by our College Data Analytics TeamNorthwestern University is a private not-for-profit institution in Evanston, Illinois enrolling 9,201 undergraduates. It accepts 8% of applicants and has an on-time graduation rate of 95%, above the national average of 33%. College Factual ranks it #1 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in its 2027 Best Colleges ranking (top 1%), and its Value for Your Money analysis rates it a Fair Price.
Source: IPEDS 2025; College Scorecard July 2026; College Factual rankings 2027. Data as of: July 2026.
Northwestern University ranks #1 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in College Factual’s 2027 Best Colleges ranking, placing it in the top 1%.
In its yearly rankings, College Factual analyzes over 2,000 colleges and universities to determine which ones are the best in a variety of categories, such as overall value, quality, diversity, which schools are the best for each major, and much more.
Northwestern University was awarded 1464 badges in the 2027 rankings.
Northwestern is ranked #1 out of 5,159 schools in the nation for overall quality on College Factual’s 2027 Best Colleges list. This makes it the best school in the nation!
Northwestern is also ranked #1 on the Best Colleges in Illinois list.
See all of the rankings for Northwestern University.
With an acceptance rate of 8%, Northwestern is one of the most selective schools in the country. Good grades and high test scores alone may not be enough to get you into the school, so do your best to submit a stellar application.
About 46% of students accepted to Northwestern submitted their SAT scores. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing scores ranged between 740 and 770. Math scores were between 770 and 800.
Northwestern received ACT scores from 23% of accepted students. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, ACT Composite scores ranged between 33 and 35.
Learn more about Northwestern University admissions.
The student to faculty ratio at Northwestern is an impressive 6 to 1. That’s quite good when you compare it to the national average of 15 to 1. This is a good sign that students at the school will have more opportunities for one-on-one interactions with their professors.
Another measure that is often used to estimate how much access students will have to their professors is how many faculty members are full-time. The idea here is that part-time faculty tend to spend less time on campus, so they may not be as available to students as full-timers.
The full-time faculty percentage at Northwestern University is 83%. This is higher than the national average of 47%.
The freshmen retention rate of 98% tells us that most first-year, full-time students like Northwestern University enough to come back for another year. This is a fair bit higher than the national average of 68%. That’s certainly something to check off in the good column about the school.
The on-time graduation rate for someone pursuing a bachelor’s degree is typically four years. This rate at Northwestern for first-time, full-time students is 95%, which is better than the national average of 33.3%.
Find out more about the retention and graduation rates at Northwestern University.
During the most recent academic year, there were 9,201 undergraduates at Northwestern.
Get more detailed information on the diversity at Northwestern University.
The overall average net price of Northwestern is $17,140. The affordability of the school largely depends on your financial need since net price varies by income group. See the table below for the net price for different income groups.
| $0-30 K | $30K-48K | $48-75 | $75-110K | $110K + |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $1,764 | $6,099 | $7,898 | $18,282 | $48,777 |
The net price is calculated by adding tuition, room, board and other costs and subtracting financial aid. Note that the net price is typically less than the published price for a school. For more information on the sticker price of Northwestern, see our tuition and fees and room and board pages.
While almost two-thirds of students nationwide take out loans to pay for college, the percentage may be quite different for the school you plan on attending. At Northwestern, approximately 17% of students took out student loans averaging $5,773 a year. That adds up to $23,092 over four years for those students. The student loan default rate is 0.7%. This is significantly lower than the national default rate of 10.1%, which is a good sign that you’ll be able to pay back your student loans. Get more details about paying for Northwestern University.
Although some majors pay more than others, students who graduate from Northwestern University with a bachelor’s degree go on to jobs where they make an average salary of $89,363 in their early years. That’s great news for Northwestern University students since it is 82% more than the average college graduate’s salary of $49,219 per year.
See which majors at Northwestern University make the most money.
Northwestern University is an private not-for-profit institution located in Evanston, Illinois. The surrounding area of the school is a good match for students who enjoy city life. Get more details about the location of Northwestern University.
Get in touch with Northwestern University can be found below.
| Contact Details | |
|---|---|
| Address: | 633 Clark St, Evanston, IL 60208 |
| Phone: | 8474913741 |
| Website: | www.northwestern.edu |
| Wikipedia: | en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northwestern_University |
| Facebook: | www.facebook.com/NorthwesternU |
| Twitter: | www.twitter.com/northwesternu |
In the most recent reporting year, students from 27 majors graduated from Northwestern University. The following table lists the most popular undergraduate majors along with the average salary graduates from those majors make.
| Most Popular Majors | Completions | Average Salary of Graduates |
|---|---|---|
| Multi-Disciplinary Studies | 10,338 | NA |
| Management Sciences & Methods | 1,816 | $118,780 |
| Radio, TV & Digital Communication | 731 | $27,414 |
| Economics | 506 | $71,488 |
| Finance & Financial Management | 404 | NA |
| Clinical & Counseling Psychology | 359 | $39,767 |
| Computer Science | 336 | $93,926 |
| Law | 292 | $187,194 |
| Legal Research | 259 | NA |
| General Psychology | 214 | $34,751 |
16 students took at least one online class at Northwestern University.
Online courses are a great option for busy, working students as well as for those who have scheduling conflicts and want to study on their own time. As time goes by, expect to see more and more online learning options become available.
Learn more about online learning at Northwestern University.
Interested in comparing Northwestern? Pit them head to head with College Combat, our free interactive tool that lets you compare colleges on the features that matter most to you.
Footnotes
*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.
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