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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 and International Recognition

Northwestern is one of only three top-10 US universities ranked in the top 20 in each of the five graduate education categories.

#9
National University
Read the Story on U.S. News & World Report
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#2
Business School
Kellogg School of Management
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#3
Education School
School of Education & Social Policy
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#10
Law School
Pritzker School of Law
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#13
Medical School
Feinberg School of Medicine
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#17
Engineering School
McCormick School of Engineering
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#2
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 2023

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 won 12 Grammy Awards since 2015, and 45 music students and alumni have earned top honors in 40 international performance competitions
  • 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

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

$449M in NIH funding

86% 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%acceptance rate

Academic Overview

  • 77% of undergrads combine two or more areas of study.
  • 97% of the Class of 2022 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

8,000+undergraduate students
14,000+graduate 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

20%of class of 2027 receives Pell Grants
64%of undergraduates receive financial aid

Scholarships

Northwestern awarded more than $200 million in scholarships to students in 2022-23.

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.

$15.4 billionin total endowment

Northwestern Medicine Hospital Affiliates

#1
Hospital in Illinois (Northwestern Memorial Hospital)
#1
Rehabilitation Hospital (Shirley Ryan Ability Lab)
#10
In Neurology and Neurosurgery
U.S. News & World Report (2024)
Ryan Field

Athletics

  • Founding member of the Big Ten conference
  • Football has won two Big Ten West titles since 2018, and four bowl games since 2016
  • 2021 NCAA field hockey national champions
  • Seven NCAA women's lacrosse titles since 2005
  • Recent conference championships in basketball, soccer, softball, field hockey, golf, tennis, wrestling, fencing, swimming, and diving
  • Northwestern’s 98% NCAA graduation success rate has ranked in the top 4 among Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) schools for 18 consecutive years
  • One of five private AAU members/top research universities to compete in NCAA Power Five conferences

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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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