Colleges / Northwestern University
College · Private nonprofit · Evanston, IL · City
NU

Northwestern University

Evanston, IL

Address633 Clark St, Evanston, IL 60208
Websitewww.northwestern.edu
Price calculatorRun your numbers →
Admit rate8%
6-yr median pay$77k
Net price / yr$29k
Undergrad size9,201
§ I · The real read

What it's actually like.

The bet

Net price of $29k/yr for a shot at a $77k first-5-year salary. Math out whether that works for you — it does for some people, not for others.

Getting in

Admit rate of 8% means this is a reach for most people, even strong applicants. Admitted students average SAT 1533 · ACT 35.

If you get in

9,201 undergrads. Medium. Clubs matter for finding your people.

Where you live

City campus — public transit, off-campus food, weekends happen nearby.

§ II · Cost & aid

Sticker vs. real.

Sticker cost of attendance is $91k/yr. After need-based aid, the average student pays $29k/yr. Merit aid varies. Run your EFC calculator before you rule anything out.

Sticker · 4 yrs$365k
Before any aid.
Net · 4 yrs$117k
What the average student pays.
Typical aid$248k
Difference over 4 years — higher for lower-income households.
Payback1.5x
4-yr net price ÷ first-5-year salary. Lower is better.

Where the money goes · annual sticker.

Tuition · in-state
$68.3k
Room & board
$21.1k
Books & supplies
$1,794

How students pay for it.

Pell grants19%
Share of undergrads on federal Pell grants.
Federal loans17%
Share taking out federal student loans.
Median debt · grads$15k
What the median student owes at graduation. Non-completers: $9k.
3-yr default0%
Low — grads tend to pay on time.
§ III · Outcomes

Do people finish? Do they land?

1-yr retention98%
Very high — students stay.
Graduation · 6 yr95%
Most finish on time.
6-yr median pay$77k
Cross-major. Your major's number can be very different.
10-yr median pay$89k
Ten years out — where grads tend to land career-wise.
Transfer out0%
Share of full-time students who transfer to another school.
§ IV · Campus & identity

Setting, size, and who this school is.

Setting
City
Control
Private nonprofit
Undergrad size
9,201
Location
Evanston, IL
Region
Great Lakes (IL, IN, MI, OH, WI)
Carnegie class
Doctoral Universities: Very High Research Activity (R1)
Size & setting
Four-year · large · primarily residential
Undergrad program
Four-year · full-time, more selective, lower transfer-in
Accreditor
Higher Learning Commission
§ · Who studies here

The student body at a glance.

  • White31%
  • Asian21%
  • Hispanic16%
  • International12%
  • Black8%
  • Two or more races8%
  • Unknown4%
First-gen students15%
Share whose parents didn't complete college.
Part-time3%
Mostly a full-time student body.
Median family income$59k
Of enrolled students' households — useful for aid context.
§ V · Majors offered here · 85

What you can study.

Colleges / Northwestern University
College · Private nonprofit · Evanston, IL · City
NU

Northwestern University

Evanston, IL

Address633 Clark St, Evanston, IL 60208
Websitewww.northwestern.edu
Price calculatorRun your numbers →
Admit rate8%
6-yr median pay$77k
Net price / yr$29k
Undergrad size9,201
§ I · The real read

What it's actually like.

The bet

Net price of $29k/yr for a shot at a $77k first-5-year salary. Math out whether that works for you — it does for some people, not for others.

Getting in

Admit rate of 8% means this is a reach for most people, even strong applicants. Admitted students average SAT 1533 · ACT 35.

If you get in

9,201 undergrads. Medium. Clubs matter for finding your people.

Where you live

City campus — public transit, off-campus food, weekends happen nearby.

§ II · Cost & aid

Sticker vs. real.

Sticker cost of attendance is $91k/yr. After need-based aid, the average student pays $29k/yr. Merit aid varies. Run your EFC calculator before you rule anything out.

Sticker · 4 yrs$365k
Before any aid.
Net · 4 yrs$117k
What the average student pays.
Typical aid$248k
Difference over 4 years — higher for lower-income households.
Payback1.5x
4-yr net price ÷ first-5-year salary. Lower is better.

Where the money goes · annual sticker.

Tuition · in-state
$68.3k
Room & board
$21.1k
Books & supplies
$1,794

How students pay for it.

Pell grants19%
Share of undergrads on federal Pell grants.
Federal loans17%
Share taking out federal student loans.
Median debt · grads$15k
What the median student owes at graduation. Non-completers: $9k.
3-yr default0%
Low — grads tend to pay on time.
§ III · Outcomes

Do people finish? Do they land?

1-yr retention98%
Very high — students stay.
Graduation · 6 yr95%
Most finish on time.
6-yr median pay$77k
Cross-major. Your major's number can be very different.
10-yr median pay$89k
Ten years out — where grads tend to land career-wise.
Transfer out0%
Share of full-time students who transfer to another school.
§ IV · Campus & identity

Setting, size, and who this school is.

Setting
City
Control
Private nonprofit
Undergrad size
9,201
Location
Evanston, IL
Region
Great Lakes (IL, IN, MI, OH, WI)
Carnegie class
Doctoral Universities: Very High Research Activity (R1)
Size & setting
Four-year · large · primarily residential
Undergrad program
Four-year · full-time, more selective, lower transfer-in
Accreditor
Higher Learning Commission
§ · Who studies here

The student body at a glance.

  • White31%
  • Asian21%
  • Hispanic16%
  • International12%
  • Black8%
  • Two or more races8%
  • Unknown4%
First-gen students15%
Share whose parents didn't complete college.
Part-time3%
Mostly a full-time student body.
Median family income$59k
Of enrolled students' households — useful for aid context.
§ V · Majors offered here · 85

What you can study.