Northeastern University: referred to as "Dongda University", it is a research university of science and engineering directly under the Ministry of Education. It is located in Shenyang, the central city in the northeast of China, and has a branch of Northeastern University in Qinhuangdao, Hebei Province. It is the first batch of national key construction universities of "Double First Class", "2 1 1 Project" and "985 Project" jointly established by the Ministry of Education, Liaoning Province and Shenyang City.

Dongbei University of Finance and Economics: referred to as "Cai Dong", located in Dalian, Liaoning Province, is a key university jointly established by the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Education and the people of Liaoning Province. It is a financial university that highlights the advantages and characteristics of economic management, and the disciplines of economy, management, law, literature and science develop in harmony.

Compared with Northeastern University, the two universities are stronger in running schools. They are 2 1 1 Engineering and 985 Engineering Construction University. Dongbei University of Finance and Economics is not included in these two projects, but its graduates majoring in finance and economics are more likely to find jobs.