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Facts

Northwestern, at a glance.

The Northwestern Difference

Northwestern is a comprehensive research university that is deeply interdisciplinary across multiple schools and units. Our rigorous yet empathetic academic environment provides a robust mixture of theory and practice, with an emphasis on top-tier research, new knowledge, creative expression and practical application. If you are at Northwestern, you are part of an innovative, collaborative, and multidimensional community delivering an impact that is rare in higher education. View our fact sheet as a downloadable PDF.

Northwestern Recognition

Northwestern is one of only four top-10 national universities also ranked in the top 20 in four graduate school rankings.

#6
National University
Read the Story on U.S. News & World Report
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#3
Business School
Kellogg School of Management
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#5
Education School
School of Education & Social Policy
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#9
Law School
Pritzker School of Law
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#16
Engineering School
McCormick School of Engineering
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Tier 1
Medical School
Feinberg School of Medicine
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#4
Speech Language Pathology
School of Communication
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#6
Chemistry
Weinberg College of Arts and Science
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#8
Economics
Weinberg College of Arts and Science
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Rankings from U.S. News & World Report as of September 2024

Arts and Humanities

  • 35 Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences programs across the humanities, fine arts, social sciences, natural sciences and mathematics
  • Northwestern was placed among Playbill’s top 10 most represented universities on Broadway
  • Bienen School of Music alumni and faculty have earned 12 Grammy Awards since 2015
  • Block Museum of Art named a top US campus museum by The New York Times

Journalism and Integrated Marketing Communications

World renowned for Journalism and Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC):

  • Undergraduates complete journalism residencies at over120+ media outlets and companies in the US and abroad
  • Journalism graduate students choose to specialize in one of seven different topic areas or reporting formats
  • The IMC program at Northwestern is a pioneer in blending creativity and data to build brands for the digital age
  • The IMC Professional program is available live online, making it accessible for students worldwide who want to master the art of data-driven marketing.

Schools and Colleges

Our schools are listed below, with year of founding.

Research

research image

Northwestern is a leading research university that is home to more than 90 school-based centers and 35 University research centers. With an interdisciplinary culture, our research spans a spectrum of areas including neuroscience, nanotechnology, biotechnology and drug discovery. 

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More than $1B in annual sponsored research awards

$464M in NIH funding

99% increase over the past 10 years

#16 in total NIH awards for top AAU universities

lab image

Innovation and Entrepreneurship

  • 100+ innovation-based courses taught each year
  • $2.6 billion in revenue from patents and intellectual property licensing revenue
  • 10 million+ patients impacted by Northwestern therapeutics

Visit the I&E website

Academics

7.5%acceptance rate

Academic Overview

  • 74% of undergrads combine two or more areas of study.
  • 96% of the Class of 2023 were employed or pursuing further education, service, or career development opportunities within six months of graduation.
students in front of Northwestern's arch

Our Students

8,000undergraduate students
14,000graduate students

6:1student to faculty ratio

Visit Undergraduate Admissions Visit Graduate Admissions

Campuses

Evanston

northwestern campus aerial

Chicago

Chicago campus skyline at night

Doha, Qatar

Qatar campus buildings

Pell Grants and Financial Aid Percentages

22%of class of 2028 receives Pell Grants
64%of undergraduates receive financial aid

Scholarships

Northwestern awarded more than $250 million in scholarships to students in 2023-24.

Northwestern has been named a Fulbright Top Producing Institution by the US Department of State for the 20th consecutive year. 

Award-Winning Community

Among faculty and alumni are recipients of the Pulitzer Prize, Nobel Prize, MacArthur Genius Grant, Tony Award, Grammy Award, Emmy Award, Academy Award, Guggenheim Fellowship, and membership in the National Academy and numerous other honorary and professional societies.

Learn about award-winning faculty on the Faculty Accolades website.

$13.7B in total endowment

Northwestern Medicine Hospital Affiliates

#1
Hospital in Illinois (Northwestern Memorial Hospital)
#1
Rehabilitation Hospital (Shirley Ryan Ability Lab)
#1
#1 Children’s Hospital in IL (Lurie Children’s Hospital)
U.S. News & World Report (2025)
Ryan Field

Athletics

  • Founding member of the Big Ten Conference
  • Two Big Ten West football titles since 2018 and undefeated in five straight bowl games 
  • 2021 NCAA field hockey national champions
  • Eight NCAA women's lacrosse titles since 2005
  • NCAA softball Big Ten regular season and tournament champions in 2022 and 2023 
  • Recent conference championships in basketball, fencing, field hockey, golf, soccer, softball, swimming and diving, tennis, and wrestling  
  • Tied for top NCAA overall graduation success rate (98%) among Football Bowl Subdivision schools 
  • One of five private AAU members/top research universities to compete in NCAA Power Five conferences

Visit Northwestern Athletics

Notable Alumni Include:

  • Stephen Colbert
  • Gillian Flynn
  • Claudia Lopez
  • Julia Louis-Dreyfus
  • Meghan Markle
  • George R.R. Martin
  • Seth Meyers
  • J.B. Pritzker
  • Patrick G. Ryan
  • Roxana Saberi
  • Gwynne Shotwell
  • Rubén Castillo
  • Michael Wilbon
  • Andrew Youn
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