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Northwestern University Common Data Set 2025-26
ILTest policy: Test-optional: SAT or ACT considered if submitted; AP and institutional exams used for placementCompare with other schoolsAP credit
Acceptance rate
7.5%
3,933 of 52,676
Early decision rate
20.4%
Non-ED pool: 5.8%
SAT middle 50%
1520–1560
ACT middle 50%
34–35
Who got into Northwestern University: GPA and SAT of reported applicants
Accepted 231Waitlisted 186Rejected 604Preview
Self-reported by 1,021 applicants on Reddit, so it leans toward strong applicants and isn't Northwestern University's official data. 22 with lower scores are off the chart but counted in the table. See your chances
See who got into Northwestern University
GPA and SAT of 1021 reported applicants, accepted vs. rejected.
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| AppliedC1 | 52,676 |
| AdmittedC1 | 3,933 |
| EnrolledC1 | 2,139 |
| YieldC1 | 54.4% |
| Early decisionC21 | 1,212 of 5,939 (20.4%) |
| Early actionC22 | Not offered |
Waitlist
| Offered a placeC2 | — |
| Accepted a placeC2 | — |
| Admitted from waitlistC2 | 167 |
| Odds if you stay on the listC2 | — |
Test scores and GPA
| Submitted SATC9 | 48% |
| Submitted ACTC9 | 25% |
| SAT Reading & Writing (25th–75th)C9 | 740–770 |
| SAT Math (25th–75th)C9 | 770–790 |
| Average high school GPAC12 | — |
| GPA of 4.0C11 | — |
| GPA 3.75–3.99C11 | — |
| GPA 3.50–3.74C11 | — |
| GPA below 3.50C11 | — |
Cost and financial aid
| TuitionG1 | $71,802 |
| Required feesG1 | $1,260 |
| Food and housingG1 | $22,941 |
| Need fully met (first-years)H2 | 100% |
| Average % of need metH2 | 100% |
| Average need-based packageH2 | $67,935 |
| Average need-based grantH2 | $65,946 |
What admissions looks at
- Rigor of secondary school recordVery important
- Class rankVery important
- Academic GPAVery important
- Standardized test scoresConsidered
- Application essayVery important
- Recommendation(s)Very important
- InterviewNot considered
- Extracurricular activitiesVery important
- Talent/abilityVery important
- Character/personal qualitiesVery important
- First generationConsidered
- Alumni/ae relationConsidered
- Geographical residenceConsidered
- State residencyNot considered
- Religious affiliation/commitmentNot considered
- Volunteer workConsidered
- Work experienceConsidered
- Level of applicant's interestConsidered
From item C7.
Outcomes
| UndergraduatesB1 | 9,039 |
| First-year retentionB22 | 98% |
| 4-year graduation rateB | — |
| 6-year graduation rateB | 96% |
Notes on this filing
- Admissions totals (applied, admitted, enrolled) are sums of the male, female and unknown columns in C1 because no total is printed; unknown-gender applicants were 28.
- C1 residency breakdown was blank, so not extracted.
- C2: waitlist offered and accepted-a-place counts are blank; only the admitted-from-waitlist count (167) is printed.
- C8: the policy checkbox is 'not required for admission, but considered if submitted' for SAT or ACT. The item is labelled Fall 2027, and C8F is blank.
- C9: SAT and ACT submission percentages are as printed; the 25th/50th/75th percentile tables for SAT ERW, SAT math, ACT composite were extracted, other ACT subscores were not in the schema.
- C10 and C11 (class rank, GPA bands) and C12 (average GPA) are blank, so GPA fields are null.
- Retention 98% is as printed (2,045 of 2,097 is about 97.5%).
- Graduation: the 4-year rate is not printed for the Fall 2019 cohort (only line D counts), so it is null. The 6-year rate of 96% is as printed for the 2019 cohort.
- G1: a single private tuition of $71,802 is used for first-year and all undergraduates; room_and_board is the printed food and housing figure of $22,941.
- H2: first-time, first-year column used. pct_need_fully_met = 868/868 = 100.0 (line H over line D). pct_with_need_awarded_aid is null because the filing does not print that percentage. avg_pct_need_met is the printed 100% from line I.
- H1 figures are 2025-26 estimated, not final 2024-25 figures.
Source: Northwestern University Common Data Set 2025-26 . “—” means the college left the item blank.