Northwestern University is a highly competitive school and its admissions statistics make Northwestern University one of the 50 most competitive schools for undergraduate admissions globally. Similar to the trends across all top schools, Northwestern University acceptance rates have continued to decline over the past 8 years and will almost certainly continue to do so into the future.
The Class of 2024 was one of the most challenging years to be admitted to Northwestern University ever. For the Class of 2024, 39,261 students applied to Northwestern University of which 3,542 students were accepted, yielding an overall acceptance rate of 9%. Overall applications decreased by 3.2% over last year (2023 to 2024) from 40,577 to 39,261.
Northwestern University is a private research university founded in 1851. In 1853, the founders purchased an additional 379-acre tract of land on the shores of Lake Michigan, where they established the first campus. In 1855, they began their first classes with a mere two faculty members and ten students. Since then, Northwestern University has been built-up, and now offers roughly 150 majors from twelve schools and colleges, including their graduate and professional programs.
Northwestern University is known for its engineering, arts and communications programs. A few notable alumni in the area of communications are Peter Alexander, national correspondent, NBC News; Steve Bell, former correspondent for ABC News; and David Barstow, Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter for The New York Times.
Northwestern University has three main campuses in the U.S., with two of the campuses located on Lake Michigan and a third campus in Chicago. A satellite campus is also located in Doha, Qatar. The university enrolls more than 8,000 full-time undergraduates and 8,000 full-time graduate students. When part-time students are included, Wake University’s total enrollment reaches 21,000. Northwestern has 3,344 full time faculty members, many of whom are distinguished Tony Award Winners, MacArthur Fellowship winners and more.
Northwestern has hundreds of campus organizations that meet a variety of student interests. The university is also filled with a large number of traditions and historical artifacts, such as “The Rock”, a huge purple-and-white quartzite boulder set in the middle of campus, which dates back from hundreds of millions of years ago. It was moved from Devil’s Lake, Wisconsin as a gift from the class of 1902.
When it comes to sports, Northwestern University is a Division I school in the Big Ten athletic conference. Of notable recognition is Northwestern’s women’s lacrosse team which has won multiple NCAA national championships.
NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY: CURRENT STUDENT POPULATION
- Total Enrollment 20,959
- Undergrad Enrollment 8,485
- Freshmen 2,107
- % Male/Female 48% / 52%
- % From Out of State 75%
- % Freshman from Public High School 65%
- % Undergrads Live on Campus 65%
- % African American 6%
- % Asian 19%
- % Caucasian 56%
- % Hispanic 7%
- % Native American <1%
- % Mixed (2+ Ethnicities) 3%
- % International 6%
- # of Countries Represented 42
NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY: FRESHMAN STUDENT PROFILE
- Range SAT Critical Reading 670-750
- Range SAT Math 690-780
- Range SAT Writing 670-760
- Range ACT Composite 31-33
- Minimum Paper TOEFL 600
- Minimum Web-based TOEFL Not Reported
- % Graduated Top 10% of Class 90%
- % Graduated Top 25% of Class 99%
- % Graduated Top 50% of Class 100%
NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY: ACADEMICS
- Academic Rating 85
- % Students Returning for Sophomore Year 97%
- % Students Graduating within 4 Years 88%
- % Students Graduating within 6 Years 93%
- Calendar System Semester
- Student/Faculty Ratio 7:1
- Professor’s ‘Interesting’ Rating 75%
- Professor’s ‘Accessible’ Rating 89%
- Most classes have fewer than10 students.
- Most lab/discussion groups have 10-19 students
NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY: MOST POPULAR MAJORS
- Economics
- Engineering
- Journalism
