Northwestern University
Evanston, IL · Private nonprofit · Graduate degree-granting
A private nonprofit institution in Evanston, Illinois, accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, Northwestern University serves students across multiple degree programs. With 9,201 students, it is a mid-size institution. Graduates earn a median of $89,363 ten years after enrollment, which is 119% above the national median of $40,747. The graduation rate is 95.5%. On the financial side, median graduate debt is $15,000, yielding an earnings-to-debt ratio of 5.96x. The average net price after financial aid is $29,167 per year. The most popular programs include Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods, Radio, Television & Film, Economics, Cognitive Psychology, and Finance.
Key Outcomes
Median Earnings (10yr)
$89,363
Graduation Rate
95.5%
Median Debt
$15,000
Average Net Price
$29,167
Earnings-to-Cost Ratio
0.77x
Earnings-to-Debt Ratio
5.96x
Admissions & Enrollment
Total Enrollment
9,201
Admission Rate
7.7%
Average SAT
1533
Retention Rate
98.1%
Cost
In-State Tuition
$68,322
Out-of-State Tuition
$68,322
Pell Grant Rate
18.6%
Federal Loan Rate
17.1%
Net Cost by Family Income
Income $0–$30K
$1,764
Income $30K–$48K
$6,099
Income $48K–$75K
$7,898
Income $110K+
$48,777
Student Demographics
Women
52.4%
White
30.6%
Black
8.4%
Hispanic
15.8%
Asian
21.2%
Two or More Races
7.9%
Student Loan Performance
Repayment Rate (3yr)
87.0%
Accreditations
- American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education — Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT) - Clinical training programs at the master's, doctoral, and postgraduate levels (Accredited)
- American Bar Association, Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar — Law (LAW) - Professional schools (Accredited)
- American Physical Therapy Association, Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education — Physical Therapy (PT) - Professional programs for the physical therapist (Accredited)
- American Psychological Association, Commission on Accreditation — Clinical Psychology (CLPSY) - PhD Doctoral programs, Counseling Psychology (COPSY) - PhD Doctoral programs, Professional Psychology (IPSY) - Predoctoral internship programs (Accredited)
- American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology — Audiology (AUD) - Graduate degree programs, Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) - Graduate degree programs, Clinical doctoral program in Audiology (Accredited)
- Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education — Health Services Administration (HSA) - Graduate programs in health services administration (Accredited)
- Council on Education for Public Health — Public Health Programs (PHPG) - Graduate level program offered outside a school of public health (Accredited)
- Higher Learning Commission — Institutional Accreditation (Accredited)
- Liaison Committee on Medical Education — Medicine (MED) - Programs leading to the M.D. degree (Accredited)
- National Association of Schools of Music, Commission on Accreditation — Music (MUS) (Accredited)
- National Association of Schools of Theatre, Commission on Accreditation — Theatre (THEA) (Accredited)
Programs (239)
Bachelor (60)
| Program | Median Earnings | Completers |
|---|---|---|
| Economics | $126,006 | 373 |
| Radio, Television & Film | $51,471 | 247 |
| Psychology | $73,646 | 211 |
| Biology | $71,181 | 135 |
| Computer Science | $155,106 | 127 |
| Neuroscience | $54,279 | 113 |
| Political Science | $73,231 | 106 |
| Drama & Theater Arts | $49,316 | 89 |
| Information Science | $163,740 | 88 |
| Communications | $93,541 | 82 |
| Community Organization & Advocacy | $84,712 | 80 |
| Music | $53,875 | 77 |
| Mechanical Engineering | $98,277 | 72 |
| Mathematics | $107,072 | 72 |
| Public Health | Not reported | 66 |
| Industrial Engineering | $138,720 | 62 |
| Statistics | $122,682 | 61 |
| History | $78,966 | 52 |
| English Language & Literature | $62,147 | 46 |
| Biomedical Engineering | $102,994 | 45 |
| Applied Mathematics | $148,740 | 45 |
| Sociology | $75,267 | 42 |
| Public Policy Analysis | $78,752 | 36 |
| Philosophy | Not reported | 35 |
| Clinical Psychology | Not reported | 35 |
| Chemical Engineering | $111,040 | 34 |
| Data Science | Not reported | 30 |
| Chemistry | Not reported | 29 |
| International Relations | $74,477 | 28 |
| Natural Resources Conservation | Not reported | 27 |
| Physics | Not reported | 25 |
| Anthropology | Not reported | 24 |
| Computer Engineering | Not reported | 22 |
| Non-Professional Legal Studies | Not reported | 21 |
| Ethnic & Gender Studies | $59,372 | 19 |
| Human Development & Family Studies | Not reported | 19 |
| Electrical Engineering | Not reported | 18 |
| Manufacturing Engineering | $97,819 | 18 |
| Linguistics | Not reported | 18 |
| Civil Engineering | Not reported | 17 |
| Environmental Engineering | Not reported | 15 |
| Materials Engineering | Not reported | 15 |
| Fine Arts | Not reported | 15 |
| Romance Languages | Not reported | 14 |
| Social Sciences | Not reported | 13 |
| Biological and Physical Sciences | Not reported | 12 |
| Communication Disorders | Not reported | 10 |
| Human Resources Management | $108,498 | 10 |
| Area Studies | Not reported | 9 |
| Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | Not reported | 8 |
| Religion | Not reported | 5 |
| Geological Sciences | Not reported | 5 |
| Geography | Not reported | 5 |
| Liberal Arts & Sciences | $93,180 | 4 |
| Science, Technology and Society | Not reported | 4 |
| Psychology, Other | $62,905 | 4 |
| Secondary Education | Not reported | 3 |
| Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | Not reported | 3 |
| Germanic Languages | Not reported | 3 |
| Journalism | $80,258 | 0 |
Master (77)
| Program | Median Earnings | Completers |
|---|---|---|
| Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods | $180,186 | 2,055 |
| Radio, Television & Film | $116,019 | 414 |
| Cognitive Psychology | $60,758 | 372 |
| Finance | Not reported | 309 |
| Legal Studies | Not reported | 234 |
| Marketing | Not reported | 222 |
| Computer Science | $197,823 | 181 |
| Business Administration & Management | $244,399 | 173 |
| Legal Professions and Studies, Other | $102,193 | 107 |
| Business | $240,637 | 101 |
| Engineering, Other | $211,469 | 97 |
| Public Administration | $98,798 | 97 |
| Engineering/Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians, Other | Not reported | 86 |
| Arts & Entertainment Management | $69,411 | 81 |
| Music | $34,062 | 73 |
| Communication Disorders | $71,781 | 70 |
| Sports & Fitness | $82,178 | 67 |
| Economics | Not reported | 64 |
| Information Science | $141,026 | 63 |
| Engineering-Related Fields | $136,480 | 60 |
| Materials Engineering | Not reported | 57 |
| Civil Engineering | Not reported | 50 |
| Mental Health Services | $83,218 | 50 |
| Rehabilitation & Therapeutic Professions | $85,999 | 48 |
| Biomedical Engineering | $95,167 | 43 |
| Mechanical Engineering | Not reported | 43 |
| Sustainability Studies | Not reported | 43 |
| Biotechnology | Not reported | 42 |
| Computer & Information Sciences | Not reported | 41 |
| Public Health | $82,202 | 41 |
| Computer Engineering | Not reported | 40 |
| Health Services | $110,591 | 40 |
| Social and Philosophical Foundations of Education | $65,919 | 39 |
| Electrical Engineering | Not reported | 37 |
| Medical Clinical Sciences/Graduate Medical Studies | $189,578 | 37 |
| Allied Health Diagnostic & Treatment | $130,944 | 32 |
| Drama & Theater Arts | Not reported | 28 |
| Health Services Administration | Not reported | 28 |
| Public Relations | $96,250 | 27 |
| Educational Administration | $78,655 | 27 |
| Medical Illustration | $132,068 | 25 |
| Chemical Engineering | Not reported | 22 |
| Botany | Not reported | 17 |
| Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians | $129,403 | 16 |
| Biomathematics & Bioinformatics | Not reported | 16 |
| Electromechanical Technologies/Technicians | Not reported | 15 |
| English Language & Literature | Not reported | 15 |
| Science Technologies/Technicians, Other | $125,048 | 15 |
| Applied Mathematics | Not reported | 14 |
| Political Science | Not reported | 14 |
| Film, Video & Photographic Arts | Not reported | 14 |
| Rhetoric & Composition | Not reported | 13 |
| Physics | Not reported | 13 |
| Neuroscience | Not reported | 11 |
| Chemistry | Not reported | 11 |
| History | Not reported | 11 |
| Fine Arts | Not reported | 10 |
| Education | Not reported | 9 |
| Sociology | Not reported | 9 |
| Statistics | Not reported | 8 |
| Bioethics & Medical Ethics | Not reported | 8 |
| Ethnic & Gender Studies | Not reported | 6 |
| Secondary Education | Not reported | 6 |
| Human Development & Family Studies | Not reported | 6 |
| Psychology | Not reported | 6 |
| Astronomy | Not reported | 5 |
| Anthropology | Not reported | 5 |
| Human Resources Management | Not reported | 5 |
| Philosophy | Not reported | 4 |
| Linguistics | Not reported | 3 |
| Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | Not reported | 3 |
| Systems Science | Not reported | 3 |
| Design & Applied Arts | Not reported | 3 |
| Communications | $116,101 | 0 |
| Journalism | $70,715 | 0 |
| Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs, Other | $126,571 | 0 |
| Community Organization & Advocacy | $168,632 | 0 |
Doctoral (44)
| Program | Median Earnings | Completers |
|---|---|---|
| Chemistry | $116,234 | 42 |
| Materials Engineering | Not reported | 38 |
| Neuroscience | Not reported | 28 |
| Communication Disorders | $91,009 | 28 |
| Economics | Not reported | 27 |
| Cell Biology | $117,797 | 26 |
| Biology | Not reported | 22 |
| Music | $66,572 | 22 |
| Chemical Engineering | Not reported | 21 |
| Biomedical Engineering | Not reported | 17 |
| History | $70,118 | 14 |
| Sociology | Not reported | 13 |
| Mechanical Engineering | Not reported | 12 |
| Mathematics | Not reported | 12 |
| Psychology | $71,819 | 12 |
| Political Science | Not reported | 12 |
| Computer Science | Not reported | 11 |
| Electrical Engineering | Not reported | 11 |
| Civil Engineering | Not reported | 10 |
| Astronomy | Not reported | 10 |
| Anthropology | Not reported | 9 |
| Drama & Theater Arts | Not reported | 9 |
| Human Development & Family Studies | Not reported | 8 |
| Industrial Engineering | Not reported | 6 |
| Romance Languages | Not reported | 6 |
| Systems Science | Not reported | 6 |
| Human Resources Management | Not reported | 6 |
| Radio, Television & Film | Not reported | 5 |
| Applied Mathematics | Not reported | 5 |
| Fine Arts | Not reported | 5 |
| Education, Other | Not reported | 4 |
| English Language & Literature | Not reported | 4 |
| Statistics | Not reported | 4 |
| Philosophy | Not reported | 4 |
| Geological Sciences | Not reported | 4 |
| Physics | Not reported | 4 |
| Film, Video & Photographic Arts | Not reported | 4 |
| Ethnic & Gender Studies | Not reported | 3 |
| Engineering Mechanics | Not reported | 3 |
| Linguistics | Not reported | 3 |
| Behavioral Sciences | Not reported | 3 |
| Religion | Not reported | 3 |
| Marketing | Not reported | 3 |
| Rehabilitation & Therapeutic Professions | $82,633 | Not reported |
First Professional (5)
| Program | Median Earnings | Completers |
|---|---|---|
| Law | $291,132 | 304 |
| Medicine | $94,158 | 163 |
| Rehabilitation & Therapeutic Professions | Not reported | 94 |
| Communication Disorders | Not reported | 14 |
| Legal Studies | $155,436 | Not reported |
Post-bachelor's Certificate (1)
| Program | Median Earnings | Completers |
|---|---|---|
| Liberal Arts & Sciences | $100,964 | Not reported |
Graduate Certificate (13)
| Program | Median Earnings | Completers |
|---|---|---|
| Liberal Arts & Sciences | Not reported | 69 |
| Human Resources Management | Not reported | 22 |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods | Not reported | 18 |
| Community Organization & Advocacy | Not reported | 14 |
| Cultural Studies/Critical Theory and Analysis | Not reported | 12 |
| Ethnic & Gender Studies | Not reported | 11 |
| Legal Studies | Not reported | 11 |
| Cognitive Science | Not reported | 7 |
| International Studies | Not reported | 5 |
| Mathematics | Not reported | 4 |
| Systems Science | Not reported | 4 |
| Biotechnology | Not reported | 3 |
| Behavioral Sciences | Not reported | 3 |
Undergraduate Certificate (4)
| Program | Median Earnings | Completers |
|---|---|---|
| Business Information Systems | Not reported | 54 |
| Finance | Not reported | 45 |
| Health Services Administration & Management | Not reported | 33 |
| Liberal Arts & Sciences | Not reported | 5 |
Show 35 additional programs with limited data
| Program | Level | Completers |
|---|---|---|
| Communications | Doctoral | 2 |
| Computer & Information Sciences | Bachelor | 2 |
| Educational Administration | Graduate Certificate | 2 |
| Educational Media | Bachelor | 2 |
| Teacher Education | Bachelor | 2 |
| Computer Engineering | Doctoral | 2 |
| Operations Research | Master | 2 |
| Biological/Biosystems Engineering | Graduate Certificate | 2 |
| Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | Doctoral | 2 |
| Romance Languages | Master | 2 |
| Non-Professional Legal Studies | Master | 2 |
| Sports & Fitness | Graduate Certificate | 2 |
| Public Administration | Graduate Certificate | 2 |
| Health Services | Graduate Certificate | 2 |
| Area Studies | Graduate Certificate | 1 |
| Radio, Television & Film | Graduate Certificate | 1 |
| Public Relations | Graduate Certificate | 1 |
| Computer & Information Sciences | Doctoral | 1 |
| Information Science | Graduate Certificate | 1 |
| Social and Philosophical Foundations of Education | Graduate Certificate | 1 |
| Education, Other | Master | 1 |
| Engineering | Bachelor | 1 |
| Engineering Physics | Doctoral | 1 |
| Industrial Engineering | Master | 1 |
| Operations Research | Doctoral | 1 |
| Engineering-Related Fields | Graduate Certificate | 1 |
| Rhetoric & Composition | Bachelor | 1 |
| Botany | Doctoral | 1 |
| Mathematics | Master | 1 |
| Religion | Master | 1 |
| Geological Sciences | Master | 1 |
| Public Policy Analysis | Graduate Certificate | 1 |
| Social Sciences, Other | Graduate Certificate | 1 |
| Dance | Bachelor | 1 |
| Health Services Administration | Graduate Certificate | 1 |
Rankings Featuring This Institution
- Highest Earning Bachelor's Computer Science Programs
- Highest Earning Master's Computer Science Programs
- Highest Earning Bachelor's Engineering Programs
- Highest Earning Master's Engineering Programs
- Highest Earning Master's Nursing & Health Programs
- Highest Earning Master's Business Programs
- Highest Earning Bachelor's Psychology Programs
- Highest Earning Doctoral Physical Sciences Programs
- Highest Earning Bachelor's Mathematics Programs
- Highest Earning Doctoral Biology Programs
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