Northwestern University
What Northwestern University's own numbers say, from its Common Data Set 2025-26.
See your odds at Northwestern University →All 3 insights at Northwestern University PRO
Early DecisionNorthwestern University
Northwestern University's ED number is inflated.
20% of Early Decision applicants get in, but that pool includes recruited athletes and legacies, admitted at far higher rates. Without them, our estimate is about 16%. Everyone else: 5.8%.
ED, as reported20%
ED, without hooks (estimate)≈16%
Everyone else5.8%
Source: Northwestern University's Common Data Set 2025-26; hooked share is an estimate (A12)
MoneyNorthwestern University
Northwestern University meets 100% of need.
The average need-based grant is $65,946 a year, against tuition of $71,802.
Average grant$66k
Tuition$72k
Source: Northwestern University's Common Data Set 2025-26
Early DecisionNorthwestern University
57% of Northwestern University's class is filled in Early Decision.
That leaves about 927 seats for 46,737 applicants outside ED.
Admitted Early Decision57%
Everyone else43%
Source: Northwestern University's Common Data Set 2025-26
5 more things the data says PRO
- ED applicants were admitted at 20%, against 5.8% for everyone else: 3.5 times the rate.
- After ED, 927 of 2,139 seats were left for 46,737 other applicants: about one seat for every 50.
- Early Decision filled about 57% of the 2025-26 first-year class, more than 55% of similar colleges.
- It reports meeting 100% of financial need for first-years who have need.
- Applications rose 30% from 2018-19 to 2025-26 (40,425 to 52,676).
What students say PRO
From students' own posts on Reddit and admissions forums: self-reported, unverified, never used in your odds.
- Almost all admits who posted scores had top ones: roughly 1500+ SAT or 34+ ACT, and GPAs near 3.9 to 4.0.
- About three in four admits who named a round applied Regular Decision (29 of 38); 9 applied Early Decision.
- Many admits led or founded something, like a newspaper, nonprofit, club, hackathon or business, and often held the top role for years.
- Many admits had research or published work, such as lab papers, conference presentations, journalism bylines or self-published books.
- Many admits had national-level results, such as debate nationals, math or science contests, or national writing awards.
- Students report aid varies widely: generous for middle-income families, some full rides for international admits, but others got little or none.
- Students report the cost of attendance is above 100k a year, so aid matters to the final price.
- Students report Early Decision is binding and easier to get into than the regular round, and international admission feels random.
- Students report Northwestern puts more weight on its own supplemental essays than the Common App essay.
Every number, year by year: Northwestern University on Open College Data. Something wrong? Suggest a correction.