How To Get Into Northwestern: Admissions Stats + Tips

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A top 10 college in the heart of one of the country’s great cities, it’s easy to see why so many college-bound high schoolers want to attend Northwestern University. Further bolstering Northwestern’s appeal is its list of notable alumni, which includes 22 Nobel Prize laureates and 40 Pulitzer Prize winners and a who’s-who list of celebrities including Stephen Colbert, David Schwimmer, and George R.R. Martin. 

 

How Hard Is It to Get Into Northwestern University?

 

Northwestern has historically been a very hard school to gain admission to and is only getting more difficult. The university’s 6.8% acceptance rate is the lowest in its history admitting just 3,239 students out of 47,633 applicants to its class of 2025. 

 

Northwestern received 4,411 applications through its early decision process, of which it offered admission to 1,105 applicants. Northwestern’s roughly 25% early decision acceptance rate is substantially higher than its overall acceptance rate. 

 

Admission to prestigious institutions with incredibly low acceptance rates like Northwestern is extremely challenging, however, your odds vary depending on the strength of your profile. CollegeVine’s free admissions calculator can help you better understand your chances of admission—it uses metrics like grades and test scores along with factors such as extracurricular activities to estimate your odds of acceptance and provide tips for improving your profile. 

 

Average Academic Profile of Accepted Northwestern University Students

 

GPA

 

Northwestern does not publish the GPA or class rank of admitted students, but it’s worth noting that 96% of the class of 2025 graduated in the top tenth of their high school class. 

 

SAT/ACT

 

The middle 50% SAT score of Northwestern’s class of 2025 is 1430-1540 and its middle 50% ACT score is 33-35. On the SAT, 82.22% of the class of 2025 scored better than 1400, while 83.10% scored better than a 30 on the ACT. 

 

Class Rank

 

Northwestern doesn’t publish the high school class rank of students in their class of 2025. 

 

What is Northwestern University Looking for?

 

Northwestern looks for applicants interested in taking “a Northwestern direction” and pursuing a multidisciplinary education; 72% of undergrads combine two or more areas of study. Northwestern makes it easy for students to major across schools and pursue numerous minors and certificates.  

 

Northwestern weighs the application essay, particularly the Common Application essay, more heavily than extracurricular activities. This makes Northwestern a good choice for students with weaker extracurricular resumes hoping to attend a top 10 school. 

 

Some of the most recognizable names in both broadcast and print journalism attended Northwestern University’s Medill School. Consequently, Northwestern is the nation’s number one school for journalism—topping even institutions like Harvard and Stanford. 

 

How Northwestern University Evaluates Applications

 

According to their 2020-2021 Common Data Set, Northwestern considers the following factors “very important”:

 

• Course rigor
• Class rank
• GPA

 

These factors are “important”:

 

• Essay
• Recommendation letters
• Extracurricular activities 
• Talent/ability 
• Character/personal qualities 

 

These are “considered”:

 

• Test scores
• Interview 
• First generation 
• Legacy
• Racial/ethnic status 
• Volunteer work 
• Work experience 
• Applicant interest 

 

And these are “not considered”:

 

• Religious affiliation
• Geographical location
• State residence