Northwestern University

Private
Cost: $49,779/year
Class Size: 1,981
Student to Faculty Ratio: 7 to 1

SAT Range: 1350-1520
ACT Range: 30-34
% of applicants admitted: 27%
Application deadline: Jan. 1
Early admission: Nov. 1

Northwestern University (NU) is a private university located primarily in Evanston, Illinois. Northwestern has twelve undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools and colleges offering 123 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees.

Northwestern was founded in 1851 by John Evans, for whom Evanston is named, and eight other Chicago businessmen to serve the people of what had once been known as the Northwest Territory. Instruction began in 1855; women were admitted in 1869. Today, the main campus is a 240-acre (97 ha) parcel in Evanston, along the shores of Lake Michigan. The university's law and medical schools are located on a 20-acre (8.1 ha) campus in Chicago's Streeterville neighborhood. In 2008, the Medill School of Journalism and School of Communication opened a campus in Education City, Doha, Qatar. In 2009, Northwestern enrolled 8,497 undergraduate and 7,880 graduate and professional students.

Northwestern is one of 61 institutions elected to the Association of American Universities and remains a research university with very high research activity. Northwestern's schools of management, engineering, and communication are among the most academically productive in the nation in their respective disciplines. Northwestern managed research and development budgets totaling $420 million in 2006, 34th among all universities and 13th among private universities in the United States.

Northwestern is a founding member of the Big Ten Conference and remains the only private university in the Conference. The Northwestern Wildcats compete in 19 intercollegiate sports in the NCAA's Division I.