Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois · Founded 1851

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Testing policy

Test-optional

Northwestern is test-optional and does not require the SAT or ACT from first-year or transfer applicants. Scores are considered when you send them, and the school superscores both tests - your best section scores are combined across test dates. Self-reported scores are accepted. The optional ACT science section is not required. Source: admissions.northwestern.edu (verified September 2026).

About

Northwestern admits undergraduates into one of six schools - Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, Communication, Education and Social Policy, McCormick Engineering, Medill Journalism and the Bienen School of Music - and then encourages them to reach across those lines: about three quarters of undergraduates end up combining more than one area of study, choosing from roughly 4,000 courses.

History

Nine founders bought a 379-acre tract on the shore of Lake Michigan 12 miles north of Chicago, and the Illinois legislature passed Northwestern's Act of Incorporation in 1851. The town that grew around it was named Evanston after one of them. The university now spans 12 schools and colleges on campuses in Evanston, Chicago and Doha.

What stands out

Six undergraduate schools, with one application and shared courses across them
A quarter calendar: three ten-week terms instead of two semesters
Medill, whose alumni have won more than 30 Pulitzer Prizes
Residential colleges of 40 to 250 students, each led by a faculty chair
A founding member of the Big Ten, on a lakefront campus 12 miles from Chicago

Popular majors

EconomicsComputer ScienceJournalismPsychologyPolitical ScienceMechanical EngineeringBiological SciencesCommunication StudiesIndustrial EngineeringTheatre

Campus life

Nearly every first-year student lives on campus, and residential colleges of 40 to 250 students - each led by a faculty chair, some built around a theme like international studies or engineering - give the place its shape. Northwestern was a founding member of the Big Ten and its teams still compete there, with a national title in field hockey and another in women's golf in 2025.