Northwestern University

Admissions at Northwestern University

Northwestern University admitted 3,703 of 51,769 first-time applicants, an overall admission rate of 7.2% in fall 2023. School-level rates are not personal admission probabilities.

SAT and ACT ranges

SAT reading & writing

730–770

SAT math

760–790

ACT composite

33–35

The middle 50% describes enrolled first-time students whose scores were used in admission. These are not cutoffs. Separate SAT section percentiles cannot be added into a composite percentile.

Application requirements — fall 2023

High school GPA

Considered if submitted

High school transcript

Required

College-preparatory courses

Required

Recommendation letters

Required

Essay or personal statement

Required

SAT / ACT

Considered if submitted

Class rank

Considered if submitted

Demonstration of competencies

Not considered

Work experience

Considered if submitted

English proficiency

Required

Considered if submitted means optional but reviewed; not considered is different. These historical policies may have changed.

Early decision and demonstrated interest

CDS 2024-25: 1,186 admitted from 5,154 early-decision applicants (23%).

Demonstrated interest: Considered. Regular-decision rates are not inferred from different cohorts.

Sources and current information

NCES college profile · Official college admissions website · Common Data Set 2024-25

IPEDS ID 147767 · Snapshot retrieved 2026-11-08. Methodology and limitations.