University spreads outside of Northeast to mixed reviews from students, faculty

“[Expansion] is just the next step in the evolution of [Northeastern],” Hartle said. “It is increasingly becoming a national institution. The focus is always going to be Boston — that’s the mothership, that’s the home campus — but students are going to have just an array of offers.”

Student experiences across the campuses seem to be mixed, with many encountering application confusion and a lack of clear communication, but many also appreciating the travel opportunities and valuable campus programming.

Last school year, the Mills College campus in Oakland first hosted Northeastern students through N.U.in and NU Bound, now known as Global Scholars.

“I have a video of me getting accepted. It said ‘congratulations,’ but it said NU Bound and we were like, ‘What even is this?’” said Isabella Kun, who was an NU Bound student in Oakland last year. “We really had no idea and there wasn’t any information for a long time. But it’s been wonderful.”

When applying to Northeastern, Kun, a second-year business administration major, remembers checking the box asking if she would like to start her college experience abroad. While she did want to begin her studies abroad to spread her wings more, she wasn’t sure what being an NU Bound student in London entailed.

“It’s been great to be here for a long time to be away from home,” Kun said in an interview last spring.

“I think it’s great to be here for a whole year and experience really as much as you can versus just one semester.”

Being placed at a campus across the country or across the ocean came as a surprise for some students starting college in the fall of 2022.

“I was glad it was Northeastern, but then I was like, ‘Is this actually worth it?’” said Vishwa Madhusudhanan, a second-year pharmaceutical sciences major who studied at the Oakland campus last year. “Because this is my dream school, … I had to justify it properly. In my head I was like, ‘Okay, okay, I guess I’ll live on both coasts.’ … Also, I was like I’ll have fun no matter what I do. I can make the best of it.”

Some incoming students this fall have already faced unexpected application results, housing reassignments and it remains unclear what — if any — challenges students outside of Boston will face.

What is next for Northeastern?

Though it is unclear where Northeastern’s next global campus will be, it seems unavoidable another campus will pop up soon.

“I suspect — particularly since Northeastern has been opening campuses in other cities and particularly with the experience with Mills — that Northeastern hears about once a week from some small college that would like Northeastern to take them over,” Hartle said. “If Northeastern wanted to expand very rapidly they could.”

The university is also making smart decisions in how it is expanding, Hartle said, pointing specifically to the university’s tendency to rent instead of buy buildings, expand to economic hubs and stable countries abroad.

“Northeastern is building campuses where the economy is growing and where the jobs are,” Hartle said. “From everything I’ve been able to tell, they’re doing it thoughtfully, carefully and trying hard to get it right even if they could do it faster. They’re emphasizing getting each one established before they move on somewhere else.”

Opening campuses isn’t a money-maker for Northeastern in terms of student tuition, Hartle said. Rather, adding to the global network enriches the possibilities for cooperation that can help keep the university in a solid financial state.

“What opening the other campuses does is it enriches the student experience. And therefore it makes it a campus that good students from around the world want to be a part of,” Hartle said. “[It also] expands the opportunity for connections with local communities and business groups and corporations that can provide programs and assistance to help the operation.”

Northeastern has transformed itself into a top-tier research university with campuses scattered across the country and the world, bringing in record numbers of undergraduate applicants every year. The expansions have added value to a Northeastern education in some people’s eyes, but also presented new challenges.

“I think Northeastern is on an extraordinary course. They really mapped out a plan that is going to continue to expand the richness of the educational and career opportunities that are available to students. It is admirable,” Hartle said. “It’s very desirable in the marketplace and for students that happen to be there now. It’s a good thing. Are there going to be glitches? Sure. So ask questions, ask questions, ask questions.”