Northwestern is a top research university and liberal arts institution just outside of Chicago in the town of Evanston, Illinois. It’s known for its world-class Medill School of Journalism as well as its top-notch, innovative programs across disciplines.
The university was founded in 1851 to serve the Northwest Territory, then a new part of the United States. Though it started with just 10 students, it has grown significantly — it now has over 8,000 undergraduate students in its 12 schools and colleges. Though it is well known for its journalism school, it boasts many excellent majors within the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences.
Read on to find out what you should do to prepare for admission to Northwestern University.
How to Get into Northwestern: Table of Contents
- When to Apply to Northwestern
- How Hard Is It to Get into Northwestern: Early Prep
- How Do You Actually Get into Northwestern: The Application
- Class Profile
- What Makes Northwestern Unique?
- Northwestern FAQs
When to Apply to Northwestern
If Northwestern is one of your top-choice schools, it’s important to review the various deadlines to ensure you submit all your application materials on time. Like most U.S. schools, Northwestern University uses a holistic review process to evaluate applications, which means you will need to submit a variety of materials according to the timeline of whichever admission option you choose.
Northwestern Deadlines
Northwestern University has deadlines for each of its admission types. These deadlines are subject to change annually but typically fall around the same date each year.
- November 1: Early Decision applications
- December 1: Early Decision financial aid applications
- January 3: Regular Decision applications
- February 1: Regular Decision financial aid applications
Students who choose to apply Early Decision will receive an admissions decision in December. Regular Decision applicants can expect an admissions decision in March.
Early, Rolling, and Regular Decision
Northwestern University offers two different admissions options: Early Decision and Regular Decision. Early Decision is an early application with a binding agreement. This means you can only apply to one university Early Decision. If you are admitted to Northwestern Early Decision, you agree to withdraw any other active applications and enroll at Northwestern.
Regular Decision is a regular application without any kind of binding element. Students can apply to as many schools in the Regular Decision round as their counselor allows.
You may see college application options at other schools that Northwestern does not offer, such as Early Action and rolling admission. Like Early Decision, Early Action is an option for students who wish to apply early; however, it is not binding. Rolling admission does not follow a strict deadline — students are welcome to apply from September until May at most RA schools, though it’s best to apply as early as possible to secure a spot in the class.
Waitlisted Applications
Students who are considered in the Regular Decision round may be accepted, denied, or waitlisted. Being waitlisted is not a rejection — it means you met the criteria for admission, but Northwestern simply does not have room to admit every student who’s a good fit.
If offered a spot on the waitlist, you may accept or deny the waitlist offer. It is worth noting that highly selective schools like Northwestern have low waitlist admission rates, so you should commit to one of the schools that accepted you in case you don’t get off the waitlist.
Deferrals
If you apply to Northwestern University Early Decision, you may be accepted, denied, or deferred. If you are deferred, your application will be reconsidered during the Regular Decision round.
If you are deferred from Northwestern, pay close attention to communications from them. In the 2023-24 admissions cycle, Northwestern admissions indicated that they required a midyear transcript from deferred students. It’s important to only send what is requested by the school.
How Hard Is It to Get into Northwestern: Early Prep
Admission to Northwestern University is very competitive. It is one of the most selective universities in the Midwest, as these admission rates show:
- Class of 2025: 6.80%
- Class of 2026: 7.21%
- Class of 2027: 7.22%
- Class of 2028: ~7.50%
Students interested in gaining admission to Northwestern must have very strong academic and holistic profiles.
Build Your Profile
Northwestern is looking for bright, motivated, passionate students for its vibrant campus community. If you’re interested in attending Northwestern University, it’s important to build your profile whether you know what you want to study or are undecided. Building your profile means making intentional course selection decisions, performing well academically, and becoming involved beyond the classroom.
So, what does Northwestern look for beyond your GPA and test scores? Students who are intellectually curious, want to contribute to the campus community, and desire personal and academic growth may find Northwestern to be a good fit.
Visit the Campus and a Class
If you want to learn more about what it’s like to attend Northwestern, it’s a good idea to visit campus. A visit to Northwestern’s campus starts at the Segal Visitors Center where you can attend an in-person information session, depart for a campus tour, and sign up for other special programming for prospective students such as academic overview sessions with individual schools and colleges. Northwestern also offers specialized campus tours like the Indigenous Tour of Northwestern, the Block Campus Art Walk, the Northwestern History Tour, the Black Student Experience Tour, and the Feminist Campus Tour.
Finally, if you are interested in a more in-depth, on-campus experience as a prospective student, you can sign up for a Purple Preview — a program that matches prospective students with current undergraduates. The program includes spending the morning with a student, going to class, experiencing campus life, and having lunch.
Connect With a Student
Connecting with a student is another excellent way of finding out if a school is right for you. You can connect with your student tour guides on campus tours, student speakers at information sessions, or even other students you may meet while you’re visiting campus. Talking to a current student is really one of the best ways to get to know a college.
Learn About Any Student Experiences
Northwestern Admissions Online Student Panels are an excellent way for prospective students to learn about student experiences. Another option is the Online Purple Preview, which gives you the opportunity to speak one-on-one with a current Northwestern student via video or phone.
How Do You Actually Get into Northwestern: The Application
To be seriously considered for admission to Northwestern, students must perform very well academically. In addition to having a high GPA, students should challenge themselves within the curriculum available to them at their high school. This means that students should display a high level of rigor in their coursework.
Additionally, your personal statement and supplemental essays should be well written and tell a compelling and authentic story. Other admission factors include letters of recommendation and optional standardized test scores.
GPA Requirements
Northwestern doesn’t have any minimum GPA requirements and did not publish the high school GPAs of its most recently matriculated students. However, of the students from the class of 2027 who submitted their high school class rank, 94% graduated in the top 10% of their graduating class.
SAT and ACT Scores
Northwestern continues to be test optional for the 2024-2025 admission cycle. This means students applying for the class of 2029 will not be required to submit standardized test scores for admission. However, many students who apply do submit scores — of the students who enrolled in the class of 2027, 50% submitted their SAT scores and 29% submitted ACT scores.
Looking at Northwestern’s most recent Common Data Set can help you determine what standardized test score you need to be considered for admission. For example, the middle 50% of students in the class of 2027 had a score range of 1500-1560 on the SAT and 33-35 on the ACT.
Personal Statement
The personal statement is an important part of the Northwestern application. You can choose from seven Common App essay prompts, so select the topic that resonates with you the most. A strong personal statement can be the ultimate “soft factor” in your application because it’s an opportunity to introduce yourself to the admissions committee beyond your GPA and test scores.
Essays
Northwestern has one required application supplement for all 2024-25 applicants. The prompt is for an essay of no more than 300 words:
We want to be sure we’re considering your application in the context of your personal experiences: What aspects of your background (your identity, your school setting, your community, your household, etc.) have most shaped how you see yourself engaging in Northwestern’s community, be it academically, extracurricularly, culturally, politically, socially, or otherwise?
In addition, applicants are encouraged to respond in fewer than 200 words to at least one and a maximum of two of the following prompts:
- Painting “The Rock” is a tradition at Northwestern that invites all forms of expression—students promote campus events or extracurricular groups, support social or activist causes, show their Wildcat spirit (what we call “Purple Pride”), celebrate their culture, and more. What would you paint on The Rock, and why?
- Northwestern fosters a distinctively interdisciplinary culture. We believe discovery and innovation thrive at the intersection of diverse ideas, perspectives, and academic interests. Within this setting, if you could dream up an undergraduate class, research project, or creative effort (a start-up, a design prototype, a performance, etc.), what would it be? Who might be some ideal classmates or collaborators?
- Community and belonging matter at Northwestern. Tell us about one or more communities, networks, or student groups you see yourself connecting with on campus.
- Northwestern’s location is special: on the shore of Lake Michigan, steps from downtown Evanston, just a few miles from Chicago. What aspects of our location are most compelling to you, and why?
- Northwestern is a place where people with diverse backgrounds from all over the world can study, live, and talk with one another. This range of experiences and viewpoints immeasurably enriches learning. How might your individual background contribute to this diversity of perspectives in Northwestern’s classrooms and around our campus?
Letters of Recommendation
Northwestern requires two recommendation letters. One of those letters should be from your high school counselor, academic advisor, or career center specialist who can write about your overall academic performance and contribution to the school. The other should be from a teacher who can speak to your strengths in the classroom. Ideally, you should ask a teacher from junior or senior year who has taught you in one of the core subject areas.
Northwestern accepts additional letters of recommendation. The college recommends that additional letters address different factors that go beyond what is already addressed in the two required letters.
Admission Interviews
Interviews are not a part of Northwestern’s admission process. Informational interviews with alumni are available on a limited basis. If you participate in an interview, the feedback will be added to your file. However, not participating in an interview has no negative impact on how you are evaluated for admission.
Contribution to the Northwestern Community
If you’re interested in attending Northwestern, it’s important to learn more about the Northwestern community. Students contribute to the Northwestern community in a myriad of ways, from their involvement sports, to participating in student-run organizations, community engagement opportunities, and Greek life.
Class Profile
Looking at the most recent class profile can help you assess admissions outcomes, such as acceptance rate, demographics of the first-year class, and more. Here are a few statistics for the class of 2027:
What Makes Northwestern Unique?
Northwestern University is unique because it was the first of its kind in the Midwest. It’s a pioneer in that part of the country and has since created a standard of excellence in research, teaching, and more. Students pursuing Northwestern University majors typically have varied interests and look for an interdisciplinary curriculum. In fact, 77% of Northwestern undergrads combine at least two areas of study.
Northwestern is a member of the Big Ten athletic conference, and the Wildcats play sports at the highest level — NCAA Division I. Beyond sports, students have access to a huge array of extracurricular activities, adding to a vibrant student and campus life.
Northwestern’s campus is on the shore of Lake Michigan, about 12 miles north of Chicago. Because of its location, students have easy access to both suburban and urban environments and can enjoy all the events and attractions that Chicago has to offer.
In addition to having a world-class faculty, Northwest boasts many notable alumni, including Zach Braff, Seth Meyers, David Schwimmer, Stephen Colbert, Kelly O’Donnell, and George R.R. Martin.
Northwestern FAQs
What is the acceptance rate for Northwestern University?
The acceptance rate has been around 7% for the past four admissions cycles.
How many students attend Northwestern University?
The student population at Northwestern is approximately 22,000 — 8,000 undergraduates and 14,000 graduate students.
How hard is it to get into Northwestern University?
Northwestern University is highly competitive and one of the most selective schools in the Midwest.
What is the GPA requirement for Northwestern University?
Northwestern does not require a minimum GPA for admission; however, with a 7% acceptance rate, you will need the highest possible GPA to get in.
Admission Counseling
If you’re interested in Northwestern and other highly selective schools, hiring a college admissions counselor may be your key to success. Experienced counselors guide students through every phase of the college admissions process, highlighting their strengths and ensuring they submit applications that make them stand out to admissions committees.
Getting into Northwestern can be tough, but IvyWise’s admission experts can give you the best possible chance of admission. Our 90-minute Initial Consultation is the first step toward building a strong profile for college admissions.
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