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Admissions & selectivity

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# Northwestern University Acceptance Rate & Admissions

Updated October 1, 2026

[Overview](/school/northwestern-university/)[Cost & aid](/school/northwestern-university/cost/)[Outcomes](/school/northwestern-university/outcomes/)Admissions[Majors](/school/northwestern-university/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/northwestern-university/similar/)

**On this page**+

## What is the acceptance rate at Northwestern?

Northwestern’s reported acceptance rate is 7.7%.

**Acceptance rate · Fall 2024**
7.7%

Source: College Scorecard · Fall 2024 admissions. Acceptance rates can change from year to year; this figure does not predict the current or next admission cycle.

First-year applicants and admitted students · CDS 2025-26

**Applicants**
52,648

**Admitted**
3,933

Source: Northwestern University Common Data Set 2025-26, C1 · first-time, first-year students.

How to interpret the acceptance rate

Northwestern University admitted 7.7% of applicants in the most recent cycle, a rate far below the median of 71.2% for comparable institutions (same type and size). In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported 52,648 applicants, 3,933 admitted students, and 2,139 enrolled first-year students.

## What SAT and ACT scores do enrolled Northwestern students report?

In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, Northwestern University reported that 48% of its entering class submitted SAT scores. The middle half of those SAT submitters scored from 1520 to 1560.

Among the 25% who submitted ACT scores, the middle half scored from 34 to 35. More of the entering class submitted SAT scores than ACT scores.

The ranges below describe enrolled students who submitted test scores at Northwestern. Use them as academic context, then check the university’s current testing policy for your application cycle.

**48% of entering students submitted SAT scores**

SAT: reported composite scores

**25th percentile**
1520

**Median**
1540

**75th percentile**
1560

CDS 2025-26 · enrolled first-year score submitters. This range is not an admission cutoff.

**25% of entering students submitted ACT scores**

ACT: reported composite scores

**25th percentile**
34

**Median**
35

**75th percentile**
35

CDS 2025-26 · enrolled first-year score submitters. This range is not an admission cutoff.

Source: Northwestern University Common Data Set 2025-26, C9 · Enrolled first-time, first-year score submitters.

## Who enrolls at Northwestern?

**Pell Grant recipients**
18.5%

**Entering students outside the first-time, full-time group**
11.6%

**First-year retention**
98.1%

Retention source: College Scorecard; full-time first-year retention.

About these student measures

The entering-student group includes part-time entrants as well as other attendance patterns.

Northwestern University enrolls 9,201 undergraduates. The student body includes an 18.6% Pell Grant share, and an estimated 11.6% arrive as transfers or part-time students.

In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported 52,648 first-year applicants, 3,933 admitted, and 2,139 enrolled. For transfer students, 4,562 applied, 498 were admitted, and 249 enrolled.

The composition shows a campus that draws from multiple entry points, not a single freshman pipeline.

For the first-time full-time cohort at Northwestern University, the [six-year graduation rate](/analysis/what-the-graduation-rate-doesnt-count/) is 95.1%, which is above the peer median of 68.8% for comparable institutions. First-year retention is 98.1%, also above the peer median of 83.4%.

Among Pell recipients in the cohort, the six-year completion rate is 89.1%, below the overall rate by 6.0 percentage points. Students who enroll can anticipate a university where first-year retention and six-year graduation rates for the entering class both exceed the medians for comparable institutions.

## Data & methodology

Sources and reporting periods: [methodology](/methodology/).

Analysis and methodology by [Daniel Rogers](/about/#founder), founder of College Azimuth.

Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.

Admission rates describe past applicants, not an individual’s chance of admission; confirm requirements and deadlines with the institution.

Figure notes link to sources and limitations. [About College Azimuth](/about/).