College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
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The Northwestern University Student to Faculty Ratio & Faculty Composition

Does Northwestern University have a good student to faculty ratio?

Use the student to faculty ratio, as well as the faculty composition to get an idea of how much attention you'll receive as an individual student at Northwestern University .

Student to Faculty Ratio is Well Above Average

Student to faculty ratio is a common metric used to gauge the number of teaching resources a school provides for its students. With 6 students for every one instructional faculty member, Northwestern University ranks among the best colleges when compared to the national average of 15.

Instructional Staff at the College

The following table shows all the employees the school considers instructional, and therefore, part of the above student-to-faculty ratio. These include both those employees designated as either "primarily instructional" or as "instructional combined with research/public service". It does not include employees that have been identified by Northwestern University as primarily performing research or public service.

TotalFull TimePart TimePercent Full Time
Total of Instructional Employees1,7861,48430283.1%
Total of Those With Faculty Status1,7861,48430283.1%
Tenured Faculty836836-100.0%
On Tenure Track200200-100.0%
Not on Tenure Track75044830259.7%
Without Faculty Status----
Graduate Assistants1,090-1,090-

This School is Seriously Committed to Hiring Full-Time Teachers

Northwestern University's utilization of full-time teaching staff ranks among the highest in the nation, with 83.0% of instructors employed full time.

Any Questions?

Low Percentage of Part-Time Teachers (Adjuncts)

At Northwestern University , only 17.0% of the teaching staff are part-time non-faculty or non-tenure track faculty. This use of adjuncts is far below the national average of 51.4%, which could be indicative of Northwestern University's commitment to building a strong, long-term instructional team.

Colleges often use part-time professors and adjuncts to teach courses, rather than full-time faculty. This hiring practice is primarily a way to save money amid increasingly tight budgets. However, it is a controversial practice with strong views on either side. We encourage you to understand this topic more deeply, and how the colleges you are interested in approach faculty hiring. It's your education and your money on the line. Make sure you know what you are getting for it.

Additional Information

Keep an Eye Out for Grad Assistants Teaching Classes

Northwestern University has 1,090 instructional graduate assistants that teach or provide teaching-related duties. These responsibilities could range from entirely teaching lower-level courses themselves, to assisting professors by developing teaching materials, preparing or giving exams and grading student work. We suggest you ask the college to what extent graduate assistants are relied on for instruction, so you know what you are paying for.

Additionally, the school has 833 non-instructional graduate assistants.

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