Northwestern University
Evanston, IL · Private nonprofit7.7%
Acceptance rate
1,526
SAT Average
$27,143
Avg net price
8,960
Enrollment
| All fields, 2024-25Bachelor’s 2,431Master’s 4,981Doctoral 1,101 |
| Bachelor’s 405Master’s 107Doctoral 59 |
| Bachelor’s 349Master’s 442Doctoral 12 |
| Bachelor’s 342Master’s 388Doctoral 139 |
| Bachelor’s 263Master’s 268Doctoral 15 |
| Bachelor’s 248Master’s 71Doctoral 92 |
| Bachelor’s 193Master’s 178Doctoral 37 |
| Bachelor’s 158Master’s 373Doctoral 17 |
| Bachelor’s 96Master’s 64Doctoral None reported |
| Bachelor’s 67Master’s 45Doctoral 21 |
| Bachelor’s 56Master’s 52Doctoral 10 |
| Bachelor’s 39Master’s 12Doctoral 15 |
| Bachelor’s 38Master’s 33Doctoral 50 |
| Bachelor’s 26Master’s 24Doctoral 9 |
| Bachelor’s 22Master’s 14Doctoral 11 |
| Bachelor’s 21Master’s 3Doctoral 0 |
| Bachelor’s 21Master’s 0Doctoral None reported |
| Bachelor’s 19Master’s 7Doctoral 9 |
| Bachelor’s 18Master’s 2Doctoral 3 |
| Bachelor’s 17Master’s 417Doctoral 303 |
| Bachelor’s 14Master’s 44Doctoral 2 |
| Bachelor’s 10Master’s 1,857Doctoral 5 |
| Bachelor’s 7Master’s 346Doctoral 292 |
| Bachelor’s 2Master’s 1Doctoral None reported |
| Bachelor’s 0Master’s None reportedDoctoral None reported |
| Bachelor’s None reportedMaster’s 167Doctoral None reported |
| Bachelor’s None reportedMaster’s 49Doctoral None reported |
| Bachelor’s None reportedMaster’s 17Doctoral None reported |
| Bachelor’s None reportedMaster’s 0Doctoral 0 |
Updated 2w ago
| Program | Description |
|---|---|
| Dual Bachelor’s Degree Programs | Cross-school collaborations provide opportunities for undergraduate students to complete coursework in two Northwestern schools concurrently and to receive bachelor’s degrees from both schools. Typically, five years of faculty-approved full-time study are required to complete any of these programs and meet the Undergraduate Registration Requirement. |
| Northwestern Undergraduate Premedical Scholars Program | The Northwestern Undergraduate Premedical Scholars Program (NUPSP) is an early MD acceptance program for high-achieving Northwestern undergraduate students who have completed two full years of undergraduate study with a demonstrated commitment to a career in medicine into Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. |
| Integrated Science Program | The Integrated Science Program is a highly selective curriculum of natural sciences and mathematics presented predominantly in small classes at an accelerated pace. Courses emphasize the common base and relationships between the traditional sciences, including the importance of mathematics and the development of first principles, leading to interdisciplinary topics at the forefront of science today. |
| Mathematical Methods in the Social Sciences | The Mathematical Methods in the Social Sciences Program (MMSS) was created to give undergraduate students an opportunity to combine the study of social sciences with training in formal analytical methods. MMSS students pursue a double course of study: a common mathematics/quantitative methods sequence and the social science major of their choice. |
| Accelerated Public Health Program | The Accelerated Public Health Program (APHP) at Northwestern University provides high-achieving undergraduate students the opportunity to earn their bachelor’s and Master of Public Health (MPH) degrees in five years. Students in this selective program will have access to early MPH Program acceptance, specialized advising, and the opportunity to complete their MPH field experience abroad. |
NCAA program details
- Primary division
- Division I
- Primary conference
- Big Ten Conference
Projected sponsored sports21
Athletic participation
518 unique student-athletes · 19 varsity teams
Early Decision First-Year
Binding · Financial Aid Due Date due Dec 1
Regular Decision First-Year
Financial Aid Due Date due Feb 1
· Apply with Common App, Coalition, or QuestBridge application
Published on-campus price, 2024–25
- Tuition
- $67,158
- Required fees
- $1,164
- Food and housing
- $21,126
- Books and supplies
- $1,794
- Other expenses
- $3,636
- Total
- $94,878
- $78,6542019–2019–20
- $81,2832020–2120–21
- $83,8382021–2221–22
- $89,3942022–2322–23
- $91,2902023–2423–24
- $94,8782024–2524–25
Net price by family income, 2022–23
Students of all incomes paid $27,143 on average. Grants and scholarships covered the rest of the cost.
Net price covers first-time, full-time students who received federal aid.
Need-based aid, 2025–26
- First-years with need-based aid
- 41%
- Average share of need met
- 100%
- Average need-based grant
- $65,946
- Required forms
- FAFSA and CSS Profile
Sources
- IPEDS Institutional Characteristics · National Center for Education Statistics · 2025–26
- IPEDS Admissions · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024–25
- College Scorecard · U.S. Department of Education · 2025-10-03
- Application process · College websites · 2026–27
- NCAA Projected Sports Sponsorship by School · National Collegiate Athletic Association · 2025–26
- Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act · U.S. Department of Education · 2024–25
- Common Data Set · Reporting institutions · 2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24, 2024–25, 2025–26
- IPEDS Completions · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024–25
- IPEDS Student Charges · National Center for Education Statistics · 2019–20, 2020–21, 2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24, 2024–25
Every figure below is read directly from Northwestern University’s own reported data, with no scores, ratings, or estimates added. Derived from 5 Common Data Set filings (2021–22 to 2025–26).
Northwestern University admitted of applicants, a admit rate. Of those, enrolled, a yield, across 5 years of Common Data Set filings.
Northwestern University runs one binding Early Decision round. ED applicants were admitted at versus for the regular pool, a edge, and ED admits fill of the class.
The enrolled class is roughly international. Northwestern University withholds applicants and admits by residency, so in-state, out-of-state, and international admit odds can't be computed.
Enrolled first-years by geography
2,138 first-years
Admit odds by pool
Test scores are considered but not required. Of enrolled first-years, submitted an SAT, up from 43% in 2021–22, and an ACT, down from 39%.
Some students submit both an SAT and an ACT, so the two shares overlap. They don’t add up to a single “submitted a test” rate.
SAT composite
48% of the class submitted an SAT
Middle 50%
Shape smoothed from reported percentiles and score bands
ACT composite
25% of the class submitted an ACT
Middle 50%
Shape smoothed from reported percentiles and score bands
ranked in the top tenth of their high-school class, among the 31.9% who submitted class rank.
High-school class rank
Among the 31.9% of first-years who submitted class rank. Shares are cumulative — students in the top tenth also count in the top quarter and top half.
Northwestern University rates 8 factors "very important." Each column reads strongest first.
Academic
- Rigor of secondary school record
- Very important
- Class rank
- Very important
- Academic GPA
- Very important
- Application essay
- Very important
- Recommendation(s)
- Very important
- Standardized test scores
- Considered
Nonacademic
- Extracurricular activities
- Very important
- Talent / ability
- Very important
- Character / personal qualities
- Very important
- First generation
- Considered
- Alumni/ae relation
- Considered
- Geographical residence
- Considered
- Volunteer work
- Considered
- Work experience
- Considered
- Level of applicant's interest
- Considered
- Interview
- Not considered
- State residency
- Not considered
- Religious affiliation/commitment
- Not considered
Northwestern University leaves 5 Common Data Set answers blank — each one hidden below with what it would tell you.
Without the residency split, there’s no way to see whether admit rates shift for out-of-state or international applicants.
Without the rank spread of enrolled students, there’s no top-of-class signal to place a transcript against.
Without the GPA spread, a family can’t see where their transcript lands within the class.
Without the average GPA, there’s no single midpoint to place a transcript against.
With the pool size hidden, a student’s odds of clearing the waitlist can’t be computed.
Does disclose: SAT / ACT score bands (C9) · Admissions factor grid (C7) · Early Decision applicants & admits (C21) · Students admitted off the waitlist (C2)
Northwestern University’s sticker drops once grant aid is applied, and what a family actually pays depends on income. of first-years received need-based aid; a family with no aid pays the full sticker. The school meets of demonstrated need, split into .
What aid recipients pay, by income
net price
Bars read against the $97,242 sticker. Each figure averages only families who received federal aid in that income band (College Scorecard); $27,143 across all aid recipients. Aid share: 868 of 2,138 first-years in the 2025–26 Common Data Set.
How need-based aid is determined
Cost of attendance − expected family contribution = demonstrated need
Forms a family files to be considered
What that meant in 2025–26
Cost of attendance $97,242
Averages among the 868 first-years awarded need-based aid.
Merit aid reached of the class, or of enrolled first-years. For international applicants, Northwestern University offers both need-based and merit aid: nonresidents received aid, averaging .
Northwestern University admitted students off the waitlist, about of the class, but withholds how many were offered or accepted a place.
Offered a place
Not disclosedAccepted a place
Not disclosed97.4% of Northwestern University’s first-years return for a second year and 95.9% graduate within six. Median earnings ten years out are against of median federal debt, roughly a earnings-to-debt ratio.
Sources
- Common Data Set · Reporting institutions · 2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24, 2024–25, 2025–26
- College Scorecard · U.S. Department of Education · 2025-10-03