Undergraduate Students at Northwestern
Northwestern University, located in Evanston, Illinois, is often referred to as one of the most prestigious educational institutions in the Midwest. Northwestern is a member of the Big 10 athletic league, in addition to having highly esteemed, elite-level programs in both the academic and performing arts fields. Students at the university, especially the large number of undergraduates, have the chance to do well in both academics and sports, which is the best of both worlds. Learn more about the number of undergraduate students at Northwestern.
The fact that Northwestern is frequently ranked among the top 10 institutions in the country is reflected in the university’s highly competitive enrollment process. People often think that undergraduate students are taking a multidisciplinary approach to their studies, either by majoring in two different subjects or by taking extra minors.
Does Northwestern have undergraduates?
Does Northwestern have undergraduates? Northwestern has undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools, which are all indicated below:
- Kellogg School of Management
- Pritzker School of Law
- Feinberg School of Medicine
- Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences
- Bienen School of Music
- McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science
- Medill School of Journalism
- School of Communication
- School of Professional Studies
- School of Education and Social Policy
- The Graduate School
During the time that President Henry S. Bienen was in office, there was a significant increase in the number of undergraduate students at Northwestern, as well as a continued expansion of the facilities and faculty, and a renewed athletic competitiveness. This happened at a time when getting into college and university was getting harder and harder.
Both the Associated Student Government, which is made up of elected representatives of the undergraduate students, and the Graduate Student Association, which is made up of representatives of the university’s graduate students, give students a formal opportunity to participate in the administration of the university.
At Northwestern, there are a combined total of 21 fraternities and 18 sororities that have been granted recognition. The total percentage of the number of undergraduate students at Northwestern involved in a fraternity or a sorority is 20%.
The total number of undergraduate students at Northwestern
What is the number of undergraduate students at Northwestern? We will refer to the enrollment statistics published by the university last 2019. The total number of undergraduate students at Northwestern who were attending the institution and living on campus during that time is 8,327.
Undergraduate students come from all 50 states as well as more than 75 other nations throughout the world. 20% of the students in the class of 2024 were awarded Pell Grants, and 12.56% of those students were the first in their families to attend college. Also, out of all the colleges and universities in the United States, Northwestern has the twelfth most National Merit Scholars enrolled.
As previously mentioned, it is well recognized that Northwestern places a strong emphasis on multidisciplinary education, has a significant amount of research output, and has a student culture that encourages collaboration. In addition to different dual degree programs, the school has classes in more than a hundred different formal academic concentrations.
A foundation in the liberal arts and sciences is necessary for all majors; unique degree requirements are defined by the faculty of each school. Although there is no university-wide core curriculum, a foundation in the liberal arts and sciences is required for all majors. The total percentage of the number of undergraduate students at Northwestern combining two or more fields of study is 72%, demonstrating the university’s strong commitment to interdisciplinary education.
The academic year at Northwestern begins in late September and continues until early June. Both the undergraduate students and graduate students require full-time attendance and follow a quarter system that lasts around ten weeks. Reading periods are built into the standard academic schedule so that there is a gap of four days between the completion of each quarter’s classes and the start of the subsequent semester’s exams.
Undergraduate students normally enroll in four classes during each academic quarter, for a total of twelve classes over the academic year. Additionally, students must spend at least twelve academic quarters on campus to graduate.
Northwestern University offers honors, accelerated, and dual degree programs in the fields of medicine, science, mathematics, and engineering, as well as journalism. Both the comprehensive doctoral graduate program and the undergraduate programs cover a lot of the same ground.
The university has 124 programs offered to Northwestern undergraduate students, and 145 graduate and professional programs, and it is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission as well as the respective national professional organizations for chemistry, psychology, business, education, journalism, music, engineering, law, and medicine. In total, the university has 145 graduate and professional programs.
Northwestern University conferred 2,190 bachelor’s degrees, 3,272 master’s degrees, 565 doctoral degrees, and 444 professional degrees during the 2012–2013 academic year. Since 1951, Northwestern University has bestowed 520 honorary degrees upon deserving individuals.
What undergraduate major is Northwestern known for?
Students are often curious as to what undergraduate major is Northwestern known for. The following numbers show which school has the most undergraduate students and which majors and schools are the most popular at the university:
- Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences: 40.6%
- McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science: 21.3%
- School of Communication: 14.3%
- Medill School of Journalism: 11.7%
- Bienen School of Music: 5.7%
- School of Education and Social Policy: 6.4%
With this, economics, journalism, communication studies, psychology, and political science are the five areas of study that award the most bachelor’s degrees at the undergraduate level.
In addition, the three most popular professional degree programs are:
- Master of Business Administration program offered by the Kellogg School of Management
- Juris Doctor degree offered by the School of Law
- Medical Doctor degree offered by the Feinberg School of Medicine
The graduate programs with the highest number of students enrolled include chemistry, integrated biology, material sciences, electrical and computer engineering, neurology, and economics. There are a total of 2,446 students taking science, engineering, and health-related classes.
The Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University is frequently listed among the best journalism schools in the United States and has produced at least 40 Pulitzer Prize winners. Undergraduate journalism majors have the opportunity to do journalism residencies at over 120 media outlets in the United States.
These residencies prepare students for the fast-paced marketing and news broadcasting industries. Journalism majors have the option of pursuing an additional certificate in Integrated Marketing Communications. The certificate comprises a five-course sequence meant to increase students’ expertise in areas such as digital strategy, analytics reporting, and social media marketing. You can also consider being part of the Northwestern Medill Cherubs program if you’re an aspiring journalist.
The university’s researchers are responsible for the disclosure of hundreds of ideas and patent applications each year, which results in licensing revenue of multiple millions of dollars. One of Pfizer’s most recent patents says that the company has had success marketing pregabalin as a treatment for a number of conditions, such as epilepsy and fibromyalgia.
Students at Northwestern make use of a wide variety of learning opportunities that take place outside of the conventional classroom environment. Half of the total number of undergraduate students at Northwestern are being sent on abroad trips, and a significant number of students receive valuable work experience by interning in the broader Chicago area. As a result of these programs, 95 percent of the 2020 graduating class found work within a year of starting school.
Northwestern’s dynamic student body is one of the university’s strongest characteristics, if not its strongest point altogether. Not only in the classroom but also in the research setting and the community at large, Northwestern students are known for their high ambitions and a reasonable amount of healthy competition. The determined, pioneering students will fit in well at Northwestern.
How to choose an undergraduate major at Northwestern?
If you’ve been accepted to Northwestern and are ready to start your new life as a student there but aren’t sure which major to choose, don’t worry. In the United States, 75% of college students start out not knowing what they want to study or changing their major at least once during their time in college.
Therefore, if you haven’t decided what you want to major in yet, you have plenty of people to talk to about it. We at AdmissionSight prepared a step-by-step guideline on how to choose an undergraduate major at Northwestern so that you can gain some traction when it comes to deciding what your academic focus will be.
Determine your areas of interest and passion. Assessing your capabilities and areas of interest is the first thing you should do while trying to decide what to major in at Northwestern. Your career path should be focused on something that interests you, and then you can decide how your choice will fare in the job market after you have completed your education and entered the workforce.
Choosing a career path begins with determining what you are interested in and passionate about. After accomplishing this, you can begin determining your professional route. College students who are unsure of the field of study they wish to follow might also benefit immensely from this strategy. Therefore, the first step in selecting a major that is appropriate for you is to determine which subject areas are most essential to you. These fields of study can be good for you if, among other things, they match your interests, passions, living standards, and skills.
Choose a major that best suits your passions and goals. One of the most beneficial things you can do while striving to figure out what you should major in at Northwestern is to look at your interests and use those to influence your decision. This is one of the things you can do. It is quite natural to have the desire to work in a field that is related to the things that you are interested in, and achieving this objective should be one of your primary goals.
Choose a major that aligns with your interests and goals. What you are passionate about is similar to what you are interested in but entails a greater emotional investment. Your passions are not just significant areas of interest, but they also combine your values and abilities into something more idealistic; a union of the mind and the heart.
Recognize your capabilities. If you want to know what to study at Northwestern and choose a major that makes sense for you, it is essential to have a thorough grasp of your abilities and their limitations. In general, capabilities refer to what a person can do, as opposed to what they desire to accomplish, are interested in, or are passionate about.
Finding out what you are capable of learning and doing, i.e., where your talents and skills lie and where your deficiencies lie, is an excellent approach for narrowing down what to study when determining what major to pursue. This is because knowing where your strengths and skills lie can help you figure out where your flaws are.
Consider how well your college major will serve you in the future. Consider the major’s applicability in the future as another essential step in selecting a major. Technological unemployment, which occurs when certain occupations or entire industries become obsolete due to technological advancements, can have a direct impact on the relevance of your major once you enter the workforce. It is important to look at trends in both the types of college degrees that are available and the jobs that are available.
Ask for assistance from your advisors. Taking the time to meet with your college advisor can give you a wealth of information in addition to assistance in choosing the right degree program. These advisors will not only be able to aid you in developing a study plan that will lead you to your desired major, but they will also be able to shed light on how your chosen field of study might be applied after you have obtained your degree.
It is not necessary for college advisors to limit themselves merely to informing students of the degree requirements. They can walk you through the process of selecting classes that are compatible with your vision of what you want to accomplish with your major, above and beyond the bare requirements.
Assess the possible disadvantages. Even if you believe you’ve chosen the appropriate major, you must remember that each major can provide its own set of unique problems and barriers. To earn a degree in your chosen field of study, you may be required to complete a series of rigorous prerequisite courses.
Your major may span many fields of study, in which case you will be required to complete the prerequisites for more than one set of classes. Your major could potentially be very specialized, in which case it would be recognized by a smaller number of organizations once you graduate. Your primary course of action is to establish whether your major has any disadvantages, and then prepare yourself to deal with them if they arise.
Determine the professional potential of your undergraduate degree. It is just as important to guarantee that a bachelor’s degree is enough for the profession or career you choose to pursue as it is to complete an undergraduate program and get that degree. In many industries, a bachelor’s degree is the minimal level of education required to be qualified for a job. On the other hand, many professional jobs require a master’s degree, a professional certification, or a doctoral degree in addition to a bachelor’s degree in the field.
Find programs that offer internships. Internships are a great way to assess if you have a real interest in a specific field of work. You may be interested in a certain line of employment, but after gaining practical experience in that line of work through an internship, you may determine that it is not what you expected. Therefore, there are a variety of reasons why internships are advantageous: They can give you real-world, hands-on professional experience and help you rule out jobs that you may have been interested in but now know aren’t a good fit.
Consider the potential salary opportunities. When selecting a major, you should not base your selection solely on the prospective financial benefits of that major, although it is undoubtedly an important factor to consider. If you still have student loans to repay after graduation, it is of the utmost importance that you research the likely salaries of jobs relevant to your degree. If students know what kind of salary they can expect to make in the future, they can plan ahead for things like paying off student loans and the cost of going to graduate or professional school.
Supplement your major with a minor. Consider pursuing a minor in an area that is related to but distinct from your intended major when you are deciding on a concentration for your undergraduate degree. Specifically, you should seek a minor that is more pertinent to real-world scenarios in the workplace than the major you are considering. Adding a suitable minor to your major can help you develop your abilities in a variety of sectors if you wish to do so. This will equip you with a stronger basis to work in a variety of fields.
What is the Northwestern acceptance rate?
Determining what is the Northwestern acceptance rate is also essential to learn during the admission process. The competition for admission to Northwestern University, which has always been fierce, is only expected to become more intense in the years to come. The university’s acceptance rate of 6.8% is the lowest it has ever been, admitting only 3,239 students out of a total of 47,633 applicants for a spot in the class of 2025.
Through its early decision process, Northwestern received a total of 4,411 applications, of which it extended offers of admission to a total of 1,105 students. Northwestern’s early decision acceptance rate is about 25%, which is much higher than the school’s overall acceptance rate.
How to get into Northwestern as an undergraduate?
It is exceedingly difficult to gain admission to prominent colleges such as Northwestern that have incredibly low acceptance rates. Nevertheless, your chances of doing so might vary significantly based on the strength of your profile. Heed in mind the discussion below on how to get into Northwestern as an undergraduate.
The Northwestern admissions office seeks students who are interested in “a Northwestern direction” and broad education. Students at Northwestern can pursue a variety of minors and certificates, as well as a major from a separate institution. When evaluating applicants, Northwestern places a larger focus on the application essay, particularly the Common App essay, than other colleges.
Northwestern University considers it critical for each applicant to have a good course rigor, a higher class rank, and a high GPA. As aforementioned, its essay also plays a huge role in its admission requirements as well as the recommendation letters, talents and abilities of the students, and their overall character and personal qualities.
Northwestern also considers the standardized test scores, interview, first generation, legacy, racial/ethnic status, volunteer work, work experience, and the applicant’s interest in accepting incoming freshmen students.
When applying to Northwestern, you shouldn’t worry about things like your religion, where you live, or what state you live in. These things are not important to the university’s admissions process.
If you make the effort to demonstrate your capabilities, intelligence, talents, and determination during the application process, it may not be as difficult as you believe to attend the school of your dreams. We can provide you with tools, resources, and services to help you improve your admissions profile at AdmissionSight.If you want to build a reputation for yourself as an undergraduate at Northwestern, you will need to exert significant effort throughout the admissions process. We are here to help you succeed at every stage of the process. Schedule an appointment with our team of admissions specialists and witness our unparalleled guidance.