Northwestern University
A lakefront research university beside Chicago where journalism, theatre, engineering and science share one campus.
- Acceptance rate
- 7.5%
- Class of 2029 (entered fall 2025)
- Students
- 23,312
- 9,039 undergraduates
- International
- 24%
- of students
- Student–faculty
- 6:1
- ratio
- Tuition
- $71,802
- 2026-27
About Northwestern
Northwestern is a private research university founded in 1851 and chartered as the first university in Illinois. Its main campus runs along the Lake Michigan shoreline in Evanston, a small city directly north of Chicago, while the medical and law schools sit on a second campus in Chicago's Streeterville neighborhood. It is a founding member of the Big Ten Conference and a member of the Association of American Universities.
Undergraduates enter one of six schools: Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, the McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science, the School of Communication, the Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications, the School of Education and Social Policy, and the Bienen School of Music. That structure is unusual: a theatre major, a journalism student on a newsroom residency and a materials science researcher share the same quad, and double majors, dual degrees and certificates across schools are common.
The academic year runs on quarters, so courses move quickly and students take more of them. Northwestern suits people who want pre-professional depth in fields like journalism, performance or engineering without giving up a liberal arts core, and who like the idea of a quiet lakefront campus with a major city a train ride away.
Quaecumque sunt vera
“Whatsoever things are true” — university motto
Why students choose Northwestern
Medill's Journalism Residency puts students to work full time for one quarter as reporters or PR specialists at media outlets in the US or abroad.
McCormick's first-year Design Thinking and Communication courses have engineering students working with real clients from their first year.
The School of Communication stages more than 50 performances a year across theatre, dance, film and performance studies.
Northwestern meets 100% of demonstrated financial need with scholarships and grants, and most families earning under $70,000 a year attend at no cost.
Admissions
Class of 2029 (entered fall 2025)
About 1 in 13 applicants is admitted
3,933 admitted from 52,676 applicants
Middle 50% of admitted students scored in this range.
Middle 50% of admitted students scored in this range.
Early Decision: 5,939 applications and 1,212 admits for fall 2025. 167 students were admitted from the waitlist.
Typical entry requirements
| Recommended high school preparation | 16 academic units: 4 English, 3 math, 2 lab science, 2 foreign language, 2 social studies, 2 history, 1 academic elective |
|---|---|
| English language | Required if your first language is not English and your schooling was not in English. TOEFL iBT, IELTS (including IELTS Indicator) or Duolingo English Test accepted; no minimum score, but competitive applicants typically score in the high range on all sections. Not superscored. |
Deadlines
- Early Decision Binding Next deadline · In 26 daysNovember 1, 2026
Financial aid documents due December 1, 2026; decisions in December 2026. Optional Glimpse video or InitialView interview by November 7.
- Regular Decision Non-binding In ~3 monthsJanuary 4, 2027
Financial aid documents due February 1, 2027; decisions in March 2027. Optional Glimpse video or InitialView interview by January 17.
Deadlines are 11:59 pm in the applicant's local time for fall 2027 entry. Northwestern offers no Early Action.
How to apply
Common App or Coalition with Scoir; one required 300-word essay on how your background shapes how you would engage with Northwestern's community plus at least one short supplemental essay (under 200 words); counselor recommendation and one teacher recommendation; $75 fee (waivable). Bienen applicants add a music supplement with prescreening; ISP and MMSS need separate applications.
What admissions looks for
- Several readers review each file, looking beyond transcripts and test scores.
- Involvement outside the classroom, as shown in your activities list.
- Essays that show your interests, how you think and how you write.
- Teacher and counselor recommendations that add perspective on your achievements.
- A clear sense of how your background shapes the way you would engage with Northwestern's community.
Tips for applying to Northwestern
- 1 You apply to a specific undergraduate school (Weinberg, McCormick, Communication, Medill, SESP or Bienen), so make your academic interests and the fit with that school clear.
- 2 Alumni interviews are no longer offered; instead you can submit an optional 60-90 second Glimpse video, and international applicants can submit an InitialView interview. Skipping them carries no penalty.
- 3 Supplemental prompts are specific to Northwestern (for example, what you would paint on The Rock), so use them to show you know the place.
- 4 Do not send unsolicited portfolios, recordings or websites; Northwestern states it will not review them.
- 5 International students who will need aid must request it in the first-year application, because admission is need-aware for them and aid cannot be requested in later years without it.
What are your chances?
Sign up to see your personalized admission chances for Northwestern University
Sign up to see your chancesCosts & financial aid
2026-27 · figures in USD
Admission is need-blind for US applicants and need-aware for international applicants. Northwestern meets 100% of demonstrated need for all admitted students, regardless of citizenship, with no loans in the package, and most families earning under $70,000 a year attend at no cost.
- More than 55%
- Students receiving aid from Northwestern
- Most attend at no cost
- Families earning under $70,000
- 297, averaging $74,186
- International undergraduates with institutional aid (2025-26)
- $1,239
- Estimated books and supplies (2026-27)
Academics
Academic calendar: Quarters (fall, winter, spring)
Journalism (Medill)
Every student completes a one-quarter, full-time Journalism Residency at a media outlet in the US or abroad, and 92% add a second major, minor or certificate.
Integrated Science Program (ISP)
A selective major running since 1976 that integrates mathematics with biology, chemistry and physics and gets students into labs early.
Mathematical Methods in the Social Sciences (MMSS)
An adjunct major, applied to separately, that trains students to build and analyze mathematical models of social and economic behavior.
Engineering (McCormick)
Built around Design Thinking and Communication courses with real clients in the first year, plus an optional co-op program.
Theatre and Radio/Television/Film (School of Communication)
Practice-heavy programs with more than 50 productions a year and an alumni network strong in film, TV and comedy.
Education and Social Policy (SESP)
A small undergraduate school studying learning, policy and human development; SESP says it is the No. 2 ranked education school in U.S. News & World Report.
Research
- International Institute for Nanotechnology, home to nanoscience researchers including Chad Mirkin and Samuel Stupp.
- Research partnerships with Argonne National Laboratory and Fermilab in particle physics, quantum information and superconducting technologies.
- Sir Fraser Stoddart shared the 2016 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for molecular machines; economist Joel Mokyr received the 2025 Nobel in Economics.
- Undergraduates can join research across hundreds of labs, and ISP students often start research earlier than peers.
Schools & faculties
- Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences
- McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science
- School of Communication
- Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications
- School of Education and Social Policy
- Bienen School of Music
- Kellogg School of Management
- Feinberg School of Medicine
- Pritzker School of Law
- The Graduate School
- School of Professional Studies
Student life
Students live on campus for their first two years, choosing among 26 residences that include traditional halls, themed residential colleges and fraternity and sorority houses. The quarter system keeps the pace brisk, and the culture mixes pre-professional drive with a lot of performing: student theatre, a cappella, film and comedy groups are everywhere. Traditions include painting The Rock, the spring Dillo Day music festival on the Lakefill, the Dance Marathon charity event and Primal Scream before finals. Big Ten athletics and Chicago, reachable on the Purple Line, round things out.
- The Rock: a boulder outside University Hall that student groups repaint to advertise events and causes.
- Dillo Day: an all-day student-run music festival on the Lakefill at the end of spring quarter.
- Dance Marathon: a student-run philanthropy that culminates in a 15-hour marathon and has raised more than $23 million in its 50-plus-year history.
- 19 NCAA Division I varsity teams in the Big Ten Conference, plus club and intramural sports.
- Residential colleges built around themes such as science and engineering, humanities, public affairs and international studies.
Housing. First- and second-year students live on campus in one of 26 residences, served by four residential dining commons.
Location
Evanston is a small city of tree-lined streets, beaches and a compact downtown with cafes, galleries and theaters, right on Lake Michigan. The campus sits between the lake and the town, with a lakefront path for running and biking. Downtown Chicago is reachable on the CTA Purple Line, the intercampus shuttle or by bike along the lake, which puts internships, museums and concerts within easy reach. Winters are cold and windy.
Nearest airport: Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD)
Notable alumni
- SC Stephen ColbertComedian and host of The Late Show
- JL Julia Louis-DreyfusEmmy-winning actor (Seinfeld, Veep)
- GR George R. R. MartinAuthor of A Song of Ice and Fire
- JP John Paul StevensU.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice
- SB Saul BellowNobel Prize-winning novelist
- SM Seth MeyersComedian and late-night host
- MD Meghan, Duchess of SussexActor and member of the British royal family
- RE Rahm EmanuelFormer Mayor of Chicago
Frequently asked questions
What is Northwestern's acceptance rate?
For fall 2025, Northwestern admitted 3,933 of 52,676 first-year applicants, about 7.5%. Early Decision admitted 1,212 of 5,939 applicants.
Does Northwestern require the SAT or ACT?
No. Northwestern is test-optional for the 2026-27 cycle. Among enrolled students who submitted scores, the middle 50% was 1520-1560 on the SAT and 34-35 on the ACT.
Is Northwestern need-blind for international students?
No. Admission is need-blind for US applicants but need-aware for international applicants. Once admitted, all students have 100% of demonstrated need met without loans.
Does Northwestern offer interviews?
Northwestern no longer offers alumni interviews. You can submit an optional 60-90 second Glimpse video, and international applicants can submit an InitialView interview; neither is required.
When are Northwestern's application deadlines for fall 2027?
Early Decision (binding) is due November 1, 2026, and Regular Decision is due January 4, 2027. Northwestern has no Early Action round.
Sources & methodology
Figures on this page were checked against official university publications, national application services and ranking publishers in September 2026. Each number is shown with the year or admissions cycle it describes. Always confirm deadlines and fees on the university's own website before applying.
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