

Northwestern University: Fees, Rankings, Courses, Reviews
- Private University
240 acre campus
- Estd. 1851
Northwestern University Rankings 2026
Northwestern University is considered to be one of the top universities in USA. According to Shiksha Popularity Ranking, Northwestern University ranking stands at #17 in 2025 at national level and #28 in the world.
Other Ranking Bodies
Apart from this, the university is also ranked by QS 2025 at #50 for World University Ranking category. The university ranking for QS at World University Ranking level for 2024 was #47. This shows that the university's position has witnessed a declined trend this year. ARWU (Shanghai Ranking) also ranks the university among the top names.
Moreover a few of the Northwestern University courses are also ranked by Shiksha Popularity Ranking. Below are the course rankings:
| Course name | Shiksha Popularity Ranking 2025 |
|---|---|
| MIM | #22 |
| B.E. / B.Tech | #17 |
| MS | #24 |
| MBA/PGDM | #7 |
| Others PG | #17 |
#29
#14
Commonly asked questions On Rankings
LLM courses are ranked #14 by Shiksha Ranking, #10 by US News, #23 by ARWU, #52 by THE (Times Higher Education) and #65 by QS Rankings. LLM courses are being ranked by other reputed ranking bodies as well which are mentioned in the table below.
Ranking Bodies | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
THE (Times Higher Education) - Law | #101 | #62 | #52 |
QS - Law and Legal Studies | #51 | #68 | #65 |
US News & World Report - Best Graduate Law Schools | #13 | #10 | - |
ARWU (Shanghai Ranking) - Law | #21 | #23 | - |
Medicine and Health specialised courses are ranked #23 by Shiksha Ranking, #13 by US News, #42 by QS Ranking, and #46 by THE (Times Higher Education). Medicine and Health specialised courses' ranking is as follows:
Ranking Bodies | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
QS - Medicine | #51 | #42 | |
THE (Times Higher Education) - Clinical and Health | #30 | #40 | #46 |
US News & World Report - Best Graduate Medical Schools | #43 | #13 | - |
Northwestern University is one of the top ranked universities. It has a ranking of #28 in the world and #14 in the USA based on the Shiksha Popularity Rankings 2025. It also has been ranked well for its academic schools on the main Illinois campus. The rankings of the university by ranking bodies are mentioned in the table below:
| Ranking Body Name | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| QS | 47 | 50 | 42 |
| US News | 24 | 24 | NA |
| Times Higher Education | 28 | 31 | NA |
Northwestern University Courses
Northwestern University, one of the top 20 national universities which is also ranked under top 20 graduate schools. NU courses consist of undergraduate, postgraduate, certification and diploma level courses in majors like Business & Management Studies, Engineering, IT & Software, Science, Design, Medicine & Health Science, Humanities, Mass Communication & Media, Arts, Data Science, Law, Education, Accounting and Nursing.
Northwestern University Popular Programs
The university consists of 12 schools and colleges, out of which only 9 colleges and schools offer undergraduate programs. The University offers more than 200 courses at undergraduate and postgraduate levels for its international and domestic students.
Northwestern University Online Courses
Northwestern University School of Professional Studies offers a lot of online PG, UG and online certificate courses that covers many academic areas. The online courses available at Northwestern SPS include Data Sciences, Global Health, Information Systems, Health Sciences, Social Sciences, Artificial Intelligence and Leadership.
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Guided 4.4K students to USA universities.
Commonly asked questions On Popular Programs
Northwestern University Provides with MS in Informational Technology Courses (MSIT) which is industry-focused and is inclined towards training and preparing students for strategic and technology-driven leadership roles. The programme focuses on foundational computing core subjects and specialised electives like Cybersecurity, Data analytics, Database Management, Artificial Intelligence among more. Graduates from this course get recruited by top tech companies like Google, Amazon, Apple, Meta, Visa, Fidelity, JP Morgan and Samsung. Graduates typically go for roles like Cybersecurity Analyst, Database Administrator, Network Administrator, IT Project Manager, Business Intelligence, Data Analyst and more. Their salary range starts from around USD 99,000 and can go upto USD 150,000
Courses Favorite Among Indian Students at Northwestern University
Northwestern University's popular courses among Indian students form journalism, marketing and communications, engineering, and business. Programs of merit with regard to academic excellence and career options constitute the aforementioned.
Strong reputation credentials in these fields of trade conglomerate numerous foreign students from India who seek quality education along with firm placement opportunities.
Northwestern University Admissions
Students seeking admission to Northwestern University have to fill the online application form, submit mandatory documents and pay the application fee. Northwestern University accepts some exam scores at the time of admission, including English language exams. Some of the exam scores that Indian students have to submit for admission are TOEFL, IELTS, SAT, GRE, GMAT and Duolingo. The documents that have to be submitted are SOP, LOR, Essay and CV.
Northwestern University Application Deadlines
Northwestern University accepts admission applications for the Early Action and Regular Action deadlines. The application deadlines for undergraduate applicants are mentioned in the table below:
|
Course Level |
Regular |
|---|---|
|
UG |
Jan 2, 2026 |
The MBA application deadlines for postgraduate students are mentioned below:
|
Program |
Round 1 |
Round 2 |
Round 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
|
MBA |
Closed |
Jan 7, 2026 |
Apr 1, 2026 |
Northwestern University Eligibility for Indian Students
- Completed Application form along with application fee
- Academic Records
- Official Transcripts
- Letters of Recommendation
- Personal Statement
- Financial Documentation
- Standardised Test Scores
- Resume or CV
- Application fees :USD 50 - 250
- Type of deadline :Depends on course
| Type of documents | Applicable for |
|---|---|
| SOP | Needed for few courses |
| LOR | Needed for few courses |
| Essays | Needed for few courses |
| CV | Needed for few courses |
| Additional documents | Required |
Commonly asked questions On Admissions
Students must submit Northwestern University application fees via Debit or a Credit card only. Networks including Visa, Mastercard, Discover and American Express must be prefered to make the payments. Application fees for undergraduate fees is USD 75 and USD 95 for postgraduate programs.
No, students are not required to submit SAT/ACT scores for undergraduate programs. Student's application will not be affected with or without SAT/ACT scores. It will be evaluated based on their grades, academic awards, essays and the rest portfolio.
Minimum English proficiency scores required for Indian applicants applying to the PG or Phd programs are mentioned below:
TOEFL |
|
IELTS |
|
Northwestern UniversityNorthwestern University Scholarships for International Students
Northwestern University offers a variety of financial aid such as; scholarships & grants, federal work-study, loans, and emergency aid requests. There are two types of scholarships available for students; Northwestern University Scholarships and Federal/State Grants. Check below the various types of scholarships at the university:
|
Name of Scholarship |
Fee Before Scholarship |
Fee After Scholarship |
Eligibility |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Northwestern University Scholarship |
|
Max amt of Scholarship: USD 30,000 - 65,000 (INR 25L - 54.25L) |
|
|
Federal Pell Grant |
UG - INR 54.27 - 56.17 L |
Max amt of Scholarship: USD 692 - 6,895 (INR 58k - 5.75L) |
|
|
Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG) |
UG - INR 54.27 - 56.17 L |
Max amt of Scholarship: USD 100 - 4,000 (INR 8k - 3.30L) |
|
*USD/INR = 83.47
How to get a scholarship at Northwestern University
- Students are required to complete the College Scholarship Service Profile and submit it on the College Board website.
- The students can also apply for financial aid if they are not eligible for scholarships. They are required to complete the International Student Application for Financial Assistance form and submit it.
- The Regular Decision deadline for International Student Aid is Feb 1.
Learn more about Northwestern University's Scholarship in the videos below:
Commonly asked questions On Scholarships
At the undergraduate level, Northwestern University has a need-aware admission review for international students. Meaning, a request for financial aid and the amount of financial aid a student requires may impact the admission decision. Note that only first-year applicants are eligible for financial aid. Some of the features of financial aid awards for international students of Northwestern University are:
- Meet 100% of demonstrated financial need of students
- Consider the full cost of attendance
- Packages are loan and work free
- Consists only of grants and scholarships that do not need to be repaid
Read: Scholarships to Study in USA for International Students
Northwestern University offers many scholarships for international students who are eligible based on their academic record and overall profile. They can get these scholarships by applying for admission to the university and choosing an option that they are eligible for. After checking the requirements for the scholarship they can also submit the form to get financial aid incase they do not get selected for the scholarship they chose. The top scholarships offered to international students at Northwestern are mentioned as follows:
- Doe Thornburg Scholarship
- Illinois Global Scholarships
- Northwestern McGowan Fellows Program for Second Year students
- Donald P Jacobs International Scholarships
Northwestern UniversityStudents Ratings & Reviews
- 20% students never faced discrimination in this university
Northwestern University Job Outcomes
Northwestern University is recognized for having the highest placement rate in the United States of America. Northwestern University placement rate is 97%, and the graduates are employed within 6 months of graduation. The University placement rate attracts students from all over the world. Additionally, University graduates are always in high demand worldwide.
Northwestern University Placement Rate
The placement rate of Northwestern University is 97% and this percentage of students have been placed after 6 months of their course.
|
Average Salary (Postgrad) |
USD 73,478/year |
|
Highest package (MBA) |
USD 197,000/year |
ROI After Education At Northwestern University
The average salary of Northwestern University graduates is USD 117,500 (INR 98.65 L) per year. Also, the average signing bonus is USD 30,000 (INR 25.18 L).
| Course | Median Salary |
|---|---|
| MBA/PGDM | ₹133.09 LPA |
Top Recruiters
Commonly asked questions On Placements
MBA graduates at Northwestern University have been placed in some of the top organizations after completing their course. The top employers at the university are mentioned in the table below:
School | Top Recruiters |
|---|---|
School of Communication | Chicago Public Schools, Forte Group, Starbucks, The Boeing Company, Towers Watson, Accenture, Amazon Corporate LLC, Apple, Inc., Avenue, etc. |
School of Education & Social Policy | EY, Illinois Institute of Technology, Miami University, PwC, ApplySquare, Aspira Inc., Chicago Booth, Columbia College, Duke University, etc. |
Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications | Abbott, Adobe, AFP, Google, Deloitte, ESPN, IBM, Nielson Holdings, SFCG, The New York Times, United Airlines, American Airlines, etc. |
McCormick School of Engineering & Applied Science | Baker McKenzie, Boeing, BPRG, CDW, Chicago Transit Authority, eBay, General Electric, Google, GoDaddy, Honeywell, Intel, KPMG, LinkedIn, Union Pacific, etc. |
School of Professional Studies | Google, McMaster-Carr, Cigna, City of Chicago, Microsoft Corporation, Wells Fargo, Epic, Northrop Grumman, Voya Financial, etc. |
The Graduate School | Adjutant Solutions Group, Adult & Child Health, AeroTek, Affinity Counseling, Aker Solutions, DMC, EA, Ericsson Labs, Grant Thornton, etc. |
Northwestern Career Advancement (NCA) at the Northwestern University provides various career services to its students. These career services help the students in career planning and job search. In addition, NCA also provides various career enhancement programs that help the students in supplementing their academic experience with professional opportunities. Some of the career services are:
- Handshake Access: It is a central platform for accessing career services. Students can find job and internship opportunities, schedule appointments with career counselors, gain knowledge about career events, etc.
- Career Treks: A group of students visit various companies on these treks
- Career Fairs: These employer events present opportunities for the students to network
- NEXT (Northwestern Externship Program)
- SIGP (Summer Internship Grant Program)
Northwestern UniversityStudent profile
Others
58%
Asian
20%
Hispanic
14%
Black
6%
Out of state
67%
In state
21%
Foreign
10%
UG Number of Applicant
Overall Graduation Rate
Northwestern UniversityStudying in USA
Key Facts About USA
Insights on education, demographics & weather.Northwestern University
Student Forum
Answered a week ago
Hi.
- Low Acceptance Rate: The overall acceptance rate for recent incoming classes is approximately 7% to 8%, m
h
Scholar-Level 17
Answered 2 weeks ago
Northeastern University has not specified any minimum GPA requirement for admissions. But from the past data, a GPA of 3.85 on a 4.0 scale is very competitive. Most of the applicants with the mentioned GPA were offered admission.
On a related note, although the entrance tests like the SAT or ACT are
P
Contributor-Level 8
Answered 2 weeks ago
The Harvard University tuition fee is lower than that of Northwestern University, Harvard is way harder to get into, as its acceptance rate is just 6%. The Northwestern University acceptance rate is 13% which is more than double that of Harvard. So, if you are looking for better chance to get in, No
V
Contributor-Level 8
Answered 2 months ago
Northwestern University offers more than 200 UG, PG levels, certification and Diploma courses to Indian students. Students can choose from a wide range of majors including Business & Management Studies, Engineering, IT & Software, Science, Design, Medicine & Health Science, Humanities, Mass Communic
P
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 3 months ago
Northwestern University offers an MS in Computer Science (MSCS) program, which delivers a flexible curriculum on foundational computational courses and core subjects AI/ML, Robotics, Cybersecurity, HCI, and many more for students who are willing to take their tech skill set to an advanced level. Gra
S
Contributor-Level 10
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