OVERVIEW

Northwestern University is a private research university with one of the largest university endowments in the United States. It is a founding member of the Big Ten Conference and also the only private one in the conference. It has over 8,000 undergraduates and more than 10,000 postgraduates. With approximately 3,108 full-time academic staffs, Northwestern University enjoys world reputation, which means it’s highly selective, with an acceptance rate of 23.1%.

Northwestern University was first established in 1851 by John Evans and eight other lawyers, businessmen and Methodist leaders. It was first created to serve the local people and its initial name was Northwest Territory. Located in Illinois, the university’s main campus is a 240-acre parcel in Evanston and its law and medical schools are located in Chicago. In 2008, Northwestern University opened a campus in Qatar for programs in journalism and communication.

Northwestern University offers degrees in bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate’s programs as well as combined-degree programs, like BA/BS in Engineering; Bachelors/Masters in WCAS and more. The average freshman retention rate is 97%, which is obviously a satisfying number, and averagely as many as 86% of the students in Northwestern University finished their four years’ study and managed to graduate with a degree.

The mission of Northwestern University is:

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

ACCREDITATION

Northwestern University received accreditation from North Central Association of Colleges and Schools and other schools within the university has also been accredited by relevant agencies.

ACADEMICS

Nowthwestern University has eleven schools in the United States and one in Qatar. The eleven schools in the U.S. are as follows:

• Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences
• School of Communication
• School of Continuing Studies
• School of Education and Social Policy
• McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science
• The Graduate School
• Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications
• School of Law
• Kellogg School of Management
• Feinberg School of Medicine
• Bienen School of Music

The university is ranked No.12 among all national universities by US News.

With the student-faculty ratio being 7:1 and as many as 75.0% of all classes having less than 20 students, Northwestern University has enough professors for students so that every one of them can be well instructed.

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Applicants for the university are required to provide either their SAT or ACT scores before January 15 and admission interview is neither required nor recommended. The early decision will be due on November 1 and the deadline of application will be January 1. The application fee is USD 65. Working and volunteering experiences usually give applicants extra advantages.

COSTS AND FINANCIAL AID

The tuitions and fees for year 2011-2012 is USD 41,983. The room and board fee is USD 12,780. Students averagely spend USD 1,797 on books and supplies.

Northwestern University offers scholarships, financial aids and part-time job opportunities for students to help them deal with their tuition and living expenses. There are four types of need-based scholarships/grants, which on average award undergraduates with USD 28,910 and that number for non-need-based Scholarships/Grants is USD 2,511. This university provides two types of loans, Federal Perkins loans and college/university loans from institutional funds. The average financial aid package for full-time freshmen is $34,148 and About 51% of the students get financial aid, all of their needs being fully met. Northwestern University also provides various part-time job opportunities to help students earn their tuitions.