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
88%
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
1,068
10-19
1,001
20-29
299
30-39
138
40-49
59
50-99
109
100+
50
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:
97%
First-year retention rate
88%
4-year grad rate
96%
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
Psychology, General
63.8
98.84
133.88
168.92
203.96
239
The Full List
Major
Graduates
Architecture And Related Services
- Architecture and Related Services, Other 0
Area
- American/United States Studies/Civilization 5
- American/United States Studies/Civilization 5
- Asian-American Studies 5
- Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies, Other 3
- Near and Middle Eastern Studies 2
- African-American/Black Studies 2
- Asian-American Studies 2
- African-American/Black Studies 1
- Hispanic-American, Puerto Rican, and Mexican-American/Chicano Studies 1
- Hispanic-American, Puerto Rican, and Mexican-American/Chicano Studies 1
- Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies, Other 1
- African Studies 0
- Asian Studies/Civilization 0
- European Studies/Civilization 0
- Area Studies, Other 0
- Women's Studies 0
Biological And Biomedical Sciences
- Biology/Biological Sciences, General 129
- Neuroscience 92
- Biology/Biological Sciences, General 21
- Neuroscience 11
- Ecology 0
Business
- Organizational Behavior Studies 16
- Business/Commerce, General 0
- Entrepreneurship/Entrepreneurial Studies 0
Communication
- Digital Communication and Media/Multimedia 185
- Speech Communication and Rhetoric 90
- Radio and Television 68
- Communication and Media Studies, Other 0
- Journalism 0
- Radio, Television, and Digital Communication, Other 0
- Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs, Other 0
Computer And Information Sciences And Support Services
- Computer Science 102
- Information Science/Studies 69
- Computer and Information Sciences, General 9
- Information Science/Studies 9
Education
- Learning Sciences 7
- Music Teacher Education 4
- Music Teacher Education 3
- Secondary Education and Teaching 2
- Education, General 0
- Education/Teaching of Individuals with Specific Learning Disabilities 0
Engineering
- Mechanical Engineering 72
- Industrial Engineering 55
- Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering 43
- Chemical Engineering 34
- Manufacturing Engineering 27
- Materials Engineering 19
- Civil Engineering, General 16
- Computer Engineering, General 15
- Electrical and Electronics Engineering 11
- Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering 5
- Engineering, General 4
- Engineering Science 0
- Engineering, Other 0
English Language And Literature/Letters
- English Language and Literature, General 32
- English Language and Literature, General 24
- Creative Writing 1
Family And Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences
- Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services, Other 2
Foreign Languages
- Linguistics 6
- Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics 5
- Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General 5
- Spanish Language and Literature 4
- Linguistics 3
- East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics 3
- East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General 3
- German Language and Literature 3
- Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics 3
- Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General 3
- Comparative Literature 2
- East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics 2
- East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General 2
- Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics 2
- Slavic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General 2
- German Language and Literature 2
- French Language and Literature 2
- French Language and Literature 2
- Spanish Language and Literature 1
- East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Other 0
- Italian Language and Literature 0
- Middle/Near Eastern and Semitic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Other 0
Health Professions And Related Programs
- International Public Health/International Health 53
- Communication Sciences and Disorders, General 17
- Pre-Medicine/Pre-Medical Studies 0
- International Public Health/International Health 0
History
- History, General 32
- History, General 31
Legal Professions And Studies
- LEGAL PROFESSIONS AND STUDIES 15
- Non-Professional Legal Studies 15
- Legal Studies 15
- LEGAL PROFESSIONS AND STUDIES 4
- Non-Professional Legal Studies 4
- Legal Studies 4
Liberal Arts And Sciences
- Humanities/Humanistic Studies 4
- Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies 2
- General Studies 0
Mathematics And Statistics
- Mathematics, General 37
- Statistics, General 31
- Mathematics, General 25
- Statistics, General 25
- Computational and Applied Mathematics 24
- Applied Mathematics, General 10
- Computational and Applied Mathematics 0
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies
- Science, Technology and Society 9
- Biological and Physical Sciences 6
- Biological and Physical Sciences 3
- Science, Technology and Society 0
- Sustainability Studies 0
- Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other 0
Natural Resources And Conservation
- Environmental Science 17
- Environmental Science 5
- Environmental Studies 0
Philosophy And Religious Studies
- Philosophy 13
- Philosophy 7
- Religion/Religious Studies 7
- Religion/Religious Studies 0
- Jewish/Judaic Studies 0
Physical Sciences
- Chemistry, General 19
- Physics, General 12
- Physics, General 5
- Geology/Earth Science, General 3
- Materials Science 0
Psychology
- Psychology, General 93
- Psychology, General 60
- Psychology, Other 23
- Cognitive Psychology and Psycholinguistics 19
- Cognitive Psychology and Psycholinguistics 3
- Community Psychology 0
Public Administration And Social Service Professions
- Community Organization and Advocacy 71
- Public Policy Analysis, General 47
Social Sciences
- Econometrics and Quantitative Economics 239
- Econometrics and Quantitative Economics 91
- Political Science and Government, General 57
- Political Science and Government, General 53
- International Relations and Affairs 34
- Sociology, General 13
- Sociology, General 12
- Anthropology, General 5
- Anthropology, General 5
- Economics, General 5
- Social Sciences, General 1
- Geography 1
- Geography 0
- International Relations and Affairs 0
- Urban Studies/Affairs 0
- Social Sciences, Other 0
Visual And Performing Arts
- Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General 90
- Music Performance, General 20
- Voice and Opera 17
- Music, General 16
- Stringed Instruments 12
- Music, General 7
- Dance, General 5
- Art History, Criticism and Conservation 5
- Music Theory and Composition 5
- Art/Art Studies, General 4
- Jazz/Jazz Studies 4
- Art/Art Studies, General 3
- Art History, Criticism and Conservation 2
- Keyboard Instruments 2
- Musicology and Ethnomusicology 1
- Musicology and Ethnomusicology 1
- Voice and Opera 1
- Visual and Performing Arts, General 0
- Theatre Literature, History and Criticism 0
- Musical Theatre 0
- Dramatic/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft, Other 0
- Music, Other 0
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