$89,363
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Northwestern University is a private nonprofit 4-year college in Evanston, Illinois with 9,201 undergraduates and 14,457 graduate students. Its average net price after grants is $29,167 a year (tuition and fees $68,322). It admits 7.7% of applicants and 95% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $89,363 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $15,000 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$29,167
US median $17,138
Tuition and fees
$68,322
US median $11,837
Admission rate
7.7%
US median 78%
Completion rate
95%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$15,000
About $159 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$89,363
Rank 109 of 5,094 in the US
Cost
What a year costs: posted prices and the average after grants
Net price by family income
Average yearly cost after grants, for students who get aid
- Net price
- $29,167
- Tuition and fees
- $68,322
- Cost of attendance
- $91,250
- Students with a need-based grant
- 19%
- Students with federal loans
- 17%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $1,764
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $6,099
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $7,898
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $18,282
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $48,777
Net price is what students who get aid pay on average after grants.
Tuition and net price by year
School years 2015-16 to 2024-25. The year on the chart is the year the school year starts.
Yearly cost
Tuition and fees went from $49,047 in 2015-16 to $68,322 in 2024-25.
Admission, completion and retention
Share of applicants admitted, of students who finish and of first-year students who come back
Admission and students
- Admission rate
- 7.7%
- Average SAT
- 1,533
- SAT reading, middle
- 745
- SAT math, middle
- 775
- ACT, middle
- 35
- Undergraduates
- 9,201
- Graduate students
- 14,457
- Part-time students
- 2.8%
- Women
- 54%
- Students per teacher
- 6
- Completion rate
- 95%
- Retention rate
- 98%
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Programs
- 336
- Endowment
- $11.0B
Earnings and debt
Compared with the medians of the colleges of its state, of colleges of the same kind and of all US colleges
Median earnings 10 years after starting rank 109 of 5,094 US colleges and 3 of 189 in Illinois (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | IL median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $29,167 | $15,156 | $22,320 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $68,322 | $13,291 | $31,170 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | 7.7% | 77% | 74% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 95% | 59% | 57% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 98% | 72% | 77% | 75% |
| Median debt | $15,000 | $10,297 | $24,287 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $76,844 | $34,234 | $44,392 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $89,363 | $39,544 | $52,928 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US private nonprofit 4-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 87% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 86% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
336 fields of study and credentials, with graduates, debt and earnings
| Field of study | Graduates | Median debt | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | US median 4 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Management Sciences and Quantitative MethodsMaster's | Master's | 2,055 | $42,454 | $140,444 | $180,186 | $124,807 |
| Radio, Television, and Digital CommunicationMaster's | Master's | 414 | $37,695 | $89,054 | $116,019 | $75,972 |
| EconomicsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 373 | $15,250 | $84,932 | $126,006 | $82,686 |
| Clinical, Counseling and Applied PsychologyMaster's | Master's | 372 | $153,657 | $43,591 | $60,758 | $65,184 |
| Finance and Financial Management ServicesMaster's | Master's | 309 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| LawProfessional | Professional | 304 | $154,286 | $210,979 | $291,132 | $107,773 |
| Radio, Television, and Digital CommunicationBachelor's | Bachelor's | 247 | $15,000 | $24,611 | $51,471 | $50,497 |
| Legal Research and Advanced Professional StudiesMaster's | Master's | 234 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| MarketingMaster's | Master's | 222 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Psychology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 211 | $13,500 | $44,088 | $73,646 | $50,706 |
| Computer ScienceMaster's | Master's | 181 | Withheld | Withheld | $197,823 | $145,571 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsMaster's | Master's | 173 | $172,164 | $224,402 | $244,399 | $103,485 |
| MedicineProfessional | Professional | 163 | $201,568 | $70,039 | $94,158 | $112,460 |
| Biology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 135 | $14,684 | Withheld | $71,181 | $57,214 |
| Computer ScienceBachelor's | Bachelor's | 127 | $14,646 | $99,981 | $155,106 | $107,009 |
| Neurobiology and NeurosciencesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 113 | $17,309 | $35,334 | $54,279 | $62,451 |
| Legal Professions and Studies, OtherOnlineMaster's | Master's | 107 | $61,372 | $69,797 | $102,193 | $101,855 |
| Political Science and GovernmentBachelor's | Bachelor's | 106 | $16,834 | $54,737 | $73,231 | $63,293 |
| Business/Commerce, GeneralMaster's | Master's | 101 | $76,735 | $188,890 | $240,637 | $125,988 |
| Engineering, OtherMaster's | Master's | 97 | $64,256 | $162,147 | $211,469 | $129,974 |
| Public AdministrationMaster's | Master's | 97 | $44,568 | $73,260 | $98,798 | $81,408 |
| Rehabilitation and Therapeutic ProfessionsProfessional | Professional | 94 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and StagecraftBachelor's | Bachelor's | 89 | $17,000 | $19,245 | $49,316 | $39,775 |
| Information Science/StudiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 88 | $11,425 | $102,998 | $163,740 | $85,294 |
| Engineering/Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians, OtherMaster's | Master's | 86 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $101,422 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: Illinois on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in Illinois
- Homes: Homes for sale in Illinois
Questions and answers
How much does Northwestern University cost?
$29,167 a year is the average net price at Northwestern University after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $68,322, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $91,250. Families earning under $30,000 pay $1,764 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Northwestern University?
7.7% of applicants are admitted to Northwestern University. The average SAT score of admitted students is 1,533 and the middle ACT score is 35. The median admission rate of colleges in Illinois is 77%.
How much do Northwestern University graduates earn?
$89,363 a year is the median pay of former Northwestern University students who work, 10 years after they started ($76,844 after 6 years). That ranks 109 of 5,094 US colleges and 3 of 189 in Illinois. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's) at $224,402.
How much student debt do Northwestern University graduates have?
$15,000 is the median federal student loan debt of Northwestern University graduates, about $159 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 17% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Northwestern University?
95% of first-time, full-time students at Northwestern University finish within 6 years. 98% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of private nonprofit 4-year colleges is 57%.
What are the most popular majors at Northwestern University?
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (2,055 master's graduates), Radio, Television, and Digital Communication (414 master's graduates), Economics (373 bachelor's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 336 programs.
Official public data, June 2026 release. Net price is for first-time, full-time students who get aid. Completion counts first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of the normal time. Debt and earnings are medians of students who received federal student aid, measured a few years after they left, in the dollars of the year measured; earnings count former students who work and are not enrolled, including those who did not finish.