What kind of student is Northwestern looking for?

Northwestern looks for candidates who demonstrate academic growth, intellectual curiosity, involvement in school or the community, and positive traits. In your application, emphasize your academic aptitude, initiative, and personality.

What kind of student goes to Northwestern University?

More than 90 percent of undergraduate applicants rank in the top 10 percent of their high school classes, and Northwestern's National Merit Scholar enrollment rate has recently ranked among the nation's highest. Northwestern is home to more than 8,000 full-time undergraduates and 8,000 full-time graduate students.

What does Northwestern look for in their applicants?

Academic growth and intellectual curiosity

What kinds of questions drive you forward? How have you shown initiative in learning more about the world around you? How have you challenged yourself?

What values does Northwestern look for?

Does Northwestern like well rounded students?

Ultra-competitive schools like Northwestern are not looking for cookie cutter, well-rounded students. They're seeking innovators and students who are changing the world. While the high school education system pushes for well-rounded students, Northwestern want you to break the mold.

What to expect from your first year at Northwestern

Does Northwestern care about extracurriculars?

Beyond academics, we consider candidates' engagement outside the classroom — extracurriculars, family obligations, work experience — and read their essays to gain further insight into their personal context, interests, values, goals, etc.

What does Northwestern prioritize?

Northwestern is committed to excellent teaching, innovative research and the personal and intellectual growth of its students in a diverse academic community.

Does Northwestern look at interest?

Yes, demonstrated interest is considered by the Northwestern admissions team. To show demonstrated interest, you'll want to engage as much as you can with Northwestern. Open their emails, attend virtual programming, sign up for an interview, email your admissions officer, and visit in person if you can.

Does Northwestern look at legacy?

But it does, on applications to hundreds of selective universities across the country. Locally, both the University of Chicago and Northwestern have held on to the practice, called legacy admissions — despite concerns about its impact on students from historically marginalized communities.

Does Northwestern care about class rank?

An applicant's high school class rank, when available, is considered very important and letters of recommendation are considered very important for admissions officials at Northwestern University.

What are the 4 personality types at Northwestern University?

Northwestern Engineering's Luís Amaral and his colleagues challenge that paradigm in a new study. Sifting through data from more than 1.5 million questionnaires, his team found evidence for the existence of at least four distinct clusters of personality types — Average, Reserved, Self-Centered, and Role Model.

Does Northwestern admit based on major?

No. Undergraduates are admitted by Undergraduate Admissions of Northwestern University, not by individual departments.

Does everyone who applied to Northwestern get an interview?

Given the limited availability of alumni volunteers, it is not possible for us to offer interviews to all applicants. Interviews are not a required component of the application, therefore applicants who are unable or choose not to interview are not at a disadvantage in the admission process.

What is the most popular major at Northwestern?

Why is Northwestern so hard to get into?

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.

Can an average student get into Northwestern University?

Average GPA: 4.1

With a GPA of 4.1, Northwestern requires you to be at the top of your class. You'll need nearly straight A's in all your classes to compete with other applicants. Furthermore, you should be taking hard classes - AP or IB courses - to show that college-level academics is a breeze.

What does Northwestern look at the most?

The most important criteria for Northwestern admissions is academic record. The application aspects which are factored into the overall academic record are GPA, test scores, class rank, course rigor, and the application essay. Other important factors are extracurriculars, recommendations, and talent.

How much does Northwestern care about legacy?

Data reported by Northwestern and UChicago show the schools give as much consideration to legacy status as they do to race. Neither is weighed as heavily as academics or extracurriculars.

What percent of Northwestern students are legacy?

However, in an interview with The Daily Northwestern, president Morton Schapiro approximated about 10% of undergraduate Northwestern students have a parent who was once a Wildcat.

Does getting an interview a Northwestern mean anything?

The interview provides an opportunity for you to showcase your unique background, experiences, and perspectives. The university wants to see how you can enrich the Northwestern community and make a positive impact on campus.

Where do most Northwestern students come from?

The majority of the Northwestern students who live in the U.S. are from Illinois. Student location diversity is higher than average.

Why is Northwestern prestigious?

Beyond its exceptional academic programs, Northwestern is a hub of innovation and research. As a member of the Big Ten Conference, which comprises some of the most research-intensive universities in the United States, Northwestern consistently contributes to groundbreaking research in a multitude of fields.

What are the odds of getting into Northwestern University early decision?

Northwestern's early decision acceptance rate is 24% because 4,545 students applied to Northwestern through the early decision process and 1,105 were accepted. Early action or early decision acceptance rates tend to be a bit higher than regular decisions acceptance rates.

Can I get into Northwestern with a 3.5 GPA?

The admissions process is holistic so having a good GPA isn't everything, but you have to remember that Northwestern's acceptance rate is around 10%. Unless other aspects of your application are truly incredible, it will be extremely difficult to get into Northwestern with a sub 3.5 GPA.

What does Northwestern consider first gen?

Recognizing that individuals can identify with the terms "first-generation" and "lower-income" in a variety of ways, a note about how Northwestern defines the phrases: First-generation college students represent the first generation in their families to graduate from a four-year college or university.