Northwestern University: Statistics
Updated:
| Position | Category |
|---|---|
| #31 of 14,131 | In the World |
| #27 of 2,597 | In North America |
| #25 of 2,496 | In the United States |
| #3 of 100 | In Illinois |
| #1 of 4 | In Evanston |
| #10 of 4,040 | For Nanotechnology |
| Top100 | For 160 other topics |
Quick Review
- Acceptance rate
- 7%
- Undergraduates
- 8,993
- Graduates
- 14,168
- Male:Female Ratio
- 46:54
- Control
- Private
not-for-profit - Highest Degree
- Doctor's degree
- Website
- www.northwestern.edu
Northwestern University Acceptance rate and admissions statistics
Northwestern University has an acceptance rate of 7% and is among the top 1% of the most difficult universities to gain admission to in the United States. The university reports the admission statistics without distinguishing between local and international students.
| Total | Men | Women | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acceptance Rate | 7% | 7% | 7% |
| Applicants | 51,261 | 23,535 | 27,725 |
| Admissions | 3,695 | 1,652 | 2,043 |
| Freshmen enrolled full time | 2,038 | 919 | 1,119 |
1,594 students enrolled in some distance education courses.
1,123 enrolled exclusively in distance education.
SAT scores
Among admitted applicants
965 or 47%
submitted SAT
25% of them
had 1490
or below
75% of them
had 1570
or below
Typical SAT scores of first-years in Northwestern University are 1490-1570 (middle 50% range).
ACT scores
Among admitted applicants
638 or 31%
submitted ACT
25% of them
had 33
or below
75% of them
had 35
or below
Typical ACT scores of first-years in Northwestern University are 33-35 (middle 50% range).
Admissions requirements
| College-preparatory program | Required |
|---|---|
| Recommendations | Required |
| Secondary school record | Required |
| TOEFL | Required |
| SAT/ACT | Considered but not required |
| Secondary school GPA | Considered but not required |
| Secondary school rank | Considered but not required |
| Formal demonstration of competencies | Neither required nor recommended |
| Other Tests | Neither required nor recommended |
Enrollment demographics by race or ethnicity
| White | 8560 (37%) |
|---|---|
| Nonresident Alien | 4794 (21%) |
| Asian | 3697 (16%) |
| Hispanic | 2330 (10%) |
| Race or Ethnicity unknown | 1386 (6%) |
| Black or African American | 1296 (6%) |
| Two or more races | 1059 (5%) |
| Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander | 17 (0.1%) |
| American Indian or Alaska Native | 10 (0%) |
Costs per year: Tuition, Housing, Fees
The average net cost to attend Northwestern University is $22,095 per year, calculated as the sum of the average cost of tuition, room and board, books, and supplies, reduced by the amount of average financial aid received.
The final cost of attendance varies for each student based on household income, residency, program, and other factors.
Average costs by household income
| <$30K | $3,393 |
|---|---|
| $30-48K | $2,389 |
| $48-75K | $6,079 |
| $75-110K | $19,672 |
| $110K+ | $48,102 |
Tuition and fees
| Undergraduates | Graduates | |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition in-district | $62,391 | $51,869 |
| Tuition in-state | $62,391 | $51,869 |
| Tuition out-of-state | $62,391 | $51,869 |
| Fee in-district | $1,077 | $1,155 |
| Fee in-state | $1,077 | $1,155 |
| Fee out-of-state | $1,077 | $1,155 |
Room and board costs
| Dormitory capacity | 4,456 |
|---|---|
| Combined charge for room and board | $19,440 |
| Room charge | $11,748 |
| Meal charge | $7,692 |
Northwestern University majors
Northwestern University has granted 2,063 bachelor's degrees across 77 programs, 4,866 master's across 102 programs, and 1,088 doctorate degrees across 66 programs. Below is a table with majors that lead to degrees at Northwestern University.
| Major | Bachelor | Master | Doctoral |
|---|---|---|---|
| Management Science | 1,495 | ||
| Digital Communication and Media & Multimedia | 185 | 431 | 6 |
| Business Administration and Management, General | 347 | ||
| Econometrics and Quantitative Economics | 239 | 55 | 31 |
| Counseling Psychology | 294 | ||
| Law | 290 | ||
| Programs for Foreign Lawyers | 281 | ||
| Computer Science | 102 | 96 | 9 |
| Medicine | 154 | ||
| Biology & Biological Sciences, General | 129 | 1 | 17 |
| Mechanical Engineering | 72 | 35 | 18 |
| Information Science & Studies | 69 | 50 | |
| Psychology, General | 93 | 8 | 12 |
| Legal Professions and Studies, Other | 110 | ||
| Neuroscience | 92 | 17 | |
| Drama and Dramatics & Theatre Arts, General | 90 | 7 | 7 |
| Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering | 43 | 40 | 20 |
| Engineering, Other | 101 | ||
| Speech-Language Pathology & Pathologist | 72 | 28 | |
| Physical Therapy & Therapist | 93 | ||
| Speech Communication and Rhetoric | 90 | 3 | |
| Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management, General | 87 | ||
| Public Administration | 87 | ||
| Chemistry, General | 19 | 7 | 56 |
| Industrial Engineering | 55 | 15 | 9 |
| Political Science and Government, General | 57 | 5 | 10 |
| Community Organization and Advocacy | 71 | ||
| Radio and Television | 68 | ||
| Materials Engineering | 19 | 21 | 26 |
| Chemical Engineering | 34 | 9 | 17 |
| Civil Engineering, General | 16 | 33 | 11 |
| Engineering & Engineering-Related Technologies & Technicians, Other | 55 | ||
| History, General | 32 | 14 | 9 |
| Tax Law & Taxation | 54 | ||
| Public Health, General | 53 | ||
| Sport and Fitness Administration & Management | 53 | ||
| Social and Philosophical Foundations of Education | 52 | ||
| Statistics, General | 25 | 18 | 6 |
| Orthotist & Prosthetist | 48 | ||
| Public Policy Analysis, General | 47 | ||
| Computer Engineering, General | 15 | 23 | 5 |
| Health Communication | 43 | ||
| Sustainability Studies | 43 | ||
| Cell & Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences, Other | 41 | ||
| English Language and Literature, General | 24 | 9 | 8 |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods, Other | 41 | ||
| Biotechnology | 40 | ||
| Music Performance, General | 20 | 19 | 1 |
| Industrial and Organizational Psychology | 39 | ||
| Electrical and Electronics Engineering | 11 | 20 | 7 |
| Health and Wellness, General | 38 | ||
| Mathematics, General | 25 | 3 | 10 |
| Engineering & Industrial Management | 36 | ||
| Sociology, General | 13 | 11 | 12 |
| Physician Assistant | 35 | ||
| Voice and Opera | 17 | 17 | 1 |
| Stringed Instruments | 12 | 16 | 3 |
| Marriage and Family Therapy & Counseling | 30 | ||
| Manufacturing Engineering | 27 | ||
| Medical Science & Scientist | 27 | ||
| Applied Mathematics, General | 10 | 10 | 6 |
| Higher Education & Higher Education Administration | 26 | ||
| Communication Sciences and Disorders, General | 17 | 8 | |
| Psychology, Other | 23 | ||
| Organizational Behavior Studies | 16 | 4 | |
| Cognitive Psychology and Psycholinguistics | 19 | ||
| Medical Informatics | 19 | ||
| Physics, General | 12 | 3 | 4 |
| Genetic Counseling & Counselor | 18 | ||
| Mechanical & Mechanical Engineering Technology & Technician | 18 | ||
| Audiology & Audiologist and Speech-Language Pathology & Pathologist | 1 | 16 | |
| Environmental Science | 17 | ||
| Robotics Technology & Technician | 17 | ||
| Anthropology, General | 5 | 8 | 3 |
| Biostatistics | 15 | ||
| Artificial Intelligence | 14 | ||
| Clinical Psychology | 14 | ||
| Health Services & Allied Health & Health Sciences, General | 14 | ||
| Music, General | 7 | 1 | 6 |
| Education, Other | 1 | 12 | |
| Health and Medical Administrative Services, Other | 13 | ||
| Neurobiology and Anatomy | 13 | ||
| Philosophy | 7 | 6 | |
| Keyboard Instruments | 2 | 4 | 6 |
| Botany & Plant Biology, Other | 9 | 2 | |
| Creative Writing | 1 | 10 | |
| Marketing & Marketing Management, General | 9 | 2 | |
| Music Teacher Education | 4 | 7 | |
| Playwriting and Screenwriting | 11 | ||
| Science Technologies & Technicians, Other | 11 | ||
| Art History, Criticism and Conservation | 5 | 3 | 2 |
| Linguistics | 6 | 3 | 1 |
| Bioethics & Medical Ethics | 9 | ||
| Computer and Information Sciences, General | 9 | ||
| Engineering Physics & Applied Physics | 1 | 8 | |
| Geology & Earth Science, General | 3 | 6 | |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services, Other | 2 | 1 | 6 |
| Systems Science and Theory | 3 | 6 | |
| Art & Art Studies, General | 3 | 5 | |
| Documentary Production | 8 | ||
| Legal Studies | 4 | 4 | |
| Behavioral Sciences | 7 | ||
| Conducting | 3 | 4 | |
| Learning Sciences | 7 | ||
| Music Theory and Composition | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| Astronomy and Astrophysics, Other | 6 | ||
| Biological and Physical Sciences | 6 | ||
| Engineering Mechanics | 2 | 4 | |
| Film & Cinema & Media Studies | 2 | 4 | |
| American & United States Studies & Civilization | 5 | ||
| Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General | 5 | ||
| Comparative Literature | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Dance, General | 5 | ||
| Economics, General | 5 | ||
| Education, General | 5 | ||
| Environmental & Environmental Health Engineering | 5 | ||
| Liberal Arts and Sciences & Liberal Studies | 2 | 3 | |
| Operations Research | 1 | 4 | |
| Slavic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| African-American & Black Studies | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology, Other | 4 | ||
| Design and Visual Communications, General | 4 | ||
| Engineering, General | 4 | ||
| Hispanic and Latin American Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General | 4 | ||
| Humanities & Humanistic Studies | 4 | ||
| Jazz & Jazz Studies | 4 | ||
| Religion & Religious Studies | 2 | 2 | |
| East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General | 3 | ||
| French Language and Literature | 2 | 1 | |
| Acting | 2 | ||
| Asian-American Studies | 2 | ||
| Astronomy | 1 | 1 | |
| German Language and Literature | 2 | ||
| Health Information & Medical Records Administration & Administrator | 2 | ||
| Musicology and Ethnomusicology | 1 | 1 | |
| Near and Middle Eastern Studies | 2 | ||
| Secondary Education and Teaching | 2 | ||
| Writing, General | 2 | ||
| Advanced Legal Research & Studies, General | 1 | ||
| Biomedical Sciences, General | 1 | ||
| Computer and Information Sciences, Other | 1 | ||
| Directing and Theatrical Production | 1 | ||
| Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies, Other | 1 | ||
| Hispanic-American, Puerto Rican, and Mexican-American & Chicano Studies | 1 | ||
| Social Sciences, General | 1 | ||
| Spanish Language and Literature | 1 | ||
| Grand Total | 2,063 | 4,866 | 1,088 |
Northwestern University has a graduation rate of 97%, which is among the 2% highest for universities in the US.
| Total | Men | Women | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Graduation rate | 97% | 95% | 98% |
| |||
Publications & Citations
Northwestern University is a world-class research university with 198,901 scientific papers published and 8,186,178 citations received. The research profile covers a range of fields, including Biology, Medicine, Chemistry, Engineering, Physics, Computer Science, Genetics, Liberal Arts & Social Sciences, Biochemistry, and Psychology.
Publication / Citation count by topic
Annual publication & citation counts
| Year | Publications | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 1742 | 25671 |
| 1992 | 1775 | 29700 |
| 1993 | 1844 | 28386 |
| 1994 | 1980 | 30943 |
| 1995 | 2062 | 33339 |
| 1996 | 2247 | 38930 |
| 1997 | 2266 | 42486 |
| 1998 | 2283 | 48667 |
| 1999 | 2395 | 54126 |
| 2000 | 2617 | 62687 |
| 2001 | 2677 | 70724 |
| 2002 | 3401 | 83537 |
| 2003 | 3394 | 93401 |
| 2004 | 3692 | 105262 |
| 2005 | 3841 | 122381 |
| 2006 | 4148 | 139387 |
| 2007 | 4453 | 158583 |
| 2008 | 4921 | 177200 |
| 2009 | 5189 | 201394 |
| 2010 | 5289 | 229548 |
| 2011 | 5714 | 259584 |
| 2012 | 6165 | 289404 |
| 2013 | 6654 | 319819 |
| 2014 | 7040 | 346160 |
| 2015 | 7452 | 372382 |
| 2016 | 7996 | 391545 |
| 2017 | 8423 | 419750 |
| 2018 | 9089 | 464409 |
| 2019 | 9653 | 515363 |
| 2020 | 10552 | 596398 |
| 2021 | 10657 | 668292 |
| 2022 | 10181 | 681017 |
| 2023 | 9940 | 686741 |
Northwestern University alumni
-
Zooey Deschanel
- Occupations
- singer-songwritervoice actoractortelevision actormusician
- Biography
-
Zooey Claire Deschanel is an American actress and musician. She made her film debut in Mumford (1999) and had a supporting role in Cameron Crowe's film Almost Famous (2000). Deschanel is known for her deadpan roles in comedy films such as The Good Girl (2002), The New Guy (2002), Elf (2003), The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005), Failure to Launch (2006), Yes Man (2008), The Happening (2008), 500 Days of Summer (2009) and Our Idiot Brother (2011). She has also ventured into dramatic film territory with Manic (2001), All the Real Girls (2003), Winter Passing (2005), Bridge to Terabithia (2007) and The Driftless Area (2015). From 2011 to 2018, she starred as Jess Day on the Fox sitcom New Girl, for which she received nominations for a Primetime Emmy Award and three Golden Globe Awards.
-
Hugh Hefner
- Occupations
- writerfilm produceractorjournalistnightclub owner
- Biography
-
Hugh Marston Hefner was an American magazine publisher. He was the founder and editor-in-chief of Playboy magazine, a publication with revealing photographs and articles.
-
David Schwimmer
- Occupations
- film actortelevision actorfilm producerfilm directorstage actor
- Biography
-
David Lawrence Schwimmer is an American actor, director, comedian, and producer. He gained worldwide recognition for portraying Ross Geller in the sitcom Friends, for which he received a Screen Actors Guild Award and a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in 1995. While still acting in Friends, his first leading film role was in The Pallbearer (1996), followed by roles in Kissing a Fool; Six Days, Seven Nights; Apt Pupil (all 1998); and Picking Up the Pieces (2000). He was then cast in the miniseries Band of Brothers (2001) as Herbert Sobel.
-
George R. R. Martin
- Enrolled in Northwestern University
- Graduated with bachelor's degree in journalism
- Occupations
- screenwriterfilm producerplaywrightscience fiction writerwriter
- Biography
-
George Raymond Richard Martin, also known as GRRM, is an American novelist, screenwriter, television producer, and short story writer. He is the author of the series of epic fantasy novels A Song of Ice and Fire, which were adapted into the Emmy Award-winning HBO series Game of Thrones (2011–2019) and its prequel series House of the Dragon (2022–present). He also helped create the Wild Cards anthology series, and contributed worldbuilding for Elden Ring.
General info
| Alternative names | NU |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1851 |
| Motto | Quaecumque Sunt Vera Whatsoever things are true (Philippians 4:8 AV) |
| Colors | purple, white |
| Academic calendar | September to August (September - December; January-March; April-June; June-August) |
| Total FTE staff | 10,735 |
| Carnegie classification | Doctoral Universities: Highest Research Activity |
Location and contacts
| Address | 633 Clark St Evanston, Illinois, 60208 United States |
|---|---|
| City population | 78,000 |
| Phone | 8474913741 |