# Northwestern University

Private nonprofit college in Evanston, IL. IPEDS ID 147767.
Source page: https://educationguide.com/colleges/northwestern-university · Data: https://educationguide.com/data/colleges/northwestern-university.json · Method: https://educationguide.com/how-we-score

## Key numbers
- Acceptance rate: 8% (Fall 2024, College Scorecard)
- Average net price after grants: $29,167 per year (AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25)
- Graduation rate (6 years): 95%; beats 98% of IL colleges and 98% nationwide
- Median earnings 10 years after starting: $89,363; beats 98% of IL colleges and 96% nationwide
- Median debt at graduation: $14,000

## Net price by family income (per year, after grants)
| Family income | Net price |
|---|---|
| 0-30k | $1,764 |
| 30-48k | $6,099 |
| 48-75k | $7,898 |
| 75-110k | $18,282 |
| 110k+ | $48,777 |

Average after grants for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid. Negative values mean grants exceed cost.

## Cost to finish and years to pay back (EducationGuide calculation)
Graduates took 4.1 years on average (88% finished in 4 years; Fall 2017 entrants, IPEDS). Earnings gain = $89,363 (median earnings of former students 10 years after starting college (College Scorecard)) minus $35,797 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in IL (Census ACS 2020-2024).

| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | $1,764 | $7,232 | under 1 year |
| 30-48k | $6,099 | $25,006 | under 1 year |
| 48-75k | $7,898 | $32,382 | under 1 year |
| 75-110k | $18,282 | $74,956 | 1.4 years |
| 110k+ | $48,777 | $199,986 | 3.7 years |

Method: https://educationguide.com/how-we-score#value

## Sticker price
- Cost of attendance: $91,250
- Tuition and fees: $68,322
- Housing and meals: $20,334; books: $1,686

## Admissions
- SAT reading & writing: 740–770; SAT math: 770–800; ACT: 33–35 (25th–75th percentile, Fall 2024)
- Fall 2023: 51,769 applicants, 3,703 admitted, 2,111 enrolled; test scores considered but not required
- Fall 2024: acceptance 8%, ACT 33–35 (College Scorecard)
- Fall 2023: acceptance 7%, ACT 33–35 (IPEDS Admissions)

## Majors (85 bachelor's majors)
| Major | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Information Science / Studies | $102,998 | $163,740 | $12,000 |
| Computer Science | $99,981 | $155,106 | $14,600 |
| Applied Mathematics | $94,684 | $148,740 | not reported |
| Industrial Engineering | $89,811 | $138,720 | $17,912 |
| Economics | $84,932 | $126,006 | $16,227 |
| Statistics | $77,917 | $122,682 | $14,000 |
| Chemical Engineering | $80,709 | $111,040 | $16,500 |
| Human Resources | $82,255 | $108,498 | $38,832 |
| Mathematics | $79,530 | $107,072 | $12,418 |
| Biomedical Engineering | $68,592 | $102,994 | $17,063 |
| Mechanical Engineering | $75,253 | $98,277 | $15,334 |
| Manufacturing Engineering | not reported | $97,819 | not reported |
| Communications | $52,210 | $93,541 | $18,112 |
| Liberal Arts / General Studies | not reported | $93,180 | not reported |
| Community Organization and Advocacy | $61,009 | $84,712 | $13,500 |
| Journalism | $50,426 | $80,258 | $15,333 |
| History | $50,161 | $78,966 | $15,917 |
| Public Policy Analysis | $48,558 | $78,752 | $18,750 |
| Sociology | $38,402 | $75,267 | $14,567 |
| International Relations | $58,326 | $74,477 | $19,234 |
| Psychology | $44,088 | $73,646 | $14,500 |
| Political Science | $54,737 | $73,231 | $16,834 |
| Biology | not reported | $71,181 | $14,800 |
| Psychology, Other | $36,890 | $62,905 | $11,630 |
| English | $31,748 | $62,147 | $15,564 |
| Ethnic / Gender Studies | $39,012 | $59,372 | not reported |
| Neuroscience | $35,334 | $54,279 | $16,948 |
| Music | $34,823 | $53,875 | $18,166 |
| Broadcasting / Digital Media | $24,611 | $51,471 | $15,500 |
| Theatre | $19,245 | $49,316 | $17,000 |
| Environmental Science / Conservation | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Architecture and Related Services, Other | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Area Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs, Other | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Computer and Information Sciences | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Education | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Special Education | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Education (Elementary / Secondary) | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Education (Subject Teaching) | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Engineering | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Civil Engineering | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Computer Engineering | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Electrical Engineering | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Engineering Science | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Environmental Engineering | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Materials Engineering | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Engineering, Other | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Linguistics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| East Asian Languages (Chinese / Japanese / Korean) | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| German | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Spanish / French / Romance Languages | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Middle / Near Eastern and Semitic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Classics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Human Development and Family Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Legal Studies / Paralegal | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Writing | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Biological and Physical Sciences | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Science, Technology and Society | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Sustainability Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Data Science | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Philosophy | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Religious Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Chemistry | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Geology / Earth Science | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Physics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Materials Sciences | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Psychology (Research) | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Psychology (Clinical / Counseling) | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Social Sciences | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Anthropology | $33,208 | not reported | not reported |
| Geography | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Urban Studies / Affairs | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Social Sciences, Other | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Visual and Performing Arts | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Dance | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Studio Art | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Speech-Language Pathology / Communication Disorders | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Pre-Med / Pre-Health | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Public Health | $39,956 | not reported | $14,684 |
| Business | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Entrepreneurship | not reported | not reported | not reported |

## Major to career
- Journalism → Reporter / journalist: median wage $70,350 (Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN), $60,590 (IL), $62,200 (U.S.)
- Communications → Public relations specialist: median wage $77,050 (Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN), $76,380 (IL), $74,750 (U.S.)

## Sources and years
- Net price: AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; cost of attendance: AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; tuition: AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25
- Graduation: Fall 2018 or AcadYr 2018-19 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; earnings: Treasury AY2009-10, AY2010-11 pooled cohort measured in CY2020, CY2021, inflation adjusted to 2022 dollars; debt: NSLDS FY2020, FY2021 pooled cohorts
- Major earnings (4 yr): Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars

Free to reuse with attribution: cite "EducationGuide.com" with a link to the page URL. Most figures are U.S. government data (public domain); loan default rates and athletics come from the Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By 1.0, attribution required) and founding years from Wikidata (CC0).