by our College Data Analytics TeamThis guide covers the real cost of attending Northwestern University, from sticker cost of attendance and projected degree cost to net price, debt at graduation, and aid breakdowns.
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Published attendance costs at Northwestern University works out to about $87,804.00 per year.
The three scenarios below move from the full sticker price, to the net price after average aid, to the net price low-income students typically pay.
| Tuition and fees | $68,322.00 |
| + Room, board & other expenses | $19,482.00 |
| Total cost | $87,804.00 |
| That is 168% above the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $87,804.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$62,083.00 |
| Net price | $25,721.00 |
| That is 22% below the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $87,804.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$89,486.00 |
| Net price | $-1,682.00 |
| That is 105% below the national average net price. | |
| For the full breakdown, see tuition and fees plus room and board. |
The reported cost series has been increasing at a recent average of 4.0% a year, so a full degree will cost more than a single year — the tables below carry that forward. The tables below project the cost forward across a full degree, side by side for a low-income student with aid, a typical student with average aid, and a student paying full sticker price with no aid. The loan rows amortise the projected total over a ten-year, 6.8% repayment.
| Projected 4-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 4.0% | 4.0% | 4.0% |
| Freshman year | $-1,749.00 | $26,746.00 | $91,302.00 |
| Senior year | $-1,966.00 | $30,071.00 | $102,653.00 |
| Total 4-year net price | $-7,425.00 | $113,546.00 | $387,615.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $-2,829.00 | $43,257.00 | $147,667.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $-85.00 | $1,307.00 | $4,461.00 |
| Total amount paid | $-10,254.00 | $156,804.00 | $535,282.00 |
| Projected 2-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 4.0% | 4.0% | 4.0% |
| Freshman year | $-1,749.00 | $26,746.00 | $91,302.00 |
| Senior year | $-1,819.00 | $27,811.00 | $94,939.00 |
| Total 2-year net price | $-3,568.00 | $54,557.00 | $186,241.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $-1,359.00 | $20,784.00 | $70,951.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $-41.00 | $628.00 | $2,143.00 |
| Total amount paid | $-4,927.00 | $75,341.00 | $257,191.00 |
For the complete net-price picture, see the net-price section.
Net price is what students actually pay after grants and scholarships are subtracted from the published sticker price. For most students, this is the more useful number than published tuition because it reflects the real out-of-pocket cost.
| Average net price (on-campus) | $29,167.00 |
| Average net price (off-campus) | $27,143.00 |
Net price is not the same for every family — it falls as financial need rises and grant aid increases. The breakdown below splits average net price across income brackets:
| Family income | Average net price |
|---|---|
| Under $30,000 | $1,243.00 |
| $30,000 to $48,000 | $3,373.00 |
| $48,001 to $75,000 | $6,485.00 |
| $75,001 to $110,000 | $14,059.00 |
| Over $110,000 | $48,837.00 |
Estimate your specific net price using the school’s Northwestern University Net Price Calculator, or check with the financial aid office.
Curious how grants and scholarships are distributed? Explore the grants & scholarships detail.
The median amount borrowed by graduates of Northwestern University stands at $14,000.00, which the Department of Education classifies as a Low ($10-20k) burden category.
The full distribution of debt at graduation looks like this:
| Percentile | Debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| 10th | $4,467.00 |
| 25th | $7,500.00 |
| Median (50th) | $14,000.00 |
| 75th | $22,500.00 |
| 90th | $27,000.00 |
The distance from the 10th to the 90th percentile shows how widely debt outcomes vary.
Dig deeper into debt on the student loan debt page.
Student debt at graduation is not evenly distributed across income levels. The table below divides borrowers into three income tiers:
| Family income | Median debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| Low income | $12,500.00 |
| Middle income | $12,369.00 |
| High income | $15,000.00 |
Whether your parents attended college is associated with differences in median debt at graduation.
| Student group | Median debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $13,572.00 |
| Continuing-generation students | $14,000.00 |
The Pell Grant is the largest federal grant for undergraduates from low-income families. The Pell vs non-Pell debt gap reveals how borrowing differs by need.
The Pell-versus-non-Pell median debt difference at Northwestern University comes to $-3,000.00.
The federal default-rate tier for Northwestern University is Low (<5%).
| Window | Cohort default rate |
|---|---|
| 2-year | 0.7% |
To put the rates in context, Stafford loans at Northwestern University come to $1,046,949,739.00 spread across 33,045 student borrowers.
Veterans and current servicemembers may be eligible for major federal education benefits including the GI Bill and Tuition Assistance from the Department of Defense.
| GI Bill recipients | 167 |
| Avg GI Bill amount | $32,806.00 |
Explore GI Bill and military aid in detail on the veteran aid breakdown.
Use the figures above as a launch point, then think through Northwestern University, think through the questions below:
Dig further into the cost picture with the related pages below:
Data sources. Figures on this page draw from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), and MediaFactual editorial review. Net-price calculator and financial-aid office links are taken from the institution’s own published data.