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Private nonprofit · Small city campus · verified rankings · federal data

Northwestern University

Students comparing Northwestern University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

CompareOfficial site
Evanston, Illinois9,201 undergraduatesMean consensus percentile 4Private nonprofitHighly selectiveU.S. News ranked

The short answer

Northwestern University: U.S. News ranks it #7 on National Universities (2026); Forbes ranks it #16 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #79 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #62 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #27 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 5 stars; Princeton Review lists it on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026) — Top 10 College Theater; QS ranks it #42 on World University Rankings (2026). It enrolls 9,201 undergraduates, admits 7.7% of applicants, and posts a 95.1% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $68,322; aid recipients pay $29,167 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $89,363.

The six numbers that matter most

Acceptance rate
7.7%

Below the dataset median of 76%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Average net price
$29,167

67% below the $89,448 published price

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardAverage for full-time first-time aid recipients, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median earnings, 10 yrs
$89,363

Above the dataset median of $54,053

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian earnings 10 years after entry, working and not enrolled, College Scorecard June 2026 release

6-year graduation rate
95.1%

Above the dataset median of 56%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent six-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median debt at graduation
$15,000

Above the dataset median of $23,250

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian federal loan debt of completers, College Scorecard June 2026 release

SAT middle 50%
1510–1570

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardSum of reported reading and math section percentiles for the most recent entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release. Section percentiles added together approximate, but do not exactly equal, the composite score range.

Where Northwestern ranks, and why the answers differ

Each publisher's position, the list it belongs to, and how many institutions it was drawn from.

SourceListRank
US News2026National Universities#7of 436National universities
Forbes2026America's Top Colleges#16of 500Top colleges (Forbes)
Washington Monthly2026Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars#79of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)
WSJ2026Best Colleges in the U.S.#62of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)
Niche2026Best Colleges (Overall)A+#27of 2,605Overall (Niche)
Money2026Best Value Colleges5 starsListedBest value (Money)
Princeton Review2026Best Colleges (Overall)Top 10 College TheaterListedOverall (Niche)
QS2026World University Rankings#42of 1,504World (QS)

Methodology sensitivity: Northwestern's position moves 11 percentile points depending on which published list you read. That is a moderate spread; the ranking you look at changes the answer somewhat. How we compute this

Ranking positions are the editorial property of their publishers and are reproduced here with attribution for comparison and commentary. Follow each source link for its full list and methodology.

About Northwestern

Northwestern University is a private nonprofit institution in Evanston, Illinois. Federal data show 98.1% first-year retention and a 6:1 student-faculty ratio. Figures on this page come from College Scorecard and IPEDS; publisher rankings shown here are transcribed from named sources and checked in our dataset.

Strengths and honest considerations

Strengths

  • Cost and outcome metrics on this profile come directly from federal collections, not self-reported marketing sheets.
  • Net price $29,167 reflects what aid recipients actually paid in the most recent federal reporting year.

Considerations

  • This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
  • Compare $89,448 sticker cost against $29,167 net price before ruling a school in or out on price alone.
  • Publishers we have not loaded yet, or lists that omit this school, show as “not ranked by this source” — that is expected.

Who this school genuinely fits

Students comparing Northwestern University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

What it costs

Published price, then what families actually pay after grants and scholarships.

Tuition & fees
$68,322

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Undergraduates on Pell grants
18.6%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardShare of undergraduates, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Room & board
$21,126

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Published cost of attendance comes to roughly $89,448 a year, but the average family pays $29,167 — a 67% difference. 18.6% of undergraduates receive Pell grants, the federal marker of low family income.

Net price varies enormously by income band, so run Northwestern's net price calculator for your own household before drawing conclusions. Why net price is the only cost number that matters.

Programs and academics

Most popular majors

  1. 1Business
  2. 2Biology
  3. 3Psychology
  4. 4Computer Science
  5. 5Economics

Standout programs

    Student-faculty ratio
    6:1

    IPEDS / National Center for Education StatisticsIPEDS 2023 fall enrollment

    First-year retention
    98.1%

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent first-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Undergraduate enrollment
    9,201

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Northwestern: questions families ask

    Out-of-state tuition is $68,322 and on-campus room and board is $21,126, for a published total of $89,448 before aid. The average net price for first-time full-time students receiving aid is $29,167.

    The most recent federal admissions rate reported to the Department of Education is 7.7%. Test policy as reported in IPEDS: see the admissions section on this page for the institution's own category.

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    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

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    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

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    Acceptance rate
    11.3%
    Average net price
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    Median earnings (10 yr)
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    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

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    Acceptance rate
    6.4%
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    Median earnings (10 yr)
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