midyear in the club should be similar to Fall.

Northeastern houses NUin students in available spaces, meaning they are spread out over campus. NU.in groups typically form close bonds with each other and still socialize with eachother regularly, so this spread out nature of housing can help integrate NU.in students with other students in Boston.

What do people who have done NU.in think of the program?

Here are some posts on CC from parents/students who have done the program:

Note: I found these quickly, will add to these in the future

What are some of the downsides of NU.in?

  1. Going abroad can be a daunting experience that not all are ready for it
  2. Financially it can be more expensive
  3. The transition back to Boston can require being more social and extroverted, which may not suit all students

Does this have anything to do with US News rankings?

Students in the NU.in program are not counted in the admissions statistics for Fall that are given to US News. While this certainly has its positive effects on rankings for Northeastern, students given NU.in are not less qualified or seen as lesser in any way by students or faculty when in Boston. Generally, people do not know if students did NU.in or not in Boston unless they share the information, and even then it is not seen in any negative light.

How do I note my like/dislike of the program on my application?

There is a question on the common application for this, but this question is used as a preference, not an explicit choice.

Can I change to/from NU.in?

Unfortunately, you cannot change to/from NU.in. The decision is final and cannot be appealed/changed.

If you have any questions or things not covered, please reply and I will work that information into this post if applicable!

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This post is saved in case more space is needed.

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If on your application where it says “NUi.n. interest” your answer says “Yes, I am open to considering a semester of my first year abroad” does that mean if accepted you may be accepted through NUi.n. and have to go abroad first semester?

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@D3c1s10n Anyone can be accepted to NU.in regardless of preference, but the preference is considered during admissions. But yes, answering yes would increase your chances of being offered NU.in as opposed to saying no.

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Initial 2019 NU In information is now on the website:
https://www.northeastern.edu/nuin/
The Germany, China and Czechia locations are no longer offered. The England location will be located at the New College for the Humanities, which is now part of Northeastern.

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One of my main concerns about NUin (to which my daughter was accepted) is the housing options when she returns to campus. She’s already going to miss the new freshman experience in dorms for freshman. It sounds like they place kids where there are vacated rooms, so she could end up in an apt with seniors. This would bum her out.

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@xinabess one definitely needs to consider the return to Boston at NEU in their decision. The entire NUIN experience is non-traditional. Some nuin kids end up rooming sith their friends from their trip, but most end up filling in spaces that are freed up from older student going on coop. I hope NEU is becoming more transparent on this process. From watching the FB parent page over the years, it is clear they can do better. That said, for many nuin students, they are flexible enough to be housed where they end up and do fine. Many end up in nice apartments with helpful Older students, others end up in apartments with kids on coop and they are just in a different place. But for most, they are happy to be at NEU so the non-traditional first year is worth it. It’s a personal decision. My kids did not do nuin so I can’t speak directly to that experience.

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Hello. Congrats on her acceptance- hope to see her next year! I just came back from NU.in Ireland this fall; and I totally understand your concern. It is true that they might not get the traditional freshman dorm experience, but with that being said, I do want to agree with “twicemama” that NU is not a traditional college. The NU.in Program is growing in terms of student population. Last semester, there was approx. 900 (I think…) students coming back from NU.in. So that gives a lot of housing flexibility. Many students made friends during the semester abroad and request housing with these friends. Study abroad is a great bonding experience and the friendship they make abroad is very valuable.
Hope this helps. If you have any question, please follow up. One thing that I would advise, though, is to choose a program that is partnered with a legitimate university, like Ireland UCD, Australia SUT, or many others; in other words, none of the CIEE programs. Being in a college abroad would be more valuable and academically challenging.

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A few years ago when the East Village residence hall opened in December all returning NU In students were housed there Spring semester. There were complaints from some students that it isolated them from the other students. So either way there are drawbacks. The key is to get out there, join clubs and get involved on campus.

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MrQuiz What is the CIEE program? I think she would choose McGill in Canada. When you are in a legit university, are you taking classes with all the students there, or are the NUin kids in their own programs. Sigh - I wish she was just admitted for Fall. So close and yet so far!

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@xinabess I have posted my son’s nuin experiences here before, but I will briefly do it again.
Like you, we were less than thrilled about nuin acceptance. We all wanted the traditional first year experience for him.
That being said, nu was where he wanted to go so he accepted. Three years later, he couldn’t imagine a better college experience. He was in Greece the first semester and met great friends who he dormed with for the first year and is still friends with many from nuin. He traveled while in Greece and had a blast. Came back wishing he could stay longer. He joined a frat and is currently living off campus. He completed one coop at a great firm and accepted his second for july. He traveled to france on this last break with his friends.
At the last parent weekend, he pulled me aside and thanked me for allowing him to have the opportunity to attend nu. He said he couldn’t imagine himself anywhere else and he is so happy. What more could I ask for?
So in the end, what he didn’t think he wanted worked out great.

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Was wondering if anyone knew the difference between NU.in and Global Quest? Both seem to be study abroad but I think Global Quest is second semester of freshman year and optional. Other than that they seem to be similar?? If anyone knows please lmk!

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@ktk987 Looks like it! Many freshmen have expressed interest in NU.in in the past so it’s been offered for spring for those interested the past few years. I think the “Global Quest” version is a revamp of that, though I don’t have any firsthand experience with it.

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@ktk987 looks like it is a rebranding of NUIN for regular fall admits to have a frosh year study abroad, they have done this since Falll 2016 with a new name. Nuin admits are required to do Nuin if they want to attend NEU, but this global quest is an optional,program for interested frosh who start in Boston. I imagine this also makes room in housing for nuin students coming back to Boston and are guaranteed housing. NEU focuses on global experiences and all these programs are popular with students.

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@nanny1

I’m curious about your son’s nuin experience, as I’m a HS Senior accepted as an nuin student, looking at NEU as my top option right now. I’m visiting the Boston campus at the beginning of April and I’m hoping that’ll help me in my decision, but I’d be interested to learn more about the experience in nuin.

A couple questions I would have is: what did your son major in? I’m going to be doing Mechanical Engineering. How did your son choose to go to Greece? Who’s involved in making that decision and how does it work? How was the transition back to the Boston campus in the spring? I’d call myself a fairly flexible person and am confident I can make it work, but I’d still like to know what it was like.

Edit note from @PengsPhils : trying to properly tag @nanny1 but was not successful, looking into why

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@designership My son is a business major. He choose Greece for several reasons. He would be 17 when school started and it was one of the places he could go at age 17, (London was first choice but you had to be 18) He wanted to be in a location that would allow him to easily travel to other countries in Europe and Greece was perfect for that. Greece was an easy transition to life out of the house because you live in a hotel and 2 meals a day are included. He also chose Greece because at the time it was one of the largest groups. He wanted to have a large group of fellow students to mingle with. He liked the idea of Ireland, but it was a very small group, at least to him.
You can choose any location that offers your major. This is listed on the Nuin page.
https://www.northeastern.edu/nuin/destinations/
Some locations fill up very quickly. The year my son went, Canada and London were the first to fill. If you are set on going to nuin, I would decide on a location and put the deposit down.
You need a passport and at some locations, a visa, Start working on that too. All the info is on the website.
A friend of his is an engineering major and went to Australia and had a great experience.
There are a bunch of new locations to choose from now.
As far as transition back… My son ended up dorming with friends he met while in nuin. They roomed together for about a year. They remain friends, but they joined different frats and live with their respective frat brothers.
If you are into joining a frat and the parties, you can do that. That is basically how my son found his people. But frats are not big at NEU so you don’t have to do that. There are skiing clubs, hiking clubs and clubs in your major, etc to join,
Hope this helps. Good luck in your decision! Let us know what you decide.

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I got into NUin and my major is Management at the business school. Even though I’m in this program…am I still considered an official NEU business student?

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Also when you arrive at Boston in the spring to continue your studies, are you still in the NUin program or do you fully transition as a regular NEU student?

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@Art__1018 Yes, you are just like any other student when coming back to campus in every way

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Thank you!