Northeastern University is occasionally discussed among modern elite selective private universities that experience massive surges in applicant interest and competitive admissions standards, but it is not traditionally classified among the official or informal group known as the Baby Ivies. The term Baby Ivy typically refers to elite, highly historic northeastern liberal arts colleges—such as Amherst, Williams, Swarthmore, and Wesleyan—known for small undergraduate enrollments and historic prestige. Conversely, Northeastern operates as a large, dynamic urban research powerhouse focused on global experiential learning and cooperative education.