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 |
| #7 of 1,740 | For Journalism and Digital Media |
| Top100 | For 169 other topics |
Quick Review
- Acceptance rate
- 8%
- Undergraduates
- 9,399
- Graduates
- 14,457
- Male:Female Ratio
- 44:56
- 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 8% and is among the top 2% 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 | 8% | 7% | 8% |
| Applicants | 49,474 | 23,774 | 25,686 |
| Admissions | 3,806 | 1,735 | 2,070 |
| Freshmen enrolled full time | 2,105 | 977 | 1,127 |
1,509 students enrolled in some distance education courses.
781 enrolled exclusively in distance education.
SAT scores
Among admitted applicants
963 or 46%
submitted SAT
25% of them
had 1510
or below
75% of them
had 1570
or below
Typical SAT scores of first-years in Northwestern University are 1510-1570 (middle 50% range).
ACT scores
Among admitted applicants
488 or 23%
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 | 7840 (33%) |
|---|---|
| Nonresident Alien | 5238 (22%) |
| Asian | 3808 (16%) |
| Hispanic | 2521 (11%) |
| Race or Ethnicity unknown | 1691 (7%) |
| Black or African American | 1543 (6%) |
| Two or more races | 1176 (5%) |
| American Indian or Alaska Native | 12 (0.1%) |
| Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander | 10 (0%) |
Costs per year: Tuition, Housing, Fees
The average net cost to attend Northwestern University is $26,830 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 | $1,764 |
|---|---|
| $30-48K | $6,099 |
| $48-75K | $7,898 |
| $75-110K | $18,282 |
| $110K+ | $48,777 |
Tuition and fees
| Undergraduates | Graduates | |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition in-district | $67,158 | $53,452 |
| Tuition in-state | $67,158 | $53,452 |
| Tuition out-of-state | $67,158 | $53,452 |
| Fee in-district | $1,164 | $1,203 |
| Fee in-state | $1,164 | $1,203 |
| Fee out-of-state | $1,164 | $1,203 |
Room and board costs
| Dormitory capacity | 4,476 |
|---|---|
| Combined charge for room and board | $21,126 |
| Room charge | $12,645 |
| Meal charge | $8,481 |
Northwestern University majors
Northwestern University has granted 2,160 bachelor's degrees across 77 programs, 4,887 master's across 107 programs, and 1,078 doctorate degrees across 62 programs. Below is a table with majors that lead to degrees at Northwestern University.
| Major | Bachelor | Master | Doctoral |
|---|---|---|---|
| Management Science | 1,617 | ||
| Digital Communication and Media & Multimedia | 165 | 430 | 9 |
| Econometrics and Quantitative Economics | 238 | 69 | 31 |
| Counseling Psychology | 330 | ||
| Law | 293 | ||
| Computer Science | 120 | 139 | 18 |
| Business Administration and Management, General | 217 | ||
| Programs for Foreign Lawyers | 217 | ||
| Information Science & Studies | 110 | 51 | |
| Biology & Biological Sciences, General | 137 | 18 | |
| Mechanical Engineering | 78 | 46 | 18 |
| Medicine | 141 | ||
| Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering | 65 | 47 | 19 |
| Neuroscience | 110 | 1 | 7 |
| Psychology, General | 93 | 18 | |
| Drama and Dramatics & Theatre Arts, General | 91 | 6 | 5 |
| Legal Professions and Studies, Other | 93 | ||
| Political Science and Government, General | 68 | 7 | 15 |
| Engineering, Other | 87 | ||
| Physical Therapy & Therapist | 87 | ||
| Speech Communication and Rhetoric | 77 | 1 | 9 |
| Materials Engineering | 19 | 31 | 36 |
| Public Administration | 82 | ||
| Industrial Engineering | 65 | 3 | 12 |
| Civil Engineering, General | 21 | 40 | 18 |
| Computer Engineering, General | 21 | 51 | 7 |
| Speech-Language Pathology & Pathologist | 49 | 26 | |
| Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management, General | 74 | ||
| Chemistry, General | 14 | 7 | 49 |
| Engineering & Engineering-Related Technologies & Technicians, Other | 70 | ||
| Radio and Television | 68 | ||
| Electrical and Electronics Engineering | 21 | 32 | 13 |
| Public Health, General | 66 | ||
| Chemical Engineering | 28 | 20 | 17 |
| Community Organization and Advocacy | 61 | ||
| Statistics, General | 19 | 32 | 2 |
| Music Performance, General | 25 | 25 | |
| Physics, General | 17 | 19 | 11 |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods, Other | 46 | ||
| Sport and Fitness Administration & Management | 46 | ||
| Sustainability Studies | 46 | ||
| History, General | 24 | 9 | 11 |
| Tax Law & Taxation | 44 | ||
| Orthotist & Prosthetist | 43 | ||
| English Language and Literature, General | 22 | 15 | 4 |
| Engineering & Industrial Management | 40 | ||
| Marriage and Family Therapy & Counseling | 40 | ||
| Public Policy Analysis, General | 40 | ||
| Cell & Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences, Other | 1 | 38 | |
| Artificial Intelligence | 35 | ||
| Physician Assistant | 35 | ||
| Higher Education & Higher Education Administration | 33 | ||
| Cognitive Psychology and Psycholinguistics | 32 | ||
| Medical Science & Scientist | 32 | ||
| Biotechnology | 31 | ||
| Industrial and Organizational Psychology | 29 | ||
| Mathematics, General | 25 | 4 | |
| Applied Mathematics, General | 11 | 10 | 7 |
| Communication Sciences and Disorders, General | 12 | 6 | 9 |
| Sociology, General | 12 | 6 | 9 |
| Stringed Instruments | 14 | 10 | 1 |
| Health and Wellness, General | 24 | ||
| Anthropology, General | 11 | 4 | 8 |
| Organizational Behavior Studies | 13 | 4 | 5 |
| Audiology & Audiologist and Speech-Language Pathology & Pathologist | 21 | ||
| Data Science, General | 21 | ||
| Voice and Opera | 12 | 8 | 1 |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services, Other | 19 | 1 | |
| Mechanical & Mechanical Engineering Technology & Technician | 20 | ||
| Music, General | 14 | 3 | 3 |
| Science Technologies & Technicians, Other | 20 | ||
| Creative Writing | 19 | ||
| Genetic Counseling & Counselor | 17 | ||
| Health Services & Allied Health & Health Sciences, General | 17 | ||
| Medical Informatics | 17 | ||
| Educational Evaluation and Research | 16 | ||
| Environmental Science | 16 | ||
| Manufacturing Engineering | 16 | ||
| Robotics Technology & Technician | 16 | ||
| Secondary Education and Teaching | 2 | 14 | |
| Clinical Psychology | 14 | ||
| Art History, Criticism and Conservation | 6 | 2 | 5 |
| Linguistics | 6 | 1 | 6 |
| Philosophy | 9 | 1 | 2 |
| Botany & Plant Biology, Other | 9 | 2 | |
| Design and Visual Communications, General | 11 | ||
| Keyboard Instruments | 6 | 3 | 2 |
| Music Teacher Education | 7 | 4 | |
| Astronomy | 7 | 3 | |
| Environmental & Environmental Health Engineering | 10 | ||
| Health and Medical Administrative Services, Other | 10 | ||
| Research and Experimental Psychology, Other | 10 | ||
| Geology & Earth Science, General | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Health Information & Medical Records Administration & Administrator | 9 | ||
| African-American & Black Studies | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| Documentary Production | 8 | ||
| Engineering Physics & Applied Physics | 4 | 4 | |
| Social Sciences, General | 8 | ||
| Film & Cinema & Media Studies | 1 | 6 | |
| Neurobiology and Anatomy | 7 | ||
| Systems Science and Theory | 3 | 4 | |
| Behavioral Sciences | 6 | ||
| Conducting | 2 | 4 | |
| Legal Studies | 5 | 1 | |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences & Liberal Studies | 2 | 4 | |
| Art & Art Studies, General | 1 | 4 | |
| Biological and Physical Sciences | 5 | ||
| Biomedical Sciences, General | 5 | ||
| Comparative Literature | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Education, Other | 1 | 4 | |
| French Language and Literature | 3 | 2 | |
| Marketing & Marketing Management, General | 1 | 4 | |
| Operations Research | 3 | 2 | |
| Research Methodology and Quantitative Methods | 5 | ||
| Social and Philosophical Foundations of Education | 5 | ||
| Acting | 4 | ||
| Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology, Other | 4 | ||
| Elementary Education and Teaching | 4 | ||
| German Language and Literature | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Hispanic-American, Puerto Rican, and Mexican-American & Chicano Studies | 4 | ||
| Learning Sciences | 4 | ||
| Musicology and Ethnomusicology | 1 | 3 | |
| Playwriting and Screenwriting | 4 | ||
| Religion & Religious Studies | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| American & United States Studies & Civilization | 3 | ||
| Bioethics & Medical Ethics | 3 | ||
| Dance, General | 3 | ||
| Economics, General | 3 | ||
| Engineering Mechanics | 3 | ||
| Engineering, General | 3 | ||
| Hispanic and Latin American Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General | 1 | 2 | |
| Music Theory and Composition | 3 | ||
| Spanish Language and Literature | 3 | ||
| Directing and Theatrical Production | 2 | ||
| Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies, Other | 2 | ||
| Health Communication | 2 | ||
| Near and Middle Eastern Studies | 2 | ||
| Asian-American Studies | 1 | ||
| Astronomy and Astrophysics, Other | 1 | ||
| Biostatistics | 1 | ||
| Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General | 1 | ||
| Computer and Information Sciences, General | 1 | ||
| Humanities & Humanistic Studies | 1 | ||
| Jazz & Jazz Studies | 1 | ||
| Materials Science | 1 | ||
| Slavic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General | 1 | ||
| Writing, General | 1 | ||
| Grand Total | 2,160 | 4,887 | 1,078 |
Northwestern University has a graduation rate of 95%, which is among the 3% highest for universities in the US.
| Total | Men | Women | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Graduation rate | 95% | 93% | 97% |
| |||
Publications & Citations
Northwestern University is a world-class research university with 245,645 scientific papers published and 12,206,770 citations received. The research profile covers a range of fields, including Biology, Medicine, Chemistry, Engineering, Physics, Computer Science, Liberal Arts & Social Sciences, Genetics, Psychology, and Biochemistry.
Publication / Citation count by topic
Annual publication & citation counts
| Year | Publications | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | 2229 | 41295 |
| 1994 | 2363 | 45104 |
| 1995 | 2439 | 48804 |
| 1996 | 2657 | 56562 |
| 1997 | 2718 | 60528 |
| 1998 | 2788 | 68892 |
| 1999 | 3024 | 75941 |
| 2000 | 3136 | 88105 |
| 2001 | 3206 | 98354 |
| 2002 | 4013 | 116485 |
| 2003 | 4042 | 132333 |
| 2004 | 4482 | 145135 |
| 2005 | 4755 | 168285 |
| 2006 | 5108 | 190540 |
| 2007 | 5330 | 213569 |
| 2008 | 5879 | 243816 |
| 2009 | 6166 | 272380 |
| 2010 | 6275 | 309133 |
| 2011 | 6850 | 348847 |
| 2012 | 7224 | 387702 |
| 2013 | 8228 | 427035 |
| 2014 | 8079 | 460989 |
| 2015 | 8351 | 489269 |
| 2016 | 8468 | 512282 |
| 2017 | 8986 | 551248 |
| 2018 | 9817 | 597954 |
| 2019 | 10302 | 666659 |
| 2020 | 11598 | 785078 |
| 2021 | 11429 | 862279 |
| 2022 | 10888 | 832847 |
| 2023 | 10988 | 857726 |
| 2024 | 9911 | 856815 |
| 2025 | 8376 | 770062 |
Northwestern University alumni
-
Hugh Hefner
- Occupations
- writernightclub ownervoice actorpolitical activistsocialite
- Biography
-
Hugh Marston Hefner was an American magazine publisher and businessman. He was the founder and editor-in-chief of Playboy magazine, a publication with revealing photographs and articles. Hefner extended the Playboy brand into a world network of Playboy Clubs. He also resided in luxury mansions where Playboy Playmates shared his wild partying life, fueling media interest.
-
David Schwimmer
- Occupations
- film directorproducercomedianfilm produceractor
- Biography
-
David Lawrence Schwimmer is an American actor, director and producer. He gained worldwide recognition for portraying Ross Geller in the sitcom Friends (1994–2004), 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 on 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). Schwimmer was also 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
- editing stafftelevision producerbloggerfilm producerfantasy author
- Biography
-
George Raymond Richard Martin, also known by the initials G.R.R.M., is an American author, television writer, and television producer. Martin is best known as the author of the epic fantasy novel series A Song of Ice and Fire, which was adapted by HBO into the Primetime Emmy Award–winning television series Game of Thrones (2011–2019) and its prequel series House of the Dragon (2022–present). Martin also wrote a related series of novellas, Tales of Dunk and Egg, which have been adapted by HBO as A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (2026–present). Outside of A Song of Ice and Fire and its related media, Martin helped create the Wild Cards anthology series and contributed worldbuilding for the video game Elden Ring (2022).
-
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
- Occupations
- singertelevision actorfilm actorvoice actorstage actor
- Biography
-
Julia Scarlett Elizabeth Louis-Dreyfus is an American actress, comedian, and producer. She is known for her roles in a string of successful comedy series and several comedy films. She has received numerous accolades including 11 Primetime Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and nine Screen Actors Guild Awards.
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 | 11,709 |
| Carnegie classification | Doctoral Universities: Very High Research Activity |
Location and contacts
| Address | 633 Clark St Evanston, Illinois, 60208 United States |
|---|---|
| City population | 78,000 |
| Phone | 8474913741 |