Northwestern University
Northwestern University admitted 7.7% of applicants. Students who submitted scores typically had 1510–1570 on the SAT. Its average net price after aid was $34,420 a year. Within six years, 96% of first-time, full-time students graduated.
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Admissions
- Admission rate
- 7.7%
- SAT/ACT scores
- Considered if submitted
- SAT middle 50%
- 1510–1570
- ACT middle 50%
- 33–35
Cost
- Cost of attendance, before aid
- $94,854 a year
- Average net price after aid
- $34,420 a year
- Net price for families earning under $30,000
- $1,427 a year
- Tuition and fees
- $70,589 a year
Outcomes
- Graduation rate (within 6 years)
- 96%
- Students who return for a second year
- 98%
- Median earnings 10 years after starting
- $104,255 a year
- Median debt at graduation
- $17,017
Students
- Undergraduates
- 9,201
- Undergraduates with a Pell Grant
- 21%
- Student-faculty ratio
- 6 to 1
- Campus setting
- City
Most common fields of study
Share of the degrees the college awarded, by field.
- Social sciences
- 16%
- Communication and journalism
- 14%
- Engineering
- 14%
- Computer and information sciences
- 11%
- Biological and biomedical sciences
- 10%
Colleges with similar selectivity
Closest by admission rate and SAT scores.
- Rice University TX · 8% admitted
- Cornell University NY · 8.8% admitted
- Williams College MA · 8.3% admitted
- Swarthmore College PA · 7.5% admitted
- Amherst College MA · 9% admitted
- Johns Hopkins University MD · 6.4% admitted
More colleges in Illinois
- University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign IL · 42% admitted
- University of Illinois Chicago IL · 77% admitted
- Illinois State University IL · 88% admitted
- DePaul University IL · 76% admitted
- Chamberlain University-Illinois IL · 83% admitted
- Loyola University Chicago IL · 82% admitted
- Northern Illinois University IL · 70% admitted
- Southern Illinois University Edwardsville IL · 98% admitted
Official sources
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Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, most recent institution-level data (October 2026 release). Admission figures are reported by the college; check its website for current requirements.