Northwestern University
Academics
How strong are the academics at Northwestern University?
Let's cover class sizes, graduation rates, and outcomes.
6:1
Student to faculty ratio
18
Average class size
83%
4-year grad rate
Class Sizes
Class sizes likely stayed the same for you through high school. You'll find that college is much different. Some of the largest universities have classes that can seat hundreds of students in giant lecture halls. Conversely, as they progress and their focus narrows, higher-level courses can sometimes have just a handful of students.
Northwestern has an average student-to-faculty ratio of 6:1. The typical school is 14:1. While this ratio is important, what’s more important is how big a typical class is.
Class Sizes
Most Common
2-9
2-9
948
10-19
728
20-29
203
30-39
126
40-49
51
50-99
107
100+
41
Outcomes
It’s critical to understand a school’s outcomes to understand if your four (or more) years at the school will be worth it. Here are some key statistics about the outcomes of students who enroll at Northwestern University:
98%
First-year retention rate
83%
4-year grad rate
95%
6-year grad rate
Majors
Many students choose a school largely based on the what they want to study. The are Northwestern University's most popular majors, ranked by how many people graduated with the concentration in the most recent year:
Econometrics and Quantitative Economics
Digital Communication and Media/Multimedia
Biology/Biological Sciences, General
Computer Science
Information Science/Studies
84.4
115.12
145.84
176.56
207.28
238
The Full List
Major
Graduates
Architecture And Related Services
- Architecture and Related Services, Other 0
Area
- Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies, Other 6
- Hispanic-American, Puerto Rican, and Mexican-American/Chicano Studies 4
- American/United States Studies/Civilization 4
- American/United States Studies/Civilization 3
- Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies, Other 2
- Asian-American Studies 2
- Near and Middle Eastern Studies 2
- Asian-American Studies 1
- African-American/Black Studies 1
- African-American/Black Studies 1
- Women's Studies 0
- Area Studies, Other 0
- European Studies/Civilization 0
- Asian Studies/Civilization 0
- African Studies 0
Biological And Biomedical Sciences
- Biology/Biological Sciences, General 137
- Neuroscience 110
- Biology/Biological Sciences, General 21
- Neuroscience 16
- Ecology 0
Business
- Organizational Behavior Studies 13
- Business/Commerce, General 0
- Entrepreneurship/Entrepreneurial Studies 0
Communication
- Digital Communication and Media/Multimedia 165
- Speech Communication and Rhetoric 77
- Radio and Television 68
- Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs, Other 0
- Radio, Television, and Digital Communication, Other 0
- Journalism 0
- Communication and Media Studies, Other 0
Computer And Information Sciences And Support Services
- Computer Science 120
- Information Science/Studies 110
- Information Science/Studies 17
- Computer and Information Sciences, General 1
Education
- Music Teacher Education 7
- Learning Sciences 4
- Music Teacher Education 2
- Secondary Education and Teaching 2
- Education/Teaching of Individuals with Specific Learning Disabilities 0
- Education, General 0
Engineering
- Mechanical Engineering 78
- Industrial Engineering 65
- Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering 65
- Chemical Engineering 28
- Computer Engineering, General 21
- Electrical and Electronics Engineering 21
- Civil Engineering, General 21
- Materials Engineering 19
- Manufacturing Engineering 16
- Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering 10
- Engineering, General 3
- Engineering Science 0
- Engineering, Other 0
English Language And Literature/Letters
- English Language and Literature, General 24
- English Language and Literature, General 22
- Creative Writing 0
Family And Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences
- Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services, Other 19
Foreign Languages
- Linguistics 6
- Comparative Literature 5
- Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General 5
- Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics 5
- East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General 4
- East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics 4
- French Language and Literature 4
- Linguistics 3
- Spanish Language and Literature 3
- French Language and Literature 3
- Comparative Literature 2
- Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General 1
- Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics 1
- German Language and Literature 1
- Slavic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General 1
- Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics 1
- Slavic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General 1
- Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics 1
- Italian Language and Literature 0
- Middle/Near Eastern and Semitic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Other 0
- East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General 0
- East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics 0
- East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Other 0
Health Professions And Related Programs
- International Public Health/International Health 54
- Communication Sciences and Disorders, General 12
- International Public Health/International Health 0
- Pre-Medicine/Pre-Medical Studies 0
History
- History, General 29
- History, General 24
Legal Professions And Studies
- Legal Studies 8
- Non-Professional Legal Studies 8
- LEGAL PROFESSIONS AND STUDIES 8
- Legal Studies 5
- Non-Professional Legal Studies 5
- LEGAL PROFESSIONS AND STUDIES 5
Liberal Arts And Sciences
- Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies 4
- Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies 2
- Humanities/Humanistic Studies 1
- General Studies 0
Mathematics And Statistics
- Computational and Applied Mathematics 43
- Mathematics, General 32
- Mathematics, General 25
- Statistics, General 20
- Statistics, General 19
- Applied Mathematics, General 11
- Computational and Applied Mathematics 0
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies
- Data Science, General 33
- Data Science, General 21
- Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other 9
- Biological and Physical Sciences 5
- Science, Technology and Society 4
- Sustainability Studies 0
- Science, Technology and Society 0
- Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other 0
Natural Resources And Conservation
- Environmental Science 16
- Environmental Science 8
- Environmental Studies 0
Philosophy And Religious Studies
- Philosophy 9
- Philosophy 4
- Religion/Religious Studies 3
- Religion/Religious Studies 1
- Jewish/Judaic Studies 0
Physical Sciences
- Physics, General 17
- Chemistry, General 14
- Materials Science 2
- Geology/Earth Science, General 2
- Physics, General 2
- Chemistry, General 2
- Materials Science 1
- Geology/Earth Science, General 1
Psychology
- Psychology, General 93
- Psychology, General 62
- Cognitive Psychology and Psycholinguistics 32
- Cognitive Psychology and Psycholinguistics 18
- Community Psychology 0
- Psychology, Other 0
Public Administration And Social Service Professions
- Community Organization and Advocacy 61
- Public Policy Analysis, General 40
Social Sciences
- Econometrics and Quantitative Economics 238
- Political Science and Government, General 68
- Econometrics and Quantitative Economics 63
- International Relations and Affairs 37
- Political Science and Government, General 35
- Sociology, General 12
- Anthropology, General 11
- Sociology, General 8
- Social Sciences, General 8
- Anthropology, General 3
- Economics, General 3
- Geography 2
- Urban Studies/Affairs 0
- Social Sciences, Other 0
- Geography 0
- International Relations and Affairs 0
Visual And Performing Arts
- Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General 91
- Music Performance, General 25
- Music, General 18
- Music, General 14
- Stringed Instruments 14
- Voice and Opera 12
- Keyboard Instruments 6
- Art History, Criticism and Conservation 6
- Art/Art Studies, General 5
- Art History, Criticism and Conservation 4
- Dance, General 3
- Voice and Opera 3
- Music Theory and Composition 3
- Music Performance, General 2
- Jazz/Jazz Studies 1
- Musicology and Ethnomusicology 1
- Art/Art Studies, General 1
- Musical Theatre 0
- Theatre Literature, History and Criticism 0
- Visual and Performing Arts, General 0
- Music, Other 0
- Dramatic/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft, Other 0
Mistakes were made
(But not by you!)
These are the top 10 mistakes people make when searching for colleges
Get the free guide
