Northwestern University is a private research institution located in Evanston, Illinois, United States. It is the oldest chartered University in Illinois, as it was established in 1851 to serve the former Northwest Territory. The University was initially affiliated with the Methodist Episcopal Church but soon became a non-sectarian institution. It was chartered in 1851 by the Illinois General Assembly.

Northwestern University became a co-founding member of the Big Ten Conference in 1896, and by 1917 it joined the Association of Nigerian Universities. The institution was huge and popular; in fact, it was the third-largest University in the United States in 1900.

This prestigious University has a suburban setting with a campus size of over 231 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. Northwestern University ranked 10th in the 2023 edition of Best National Universities by U.S. News. Northeastern University has over 83 majors and minors in eleven schools, including science, engineering, architecture, and business. 

Small class sizes are the norm, where staff and faculty members are accessible and approachable. Northwestern University has 8,491 undergraduate students on campus, making an average class size of 20 students with a student-to-faculty ratio of 6:1.

Students are automatically admitted into any school or college of their choice and choose whatever major they try when they are admitted to the University. The 83+ majors at Northwestern are dispersed between the School of Education and Social Policy, Bienen School of Business, Kellogg’s School of Management, McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Pritzker School of Law, Feinberg School of Medicine, the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, the School of Communications, the School of Professional Studies, the School of Education and Social Policy and Graduate School.

Northwestern University Ranking

As a coveted institution of higher education, Northwestern University has a series of excellent rating positions compared to other universities. ionIt is one of the top private universities in Illinois, United States.

In a recent publication, Northwestern University was listed among the nation’s top universities in the newly released rankings from the U.S. News & World Report and The Princeton Review. In the U.S. News Best Colleges 2023 edition, Northeastern ranked No.10 and No. 14 on the list of Best Value Schools.

In the world ranking, Northwestern ranked #32 in the Q.S. Global World Rankings 2023. Other ranking indices are:

• Northwestern University ranked #29 in the 2022-2023 edition of the Best Graduate Employability Ranking
• Northwestern University ranked #41 in the 2022-2023 edition of Best Undergraduate Teaching University
• Northwestern University ranked #303 in the 2022-2023 edition of Top Performance on Social Mobility
• Northwestern University ranked #16 in the 2022-2023 edition of the Best Underground Engineering Program
• Northwestern University ranked #11 in the 2022-2023 edition of Best biomedical programs

Northwestern University Acceptance Rate

Getting admitted into Northwestern University is typically highly competitive, considering the school’s pedigree and overall prestige. Meeting their GPA and SAT/ACT requirements is a very important situation you are in and proving your academic preparation.

As of 2023, University’s acceptance rate is 7%. This clarifies that you must dot your I’s, and T’s when applying to Northwestern universities. Have a chance at studying at the coveted Northwestern University o because the school is extremely selective.

To increase your chances of admission, you should aim for the 75th percentile, with a 1500 SAT or a 33 ACT. You should also have an impressive 3.85 GPA or higher. Northwestern University admits a large percentage of their freshman class via early decision, and prospective students applying through this process have a significant advantage. 

Northwestern University Admission Requirements 

Getting admitted into Northwestern University can be a difficult task for some people. Apart from having a 7% acceptance rate, it also ranks #1 in Illinois for the lowest rate of acceptance. Northwestern University has placed extremely high requirements for admission test scores and would generally only admit students who score in the top 5 percent. Typically, Northwestern accepts and attracts “A” average high school students, with most incoming freshmen graduating in the top half of their high school class.

ACT Scores Requirements

Available admission data indicates that Northwestern University regularly accepts students with ACT scores of 33 and above. Successful applicants typically send ACT scores among the top 5 percent nationally. It is estimated that the school accepts minimum ACT composite scores of around 33 and expects students to score as high as 35 to prove their academic excellence and that they have what it takes to starry at one of America’s finest

SAT Scores Requirements

Northwestern University typically prefers applicants to be in the top 10 percent of SAT takers. The school consistently takes SAT scores between 1500 and nine1560 on a scale of 16001360 on a 1600 scale. Although it might sound high, it is one of the reasons the University stands out.

Northwestern University Location

Northwestern University’s main campus is located in Evanston, where the undergraduate schools, the Graduate School, and the Kellogg School of Management are sited. It runs north–south from Lincoln Avenue to Clark Street west of Lake Michigan along Sheridan Road.  

The Chicago Transit Authority has an elevated train running through Evanston called the Purple Line, taking its name from the school color of Northwestern University. The Evanston Davis Street Metra station serves both the Northwestern campus in downtown Evanston and the Evanston Central Street Metra station near Ryan Field. The Pace Suburban Bus Service, along with the CTA, has several bus routes that run through or close to the Evanston campus.

The University has another campus called Northwestern’s Chicago campus, located in the city’s Streeterville neighborhood, not far from Lake Michigan. The 8.5 acres of land were purchased in 1917 in line with the plan for a central Chicago campus and President Walter Dill Scott’s capital campaign. The campus buildings were then designed by architect James Gamble Rogers. In the Fall of 2008, Northwestern University opened a new campus in Education City, Doha, Qatar, along with five other American universities.

Northwestern University Notable Alumni 

Northwestern University has been able to produce some of America’s finest and brightest people, creating great innovations in the field of sciences, business, engineering, law, and even politics. Some of these great men/women include;

• Harold Washington: First Black Mayor of Chicago
• Robert Todd Lincoln: 35th U.S. Secretary of War
• Gwynn’s Shotwell: President and COO of SpaceX
• George R R Martins: Author (a Game of Thrones)
• Gianni Rometty: President and CEO of IBM
• Stephen Colbert: Emmy Award-winning comedian
• Ingvar Carlson: 29th Prime Minister of Sweden
• Cheddar Jaga: 4th President and father of the Nation of Guyana
• Claudia Lopez Hernandez: Foret LGBTQ mayor of Bogota,Columbia

Northwestern University Undergraduate Tuition and Fee

Below is the 2021-2022 cost of attendance for undergraduate students enrolled full-time at Tulane University.

• Freshman Resident

Tuition & Fees- $66,288

Room- $13,200

Board- $9,164

Books- $1,566

Transportation- Variable

Miscellaneous- $2,230

TOTAL- $92,448

• Continuing Resident

Tuition & Fees- $66,288

Room- $15,330

Board- $9,164

Books- $1,566

Transportation-Variable

Miscellaneous- $2,230

TOTAL- $94,57

Northwestern University Scholarship

Northwestern University has awarded over $200 million to undergraduate students in the 2022-23 academic session, and approximately half of the undergraduates received a Northwestern University Scholarship. 

Students who apply for financial aid are automatically considered for all forms and types of financial aid and scholarships available. These programs are reviewed based on federal, state, and university changes to regulations and policies, and these are the bases upon which scholarships are considered, as the requirement factors are subjected to them.

Most Financial aid received from the University is limited to four years of enrollment for Freshmen students and three years of enrollment for a Fresh transfer student. Below is a list of the scholarships programs available at Northwestern University;

• Northwestern University Scholarship
• Northwestern Endowed Scholarships
• Good Neighbor, Great University
• Questbridge National College Match Scholarship
• Chicago Star Scholarship
• Native American and Indigenous Studies Scholarship

Suppose your aim is a higher institution that portrays a sound academic center that is well renowned and has a long list of impressive alumni. In that case, Northwestern University is the right choice for you. Not only is the University highly competitive, but it has also, in several ways, proven to be not just the best in the country but a globally acceptable standard institution for higher education.