Illinois · Private nonprofit · Predominantly bachelor's

Northwestern

Evanston, Illinois. 8,960 undergraduate students. 330 programs in the federal Field-of-Study dataset.

ANOMALY ENGINE · NOTABLE SIGNALS

What the data flags at Northwestern

Short-arc shifts (recent 3-year window), peer outliers, earnings trend breaks, completion drops, enrollment cliffs, and debt-to-earnings warnings — surfaced deterministically from the federal record. Multi-decade shifts are reported separately in the Long Arc section, since 25-year tuition drift isn't really an anomaly.

LONG-ARC SHIFT · TRENDING WORSE+12%

In-state tuition

In-state tuition at Northwestern University rose 12% between 2021 and 2024 ($60.8k → $68.3k).

LONG-ARC SHIFT · TRENDING BETTER-100%

3-year cohort default rate

3-year cohort default rate at Northwestern University fell 100% between 2021 and 2024 (0.1% → 0.0%).

LONG-ARC SHIFT · TRENDING WORSE+12%

Out-of-state tuition

Out-of-state tuition at Northwestern University rose 12% between 2021 and 2024 ($60.8k → $68.3k).

PEER OUTLIER · TRENDING BETTER+52%

Private nonprofit bachelor's-predominant peer

10-year earnings at Northwestern University are 52% above the private nonprofit bachelor's-predominant peer median ($89.4k vs $58.7k).

SECTION 01 · OUTCOMES SNAPSHOT

The numbers, vs. Illinois

Each tile compares this institution to the Illinois median for the same metric. Sub-line shows the comparison value, not an interpretation. Sparklines trace the federally available history.

MEDIAN EARNINGS · 10Y
$89,363+16% · 6→10y
Illinois median $40,810
MEDIAN EARNINGS · 6Y
$76,844
Treasury earnings · 6y post-entry
COMPLETION · 150%
95.9%+5% · '97→'24
Illinois median 53.3%
MEDIAN FEDERAL DEBT
$14,000+37% · '97→'20
At program completion
UNDERGRAD ENROLLMENT
8,960+20% · '96→'24
latest IPEDS
RETENTION
97.4%+0% · '04→'24
first-time, full-time
ADMISSION RATE
7.1%-77% · '01→'24
latest cohort
IN-STATE TUITION
$65,997+177% · '00→'24
out-of-state $65,997
SECTION 02 · EARNINGS HORIZONS

How earnings spread, 4 to 10 years after entry

Treasury tax-record earnings for federally aided students who first enrolled at this institution. Each point is a horizon from the most-recent vintage. Single median per horizon (no p25/p75 publishing).

ALL FEDERALLY AIDED STUDENTS · TAX-RECORD EARNINGSVINTAGE 2025-05
Earnings widen with time post-entry. Selection: federal-aid recipients only — not all graduates.Methodology →
SECTION 03 · DEBT-TO-EARNINGS

What loans cost relative to earnings

Annual debt service as a share of median earnings 10 years after entry, computed under federal Direct loan terms (10-year fixed at 6%). The 8% line is the gainful-employment threshold from federal regulation; above 12% has historically been considered “failing” under prior rule cycles.

Institution-wide

2.1%
0%8% · GE20%+

Median federal debt $14,000 amortized over 10 years vs. median earnings $89,363 (10y after entry).

SECTION 04 · LONG ARC

Ten-plus year arc

Federally available history. Coverage varies by metric — IPEDS publishes some series only after 2009 and others only before.

UNDERGRAD · 199620249,201
9,2017,61919962024
Undergraduate enrollment.IPEDS EF
COMPLETION 150% · 1997202495.1%
97%90%19972024
150%-time completion rate.IPEDS GR
MEDIAN DEBT · 19972020$15,000
$18,000$10,50019972020
Median federal student debt at exit.SCORECARD
UNDERGRAD ENROLLMENT · 19962024+20%

Northwestern · undergrad enrollment rose

7,645 → 9,201

IN-STATE TUITION · 20002024+177%

Northwestern · in-state tuition rose

$24,648 → $68,322

OUT-OF-STATE TUITION · 20002024+177%

Northwestern · out-of-state tuition rose

$24,648 → $68,322

MEDIAN DEBT · 19972020+37%

Northwestern · median debt rose

$10,925 → $15,000

COHORT DEFAULT RATE · 20112024-90%

Northwestern · cohort default rate fell

1.8% → 0.0%

PELL SHARE · 20082024+104%

Northwestern · pell share rose

9.1% → 18.6%

EARNINGS_MEDIAN_10YR · 20072020+39%

Northwestern · earnings_median_10yr rose

$64,100 → $89,363

EARNINGS_MEDIAN_8YR · 20052020+51%

Northwestern · earnings_median_8yr rose

$55,400 → $83,487

EARNINGS_MEDIAN_6YR · 20032020+62%

Northwestern · earnings_median_6yr rose

$47,300 → $76,844

SECTION 05 · PROGRAMS

Ranked by 5-year earnings

Each row is one (CIP × credential) program reported by the institution in College Scorecard's Field-of-Study data. Cohort floor is 30 students; below this, federal data is suppressed.

Business/Commerce, General.CIP 5201 · First Professional Degree$318,445Medical Clinical Sciences/Graduate Medical Studies.CIP 5114 · Master's Degree$260,81432 gradsLaw.CIP 2201 · First Professional Degree$256,851296 gradsBusiness/Commerce, General.CIP 5201 · Master's Degree$235,876114 gradsEngineering, Other.CIP 1499 · Master's Degree$232,65293 gradsBusiness Administration, Management and Operations.CIP 5202 · Master's Degree$227,307465 gradsEngineering-Related Fields.CIP 1515 · Master's Degree$219,14532 gradsPublic Health.CIP 5122 · Master's Degree$183,59246 gradsLegal Research and Advanced Professional Studies.CIP 2202 · First Professional Degree$177,387Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods.CIP 5213 · Master's Degree$162,2471,785 gradsChemistry.CIP 4005 · Doctoral Degree$161,47343 gradsCommunity Organization and Advocacy.CIP 4402 · Master's Degree$158,81431 gradsComputer Science.CIP 1107 · Bachelor's Degree$156,137107 gradsScience Technologies/Technicians, Other.CIP 4199 · Master's Degree$143,06210 gradsInformation Science/Studies.CIP 1104 · Master's Degree$139,72540 gradsComputer Engineering.CIP 1409 · Bachelor's Degree$138,89716 gradsMedical Illustration and Informatics.CIP 5127 · Master's Degree$137,49125 gradsIndustrial Engineering.CIP 1435 · Bachelor's Degree$137,30672 gradsMedicine.CIP 5112 · First Professional Degree$132,646158 gradsBiomedical/Medical Engineering.CIP 1405 · Bachelor's Degree$129,91946 gradsAllied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions.CIP 5109 · Master's Degree$129,74335 gradsEconomics.CIP 4506 · Bachelor's Degree$125,639351 gradsCommunication, Journalism, and Related Programs, Other.CIP 0999 · Master's Degree$120,2920 gradsChemical Engineering.CIP 1407 · Bachelor's Degree$120,16029 grads
Showing top 24 of 58 ranked programs.330 TOTAL PROGRAMS
SECTION 06 · BY CIP FAMILY

58 programs with earnings, grouped

Programs are grouped by 2-digit CIP family. Programs without reported earnings are hidden to keep the list focused.

COMPUTER & INFORMATION SCIENCES · CIP 11

EDUCATION · CIP 13

ENGINEERING · CIP 14

ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGIES · CIP 15

LEGAL PROFESSIONS · CIP 22

ENGLISH LANGUAGE & LITERATURE · CIP 23

LIBERAL ARTS & GENERAL STUDIES · CIP 24

BIOLOGICAL & BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES · CIP 26

MATHEMATICS & STATISTICS · CIP 27

PARKS, RECREATION & FITNESS · CIP 31

PHYSICAL SCIENCES · CIP 40

SCIENCE TECHNOLOGIES · CIP 41

PSYCHOLOGY · CIP 42

PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION & SOCIAL SERVICES · CIP 44

SOCIAL SCIENCES · CIP 45

VISUAL & PERFORMING ARTS · CIP 50

HEALTH PROFESSIONS · CIP 51

BUSINESS, MANAGEMENT & MARKETING · CIP 52

HISTORY · CIP 54

COMMUNICATION & JOURNALISM · CIP 09

FINANCIAL OUTCOME · ILLUSTRATION

Estimate the financial outcome at Northwestern

Pick a program. Cost from Scorecard net price by family income; earnings from Treasury 5-year-post-completion median, projected forward with a Mincer age-earnings curve. The selection-bias toggle applies the Dale-Krueger shrinkage. Outcomes illustration, not a forecast — see methodology.

Shrinks the earnings premium toward the matched-applicant mean. STEM <15%, business ~40%, arts & education ~60%.

NET PRESENT VALUE
$2,030,423
Over 40 years, discounted 5.0%
BREAKEVEN
Year 6
First year cumulative discounted earnings cross zero
graduationbreakeven · year 6year 0year 39
Cost per year
$6,485
HS-only baseline · IL
$38,300
Years to complete
6
CIP family
52

Outcomes illustration · not a forecast. Projects observed Scorecard earnings forward with a Mincer age-earnings curve under your assumptions. See methodology for the math.

CAUSAL DISCIPLINE

Northwestern graduates earn $X” — not “Northwestern makes you earn $X”

Median earnings describe what cohorts earned. They do not describe what attending Northwestern caused. Selection effects (who admits, who enrolls, who completes) are real. We publish federal data with strict descriptive phrasing — and link the methodology where you can read about the limitations directly.

Methodology →