Northwestern University

Northwestern University Overview

Northwestern University is a private, nonprofit school in a suburban setting in Evanston, Illinois. Northwestern was founded in 1851 and the school enrolls around 22,933 students per year, including 8,494 undergrads. Northwestern ensures housing for students. Most students live in off campus housing.

📆 Mark your calendar! January 1, 2023 is the final deadline to submit an application for the Fall 2023 semester. Regular decision applicants for Fall 2023 should receive admissions decisions by April 1.

Student Involvement at Northwestern

Love music or performing? Join a campus band, sing in a chorus, or perform with one of the school's theater groups.

Interested in journalism or communications? Northwestern students can write for the campus newspaper, host a radio show or be a producer for the student-run television channel.

Interested in joining a fraternity or sorority? Northwestern has both fraternities and sororities.

Planning to play sports? Northwestern has many options for athletes. See them all and learn more about life at Northwestern on the Student Life page.

Is Northwestern a Good School?

There is no one way to define a "good" college or university. Some factors that can help you determine what a good school for you might be include admissions criteria, acceptance rate, tuition costs, and more.

Let's take a closer look at these areas to get a clearer sense of what Northwestern offers and if the college could be a good fit for you.

2022 Acceptance Rate for Northwestern University

Northwestern is extremely difficult to get into. The acceptance rate at Northwestern is 7%. Out of 47,636 applications received in 2022, 3,321 students were offered admission.

Retention and Graduation Rates at Northwestern

Retention refers to the number of students that stay enrolled at a school over time. It gauges how satisfied students are with their school experience, and if they have the support necessary to succeed in college.

Approximately 99% of first-year, full-time undergrads who start at Northwesterncome back the next year. Around 95% of students who started at Northwestern earn their Bachelor's degrees within six years. The average six-year graduation rate for U.S. colleges and universities is 61% for public schools, and 67% for private, non-profit schools.

Job Outlook Northwestern Graduates

Job placement stats are a good resource for understanding the value of a degree from Northwestern by providing a look on how job placement has gone for other grads.

Check with Northwestern directly, for information on any information on starting salaries for recent grads.

Tuition and Financial Aid at Northwestern

Tuition cost is another important factor when choose a college. Some colleges may have high tuition, but do a better job at meeting students' financial need.

Northwestern meets 100% of the demonstrated financial need for undergraduates. First-year students that attend Northwestern full-time are awarded $61,907 a year in financial aid, on average.

The average student debt for graduates in the class of 2022 was around $34,851 per student, not including those with no debt. For context, compare this number with the average national debt, which is around $36,000 per borrower.

The 2023-2024 FAFSA Opened on October 1st, 2022

Some financial aid is available on a first-come, first-served basis, so fill out the FAFSA as soon as you can. Visit the FAFSA website to apply for student aid. Remember, the first F in FAFSA stands for FREE! No one should ever pay to fill out the FREE Application for Federal Student Aid, (FAFSA), so be very wary of anyone asking you for money.

Learn more about Tuition and Financial Aid at Northwestern.

Based on this information, how does Northwestern sound? Remember, a school that is perfect for one person may be a terrible fit for someone else! So ask yourself: Is Northwestern a good school for you?

If Northwestern University seems like a school you want to apply to, click the heart button to save it to your college list.

Still Researching Schools?

To learn more about Northwestern, choose from the options below:

Admissions

Student Life

Academics

Tuition & Aid

Northwestern Community Forums

Then use the college admissions predictor to calculate your chances of getting admitted to some of the colleges and universities in the U.S.

Where is Northwestern University Located?

Northwestern is located in the suburban setting of Evanston, Illinois, in the suburbs of Chicago.

If you want to see Northwestern for yourself, be sure to plan a visit! The best way to reach campus is to take Interstate 94 to Evanston, or book a flight to the nearest airport, O'Hare International.

You can also take a virtual campus tour to get a sense of what Northwestern and Evanston are like without leaving home.

Considering Colleges in Illinois?

See a full list of colleges in Illinois and save your favorites to your college list.