43,000 hopefuls applied to the 2,800 spots for the incoming freshman class which is a record high for the university. According to university officials, the number of applications is up 15% from last year and is almost triple the number from a decade ago.

Many other institutions in Boston, including Harvard, Tufts, Brandeis and Boston College have experienced the increases in applications from high school seniors, the rise at Northeastern is noticeable by the sheer size of the increase.

Philomena Mantella, senior vice president for admissions said that the number of international students has also leapt by more than 42 percent in just one year, to just under 4,500 applications.

The rise in applicants could be due to the university now offering students the opportunity to graduate in four years instead of the traditional five year commitment, they’re also still able to fit in two six-month placements of job-training.

The university also has a good reputation for its overseas connections and extensive global reach, in placing undergraduate students in co-ops in 69 countries and on all 7 continents including Antarctica.

It could also be argued that one of the reasons for the increase is due to the university hosting an admissions conference, OACAC, last year – inviting 700 high school counsellors from across the world to take part.

Overseas Association for College Admission Counselling (OACAC) is an affiliate of the National Association for College Admission Counselling (NACAC). It strives to serve students as they make their choices about pursuing postsecondary education. Their conferences bring together college counsellors and careers advisors from all over the world to meet with college admissions representatives to build relationships and help aid students through the international application process. It is an annual event which will be taking place this July at the University of Calgary.