{{Short description|University in Evanston, Illinois, US}} {{About|the private research university in Illinois, United States|4=other universities with similar names|5=Northwestern University (disambiguation)}} {{Use American English|date = August 2019}} {{Use mdy dates|date=August 2025}} {{Infobox university | name = Northwestern University | caption = | image_name = Northwestern University seal.svg | image_upright = .6 | motto = {{lang|la|Quaecumque sunt vera}} (Latin)<br/>'''On seal:''' {{lang|el|Ὁ Λόγος πλήρης χάριτος καὶ ἀληθείας}} (Greek) | motto_lang = | mottoeng = "Whatsoever things are true" (Philippians 4:8 AV)<br/>"The Word full of grace and truth" (John 1:14) | established = {{start date and age|January 28, 1851}} | type = Private research university | religious_affiliation = | academic_affiliations = {{hlist|AAU|COFHE|IAMSCU|NAICU|URA|Space-grant}} | endowment = $15.3 billion (2025)<ref name="Northwestern University">As of August 2025. {{cite report |url=https://www.northwestern.edu/financial-operations/annual-financial-reports/2025-financial-report.pdf |title=Northwestern University Annual Financial Report 2025 }}</ref> | budget = $3.3 billion (2024) (excluding the health system)<ref name="Wayback Machine">As of August 2024. {{cite report |url=https://www.northwestern.edu/investment/reports/an-investment-in-northwestern-fy24.pdf |title=Northwestern Investment Office Fiscal Year 2024 Report}}</ref> | president = Henry Bienen (interim) | provost = Kathleen Hagerty | students = 22,801 (fall 2023)<ref name=Enrollment>{{cite web |url=https://enrollment.northwestern.edu/pdf/common-data/2021-22.pdf |title=Northwestern University Common Data Set 2021–2022, Part B |publisher=Northwestern University |access-date=January 21, 2023 |archive-date=July 6, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220706194358/https://enrollment.northwestern.edu/pdf/common-data/2021-22.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> | faculty = 4,018 (fall 2021)<ref name=Faculty>{{cite web |url=https://www.adminplan.northwestern.edu/ir/data-book/v54/8.06-women-faculty-by-school.pdf |title=NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY TENURE-LINE and FULL-TIME FACULTY BY SCHOOL FALL 2021 |publisher=Northwestern University |access-date=January 21, 2023 |archive-date=January 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230121195450/https://www.adminplan.northwestern.edu/ir/data-book/v54/8.06-women-faculty-by-school.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> | undergrad = 8,846 (fall 2023)<ref name=Enrollment/> | postgrad = 13,955 (fall 2023)<ref name=Enrollment/> | other = | city = Evanston, Illinois | country = United States | coordinates = {{coord|42|03|21|N|87|40|29|W|region:US-IL_type:edu_dim:2000|display=inline,title}} | campus = Small city<ref>{{cite web|url=https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?q=Northwestern&s=all&id=147767|title=IPEDS-Northwestern University|access-date=November 7, 2021|archive-date=November 7, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211107131043/https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?q=Northwestern&s=all&id=147767|url-status=live}}</ref> | campus_size = {{cvt|240|acre}} | free_label = Other campuses | free = {{hlist|Chicago|Coral Gables|San Francisco|Washington, D.C.|Doha}} | sporting_affiliations = {{hlist|NCAA Division I FBS – Big Ten|CCFC}} | colors = Purple and white<ref>[https://www.northwestern.edu/brand/visual-identity/color-palettes/index.html Color: Brand Tools] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221226154208/https://www.northwestern.edu/brand/visual-identity/color-palettes/index.html |date=December 26, 2022 }} – website of Northwestern University</ref><br/> {{color box|#4E2A84}} {{color box|#FFFFFF}} | nickname = Wildcats | mascot = Willie the Wildcat | website = {{URL|https://www.northwestern.edu|northwestern.edu}} | logo = Northwestern University wordmark.svg | logo_upright = .9 | accreditation = HLC | free_label2 = Newspaper | free2 = ''The Daily Northwestern'' }}
'''Northwestern University''' ('''NU''') is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851, it is the oldest chartered university in Illinois. Northwestern was initially affiliated with the Methodist Episcopal Church but later became non-sectarian. By 1900, the university was the third-largest university in the United States, after Michigan and Harvard. Northwestern became a founding member of the Big Ten Conference in 1896 and joined the Association of American Universities in 1917.
Northwestern is composed of eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools in the fields of management, law, journalism, engineering, medicine, and others. As of 2024, the university had an endowment of $15.6 billion, an annual budget of around $3.3 billion,<ref>{{cite web|title=Research funding breaks through to $886 million|url=https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2020/09/research-funding/|access-date=September 8, 2019|website=Northwestern Now|archive-date=September 10, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200910190514/https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2020/09/research-funding/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=About Northwestern Research and the Office for Research|url=https://research.northwestern.edu/about-northwestern-research-and-office-research|access-date=March 21, 2019|work=About: Research News|publisher=Northwestern University|archive-date=October 21, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201021100950/https://www.research.northwestern.edu/about-northwestern-research-and-office-research/|url-status=dead}}</ref> and research funding of over $1 billion.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Research funding tops $1 billion for first time |url=https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2023/09/research-funding-tops-1-billion-for-first-time/ |access-date=October 29, 2023 |website=news.northwestern.edu |language=en |archive-date=October 29, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231029144105/https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2023/09/research-funding-tops-1-billion-for-first-time/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The university fields 19 intercollegiate athletic teams, the Northwestern Wildcats, which compete in the NCAA Division I in the Big Ten Conference.
As of September 2020, 37 Nobel Prize laureates and 2 Fields Medalists<ref>{{Cite web |title=Northwestern Nobels: Northwestern Magazine – Northwestern University |url=https://www.northwestern.edu/magazine/spring2017/feature/stoddart_sidebar/northwestern-nobels.html |access-date=April 9, 2025 |website=northwestern.edu |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240817054513/https://www.northwestern.edu/magazine/spring2017/feature/stoddart_sidebar/northwestern-nobels.html |archive-date=August 17, 2024 |url-status=live}}</ref> were affiliated with Northwestern as alumni or faculty. In addition, Northwestern has been associated with 47 Pulitzer Prize winners, 23 National Medal of Science winners, 11 National Humanities Medal recipients, 23 MacArthur Fellows, 20 Rhodes Scholars,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Winning Institutions Search {{!}} The Rhodes Scholarships|url=https://www.rhodeshouse.ox.ac.uk/office-of-the-american-secretary/us-winners/winning-institution-search/|access-date=December 11, 2021|website=rhodeshouse.ox.ac.uk|language=en|archive-date=September 16, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200916200956/https://www.rhodeshouse.ox.ac.uk/office-of-the-american-secretary/us-winners/winning-institution-search/|url-status=live}}</ref> and 28 Marshall Scholars. Northwestern alumni also include 10 living billionaires,<ref>{{Cite web|last=Thibault|first=Marie|title=In Pictures: Billionaire University|url=https://www.forbes.com/2009/08/02/billionaire-study-harvard-stanford-business-billionaires-colleges-09-wealth_slide.html|access-date=December 11, 2021|website=Forbes|language=en|archive-date=August 8, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090808121349/https://www.forbes.com/2009/08/02/billionaire-study-harvard-stanford-business-billionaires-colleges-09-wealth_slide.html|url-status=live}}</ref> 2 U.S. Supreme Court justices,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Arthur J. Goldberg |url=https://www.oyez.org/justices/arthur_j_goldberg |access-date=August 13, 2023 |website=Oyez |language=en |archive-date=August 13, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230813005535/https://www.oyez.org/justices/arthur_j_goldberg |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=John Paul Stevens |url=https://www.oyez.org/justices/john_paul_stevens |access-date=August 13, 2023 |website=Oyez |language=en |archive-date=August 13, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230813005537/https://www.oyez.org/justices/john_paul_stevens |url-status=live }}</ref> and 25 Olympic medalists.
==History== {{Main|History of Northwestern University}}
=== Founding and early years === [[File:Traditional Northwestern University Hall, June 1977 (2984002823).jpg|thumb|left|upright|University Hall (1869), the oldest building still standing on campus]] The foundation of Northwestern University can be traced to a meeting on May 31, 1850, of nine prominent Chicago businessmen, Methodist leaders, and attorneys who had formed the idea of establishing a university to serve what had been known from 1787 to 1803 as the Northwest Territory. On January 28, 1851, the Illinois General Assembly granted a charter to the ''Trustees of the North-Western University'', making it the first chartered university in Illinois.<ref>{{Harvnb|Williamson|Wild|1976|pp= 5–6}}</ref><ref name="Charter">{{cite web |title= The Northwestern University Charter and Amendments |url= http://www.library.northwestern.edu/archives/nu_charter.pdf |access-date= August 5, 2007 |publisher= Northwestern University |archive-date= July 4, 2008 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080704140522/http://www.library.northwestern.edu/archives/nu_charter.pdf |url-status= live }}</ref> The school's nine founders, all of whom were Methodists (three of them ministers), knelt in prayer and worship before launching their first organizational meeting.<ref name="Northwestern">{{cite web |url= http://www.northwestern.edu/magazine/northwestern/summer2002/features/coverstory/index.htm |title= Keeping the Faith |publisher= Northwestern |quote= Northwestern's own religious identity stretches back to its genesis. The University began with a prayer — the school's nine founders (all of them Methodists, three of them ministers) knelt in worship before launching their first organizational meeting. During that meeting, they agreed to establish a university under the patronage of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Throughout most of its history, Northwestern kept a strong Methodist tie. Regional church conferences chose a member of the board of trustees, and until 1890 every University president was an ordained Methodist minister. |access-date= July 20, 2007 |archive-date= July 10, 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200710032039/https://www.northwestern.edu/magazine/northwestern/summer2002/features/coverstory/index.htm |url-status= live }}</ref> Although they affiliated the university with the Methodist Episcopal Church, they favored a non-sectarian admissions policy, believing that Northwestern should serve all people in the newly developing territory by bettering the economy in Evanston.<ref name="Planning a university">{{cite web |url= http://www.nu150.northwestern.edu/news/stories/10_21_00_founders.html |title= Planning a university to serve the Northwest Territory |quote= Although the founders were strong Methodists — three of them were Methodist ministers and before the meeting all those in attendance joined in prayer — they also firmly believed that Northwestern should be an institution that would serve all people. At that time in history, particularly in the Midwest, many religious denominations founded colleges aimed at educating only members of their religion. |access-date= August 15, 2013 |publisher= Northwestern University |archive-date= October 27, 2018 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20181027101305/https://www.nu150.northwestern.edu/news/stories/10_21_00_founders.html |url-status= dead }}</ref>
John Evans, for whom Evanston is named, bought {{cvt|379|acre}} of land along Lake Michigan in 1853, and Philo Judson developed plans for what would become the city of Evanston, Illinois. The first building, Old College, opened on November 5, 1855.<ref>{{Harvnb|Williamson|Wild|1976|pp= 10–11}}</ref> To raise funds for its construction, Northwestern sold $100 "perpetual scholarships" entitling the purchaser and his heirs to free tuition.<ref>{{Harvnb|Williamson|Wild|1976|pp= 6}}</ref><ref name="Perpetual scholarships">{{cite web |url= http://www.northwestern.edu/features/historic_moments/11_5_00_scholarship.html |title= Perpetual Scholarships provided early university funding |access-date= August 5, 2007 |publisher= Northwestern University |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070803194448/http://www.northwestern.edu/features/historic_moments/11_5_00_scholarship.html |archive-date= August 3, 2007 |url-status= dead |df= mdy-all }}</ref> Another building, University Hall, was built in 1869 of the same Joliet limestone as the Chicago Water Tower, also built in 1869, one of the few buildings in the heart of Chicago to survive the Great Chicago Fire of 1871.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://media.www.dailynorthwestern.com/media/storage/paper853/news/2002/10/28/Campus/Eclectic.By.Design-1902783.shtml |title= Eclectic by Design |newspaper= The Daily Northwestern |date= October 28, 2002 |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070929092609/http://media.www.dailynorthwestern.com/media/storage/paper853/news/2002/10/28/Campus/Eclectic.By.Design-1902783.shtml |archive-date= September 29, 2007 |df= mdy-all }}</ref>
In 1873 Evanston College for Ladies merged with Northwestern. Frances Willard, who later gained fame as a suffragette and as one of the founders of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union, became the school's first dean of women (Willard Residential College, built in 1938, honors her name). Northwestern admitted its first female students in 1869, and the first woman graduated in 1874.<ref>{{Harvnb|Williamson|Wild|1976|pp=23–28}}</ref> Northwestern fielded its first intercollegiate football team in 1882, later becoming a founding member of the Big Ten Conference. In the 1870s and 1880s, Northwestern affiliated itself with already existing schools of law, medicine, and dentistry in Chicago. As the university's enrollments grew, these professional schools were integrated with the undergraduate college in Evanston. The result was a modern research university combining professional, graduate, and undergraduate programs, which gave equal weight to teaching and research.<ref>{{Harvnb|Williamson|Wild|1976|pp= 83–84, 110}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title= Northwestern Undergraduate Catalog 2005–07 |volume= XXVIII |edition= 3 |year= 2005}}</ref>
=== 20th century === thumb|upright=1.4|A postcard of Northwestern University from 1907 By the turn of the century, Northwestern had grown in stature to become the third-largest university in the United States after Harvard University and the University of Michigan.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The First 150 Years|url=https://www.northwestern.edu/magazine/northwestern/spring2001/first150_long_feature.htm|access-date=January 6, 2021|website=northwestern.edu|archive-date=October 10, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211010020717/https://www.northwestern.edu/magazine/northwestern/spring2001/first150_long_feature.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> Under Walter Dill Scott's presidency from 1920 to 1939, Northwestern began construction of an integrated campus in Chicago designed by James Gamble Rogers, noted for his Collegiate Gothic architecture, to house the professional schools. In addition, James Gamble Rogers designed a library in accordance with the gothic architectural style on the Evanston campus in order to make use of the $1 million donated to the school after the death of Charles Deering. This library is named in memory of him and its design was inspired by Cambridge University's King's College Chapel. The university also established the Kellogg School of Management and built several prominent buildings on the Evanston campus, including Dyche Stadium, now named Ryan Field, among others. In the 1920s, Northwestern became one of the first six universities in the United States to establish a Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC). In 1939, Northwestern hosted the first-ever NCAA Division I men's basketball championship game in the original Patten Gymnasium, which was later demolished and relocated farther north, along with the Dearborn Observatory, to make room for the Technological Institute.{{citation needed|date=June 2024}} [[File:Northwestern Murad. LCCN2018646104.jpg|thumb|left|A chromolithograph of the school's basketball team, 1910]] After the golden years of the 1920s, the Great Depression in the United States (1929–1941) had a severe impact on the university's finances. Its annual income dropped 25 percent from $4.8 million in 1930–31 to $3.6 million in 1933–34. Investment income shrank, fewer people could pay full tuition, and annual giving from alumni and philanthropists fell from $870,000 in 1932 to a low of $331,000 in 1935. The university responded with two salary cuts of 10 percent each for all employees. It imposed hiring and building freezes and slashed appropriations for maintenance, books, and research. Having had a balanced budget in 1930–31, the university now faced deficits of roughly $100,000 for the next four years. Enrollments fell in most schools, with law and music suffering the biggest declines. However, the movement toward state certification of school teachers prompted Northwestern to start a new graduate program in education, thereby bringing in new students and much-needed income. In June 1933, Robert Maynard Hutchins, president of the University of Chicago, proposed a merger of the two universities, estimating annual savings of $1.7 million. The two presidents were enthusiastic, and the faculty liked the idea; many Northwestern alumni, however, opposed it, fearing the loss of their alma mater and its many traditions that distinguished Northwestern from Chicago. The medical school, for example, was oriented toward training practitioners, and alumni feared it would lose its mission if it were merged into the more research-oriented University of Chicago Medical School.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Barnes|first=Sarah|date=August 1999|title=A Lost Opportunity in American Education? The Proposal to Merge the University of Chicago and Northwestern University|url=|journal=American Journal of Education |publisher=University of Chicago Press|volume=107|issue=4|pages=289–320|doi=10.1086/444224|s2cid=144002429}}</ref> The merger plan was ultimately dropped. In 1935, the Deering family rescued the university budget with an unrestricted gift of $6 million, bringing the budget up to $5.4 million in 1938–39. This allowed many of the previous spending cuts to be restored, including half of the salary reductions.<ref>Harold F. Williamson and Payson S. Wild, ''Northwestern University: A History, 1850–1975'' (1976) pp 180–95.</ref> [[File:NU Midshipmens School.jpg|thumb|right|Northwestern's midshipmen school during World War II]] Like other American universities, Northwestern was transformed by World War II (1939–1945). Regular enrollment fell dramatically, but the school opened high-intensity, short-term programs that trained over 50,000 military personnel, including future president John F. Kennedy. Northwestern's existing NROTC program proved to be a boon to the university as it trained over 36,000 sailors over the course of the war, which led Northwestern to be called the "Annapolis of the Midwest."<ref>{{Cite web|last=Quinn|first=Patrick|date=Winter 1993|title=Wartime on Campus|url=http://www.library.northwestern.edu/archives/wwII_at_nu.pdf|access-date=|website=|publisher=Northwestern Perspective|archive-date=May 9, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080509094139/http://www.library.northwestern.edu/archives/wwII_at_nu.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> Franklyn B. Snyder led the university from 1939 to 1949, and after the war, surging enrollments under the G.I. Bill drove the dramatic expansion of both campuses. In 1948, prominent anthropologist Melville J. Herskovits founded the Program of African Studies at Northwestern, the first center of its kind at an American academic institution.<ref>{{cite news |title= Pioneering Scholar in African Studies Finally Gets His Due |url= https://www.chicagotribune.com/1995/10/28/pioneering-scholar-in-african-studies-finally-gets-his-due/ |newspaper= Chicago Tribune |date= October 28, 1995 |last= Secter |first= Bob |access-date= May 22, 2015 |archive-date= June 3, 2015 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150603153834/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1995-10-28/news/9510280065_1_african-cultural-heritage-black-experience-black-scholars |url-status= live }}</ref>
J. Roscoe Miller's tenure as president from 1949 to 1970 saw an expansion of the Evanston campus, with the construction of the Lakefill on Lake Michigan, growth of the faculty and new academic programs, and polarizing Vietnam-era student protests. In 1978, the first and second Unabomber attacks occurred at Northwestern University.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.nytimes.com/1995/08/02/us/pattern-emerges-in-bomber-s-tract.html?sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all |title= Pattern Emerges in Bomber's Tract |first= Martin |last= Gottlieb |date= August 2, 1995 |newspaper= The New York Times |access-date= May 22, 2015 |archive-date= January 14, 2015 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150114213022/http://www.nytimes.com/1995/08/02/us/pattern-emerges-in-bomber-s-tract.html?sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all |url-status= live }}</ref> Relations between Evanston and Northwestern became strained throughout much of the post-war era because of episodes of disruptive student activism,<ref>{{cite news |title= N.U. Ignores Evanston Bill for Riot Expense Payment |url= http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1972/11/05/page/212/article/n-u-ignores-evanston-bill-for-riot-expense-payment |newspaper= Chicago Tribune |date= November 5, 1972 |first= Lucille |last= Younger |access-date= May 22, 2015 |archive-date= October 17, 2015 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20151017001259/http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1972/11/05/page/212/article/n-u-ignores-evanston-bill-for-riot-expense-payment/ |url-status= live }}</ref> disputes over municipal zoning, building codes, and law enforcement,<ref>{{cite news |title= Future Expansion of N.U. to Bring Zoning Problems |newspaper= Chicago Daily Tribune |date= November 23, 1952 |first= Charles |last= Schwanitz}}</ref> as well as restrictions on the sale of alcohol near campus until 1972.<ref>{{cite news |title= When others see purple: NU's public offerings an antidote to tension |url= https://www.chicagotribune.com/2001/05/06/when-others-see-purple/ |newspaper= Chicago Tribune |first= Christine |last= Tatum |date= May 6, 2001 |access-date= May 22, 2015 |archive-date= September 6, 2015 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150906103620/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2001-05-06/news/0105060485_1_nu-public-offerings-evanston-residents |url-status= live }}</ref><ref name="Dry campus">{{cite web |url= http://www.northwestern.edu/features/historic_moments/11_12_00_alcohol.html |title= Dry for more than a century |publisher= Northwestern University |access-date= August 6, 2007 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070608053355/http://www.northwestern.edu/features/historic_moments/11_12_00_alcohol.html |archive-date= June 8, 2007 |url-status= dead |df= mdy-all }}</ref> Northwestern's exemption from state and municipal property-tax obligations under its original charter has historically been a source of town-and-gown tension.{{citation needed|date=June 2024}}
Although government support for universities declined in the 1970s and 1980s, President Arnold R. Weber was able to stabilize university finances, which led to a revitalization of its campuses. In 1996, Diana, Princess of Wales visited Northwestern's Evanston and Chicago campuses to raise money for the university hospital's Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center at the invitation of then-President Henry Bienen. Her visit raised a total of $1.5 million for cancer research.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Thayer|first=Kate|title=20 years ago this weekend, Princess Diana wowed Chicago in Northwestern purple|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/history/ct-princess-diana-chicago-visit-20-years-met-20160603-story.html|access-date=December 22, 2020|website=chicagotribune.com|date=June 3, 2016 |archive-date=November 8, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108115714/https://www.chicagotribune.com/history/ct-princess-diana-chicago-visit-20-years-met-20160603-story.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Princess Diana's visit to Northwestern remembered on eve of royal wedding|url=https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2018/may/princess-dianas-visit-to-northwestern-remembered-on-eve-of-royal-wedding/|access-date=December 22, 2020|website=news.northwestern.edu|language=en-US|archive-date=December 17, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201217015234/https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2018/may/princess-dianas-visit-to-northwestern-remembered-on-eve-of-royal-wedding|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Then: The People's Princess: Northwestern Magazine – Northwestern University|url=http://www.northwestern.edu/magazine/summer2016/campuslife/then-the-peoples-princess-diana-chicago-visit-1996|access-date=December 22, 2020|website=northwestern.edu}}{{Dead link|date=June 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
=== 21st century === thumb|upright=1.2|The Kellogg Global Hub was constructed in 2017. As admissions to colleges and universities grew increasingly competitive in the 1990s and 2000s, President Bienen's tenure saw an increase in the number and quality of undergraduate applicants, continued expansion of the facilities and faculty, and renewed athletic competitiveness.
In the 2010s, a five-year capital campaign resulted in a new music center, a replacement building for the business school, and a $270 million athletic complex.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Northwestern wins eight building design awards from local non-profit |url=https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2017/november/northwestern-wins-eight-building-design-awards-from-local-non-profit/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180809215358/https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2017/november/northwestern-wins-eight-building-design-awards-from-local-non-profit/ |archive-date=August 9, 2018 |access-date=August 9, 2018 |website=news.northwestern.edu |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Rhodes |first=Dawn |date=July 9, 2018 |title=NU sports complex opens as student center stalls; some projects hinge on donor enthusiasm |url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-met-university-fundraising-donors-20180731-story.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180809111631/http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-met-university-fundraising-donors-20180731-story.html |archive-date=August 9, 2018 |access-date=August 9, 2018 |website=Chicago Tribune |language=en-US}}</ref> In 2014, President Barack Obama delivered a seminal economics speech at the Evanston campus.<ref>{{Cite web |date=October 2, 2014 |title=Remarks by the President on the Economy – Northwestern University |url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2014/10/02/remarks-president-economy-northwestern-university |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210109213658/https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2014/10/02/remarks-president-economy-northwestern-university |archive-date=January 9, 2021 |access-date=January 6, 2021 |website=White House |language=en}}</ref> In 2015, Queen Máxima and King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands visited Northwestern to announce research collaborations between Northwestern and several Dutch institutions focused on the study of aging.<ref>{{Cite web |date=June 4, 2015 |title=Feinberg Welcomes Dutch King and Queen to Campus |url=https://news.feinberg.northwestern.edu/2015/06/feinberg-welcomes-dutch-king-and-queen-to-campus/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211031040903/https://news.feinberg.northwestern.edu/2015/06/feinberg-welcomes-dutch-king-and-queen-to-campus/ |archive-date=October 31, 2021 |access-date=October 31, 2021 |website=Feinberg School of Medicine |language=en-US |department=News Center}}</ref> In 2021, an additional $480 million, the largest donation in the university's history, was donated to Northwestern by the Ryan Family to be applied to research at the Kellogg School of Management and Feinberg School of Medicine, as well as for renovating Ryan Field.<ref>{{Cite web |date=September 22, 2021 |title=Billionaire Couple Breaks Record With $480 Million Donation To Northwestern University |url=https://patch.com/illinois/evanston/billionaire-couple-breaks-northwestern-record-480m-donation |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211211222320/https://patch.com/illinois/evanston/billionaire-couple-breaks-northwestern-record-480m-donation |archive-date=December 11, 2021 |access-date=December 11, 2021 |website=Evanston, IL Patch |language=en}}</ref> In a partnership with Oakton College and the Illinois Department of Corrections in 2023, Northwestern became the first top-ranked university in the United States to award bachelor's degrees to a graduating class of prisoners.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Cox |first=Eric |date=November 15, 2023 |title=For the first time, US prisoners graduate from top university |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/us/first-time-us-prisoners-graduate-top-university-2023-11-16/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231205045441/https://www.reuters.com/world/us/first-time-us-prisoners-graduate-top-university-2023-11-16/ |archive-date=December 5, 2023 |access-date=February 10, 2024 |work=Reuters}}</ref>
In April 2024, Northwestern University students joined other campuses across the United States in protests against the Gaza war.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Funk |first=Isabel |date=April 26, 2024 |title=Northwestern students set up pro-Palestinian encampment, joining protesters nationwide |url=https://chicago.suntimes.com/israel-hamas-war/2024/04/25/northwestern-students-set-up-palestine-solidarity-camp-on-campus |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240425144651/https://chicago.suntimes.com/israel-hamas-war/2024/04/25/northwestern-students-set-up-palestine-solidarity-camp-on-campus |archive-date=April 25, 2024 |access-date=September 12, 2024 |website=Chicago Sun-Times |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Smith |first=Bill |last2=Hirsh |first2=Jeff |date=April 25, 2024 |title=Students set up Gaza 'encampment' at NU |url=https://evanstonnow.com/students-set-up-gaza-encampment-at-nu/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240912143055/https://evanstonnow.com/students-set-up-gaza-encampment-at-nu/ |archive-date=September 12, 2024 |access-date=September 12, 2024 |website=Evanston Now |language=en-US}}</ref> The student protestors demanded divestment from companies with ties to Israel and that the administration protect freedom of speech, civil rights and be transparent with their investments moving forward.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Cox |first1=Jake |last2=Preziosi |first2=Lucia |date=April 28, 2024 |title=Northwestern students set up camp for Gaza |url=https://depauliaonline.com/69934/news/time-was-of-the-essence-northwestern-students-set-up-camp-for-peace-in-gaza-2/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240912142125/https://depauliaonline.com/69934/news/time-was-of-the-essence-northwestern-students-set-up-camp-for-peace-in-gaza-2/ |archive-date=September 12, 2024 |access-date=September 12, 2024 |website=The DePaulia}}</ref> The university administration came to an agreement with the protestors, now known as the Deering Meadow agreement, which permitted peaceful demonstrations, gave students representation on an investment committee and pledged to bring Palestinian students to campus.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Treisman |first=Rachel |date=May 7, 2024 |title=What we can learn from 4 schools that have reached agreements with Gaza protesters |url=https://www.npr.org/2024/05/07/1249368151/gaza-college-protest-deal-brown-rutgers |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240911112319/https://www.npr.org/2024/05/07/1249368151/gaza-college-protest-deal-brown-rutgers |archive-date=September 11, 2024 |access-date=September 12, 2024 |work=NPR}}</ref> In February 2025, Leo Terrell, the head of the Trump administration's Task Force to Combat Antisemitism, announced that he would investigate Northwestern University as part of the Department of Justice's broader investigation into antisemitism on college campuses.<ref>{{cite news |last=Ewing |first=Giselle Ruhiyyih |date=May 23, 2025 |title=Meet the former Democrat leading Trump's charge against 10 universities |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2025/05/23/leo-terrell-trump-universities-harvard-00368352 |work=Politico}}</ref>
On November 29, 2025, Northwestern University announced that it had reached an agreement with the Trump administration to restore hundreds of millions of dollars in federal research funding that had been frozen amid investigations into alleged antisemitism and civil rights violations. Under the deal, the university will pay the federal government $75 million over three years and implement changes to student conduct policies, and federal investigations into the school will be ended; the university stated that the settlement does not constitute an admission of wrongdoing.<ref>{{Cite web |date=November 29, 2025 |title=Northwestern University reaches deal with Trump admin. to restore federal funding, officials say |url=https://abc7chicago.com/post/northwestern-university-federal-funding-restored-school-reaches-deal-trump-administration-officials-say/18223694/ |access-date=2026-04-15 |website=ABC7 Chicago |language=en}}</ref>
Northwestern University also agreed to several political demands by the Trump administration, including to implement certain anti-transgender policies.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Quilantan |first=Bianca |last2=Gonzalez |first2=Gloria |date=2025-11-28 |title=Northwestern reaches $75M deal with Trump administration to get federal funding reinstated |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2025/11/28/northwestern-deal-trump-administration-federal-funding-00564286 |access-date=2025-11-29 |website=Politico |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Orellana Hernandez |first=Angie |date=December 1, 2025 |title=Northwestern to pay $75 million to end Trump administration probes |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2025/11/29/northwestern-agreement-trump-funding-freeze-ends/ |access-date=29 November 2025 |work=The Washington Post}}</ref> According to Northwestern experts cited in an article on the university's website in January of the same year, the Trump administration's anti-transgender policies are based on misinformation, are 'patriarchal and transphobic, lack legal standing, and exacerbate violence and discrimination against the trans community.<ref name="NorthwesternNews">{{cite news |title=Three takeaways from new executive order on ‘gender ideology’ |url=https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2025/01/trans-people-face-violence-due-to-gender-executive-order |access-date=29 November 2025 |work=Northwestern University}}</ref> The university also agreed to terminate the 2024 Deering Meadow agreement they had previously negotiated with pro- Palestinian student activists.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Huang |first=Yong-Yu |last2=Ogburn |first2=Lily |last3=Kanieski Koso |first3=Nineth |date=2025-11-29 |title=Northwestern strikes $75 million funding deal with Trump admin |url=https://dailynorthwestern.com/2025/11/28/campus/northwestern-strikes-deal-with-trump-administration-to-restore-federal-funding/ |access-date=2026-04-07 |website=The Daily Northwestern}}</ref>
On May 18, 2026, Mung Chiang was named as the new president, and will assume the role in June 2026.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mung Chiang named next president of Northwestern |url=https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2026/05/mung-chiang-named-next-president-of-northwestern |access-date=2026-05-19 |website=news.northwestern.edu |language=en}}</ref>
==Campuses== {{See also|List of Northwestern University buildings|Campus of Northwestern University}}
===Evanston=== {{multiple image | align = right | total_width = 600 | image1 = Northwestern University Aerial.jpg | image2 = Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary.jpg | footer = Aerial photograph of Northwestern University from Lake Michigan (left) and the Garrett–Evangelical Theological Seminary (right) on campus }} Northwestern's main campus is on the shore of Lake Michigan in the Chicago metropolitan area. The campus spans an area of 240 acres and is characterized by its blend of modern and historic gothic architecture.{{citation needed|date=June 2024}}
Northwestern's Evanston campus, where the undergraduate schools, the Graduate School, and the Kellogg School of Management are located, runs north–south from Lincoln Avenue to Clark Street west of Lake Michigan along Sheridan Road. North Campus is home to the fraternity quads, athletics facilities including the Henry Crown Sports Pavilion and Norris Aquatics Center, the Technological Institute, Dearborn Observatory, the Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Hall for Nanofabrication and Molecular Self-Assembly, and the Ford Motor Company Engineering Design Center among others. South Campus is home to the university's humanities buildings, music buildings like the Pick-Staiger Concert Hall, the Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art, and the sorority quads. In the 1960s, the university created an additional {{cvt|84|acre|0}} for the campus by filling in a portion of Lake Michigan. Buildings located on the resulting Lakefill include University Library, the Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Center for the Musical Arts, the Regenstein Hall of Music, Norris University Center (the student union), the Kellogg School of Management Global Hub, and various athletics facilities.{{citation needed|date=June 2024}}
The Chicago Transit Authority's elevated train running through Evanston is called the Purple Line, taking its name from Northwestern's school color. The Foster and Davis stations are within walking distance of the southern end of the campus, while the Noyes station is close to the northern end of the campus. The Central station is close to Ryan Field, Northwestern's football stadium. The Evanston Davis Street station serves the Northwestern campus in downtown Evanston and the Evanston Central Street station is near Ryan Field. Pace Suburban Bus Service and the CTA have several bus routes that run through or near the Evanston campus.
===Chicago=== [[File:Ward Building 060527.jpg|thumb|left|The Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago]] Northwestern's Chicago campus is located in the city's Streeterville neighborhood near Lake Michigan. The Chicago campus is home to the nationally ranked Northwestern Memorial Hospital, the medical school, the law school, the part-time MBA program, and the School of Professional Studies. Medill's one-year graduate program rents a floor on Wacker Drive, across the river from Streeterville and separate from the rest of the campus. Northwestern's professional schools and a number of its affiliated hospitals are located approximately four blocks east of the Chicago station on the CTA Red Line. The Chicago campus is also served by CTA bus routes.{{citation needed|date=June 2024}}
Founded or affiliated at varying points in the university's history, the professional schools originally were scattered throughout Chicago.<ref name="Chicago Campus">{{cite web |url=http://www.library.northwestern.edu/archives/exhibits/architecture/building.php?bid=7 |title=Northwestern Architecture, Chicago Campus |publisher=Northwestern University Archives |access-date=July 11, 2008 |archive-date=September 2, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060902104018/http://www.library.northwestern.edu/archives/exhibits/architecture/building.php?bid=7 |url-status=live }}</ref> In connection with a 1917 master plan for a central Chicago campus and President Walter Dill Scott's capital campaign, {{cvt|8.5|acre|2}} of land were purchased at the corner of Chicago Avenue and Lake Shore Drive for $1.5 million in 1920.<ref name="Chicago Campus" /><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,758505,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110917143528/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,758505,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 17, 2011 |title=Refund |access-date=July 11, 2008 |date=November 29, 1937 |magazine=Time | location = New York }}</ref> Architect James Gamble Rogers was commissioned to create a master plan for the principal buildings on the new campus, which he designed in collegiate gothic style. In 1923, Mrs. Montgomery Ward donated $8 million to the campaign to finance the construction of the Montgomery Ward Memorial Building, which would house the medical and dental schools, and create endowments for faculty chairs, research grants, scholarships, and building maintenance.<ref name="Montgomery Ward">{{cite web |url=http://www.library.northwestern.edu/archives/exhibits/architecture/building.php?bid=13 |title=Northwestern Architecture, Montgomery Ward |access-date=July 11, 2008 |publisher=Northwestern University Archives |archive-date=September 2, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060902094048/http://www.library.northwestern.edu/archives/exhibits/architecture/building.php?bid=13 |url-status=live }}</ref> The building would become the first university skyscraper in the United States.<ref name="WardBuilding">{{cite journal |date=Fall 2012 |title=Montgomery Ward Memorial Building |url=https://www.northwestern.edu/magazine/fall2012/feature/whats-in-a-name-sidebar/montgomery-ward-memorial-building.html |url-status=live |journal=Northwestern |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181107010532/https://www.northwestern.edu/magazine/fall2012/feature/whats-in-a-name-sidebar/montgomery-ward-memorial-building.html |archive-date=November 7, 2018 |access-date=November 7, 2018}}</ref> In addition to the Ward Building, Rogers designed Wieboldt Hall to house facilities for the School of Commerce<ref name="Wieboldt">{{cite web |url=http://www.library.northwestern.edu/archives/exhibits/architecture/building.php?bid=28 |title=Northwestern Architecture, Wieboldt Hall |access-date=July 11, 2008 |publisher=Northwestern University Archives |archive-date=September 2, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060902094512/http://www.library.northwestern.edu/archives/exhibits/architecture/building.php?bid=28 |url-status=live }}</ref> and Levy Mayer Hall to house the School of Law.<ref name="Levy Mayer">{{cite web |url=http://www.library.northwestern.edu/archives/exhibits/architecture/building.php?bid=10 |title=Northwestern Architecture, Levy Mayer Hall |access-date=July 11, 2008 |publisher=Northwestern University Archives |archive-date=September 2, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060902104013/http://www.library.northwestern.edu/archives/exhibits/architecture/building.php?bid=10 |url-status=live }}</ref> The new campus comprising these three new buildings was dedicated during a two-day ceremony in June 1927. The Chicago campus continued to expand with the addition of Thorne Hall in 1931 and Abbott Hall in 1939.<ref name="Chicago Campus" /><ref name="Abbott Hall">{{cite web |url=http://www.library.northwestern.edu/archives/exhibits/architecture/building.php?bid=2 |title=Northwestern Architecture, Abbott Hall |publisher=Northwestern University Archives |access-date=July 4, 2009 |archive-date=May 25, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100525222848/http://www.library.northwestern.edu/archives/exhibits/architecture/building.php?bid=2 |url-status=live }}</ref> In October 2013, Northwestern began the demolition of the architecturally significant Prentice Women's Hospital. Eric G. Neilson, dean of the medical school, penned an op-ed that equated retaining the building with loss of life.<ref>{{cite news|title=A choice: Save Prentice or save lives, add jobs and research dollars |newspaper=Chicago Sun-Times |url=http://www.suntimes.com/news/otherviews/14960045-452/a-choice-save-prentice-or-save-lives-add-jobs-and-research-dollars.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120917003316/http://www.suntimes.com/news/otherviews/14960045-452/a-choice-save-prentice-or-save-lives-add-jobs-and-research-dollars.html |archive-date=September 17, 2012 }}</ref> [[File:NLU Levy Meyer.JPG|thumb|The entrance of Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law's Levy Mayer Hall on the Chicago campus]]
===Education City=== {{main|Northwestern University in Qatar}}
In Fall 2008, Northwestern opened a campus in Education City, Doha, Qatar.<ref name=":3" /> Through the Medill School of Journalism and School of Communication, NU-Q offers bachelor's degrees in journalism and communications respectively.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.qatar.northwestern.edu/ |title=Northwestern University in Qatar |publisher=Northwestern University |access-date=January 6, 2009 |archive-date=November 8, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108233740/https://www.qatar.northwestern.edu/ |url-status=live }}</ref> However, some have questioned whether NU-Q can truly offer a comparable journalism program to that of its U.S. campus given Qatar's instances of censorship and strict limits on journalistic and academic freedoms.<ref name=":3">{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/grade-point/wp/2015/12/17/northwestern-professor-raises-questions-about-its-branch-in-qatar/|title=Northwestern professor raises questions about its branch in Qatar|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=October 2, 2016|archive-date=December 3, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161203154849/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/grade-point/wp/2015/12/17/northwestern-professor-raises-questions-about-its-branch-in-qatar/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="washingtonpost.com">{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/in-qatars-education-city-us-colleges-are-building-an-academic-oasis/2015/12/06/6b538702-8e01-11e5-ae1f-af46b7df8483_story.html|title=In Qatar's Education City, U.S. colleges are building an academic oasis|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=October 2, 2016|archive-date=March 5, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305031005/https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/in-qatars-education-city-us-colleges-are-building-an-academic-oasis/2015/12/06/6b538702-8e01-11e5-ae1f-af46b7df8483_story.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development, a private charitable institution founded by former emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and his wife and mother of the current emir Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, provided funding for construction and administrative costs, as well as support to hire 50 to 60 faculty and staff, some of whom rotate between the Evanston and Qatar campuses.<ref>{{cite news |title=Qatar entices NU to expand east: School near deal to open a campus |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2007/04/06/qatar-entices-nu-to-expand-east/ |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |date=April 6, 2007 |last=Choen |first=Jodi |access-date=May 22, 2015 |archive-date=September 6, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906131904/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2007-04-06/news/0704050721_1_foreign-students-qatar-foundation-study-abroad |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/04/06/america/NA-GEN-US-Qatar-Journalism-School.php |title=Northwestern University expected to open journalism school in Qatar |agency=The Associated Press |newspaper=International Herald Tribune |location=Paris |date=April 6, 2007 |access-date=January 6, 2009 |archive-date=October 13, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071013041326/http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/04/06/america/NA-GEN-US-Qatar-Journalism-School.php |url-status=dead }}</ref> Northwestern receives roughly $45 million per year to operate the campus.<ref name="washingtonpost.com" /> In February 2016, Northwestern reached an agreement with the Qatar Foundation to extend the operations of the NU-Q branch for an additional decade, through the 2027–2028 academic year.<ref>{{Cite news|title = Northwestern University will stay a decade longer in Qatar|url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/grade-point/wp/2016/02/23/northwestern-university-will-stay-another-decade-in-qatar/|newspaper = The Washington Post|date = February 23, 2016|access-date = February 23, 2016|issn = 0190-8286|language = en-US|first = Nick|last = Anderson|archive-date = February 24, 2016|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160224093215/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/grade-point/wp/2016/02/23/northwestern-university-will-stay-another-decade-in-qatar/|url-status = live}}</ref><ref name="washingtonpost.com" /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://gulfnewsjournal.com/stories/510712102-advocate-questions-motive-behind-qatar-s-financial-ties-to-u-s-colleges|title=Advocate questions motive behind Qatar's financial ties to U.S. colleges|first=Justin|last=Stoltzfus|access-date=October 2, 2016|archive-date=April 18, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160418235507/http://gulfnewsjournal.com/stories/510712102-advocate-questions-motive-behind-qatar-s-financial-ties-to-u-s-colleges|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://gulfnewsjournal.com/stories/510639673-while-u-s-universities-see-dollar-signs-in-qatari-partnerships-some-cry-foul|title=While U.S. universities see dollar signs in Qatari partnerships, some cry foul|first=Gulf News Journal|last=Reports|access-date=October 2, 2016|archive-date=October 4, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151004021757/http://gulfnewsjournal.com/stories/510639673-while-u-s-universities-see-dollar-signs-in-qatari-partnerships-some-cry-foul|url-status=live}}</ref>
==Organization and administration==
=== Governance === thumb|Weber ArchNorthwestern is privately owned and governed by an appointed board of trustees composed of 70 members.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://dailynorthwestern.com/2022/06/15/campus/northwestern-announces-peter-barris-as-new-board-of-trustees-chair/ |title=Northwestern announces Peter Barris as new Board of Trustees chair |work=The Daily Northwestern |date=June 15, 2022 |access-date=January 23, 2023 |archive-date=January 24, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230124182633/https://dailynorthwestern.com/2022/06/15/campus/northwestern-announces-peter-barris-as-new-board-of-trustees-chair/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The board delegates its power to an elected president who serves as the chief executive officer of the university.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.adminplan.northwestern.edu/board-of-trustees/charter.htm |title= Board of Trustees: Charter, National and Alumni Trustees |publisher= Northwestern University |access-date= July 14, 2011 |archive-date= September 3, 2011 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110903081621/http://www.adminplan.northwestern.edu/board-of-trustees/charter.htm |url-status= live }}</ref> Northwestern has had seventeen presidents in its history (excluding interim presidents). The former president, legal scholar Michael Schill, succeeded Morton O. Schapiro in fall 2022.<ref>{{cite press release |url=https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2022/08/new-northwestern-president-michael-schill/ |title=Michael H. Schill named next president of Northwestern |publisher=Northwestern Now |date=August 11, 2022 |access-date=January 23, 2023 |archive-date=November 12, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221112054508/https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2022/08/new-northwestern-president-michael-schill/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The president maintains a staff of vice presidents, directors, and other assistants for administrative, financial, faculty, and student matters.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.northwestern.edu/president/PRESSTAF.html |title=President's Staff |publisher=Northwestern University, Office of the President |access-date=September 16, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080517094310/http://www.northwestern.edu/president/PRESSTAF.html |archive-date=May 17, 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Kathleen Haggerty assumed the role of provost for the university on September 1, 2020.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2020/08/provost-kathleen-hagerty/ |title=Kathleen Hagerty named Northwestern provost|publisher=Northwestern Now |date=August 11, 2020 |access-date=January 23, 2023 |archive-date=January 23, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230123173559/https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2020/08/provost-kathleen-hagerty/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
Students are formally involved in the university's administration through the Associated Student Government, elected representatives of the undergraduate students, and the Graduate Student Association, which represents the university's graduate students.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://asg.northwestern.edu/index.php |title=Northwestern Associated Student Government |access-date=September 19, 2008 |publisher=Northwestern Associated Student Government |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080614144744/http://asg.northwestern.edu/index.php |archive-date=June 14, 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://studentassociations.gsad.northwestern.edu/gsa/ |title=Graduate Student Association: Mission Statement |publisher=Northwestern University Graduate Student Association |access-date=September 19, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081026154318/http://studentassociations.gsad.northwestern.edu/gsa/ |archive-date=October 26, 2008 }}</ref>
The admission requirements, degree requirements, courses of study, and disciplinary and degree recommendations for each of Northwestern's 12 schools are determined by the voting members of that school's faculty (assistant professor and above).<ref name="Faculty handbook">{{cite web |url=http://www.northwestern.edu/provost/faculty/handbook.pdf |title=Faculty Handbook |publisher=Northwestern University |access-date=September 19, 2008 |archive-date=May 14, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080514152234/http://www.northwestern.edu/provost/faculty/handbook.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>
=== Endowment ===
Northwestern maintains an endowment of $14.3 billion, the eighth-largest university endowment among private universities in the United States.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Here's how the 20 largest college endowments changed last year |url=https://www.highereddive.com/news/how-20-largest-college-endowments-changed-2022/642997/ |access-date=June 12, 2023 |website=Higher Ed Dive |language=en-US |archive-date=June 12, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230612041328/https://www.highereddive.com/news/how-20-largest-college-endowments-changed-2022/642997/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The endowment is sustained through donations and is maintained by investment advisers at the university's Investment Office.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Investment Office – Northwestern University|url=https://www.northwestern.edu/investment/|access-date=December 11, 2021|website=northwestern.edu|language=en|archive-date=July 8, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200708025859/https://www.northwestern.edu/investment/|url-status=live}}</ref>
==Academics== {| style="border:1px solid #ddd; background:#fefefe; padding:3px; margin:0;" |- style="vertical-align:top; text-align:left;" ! style="width:475pt;" | <span style="font-size:115%;">Undergraduate and graduate schools</span>
! style="width:300pt;" | <span style="font-size:115%;">Graduate and professional</span> |- valign="top" | '''Evanston Campus''' * Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences (1851) * School of Communication (1878)<ref name=CommsHistory>{{cite web |author=<!-- not stated --> |date= |title=Department History: School of Communication - Northwestern University |url=https://communication.northwestern.edu/academics/performance-studies/department-history.html |website=northwestern.edu |location= |publisher=Northwestern University School of Communication |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241204193624/https://communication.northwestern.edu/academics/performance-studies/department-history.html |archive-date=December 4, 2024 |access-date=March 22, 2025}}</ref>{{efn|First as School of Oratory, then as School of Speech in 1921.}} * Bienen School of Music (1895) * McCormick School of Engineering (1909) * Medill School of Journalism (1921) * School of Education and Social Policy (1926) * School of Professional Studies (1933) | '''Evanston Campus''' * Kellogg School of Management (1908) * The Graduate School (1910) '''Chicago Campus''' * Feinberg School of Medicine (1859) * Kellogg School of Management (1908) * Pritzker School of Law (1859) * School of Professional Studies (1933) |}
=== Admissions === {{Infobox U.S. college admissions|year=2023|ref=<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.enrollment.northwestern.edu/data/nu_cds_2023_2024_final1.pdf |title=Common Data Set 2023–2024 |publisher=Northwestern University |access-date=March 18, 2022 |archive-date=July 6, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220706194358/https://enrollment.northwestern.edu/pdf/common-data/2021-22.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>|change ref=<ref>{{cite web |url=https://enrollment.northwestern.edu/pdf/common-data/2017-18.pdf |title=Common Data Set 2017–2018 |publisher=Northwestern University |access-date=March 18, 2022 |archive-date=May 25, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230525155349/https://enrollment.northwestern.edu/pdf/common-data/2017-18.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>|admit rate=7.2%|admit rate change=-2.02|yield rate=56.5%|yield rate change=+7.8|test optional=recent|SAT Total=1500–1560|SAT Total change=+25|SAT EBRW=730–770|SAT EBRW change=+15|SAT Math=760–790|SAT Math change=+10|ACT=33–35|ACT change=+0.5|top decile=94.0%|top decile change=+5.0|top quarter=98.0%|top quarter change=0.0|GPA=4.1|GPA change=-0.03|float=right}}
Northwestern University's admissions are characterized as "most selective" by ''U.S. News & World Report''.<ref name=":1">{{cite magazine|title=Northwestern University|url=http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/northwestern-1739|magazine=U.S. News & World Report|access-date=September 22, 2015|archive-date=September 10, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150910032139/http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/northwestern-1739|url-status=live}}</ref> Northwestern received a record 52,225 applications for its class size of approximately 2,100 students in 2022–2023 academic year. For the Class of 2027, regular decision acceptance rate was approximately 4.6%, while overall acceptance rate remained around 7.0%.<ref name=":2">{{cite web |title=Northwestern Undergraduate Common Data Set |url=https://enrollment.northwestern.edu/pdf/common-data/2021-22.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220706194358/https://enrollment.northwestern.edu/pdf/common-data/2021-22.pdf |archive-date=July 6, 2022 |access-date=January 21, 2023 |website=enrollment.northwestern.edu/pdf/common-data}}</ref> For the Class of 2026, the interquartile range (middle 50%) on the post-2016 SAT was a combined (verbal and math) 1500–1560 out of 1600; the interquartile range on the evidence-based reading and writing (EBRW) section of the SAT was 730–770 out of 800 while the interquartile range on the Math section of the SAT was 760–800 out of 800.<ref name=":6">{{Cite web |title=Northwestern University Admissions Statistics |url=https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/colleges/northwestern-university/admissions |url-status=live |access-date=May 14, 2023 |archive-date=May 14, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230514034807/https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/colleges/northwestern-university/admissions }}</ref> ACT composite scores for the middle 50% ranged from 33 to 35 out of 36, and 96% ranked in the top ten percent of their respective high school classes.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":5">{{Cite web |date=2022 |title=Northwestern 2022 Financial Report |url=https://www.northwestern.edu/financial-operations/annual-financial-reports/2022-financial-report.pdf |access-date=January 9, 2023 |archive-date=January 9, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230109033454/https://www.northwestern.edu/financial-operations/annual-financial-reports/2022-financial-report.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":6" />
Approximately 35–40% percent of the incoming students of the Class of 2027 have been admitted through the Early Decision application round. Northwestern's early decision admission numbers for the Class of 2027 had an early acceptance rate of about 20%, with approximately 1,000 students being admitted out of 5,220 applications.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Northwestern Acceptance Rate Drops to 7% – Crimson Education US |url=https://www.crimsoneducation.org/us/blog/admissions-news/northwestern-acceptance-rate |access-date=May 15, 2023 |website=Crimson Education|language=en-us |archive-date=May 12, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230512221707/https://www.crimsoneducation.org/us/blog/admissions-news/northwestern-acceptance-rate |url-status=live }}</ref>
In April 2016, Northwestern became one of 15 Illinois universities to sign on to the Chicago Star Partnership, a City Colleges initiative aimed at increasing opportunities for students in the city's public school district. Through this partnership, the university provides scholarships to students who "graduate from Chicago Public Schools, get their associate degree from one of the city's community colleges, and then get admitted to a bachelor's degree program."<ref>{{Cite web|last=Tribune|first=Chicago|title=Northwestern University opening more doors to community college students|url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-northwestern-star-scholarships-20160413-story.html|access-date=April 20, 2016|website=chicagotribune.com|date=April 14, 2016 |archive-date=April 22, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190422134910/https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-northwestern-star-scholarships-20160413-story.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
The university is need-blind for domestic applicants.<ref>{{cite web |title=Financial Aid: Undergraduate Admissions – Northwestern University |url=https://admissions.northwestern.edu/faqs/financial-aid/ |website=Admissions |publisher=Northwestern University |access-date=May 4, 2023 |language=en |archive-date=May 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230504072114/https://admissions.northwestern.edu/faqs/financial-aid/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
=== Rankings and reputation === {{Infobox US university ranking <!-- U.S. rankings -->| Forbes = 16 | THE_WSJ = 50 | USNWR_NU = 7 (tie) | Wamo_NU = 128 <!-- Global rankings -->| QS_W = 42 (tie) | THES_W = 30 | USNWR_W = 24 | ARWU_W = 31 (tie) }} Northwestern is a large, residential research university.<ref name="Carnegie">{{cite web|title=Institutions: Northwestern University|url=http://carnegieclassifications.iu.edu/lookup/view_institution.php?unit_id=147767|access-date=September 18, 2008|publisher=The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching|archive-date=September 13, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180913040300/http://carnegieclassifications.iu.edu/lookup/view_institution.php?unit_id=147767|url-status=live}}</ref>
=== Education === The university provides instruction in over 200 formal academic concentrations, 124 undergraduate programs, and 145 graduate and professional programs,<ref name="Ugrad program list">{{cite web |title=Undergraduate Programs: A to Z Guide |url=http://www.northwestern.edu/academics/undergraduate-a-to-z.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100111065106/http://www.northwestern.edu/academics/undergraduate-a-to-z.html |archive-date=January 11, 2010 |access-date=December 2, 2009 |publisher=Northwestern University}}</ref><ref name="Grad program list">{{cite web |title=Graduate and Professional Programs: A to Z Guide |url=http://www.northwestern.edu/academics/graduate-a-to-z.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100111034320/http://www.northwestern.edu/academics/graduate-a-to-z.html |archive-date=January 11, 2010 |access-date=December 2, 2009 |publisher=Northwestern University}}</ref> including various dual degree programs.<ref name=":9" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Majors and Minors: Undergraduate Admissions – Northwestern University |url=https://admissions.northwestern.edu/academics/majors-minors/ |access-date=June 9, 2023 |website=admissions.northwestern.edu |language=en |archive-date=August 27, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150827220733/https://admissions.northwestern.edu/academics/majors-minors/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Although there is no university-wide core curriculum, a foundation in the liberal arts and sciences, sometimes referred as distribution requirements, are required for all majors; individual degree requirements are set by the faculty of each school.<ref name="Faculty handbook" /> The university heavily emphasizes interdisciplinary learning, with 72% of undergrads combining two or more areas of study.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Facts : Northwestern University|url=https://www.northwestern.edu/about/facts.html|access-date=December 22, 2020|website=northwestern.edu|language=en|archive-date=August 20, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150820002028/https://www.northwestern.edu/about/facts.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Northwestern's full-time undergraduate and graduate programs operate on an approximately 10-week academic quarter system with the academic year beginning in late September and ending in early June. Under the regular academic calendar, each quarter contains a four-day Reading Period in between the end of classes and the beginning of finals.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Conant|first=Daisy|date=August 16, 2020|title=An insider's guide to the academic system at NU|url=https://dailynorthwestern.com/2020/08/16/orientation-2020/whats-the-quarter-system-an-insiders-guide-to-the-academic-system-at-nu/|access-date=March 21, 2021|website=The Daily Northwestern|archive-date=December 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211208133418/https://dailynorthwestern.com/2020/08/16/orientation-2020/whats-the-quarter-system-an-insiders-guide-to-the-academic-system-at-nu/|url-status=live}}</ref> Undergraduates typically take four courses each quarter and twelve courses in an academic year and<ref name="Catalog">{{cite book|url=http://www.registrar.northwestern.edu/courses/archive/full_nucat2009_10.pdf|title=Undergraduate Course Catalog – Academic Calendar|publisher=Office of the Registrar, Northwestern University|year=2009–2010|access-date=December 2, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100605011010/http://www.registrar.northwestern.edu/courses/archive/full_nucat2009_10.pdf|archive-date=June 5, 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref> are required to complete at least twelve quarters on campus to graduate. Northwestern offers honors, accelerated, and joint degree programs in medicine, science, mathematics, engineering, and journalism.<ref>{{cite book|url=http://www.registrar.northwestern.edu/nucatalog/catalog0809/wcas_cat0809.pdf|title=Undergraduate Course Catalog – Academic Options|publisher=Office of the Registrar, Northwestern University|year=2008–2009|pages=29–30|access-date=January 3, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081221072339/http://www.registrar.northwestern.edu/nucatalog/catalog0809/wcas_cat0809.pdf|archive-date=December 21, 2008}}</ref> The comprehensive doctoral graduate program has high coexistence with undergraduate programs.<ref name="Carnegie" />[[File:Ford Motor Company Design Center, Northwestern University (3404284231).jpg|thumb|Ford Motor Company Engineering Design Center]] The most popular and prominent majors at Northwestern in 2021 include communication, journalism, engineering, computer science, mathematics, statistics, biological sciences, physics, and chemistry.<ref name=":9">{{Cite web |date=2023 |title=Northwestern University Academics, US News & World Report |url=https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/northwestern-university-1739/academics#:~:text=The%20most%20popular%20majors%20at,Public%20Administration%20and%20Social%20Service |url-status=live |access-date=June 9, 2023 |archive-date=June 9, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230609222025/https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/northwestern-university-1739/academics#:~:text=The%20most%20popular%20majors%20at,Public%20Administration%20and%20Social%20Service }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023 |title=Northwestern University All Rankings |url=https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/northwestern-university-1739/overall-rankings |url-status=live |access-date=June 10, 2023 |archive-date=June 10, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230610032301/https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/northwestern-university-1739/overall-rankings }}</ref> It is also prominent in law and medicine. Northwestern is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and the respective national professional organizations for chemistry, psychology, business, education, journalism, music, engineering, law, and medicine.<ref>{{cite web|title=University Accreditation|url=http://www.registrar.northwestern.edu/consumer_info/accred.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080516054333/http://www.registrar.northwestern.edu/consumer_info/accred.html|archive-date=May 16, 2008|access-date=September 18, 2008|publisher=Northwestern University}}</ref> Northwestern conferred 2,190 bachelor's degrees, 3,272 master's degrees, 565 doctoral degrees, and 444 professional degrees in 2012–2013.{{Update inline|date=June 2023}} Since 1951, Northwestern has awarded 520{{Update inline|date=June 2023}} honorary degrees.<ref>{{cite web|title=Past Recipients, Honorary Degrees|url=http://www.northwestern.edu/provost/awards/honorary/honrecip.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080706222430/http://www.northwestern.edu/provost/awards/honorary/honrecip.html|archive-date=July 6, 2008|access-date=January 4, 2009|publisher=Office of the Provost, Northwestern University}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Awards and Honors – Honorary Degrees|url=http://www.northwestern.edu/provost/awards/honorary/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606131611/http://www.northwestern.edu/provost/awards/honorary/|archive-date=June 6, 2011|access-date=January 4, 2009|publisher=Office of the Provost, Northwestern University}}</ref> Northwestern also has chapters of academic honor societies such as Phi Beta Kappa (Alpha of Illinois), Eta Kappa Nu, Tau Beta Pi, Eta Sigma Phi (Beta chapter),<ref>{{cite web|title=Northwestern University Classics Department- Eta Sigma Phi|url=http://www.classics.northwestern.edu/undergraduate/esp.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130608151146/http://www.classics.northwestern.edu//undergraduate/esp.html|archive-date=June 8, 2013|access-date=August 2, 2013}}</ref> Lambda Pi Eta,<ref name="Honors">{{cite book|url=http://www.registrar.northwestern.edu/nucatalog/catalog0809/wcas_cat0809.pdf|title=Undergraduate Course Catalog – Honors and Prizes|publisher=Office of the Registrar, Northwestern University|year=2008–2009|pages=28–29|access-date=January 3, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081221072339/http://www.registrar.northwestern.edu/nucatalog/catalog0809/wcas_cat0809.pdf|archive-date=December 21, 2008}}</ref> and Alpha Sigma Lambda (Alpha chapter).<ref>{{cite web|title=Alpha Sigma Lambda Homepage|url=http://www.alphasigmalambda.org/|access-date=June 6, 2013|archive-date=June 27, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130627011524/http://www.alphasigmalambda.org/|url-status=usurped}}</ref>
Northwestern maintains a student-to-faculty ratio of 6:1. 77% of the classes have less than 20 students while 5.5% of the classes have more than 50 students.<ref name=":9" />
=== Libraries and museums === thumb|upright=1.8|Deering Library, named in memory of Charles Deering The Northwestern library system consists of four libraries on the Evanston campus including the Main University Library, the Boas Mathematics Library, Mudd Library, and the original library building, Deering Library; three libraries on the Chicago campus; and the library affiliated with Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary.<ref name="Library">{{cite web|title=Library Resources|url=http://www.library.northwestern.edu/help/library_resources.pdf|access-date=January 3, 2009|publisher=Northwestern University Library|archive-date=June 4, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100604225939/http://www.library.northwestern.edu/help/library_resources.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> Northwestern Libraries host a total of 8,198,268 printed or electronic volumes.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |title=Fast Facts: Libraries – Northwestern University |url=https://www.library.northwestern.edu/about/facts/fast-facts.html |access-date=May 12, 2023 |website=library.northwestern.edu |language=en |archive-date=July 31, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160731202536/https://www.library.northwestern.edu/about/facts/fast-facts.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In addition, its libraries contain 229,198 maps, 211,127 audio files, 103,377 printed journals, 196,716 electronic journals, 91,334 movies or videos, 36,989 manuscripts, 4.6 million microforms, and almost 99,000 periodicals.<ref name=":4" /> The University Library is the 14th-largest university library in North America based on total number of titles held.
==== Collections and sections ==== Among the library's collection and sections are: * Melville J. Herskovits Library of African Studies: established in 1954, and named after Melville J. Herskovits, the Herskovits Library is the largest separate Africana collection in existence. The collection includes more than 400,000 volumes (including 20,000 in African languages), 250 current newspapers and 6,000 non-circulating rare books.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Melville J. Herskovits Library of African Studies: Libraries – Northwestern University |url=https://www.library.northwestern.edu/libraries-collections/herskovits-library/ |access-date=May 14, 2023 |website=library.northwestern.edu |language=en |archive-date=May 14, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230514050144/https://www.library.northwestern.edu/libraries-collections/herskovits-library/ |url-status=live }}</ref> * The Music Library: contains extensive holdings of printed music and archival materials documenting music composed since 1945. The collection includes more than 300,000 items, including the John Cage collection. * Transportation Library: one of the largest transportation information centers in the world with a collection of over 500,000 items covering air, rail, highways, pipeline, water, urban transport and logistics. * The Art Library: the Art Library holds over 160,000 books and journals about art, architecture, and design, with particular strength in 19th-century art and architecture. * Styberg Library: the theological library serves the Garrett–Evangelical Theological Seminary and Bexley Seabury. * Charles Deering McCormick Library of Special Collections include an extensive collection on The Long 60s, Social History, Political History, Literature, Arts, Journalism, Twentieth Century Music, Theatre, Performance, and Women's History.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Collection Highlights: Libraries – Northwestern University |url=https://www.library.northwestern.edu/libraries-collections/mccormick-library/collection-highlights/ |access-date=May 14, 2023 |website=library.northwestern.edu |language=en |archive-date=May 14, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230514050137/https://www.library.northwestern.edu/libraries-collections/mccormick-library/collection-highlights/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The Special Collections department at Charles Deering McCormick Library holds approximately 8,000 items related to the Siege and Commune of Paris during 1870–1871. This collection is one of the largest and most diverse of its kind in the world and contains a captivating range of original photographs, posters, caricatures, lithographs, manuscripts, books, newspapers, and other artifacts that were created in response to the significant events that occurred during that year. These events included France's defeat in the Franco-Prussian War, the downfall of the Second Empire, the four-month siege of Paris, and the violent civil war that ended the Commune uprising. The core of the collection was acquired in 1971, the centenary year of the Commune's end, when the library's astute staff purchased most of the offerings of a well-known French book dealer. Since then, many other acquisitions have been added to the collection. The Franco-Prussian War was among the earliest conflicts to be photographed, and the collection includes many such images, along with depictions of the devastated Parisian landscape and some of the earliest examples of manipulated photographs created for propaganda purposes.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Siege and Commune of Paris during 1870–1871 |url=https://dc.library.northwestern.edu/collections/5a3744f2-5cbc-4edc-bb16-1bad7265e41c |url-status=live |access-date=May 14, 2023 |website=Northwestern University |archive-date=April 29, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230429094243/https://dc.library.northwestern.edu/collections/5a3744f2-5cbc-4edc-bb16-1bad7265e41c }}</ref> The collection also encompasses a significant amount of material that covers military activities during the Spanish Civil War and the early stages of World War II from both sides of the conflict. In addition, the collection showcases the impact of warfare on civilians who were displaced or killed in various parts of Spain, including any interactions with France and Germany during that period. The collection also features various other topics that offer insight into Spain's cultural and social dynamics throughout history. The photographs in the collection were sourced from international press outlets and private collections and are accompanied by captions that provide historical background and context for the subjects depicted.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Collection: Spanish Civil War Collection {{!}} Archival and Manuscript Collections |url=https://findingaids.library.northwestern.edu/repositories/7/resources/654 |access-date=May 14, 2023 |website=findingaids.library.northwestern.edu |archive-date=May 14, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230514050140/https://findingaids.library.northwestern.edu/repositories/7/resources/654 |url-status=live }}</ref> * Northwestern University Archives * Pritzker Legal Research Center: the library is located on the Chicago campus and serves the Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law. * Seeley G. Mudd Library: Located on North Campus, Mudd Library was renovated in 2017 with collaboration and technology in mind. * Charles Deering Memorial Library: built in 1933, and named for Charles Deering, the library houses the art library, the Charles Deering McCormick Library of Special Collections, the Music Library and University Archives. * Boas Mathematics Library: the library serves primarily the Mathematics Department and Statistics Department and has a research collection in pure mathematics and statistics of around 34,000 volumes. * The Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art, a major art museum in Chicago, contains more than 4,000 works in its permanent collection. It dedicates a third of its space to temporary and traveling exhibitions.<ref>{{cite web|title=History: Museum & Building|url=http://www.blockmuseum.northwestern.edu/about/history.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090306232446/http://www.blockmuseum.northwestern.edu/about/history.html|archive-date=March 6, 2009|access-date=January 3, 2009|publisher=Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art, Northwestern University}}</ref> * The Holocaust Educational Foundation, which had previously endowed the Theodore Zev Weiss – Holocaust Educational Foundation Professorship in Holocaust studies, became part of Northwestern in 2011.<ref name="NWHF">{{cite web|last=Cubbage|first=Alan K.|date=January 17, 2011|title=Holocaust Educational Foundation to Join Northwestern Northwestern will continue the Foundation's efforts to support Holocaust research, outreach|url=http://www.northwestern.edu/newscenter/stories/2011/01/holocaust-educational-foundation.html|access-date=January 18, 2011|archive-date=January 23, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110123180922/http://www.northwestern.edu/newscenter/stories/2011/01/holocaust-educational-foundation.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="HF">{{cite web|date=January 17, 2011|title=Holocaust Educational Foundation to Become Part of Northwestern U.|url=http://chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/holocaust-educational-foundation-to-become-part-of-northwestern-u/29763?sid=at|access-date=January 18, 2011|work=Chronicle of Higher Education|archive-date=August 18, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170818102112/http://www.chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/holocaust-educational-foundation-to-become-part-of-northwestern-u/29763?sid=at|url-status=live}}</ref>
Northwestern, along with 15 other universities, participates in digitizing its collections as part of the Google Book Search project.<ref name="LibraryPR">{{cite news |date=June 6, 2007 |title=Google Project Will Create Digital Repository for Select University Library Collections |publisher=Northwestern University News Office |url=http://www.northwestern.edu/newscenter/stories/2007/06/google.html |access-date=January 3, 2009 |archive-date=July 12, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200712050939/https://www.northwestern.edu/newscenter/stories/2007/06/google.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Northwestern University Library is a partner with the Native American Education Services College (NAES), the American Indian Association of Illinois (AIAI), and Northwestern University's Center for Native American and Indigenous Research in the NAES College Digital Library Project, which preserves the NAES College library and archives.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Native American Educational Services College Digital Library Project |url=https://collectionsasdata.github.io/part2whole/naes_cad_forum.pdf |url-status=live |access-date=May 14, 2023 |archive-date=January 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230128140843/https://collectionsasdata.github.io/part2whole/naes_cad_forum.pdf }}</ref>
== Research and innovations == === Research ===
Northwestern was elected to the Association of American Universities in 1917 and is classified as an R1 university, denoting "very high" research activity.<ref name="Carnegie"/><ref name="AAU">{{cite web |title=Member Institutions and Years of Admission |url=http://www.aau.edu/about/article.aspx?id=5476 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120521132512/http://www.aau.edu/about/article.aspx?id=5476 |archive-date=May 21, 2012 |access-date=September 18, 2008 |publisher=Association of American Universities}}</ref> Northwestern's schools of management, engineering, and communication are among the most academically productive in the nation.<ref name="FSPI">{{cite news |title=Top Research Universities Faculty Scholarly Productivity Index |newspaper=The Chronicle of Higher Education |url=http://chronicle.com/stats/productivity/page.php?year=2007&institution=1116&byinst=Go |url-status=dead |access-date=May 17, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110611085504/http://chronicle.com/stats/productivity/page.php?year=2007&institution=1116&byinst=Go |archive-date=June 11, 2011}}</ref> The university received $923.8 million in research funding and $421 million in NIH funding in 2022 and houses over 90 school-based and 40 university-wide research institutes and centers.<ref name=":5"/><ref>{{Cite web |title=Office for RESEARCH |url=https://www.research.northwestern.edu/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201222032641/https://www.research.northwestern.edu/ |archive-date=December 22, 2020 |access-date=December 22, 2020 |website=research.northwestern.edu}}</ref><ref name=":8">{{Cite web |title=Facts : Northwestern University |url=https://www.northwestern.edu/about/facts.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150820002028/https://www.northwestern.edu/about/facts.html |archive-date=August 20, 2015 |access-date=May 14, 2023 |website=northwestern.edu |language=en}}</ref> Northwestern also supports nearly 1,500 research laboratories across two campuses, predominantly in the medical and biological sciences.<ref name=":8"/> Also, Northwestern houses more than 50 University Research Institutes & Centers (URICS), which consists of institutes and initiatives that combine multiple areas of study to pursue research across domains such as quantum information, policy research, bioelectronics, and more.<ref>{{Cite web |title=University Research Institutes & Centers: Office for Research – Northwestern University |url=https://research.northwestern.edu//about/institutes-centers/university-research-institutes-centers.html |access-date=June 13, 2023 |website=research.northwestern.edu |language=en |archive-date=June 13, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230613030310/https://research.northwestern.edu//about/institutes-centers/university-research-institutes-centers.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Institutes and Centers: University Research Institute and Center Administration – Northwestern University |url=https://urica.northwestern.edu/institutes-and-centers/ |access-date=June 13, 2023 |website=urica.northwestern.edu |language=en |archive-date=June 13, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230613030312/https://urica.northwestern.edu/institutes-and-centers/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Northwestern is home to the Center for Interdisciplinary Exploration and Research in Astrophysics, Northwestern Institute for Complex Systems, Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center, Materials Research Center, Center for Quantum Devices, Institute for Policy Research, International Institute for Nanotechnology, Center for Catalysis and Surface Science, Buffet Center for International and Comparative Studies, the Initiative for Sustainability and Energy at Northwestern,<ref name="ISEN">{{cite web |title=Institute for Sustainable Energy at Northwestern |url=http://www.isen.northwestern.edu/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150528013150/http://isen.northwestern.edu/ |archive-date=May 28, 2015 |access-date=May 22, 2015 |publisher=Northwestern University}}</ref> and the Argonne/Northwestern Solar Energy Research Center among other centers for interdisciplinary research.<ref>{{cite web |title=University Research Centers |url=http://www.research.northwestern.edu/centers/university-research-centers.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080715081259/http://www.research.northwestern.edu/centers/university-research-centers.html |archive-date=July 15, 2008 |access-date=January 4, 2009 |publisher=Office of Research, Northwestern University}}</ref>[[File:Fermilab g-2 (E989) ring.jpg|thumb|The E989 storage-ring magnet at Fermilab, which was originally designed for the E821 experiment. The geometry allows for a very uniform magnetic field to be established in the ring.]]The university also shares collaborative research efforts with other universities such as the CZ Biohub Chicago with the University of Chicago and University of Illinois.<ref>{{Cite web |title=CZ Biohub Chicago Launches |url=https://www.czbiohub.org/news/new-chan-zuckerberg-biohub-chicago-will-engineer-technologies-to-measure-human-biology/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230311035526/https://www.czbiohub.org/news/new-chan-zuckerberg-biohub-chicago-will-engineer-technologies-to-measure-human-biology/ |archive-date=March 11, 2023 |access-date=March 11, 2023 |website=CZ Biohub |language=en-US}}</ref>
In addition, Northwestern University cooperates with research institutions such as Argonne National Laboratory and Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FermiLab). Proceeding in cooperation with these laboratories, the Center for Applied Physics and Superconducting Technologies (CAPST) and the Initiative at Northwestern for Quantum Information Research and Engineering (INQUIRE) have attracted attention in recent years.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Initiative at Northwestern for Quantum Information Research and Engineering |url=https://quantum.northwestern.edu/index.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230512221708/https://quantum.northwestern.edu/index.html |archive-date=May 12, 2023 |access-date=May 12, 2023 |website=INQUIRE – Northwestern University}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=CAPST |url=https://capst.northwestern.edu/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230426194154/https://capst.northwestern.edu/ |archive-date=April 26, 2023 |access-date=May 12, 2023 |website=CAPST |language=en-ZA}}</ref> Northwestern's investment and collaboration areas include particle physics, quantum physics, quantum information technologies, and superconducting technologies.
=== Innovations and entrepreneurship === In 2013, Northwestern researchers disclosed 247 inventions, filed 270 patent applications, received 81 foreign and US patents, started 12 companies, and generated $79.8 million in licensing revenue. The Innovation and New Ventures Office (INVO) has been involved in creating the Center for Developmental Therapeutics (CDT)<ref>{{Cite web |date=July 28, 2013 |title=Center for Developmental Therapeutics (CDT) | Chemistry of Life Processes Institute |url=http://www.clp.northwestern.edu/research-facilities/center-developmental-therapeutics-cdt |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130728104052/http://www.clp.northwestern.edu/research-facilities/center-developmental-therapeutics-cdt |archive-date=July 28, 2013 |access-date=October 16, 2019}}</ref> and the Center for Device Development (CD2).<ref>[http://cd2.northwestern.edu/ Center for Device Development] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131001133550/http://cd2.northwestern.edu/|date=October 1, 2013}}</ref>
Northwestern files hundreds of patents each year, ranking among the top 20 universities in the world in terms of U.S. utility patents.<ref>{{Cite web |last=National Academy of Inventors |date=2018 |title=Top 100 Worldwide Universities Granted U.S. Utility Patents in 2018 |url=https://academyofinventors.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Top-100-2018.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200407190158/https://academyofinventors.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Top-100-2018.pdf |archive-date=April 7, 2020 |access-date=December 22, 2020 |website=}}</ref> One of the university's most successful current patents is pregabalin, a synthesized organic molecule developed at the university by chemistry professor Richard Bruce Silverman (for whom Silverman Hall was named).{{Citation needed|date=June 2025}} It was ultimately marketed as Lyrica, a drug sold by Pfizer, to combat epilepsy, neuropathic pain, and fibromyalgia.
Northwestern has an extensive history of producing prominent businessmen and entrepreneurs. Companies founded by Northwestern alumni include Groupon, The Blackstone Group, Booz Allen Hamilton, U.S. Steel, Kirkland & Ellis, Guggenheim Partners, Accenture, Aon Corporation, and AQR Capital.
The university also runs The Garage, and interdisciplinary innovation and entrepreneurship space and community for student-run startups. The Garage provides students with resources and programming related to entrepreneurship and mentorship.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Lange |first=Alexandra |date=August 4, 2016 |title=The Innovation Campus: Building Better Ideas |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/07/education/edlife/innovation-campus-entrepreneurship-engineering-arts.html |url-status=live |access-date=May 12, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230512145300/https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/07/education/edlife/innovation-campus-entrepreneurship-engineering-arts.html |archive-date=May 12, 2023 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The Garage houses approximately 90 student-founded startups per academic quarter.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Garage at Northwestern University |url=https://bizcasthq.com/companies/the-garage-at-northwestern/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230404082046/https://bizcasthq.com/companies/the-garage-at-northwestern/ |archive-date=April 4, 2023 |access-date=May 12, 2023 |website=BizcastHQ |language=en}}</ref> Its programs and resources are available to all Northwestern students.
==Student life==
=== Student body === {| class="wikitable floatright sortable collapsible" ; text-align:right; font-size:80%;" |+ style="font-size:90%" |Student body composition as of May 2, 2022 |- ! Race and ethnicity<ref>{{cite web|title=College Scorecard: Northwestern University|url=https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/school/?147767-Northwestern-University|publisher=United States Department of Education|access-date=May 8, 2022|archive-date=June 14, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220614195406/https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/school/?147767-Northwestern-University|url-status=live}}</ref> ! colspan="2" data-sort-type="number" |Total |- | White |align=right| {{bartable|42|%|2||background:gray}} |- | Asian |align=right| {{bartable|19|%|2||background:purple}} |- | Hispanic |align=right| {{bartable|13|%|2||background:green}} |- | Foreign national |align=right| {{bartable|10|%|2||background:orange}} |- | Other{{efn|Other consists of Multiracial Americans & those who prefer to not say.}} |align=right| {{bartable|9|%|2||background:brown}} |- | Black |align=right| {{bartable|6|%|2||background:mediumblue}} |- ! colspan="4" data-sort-type="number" |Economic diversity |- | Low-income{{efn|The percentage of students who received an income-based federal Pell grant intended for low-income students.}} |align=right| {{bartable|20|%|2||background:red}} |- | Affluent{{efn|The percentage of students who are a part of the American middle class at the bare minimum.}} |align=right| {{bartable|80|%|2||background:black}} |} Northwestern enrolls more than 8000 undergraduate students and more than 8000 graduate students each year, as mentioned on the "About Our Students: Recruit at Northwestern" page on Northwestern's website. {{Update inline|date=June 2023}} The freshman retention rate for that year was 99%.<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=2020|title=Common Data Set 2019–2020|url=https://enrollment.northwestern.edu/pdf/common-data/2019-20.pdf|access-date=|website=|archive-date=November 9, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109052013/https://enrollment.northwestern.edu/pdf/common-data/2019-20.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":7">{{Cite web |title=College Navigator – Northwestern University |url=https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?q=northwestern+university&s=all&id=147767 |access-date=May 14, 2023 |website=nces.ed.gov |archive-date=May 14, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230514034804/https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?q=northwestern+university&s=all&id=147767 |url-status=live }}</ref> Eighty-six percent of students graduated after four years and 96% graduated after six years.<ref name=":7"/><ref name="CDS-B">{{cite web|title=Common Data Set – Enrollment and persistence|url=http://www.northwestern.edu/about/northwestern-at-a-glance/students.html|access-date=September 18, 2008|publisher=Northwestern University|archive-date=August 27, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090827192946/http://www.northwestern.edu/about/northwestern-at-a-glance/students.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
The undergraduate population is drawn from all 50 states and over 75 foreign countries. Twenty percent of students in the Class of 2024 were Pell Grant recipients and 12.56% were first-generation college students.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Diversity: Undergraduate Admissions – Northwestern University|url=https://admissions.northwestern.edu/student-life/diversity.html|access-date=December 23, 2020|website=admissions.northwestern.edu|language=en|archive-date=February 7, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210207010945/https://admissions.northwestern.edu/student-life/diversity.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Northwestern also enrolls the ninth-most National Merit Scholars of any university in the nation.{{Citation needed|date=January 2025}}
In Fall 2014,{{Update inline|date=June 2023}} 40.6% of undergraduate students were enrolled in the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, 21.3% in the McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science, 14.3% in the School of Communication, 11.7% in the Medill School of Journalism, 5.7% in the Bienen School of Music, and 6.4% in the School of Education and Social Policy.<ref name="Enrollments">{{cite web|title=Fall Quarter 2014 Enrollment Statistics|url=http://www.registrar.northwestern.edu/academic_records/enroll-grad_statistics/enrollment/Fall_2014_enrollment.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150807164014/http://www.registrar.northwestern.edu/academic_records/enroll-grad_statistics/enrollment/Fall_2014_enrollment.pdf|archive-date=August 7, 2015|access-date=April 17, 2015|publisher=Northwestern University}}</ref> The five most commonly awarded undergraduate degrees are economics, journalism, communication studies, psychology, and political science.<ref>{{cite web|title=Bachelors Degerees by Discipline – 2003–04 and 2007–08|url=http://www.adminplan.northwestern.edu/ir/databook/v41/V41_T5.05-BACHDEGS.xls|access-date=January 3, 2009|publisher=Institutional Research, Northwestern University|format=XLS}}{{dead link|date=May 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> The Kellogg School of Management's MBA, the School of Law's JD, and the Feinberg School of Medicine's MD are the three largest professional degree programs by enrollment.<ref name="Enrollments"/> With 2,446 students enrolled in science, engineering, and health fields,<ref>{{cite web|year=2005|title=Full-time graduate students in S&E and health in all institutions, ranked by 2005 total|url=https://www.nsf.gov/statistics/profiles/data/gss_ranking.cfm#G001739|access-date=January 4, 2009|publisher=National Science Foundation|archive-date=January 17, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090117163326/http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/profiles/data/gss_ranking.cfm#G001739|url-status=live}}</ref> the largest graduate programs by enrollment include chemistry, integrated biology, material sciences, electrical and computer engineering, neuroscience, and economics.<ref>{{cite web|title=Total Graduate School Enrollment by Department – Fall 1997 through Fall 2007|url=http://www.adminplan.northwestern.edu/ir/databook/v40%2007-08/V40_T20-GRADENR-3.xls|access-date=January 3, 2008|publisher=Institutional Research, Northwestern University|format=XLS}}{{dead link|date=May 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>
===Undergraduate housing=== {{See also|List of Northwestern University residences}} Northwestern offers both traditional residence halls and residential colleges for students who share a particular intellectual interest. The residential colleges include Ayers College of Commerce and Industry, Chapin Hall (Humanities), East Fairchild (Communications), Hobart House (women's), the Public Affairs Residential College, the Residential College of Cultural and Community Studies, Shepard Residential College (multi-thematic), Slivka Residential College for Science and Engineering, West Fairchild (International Studies), and Willard Residential College (multi-thematic). Residence halls include Allison Hall, Bobb-McCulloch, Elder Hall, Foster-Walker Complex (commonly referred to as Plex), Rogers House, and Shapiro Hall (formerly known as 560 Lincoln) among others.
An estimated 20% of undergraduates are affiliated with a fraternity or sorority.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Buchaniec|first=Catherine|date=July 28, 2020|title=As abolition movement grows nationwide, Greek orgs discuss disbanding|url=https://dailynorthwestern.com/2020/07/28/campus/greek-organizations-discuss-abolition-at-northwestern-amid-nationwide-reckoning/|access-date=December 23, 2020|website=The Daily Northwestern|archive-date=November 1, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201101064634/https://dailynorthwestern.com/2020/07/28/campus/greek-organizations-discuss-abolition-at-northwestern-amid-nationwide-reckoning/|url-status=live}}</ref> Northwestern recognizes 21 fraternities and 18 sororities.<ref>{{cite web|title=Fraternities and Sororities Recognized by Northwestern University|url=http://www.northwestern.edu/gogreek/organizations/index.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090316083530/http://www.northwestern.edu/gogreek/organizations/index.html|archive-date=March 16, 2009|access-date=May 15, 2009|publisher=Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life, Northwestern University}}</ref>
All incoming undergraduates at Northwestern University are required to live on campus for their first two years.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Residency Requirement: Residential Services – Northwestern University |url=https://www.northwestern.edu/living/incoming-undergraduates/residency-requirement/ |access-date=June 13, 2023 |website=northwestern.edu |language=en |archive-date=June 13, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230613092000/https://www.northwestern.edu/living/incoming-undergraduates/residency-requirement/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
=== Traditions === * [[File:Northwestern Rock and University Hall.jpg|thumb|The Rock in front of the University Hall]]"Alma Mater" is the Northwestern Hymn. The original Latin version of the hymn was written in 1907 by Peter Christian Lutkin, the first dean of the School of Music from 1883 to 1931. In 1953, then Director-of-Bands John Paynter recruited an undergraduate music student, Thomas Tyra ('54), to write an English version of the song, which today is performed by the Marching Band during halftime at Wildcat football games and by the orchestra during ceremonies and other special occasions.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Northwestern is steeped in traditions that make it home to our students: Student Affairs – Northwestern University|url=https://www.northwestern.edu/studentaffairs/community/students/traditions.html|access-date=December 23, 2020|website=northwestern.edu|language=en|archive-date=October 30, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201030195920/https://www.northwestern.edu/studentaffairs/community/students/traditions.html|url-status=live}}</ref> * Purple became Northwestern's official color in 1892,<ref>{{cite web|title=Events in Northwestern History|url=http://www.northwestern.edu/about/history/timeline1899/index.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071013180957/http://northwestern.edu/about/history/timeline1899/index.html|archive-date=October 13, 2007|access-date=October 4, 2007}}</ref> replacing black and gold after a university committee concluded that too many other universities had used these colors. Today, Northwestern's official color is purple, although white is something of an official color as well, being mentioned in both the university's earliest song, ''Alma Mater'' (1907) ("Hail to purple, hail to white") and in many university guidelines.<ref name="purple">{{cite web|title=Brand Colors: Kellogg Brand Tools|url=https://www.kellogg.northwestern.edu/brand-tools/brand-guidelines/colors.aspx|access-date=October 17, 2021|archive-date=October 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211017024036/https://www.kellogg.northwestern.edu/brand-tools/brand-guidelines/colors.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="School colors">{{cite web|title=University Songs & Symbols|url=http://www.library.northwestern.edu/libraries-collections/university-archives/northwestern-history/university-songs-symbols.html#colors|access-date=June 11, 2017|publisher=Northwestern University Archives|archive-date=June 10, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170610080035/http://www.library.northwestern.edu/libraries-collections/university-archives/northwestern-history/university-songs-symbols.html#colors|url-status=live}}</ref> * The Rock, a six-foot-high quartzite boulder donated by the Class of 1902, originally served as a water fountain. It was painted over by students in the 1940s as a prank and has since become a popular vehicle of self-expression on campus. By tradition, students must guard it for twenty-four hours before painting it. To fulfill this rule, the rock is streamed 24/7 on YouTube.<ref>{{cite web |title=The History of the Rock |url=http://www.northwestern.edu/wildcam/rock-history.html |publisher=Northwestern University |date=September 2, 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090225112045/http://www.northwestern.edu/wildcam/rock-history.html |archive-date=February 25, 2009 |access-date=May 22, 2015}}</ref> * Dillo Day, held at Northwestern University, is an all-day music festival that occurs towards the end of the spring quarter on the Lakefill. Established during the 1972/73 academic year, the event is orchestrated by Mayfest Productions, a student organization, and is the largest entirely student-managed music festival in the United States.<ref name=":0"/><ref>{{Cite web|title=About Dillo Day|url=http://www.dilloday.com/about/dillo-day|access-date=August 2, 2021|archive-date=August 2, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210802051411/http://www.dilloday.com/about/dillo-day|url-status=live}}</ref> * March Through the Arch is a tradition at Northwestern University that symbolically marks a student's start to the university. This event takes place during Wildcat Welcome week. Students pass through the Weber Arch on campus, representing their entry into a new chapter of their academic and personal lives. When graduating students march back through the arch.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Northwestern is steeped in traditions that make it home to our students: Student Affairs – Northwestern University |url=https://www.northwestern.edu/studentaffairs/community/students/traditions.html |access-date=June 10, 2023 |website=northwestern.edu |language=en |archive-date=October 30, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201030195920/https://www.northwestern.edu/studentaffairs/community/students/traditions.html |url-status=live }}</ref> * ''Primal Scream'' is held every quarter at 9 p.m. on the Sunday before finals week. Students lean out of windows or gather in courtyards and scream to help relieve stress.<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite web |url=http://ugadm.northwestern.edu/student-life/northwestern-traditions/index.html |title=Northwestern traditions, Campus life, Freshman, Office of Undergraduate Admission – Northwestern University |publisher=Ugadm.northwestern.edu |access-date=May 22, 2012 |archive-date=May 3, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120503062619/http://www.ugadm.northwestern.edu/student-life/northwestern-traditions/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
=== Philanthropy === One of Northwestern's student charity events is Dance Marathon. It has raised over $1 million for charity every year since 2011 and has donated a total of $13 million to children's charities since its conception.<ref>{{Cite web|title=About NUDM|url=https://www.nudm.org/about/|access-date=December 23, 2020|website=Northwestern University Dance Marathon|language=en-US|archive-date=January 25, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210125020133/https://www.nudm.org/about/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
The Northwestern Community Development Corps (NCDC) is a student-run organization that connects hundreds of student volunteers to community development projects in Evanston and Chicago throughout the year. The group also holds a number of annual community events, including Project Pumpkin, a Halloween celebration that provides over 800 local children with carnival events and a safe venue to trick-or-treat each year.<ref>{{cite web|title=About|url=http://www.ncdcnorthwestern.org/about/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130928194619/http://www.ncdcnorthwestern.org/about/|archive-date=September 28, 2013|access-date=August 15, 2013|website=Northwestern Community Development Corps}}</ref>
Many Northwestern students participate in the Freshman Urban Program, an initiative for students interested in community service to work on addressing social issues facing the city of Chicago,<ref>{{cite web|title=Freshman Urban Program (FUP)|url=http://groups.northwestern.edu/fup/experience.html#top|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130503004643/http://groups.northwestern.edu/fup/experience.html#top|archive-date=May 3, 2013|access-date=August 15, 2013|publisher=Northwestern University}}</ref> and the university's Global Engagement Studies Institute (GESI) programs, including group service-learning expeditions in Asia, Africa, or Latin America in conjunction with the Foundation for Sustainable Development.<ref>{{cite web|title=Global Engagement Studies Institute|url=http://gesi.northwestern.edu/history-3/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131228003407/http://gesi.northwestern.edu/history-3/|archive-date=December 28, 2013}}</ref>
Several international nongovernmental organizations were established at Northwestern, including the World Health Imaging, Informatics and Telemedicine Alliance, a spin-off from an engineering student's honors thesis.<ref>{{cite web|title=McCormick students and faculty tackle health care challenge in the developing world|url=http://magazine.mccormick.northwestern.edu/FA2007/Xray.html|access-date=July 4, 2009|publisher=McCormick School of Engineering|archive-date=June 10, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100610141834/http://magazine.mccormick.northwestern.edu/FA2007/Xray.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=World Health Imaging Alliance Partners For X-Rays in Developing World|url=http://www.mccormick.northwestern.edu/news/articles/494|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100611054904/http://www.mccormick.northwestern.edu/news/articles/494|archive-date=June 11, 2010|access-date=July 4, 2009|publisher=McCormick School of Engineering}}</ref>
=== Performing arts === Northwestern is a prolific producer of successful entertainers and a nationally reputed hub for collegiate performing arts. The Student Theatre Coalition, or StuCo, organizes nine student theater companies, multiple performance groups, and over sixty independent productions each year.<ref>{{cite web|title=What is StuCo?|url=http://nustudenttheatre.org/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130812064725/http://nustudenttheatre.org/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page|archive-date=August 12, 2013|access-date=August 15, 2013|publisher=Northwestern University's Student Theatre Coalition}}</ref> Productions include The Waa-Mu Show, an original musical written and produced entirely by students,<ref>{{cite web|title=Waa-Mu Shares Tips for Writing Musicals|url=http://www.northwestern.edu/newscenter/stories/2013/03/waa-mu-students-share-tips-for-writing-musicals.html|publisher=Northwestern University|access-date=August 15, 2013|archive-date=July 28, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130728012629/http://www.northwestern.edu/newscenter/stories/2013/03/waa-mu-students-share-tips-for-writing-musicals.html|url-status=live}}</ref> and the Dolphin show. Children's theater is represented on campus by Griffin's Tale and Purple Crayon Players.<ref>{{cite web |title=Purple Crayon Players History |publisher=Northwestern University |url=http://groups.northwestern.edu/purplecrayonplayers/history.html |access-date=August 15, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130102003536/http://groups.northwestern.edu/purplecrayonplayers/history.html |archive-date=January 2, 2013 }}</ref>
Chicago's Lookingglass Theatre Company, which began life in Jones Residential College, was founded in 1988 by several university alumni, including David Schwimmer. It received the Regional Tony Award in 2011 and has won over 45 Joseph Jefferson Awards in its 30 seasons.<ref>{{cite web |title=Lookingglass Theatre wins regional Tony Award |date=May 3, 2011 |url=http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20110503/NEWS07/110509969/lookingglass-theatre-wins-regional-tony-award |work=Crain's Chicago Business nn |agency=The Associated Press |access-date=August 15, 2013 |archive-date=May 5, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110505063135/http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20110503/NEWS07/110509969/lookingglass-theatre-wins-regional-tony-award |url-status=live }}</ref>
The undergraduate students maintain twelve a cappella groups, including THUNK a cappella, the Northwestern Undertones, Freshman Fifteen A Cappella, ShireiNU A Cappella, and Purple Haze.<ref>{{cite book|last=Duchan|first=Joshua|title=Powerful Voices: The Musical and Social World of Collegiate A Cappella|year=2012|publisher=University of Michigan Press|pages=108, 171|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kLC0VxIKy8sC&q=%22Purple+Haze%22&pg=PA171|isbn=978-0472118250|access-date=October 19, 2020|archive-date=July 7, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230707053022/https://books.google.com/books?id=kLC0VxIKy8sC&q=%22Purple+Haze%22&pg=PA171|url-status=live}}</ref>
Northwestern's performing arts scene also includes Boomshaka, which is the university's drum, dance, and rhythm ensemble.
=== Media ===
==== Print ==== {{Update|section|reason=Some of these publications no longer exist or have changed their names, and new publications need to be added (e.g. ''Crush Magazine'')|date=May 2026}} * [[File:Norris University Center 2.jpg|thumb|Norris University Center, the main center for student union]]Established in 1881, ''The Daily Northwestern'' is the university's main student newspaper and is published on weekdays during the academic year. It is directed entirely by undergraduate students and owned by the Students Publishing Company. Although it serves the Northwestern community, the ''Daily'' has no business ties to the university and is supported wholly by advertisers. * ''North by Northwestern'' is an online undergraduate magazine established in September 2006 by students at the Medill School of Journalism. Published on weekdays, it consists of updates on news stories and special events throughout the year. It also publishes a quarterly print magazine. * ''Syllabus'' is the university's undergraduate yearbook. It is distributed in late May and features a culmination of the year's events at Northwestern. First published in 1885, the yearbook is published by Students Publishing Company and edited by Northwestern students. * ''Northwestern Flipside'' is an undergraduate satirical magazine. Founded in 2009, it publishes a weekly issue both in print and online. * ''Helicon'' is the university's undergraduate literary magazine. Established in 1979, it is published twice a year: a web issue is released in the winter and a print issue with a web complement is released in the spring. * ''The Protest'' is Northwestern's quarterly social justice magazine. * The Northwestern division of Student Multicultural Affairs supports a number of publications for particular cultural groups including ''Ahora,'' a magazine about Hispanic and Latino/a culture and campus life; ''Al Bayan'', published by the Northwestern Muslim-cultural Student Association; ''BlackBoard Magazine'', a magazine centered around African-American student life; and ''NUAsian,'' a magazine and blog on Asian and Asian-American culture and issues.<ref>{{cite web|title=Multicultural Student Affairs: Student Groups|url=http://www.northwestern.edu/msa/community/students/groups/index.html#pubs|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130927212349/http://www.northwestern.edu/msa/community/students/groups/index.html#pubs|archive-date=September 27, 2013|access-date=September 25, 2013|publisher=Northwestern University}}</ref> * The ''Northwestern University Law Review'' is a scholarly legal publication and student organization at Northwestern University School of Law. Its primary purpose is to publish a journal of broad legal scholarship. The ''Law Review'' publishes six issues each year. Student editors make the editorial and organizational decisions and select articles submitted by professors, judges, and practitioners, as well as student pieces. The ''Law Review'' also publishes scholarly pieces weekly on the ''Colloquy''. * The ''Northwestern Journal of Technology and Intellectual Property'' is a law review published by an independent student organization at Northwestern University School of Law. * The ''Northwestern Interdisciplinary Law Review'' is a scholarly legal publication published annually by an editorial board of Northwestern undergraduates. Its mission is to publish interdisciplinary legal research, drawing from fields such as history, literature, economics, philosophy, and art. Founded in 2008, the journal features articles by professors, law students, practitioners, and undergraduates. It is funded by the Buffett Center for International and Comparative Studies and the Office of the Provost.
==== Web-based ==== * ''TriQuarterly'' is a literary magazine published twice a year featuring poetry, fiction, nonfiction, drama, literary essays, reviews, blog posts, and art. * Established in January 2011, ''Sherman Ave'' is a satirical website that often publishes content on Northwestern student life.<ref>{{cite web|title=Local|url=http://sherman-ave.com/local/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150515113419/http://sherman-ave.com/local/|archive-date=May 15, 2015|access-date=May 22, 2015|website=Sherman Ave}}</ref> * Established in 2010 by undergraduates, ''Politics & Policy'' provides analysis of current events and public policy. * Founded in 2005, ''Northwestern Business Review'' is a campus source for business news. * ''The Queer Reader'' is Northwestern's first radical feminist and LGBTQ+ publication.
==== Radio, film, and television ==== * WNUR (89.3 FM) is a 7,200-watt radio station that broadcasts to the north side of Chicago, as well as the northern suburbs of Evanston and Skokie. WNUR's programming consists of music (jazz, classical, and rock), literature, politics, current events, varsity sports (football, men's and women's basketball, baseball, softball, and women's lacrosse), and breaking news on weekdays.<ref>{{Cite web|title=About WNUR-FM|url=http://www.wnur.org/about/|access-date=August 15, 2013|archive-date=July 15, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130715224921/http://www.wnur.org/about/|url-status=live}}</ref> * Studio 22 is a student-run production company that produces roughly ten films each year. The organization financed the first film Zach Braff directed, and many of its films have featured students who would later go into professional acting, including Zach Gilford of ''Friday Night Lights''.<ref name="IMDB">{{cite web|title=Studio 22 Productions (I)|url=https://www.imdb.com/company/co0128376/|access-date=May 22, 2015|website=Internet Movie Database|archive-date=July 10, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150710165037/http://www.imdb.com/company/co0128376/|url-status=live}}</ref> * ''Applause for a Cause'' is currently the only student-run production company in the nation to create feature-length films for charity. It was founded in 2010 and has raised over $25,000 to date for various local and national organizations across the United States. Their 2022 film, ''Mixed Signals'', was directed by Declan Franey and Aaron Onish and shot by Shenxun Yao.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Shenxun Steven Yao {{!}} Film Director |url=https://www.shenxunyao.com/ |access-date=December 25, 2024 |website=Shenxun Steven Yao |language=en |archive-date=December 25, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241225011829/https://www.shenxunyao.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref> It was a critical and commercial success. * Multicultural Filmmakers Collective is a film production and distribution organization that nurtures, promotes, and allies multicultural student, filmmakers, and stories. In the past, the Multiculti had invited guest speakers such as Ava Duvernay, Joe Talbot, and Bing Liu. In 2023, the organization introduced the first-ever undergraduate nonfiction/experimental media grant under the leadership of presidents, Shenxun Yao and Evelyn Mazariego. * ''Northwestern News Network'' is a student television news and sports network, serving the Northwestern and Evanston communities. Its studios and newsroom are located on the fourth floor of the McCormick Tribune Center on Northwestern's Evanston campus. NNN is funded by the Medill School of Journalism.
=== Speech and debate === The Northwestern Debate Society has won fifteen National Debate Tournaments, the highest number of any university.{{Citation needed|date=January 2025}} Alumni of the society include Erwin Chemerinsky, legal scholar and Dean of UC Berkeley School of Law, and Elliot Mincberg of People For the American Way.
Northwestern's Mock Trial team had two teams qualify for the 2018 National Championship Tournament hosted by the American Mock Trial Association, making Northwestern one of seven schools in the nation to be represented by multiple teams at the competition.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Earned Bid List for 2018 NCT|url=http://www.collegemocktrial.org/NCT%20Earned%20Bid%20List%20(2018)%20FINAL.pdf|access-date=January 21, 2019|archive-date=January 21, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190121233155/http://www.collegemocktrial.org/NCT%20Earned%20Bid%20List%20(2018)%20FINAL.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> One of the two teams finished 9th in their division and is ranked 20th in the country out of roughly 750 teams for the 2018–2019 season.<ref>{{cite web|title=2018 National Championship Results|url=http://www.collegemocktrial.org/tournaments-/national-championship/nct-tournament-results/2018-nct-tournament-results/|access-date=January 21, 2019|archive-date=January 21, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190121233213/http://www.collegemocktrial.org/tournaments-/national-championship/nct-tournament-results/2018-nct-tournament-results/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=2018–2019 Bonus Bid Rankings|url=http://www.collegemocktrial.org/2018-19%20AMTA%20TPR.pdf|access-date=January 21, 2019|publisher=American Mock Trial Association|archive-date=April 12, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190412151354/http://www.collegemocktrial.org/2018-19%20AMTA%20TPR.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Team Numbers|url=http://www.collegemocktrial.org/tournaments-/general-information/team-numbers/|access-date=January 21, 2019|website=collegemocktrial.org|archive-date=January 21, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190121232906/http://www.collegemocktrial.org/tournaments-/general-information/team-numbers/|url-status=live}}</ref>
== Athletics == {{Main|Northwestern Wildcats}}
[[File:Ryan Field.jpg|thumb|Ryan Field, Northwestern's 49,000-seat former football stadium]] Northwestern is a charter member of the Big Ten Conference. It was the conference's only private university until 2024's addition of USC and possesses by far the smallest undergraduate enrollment (the next-smallest member, the University of Iowa, is roughly three times as large, with almost 22,000 undergraduates).
Northwestern fields 19 intercollegiate athletic teams (8 men's and 11 women's) in addition to numerous club sports.<ref name="NU Facts">{{cite web |title=Northwestern University Facts |url=http://www.northwestern.edu/about/facts/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080621035451/http://www.northwestern.edu/about/facts/ |archive-date=June 21, 2008 |access-date=August 20, 2008 |publisher=Northwestern University}}</ref> Twelve of Northwestern's varsity programs have had NCAA or bowl postseason appearances. Northwestern is one of five private AAU members to compete in NCAA Power Five conferences (the other four are Duke, Stanford, USC, and Vanderbilt) and maintains a 98% NCAA Graduation Success Rate, the highest among Football Bowl Subdivision schools.
In 2018, the school opened the Walter Athletics Center, a $270 million state-of-the-art lakefront facility for its athletics teams.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Greenstein |first=Teddy |title=The $270 million Walter Athletics Center is spectacular — but can it help Northwestern win? |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/college/ct-spt-northwestern-athletics-facility-football-20180802-story.html |access-date=June 25, 2020 |website=chicagotribune.com |date=August 2, 2018 |archive-date=June 27, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200627020113/https://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/college/ct-spt-northwestern-athletics-facility-football-20180802-story.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
=== Nickname and mascot === [[File:20180206 UM-NW Willie the Wildcat 7DM27163.jpg|thumb|Northwestern University Mascot: Willie the Wildcat]]Before 1924, Northwestern teams were known as "The Purple" and unofficially as "The Fighting Methodists." The name Wildcats was bestowed upon the university in 1924 by Wallace Abbey, a writer for the Chicago Daily Tribune, who wrote that even in a loss to the University of Chicago, "Football players had not come down from Evanston; wildcats would be a name better suited to [Coach Glenn] Thistlethwaite's boys."<ref>{{cite news |last=Abbey |first=Wallace |date=November 16, 1924 |title=Maroons beat Purple by a Dropkick |pages=A1 |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1924/11/16/page/25/article/maroons-beat-purple-by-dropkick |access-date=May 22, 2015 |archive-date=October 17, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151017001259/http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1924/11/16/page/25/article/maroons-beat-purple-by-dropkick/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The name was so popular that university board members made "Wildcats" the official nickname just months later. In 1972, the student body voted to change the official nickname to "Purple Haze," but the new name never stuck.<ref>{{cite news |last=Damer |first=Roy |date=April 18, 1972 |title=Purple Haze Won't Go Away At N.U. |newspaper=Chicago Tribune}}</ref>
The mascot of Northwestern Athletics is Willie the Wildcat. Prior to Willie, the team mascot had been a live, caged bear cub from the Lincoln Park Zoo named Furpaw, who was brought to the playing field on game days to greet the fans. After a losing season, the team decided that Furpaw was to blame for its misfortune and decided to select a new mascot. Willie the Wildcat made his debut in 1933, first as a logo and then in three dimensions in 1947, when members of the Alpha Delta fraternity dressed as wildcats during a Homecoming Parade.
=== Football === {{Main|Northwestern Wildcats football}}
The Northwestern Wildcats football team is a Division I college football team and member of the Big Ten Conference. The team has a history dating back to 1882. They are known as the Wildcats, a nickname given by a ''Chicago Tribune'' reporter in 1924 after observing a game where the players displayed a strong and fierce presence, akin to a "wall of purple wildcats."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Wildcat Nickname History {{!}} HailToPurple.com |url=http://hailtopurple.com/features/wildcathistory.html |access-date=June 10, 2023 |website=hailtopurple.com |archive-date=May 29, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230529060930/http://hailtopurple.com/features/wildcathistory.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
The team has achieved success, winning three Big Ten championships or co-championships since 1995. Additionally, they have been eligible to participate in bowl games five times between 2015 and 2020. Northwestern takes pride in its academic achievements as well, consistently ranking among the top football teams in graduation rates. They have been honored with the AFCA Academic Achievement Award four times since 2002.<ref>{{Cite web |date=December 5, 2010 |title=Academic Achievement Award – News – AFCA.com Official Site of the American Football Coaches Association |url=http://www.afca.com/SportSelect.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=9300&SPID=7865&SPSID=69272 |access-date=June 10, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101205004823/http://www.afca.com/SportSelect.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=9300&SPID=7865&SPSID=69272 |archive-date=December 5, 2010 }}</ref>
The Wildcats play their home games at Ryan Field, a new stadium on the site of the original Ryan Field. Given their close proximity to Chicago and strong connections to the city, Northwestern Football is often recognized as "Chicago's Big Ten Team."<ref>{{Cite web |date=November 16, 2012 |title=Chicago's other football team |url=https://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20121117/ISSUE01/311179985/northwestern-markets-itself-as-chicago-s-big-ten-team |access-date=June 10, 2023 |website=Crain's Chicago Business |language=en-US |archive-date=June 10, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230610060823/https://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20121117/ISSUE01/311179985/northwestern-markets-itself-as-chicago-s-big-ten-team |url-status=live }}</ref>
Northwestern's football team has made 73 appearances in the top 10 of the AP poll since 1936 (including five at #1) and has won eight Big Ten conference championships since 1903.<ref>{{cite web |title=Appearances in AP Top 10 |url=http://www.appollarchive.com/football/ap/app_total.cfm?sort=top10app&decade=all&rows=all |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120328121707/http://www.appollarchive.com/football/ap/app_total.cfm?sort=top10app&decade=all&rows=all |archive-date=March 28, 2012 |access-date=March 7, 2010 |publisher=AP Poll Archive}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Appearances in at #1 in AP Poll |url=http://www.appollarchive.com/football/ap/app_total.cfm?sort=num1app&decade=all&rows=all |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120328121719/http://www.appollarchive.com/football/ap/app_total.cfm?sort=num1app&decade=all&rows=all |archive-date=March 28, 2012 |access-date=March 7, 2010 |publisher=AP Poll Archive}}</ref><ref name="National Champs">{{cite web |title=Northwestern Football History Database |url=http://www.nationalchamps.net/NCAA/database/northwestern_database.htm |access-date=May 2, 2009 |publisher=NationalChamps.net |archive-date=November 12, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112055723/http://www.nationalchamps.net/NCAA/database/northwestern_database.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> At one time, Northwestern had the longest losing streak in Division I-A, losing 34 consecutive games between 1979 and 1982.<ref>{{cite news |last=Bumiller |first=Elisabeth |date=November 9, 1981 |title=The Streak! Northwestern Sets Football Record, 29 Demoralizing Losses in a Row; Northwestern's Streak |page=D1 |newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref><ref name="Streak ends">{{cite news |last=Pomerantz |first=Gary |date=September 25, 1982 |title=Northwestern: Paradise Found After 34 Lost Weekends |page=F1 |newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref> They did not appear in a bowl game after 1949 until the 1996 Rose Bowl. The team did not win a bowl since the 1949 Rose Bowl until the 2013 Gator Bowl. Following the sudden death of football coach Randy Walker in 2006,<ref>{{cite news |last=Sprow |first=Chris |date=July 1, 2006 |title=Randy Walker, Northwestern Head Football Coach, 52, Dies |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/01/sports/ncaafootball/01walker.html |access-date=January 6, 2009 |archive-date=May 22, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130522052940/http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/01/sports/ncaafootball/01walker.html |url-status=live }}</ref> 31-year-old former All-American Northwestern linebacker Pat Fitzgerald assumed the position, becoming the youngest Division I FBS coach at the time.<ref>{{cite news |last=Eligon |first=John |date=August 9, 2006 |title=Northwestern's Fitzgerald a Comforting Figure for a Familiar Pain |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/09/sports/ncaafootball/09north.html |access-date=January 6, 2009 |archive-date=May 22, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130522052954/http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/09/sports/ncaafootball/09north.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=July 8, 2006 |title=Fitzgerald becomes youngest coach in Division I-A |work=ESPN |url=https://www.espn.com/college-football/news/story?id=2512178 |access-date=January 6, 2009 |archive-date=January 4, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160104200458/http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=2512178 |url-status=live }}</ref>
In 1882 as a group of Northwestern men played a "football heat" against a group of Lake Forest men. The Wildcats have since achieved an all-time-high rank of No. 1 during the 1936 and 1962 seasons, which has thus far not been duplicated. The team plays home games at Ryan Field in Evanston, Illinois. The Wildcats have participated in a total of 16 bowl games, including appearances in 10 seasons between 2008 and 2020. During the 2016–2018 seasons, they won three consecutive bowl games. In 2020, the Wildcats claimed the title of Big Ten West Champions and were champions in their bowl game. thumb|Logo of the Northwestern Wildcats|211x211px
=== Basketball === The Helms Athletic Foundation named the men's basketball team the 1931 National Champion.<ref>{{cite web |title=100 Great Moments in Big Ten Men's Basketball History |url=http://www.bigten.org/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/120404aaa.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110725195544/http://www.bigten.org/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/120404aaa.html |archive-date=July 25, 2011 |access-date=May 15, 2009 |publisher=Big Ten Official Athletic Site}}</ref> In 2017, the men's basketball team earned an NCAA berth for the first time in the program's history. They won their first-round matchup against Vanderbilt University but lost to number-one seed Gonzaga in the second round.<ref>{{cite web |date=March 19, 2017 |title=Northwestern Falls to Gonzaga in Second Round, 79–73 |url=http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/Northwestern-Hopes-to-Upset-Gonzaga-in-Tough-Second-Round-Game-416494983.html |access-date=March 25, 2017 |website=NBC Chicago |language=en |archive-date=March 26, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170326051331/http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/Northwestern-Hopes-to-Upset-Gonzaga-in-Tough-Second-Round-Game-416494983.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
In 1998, two former Northwestern basketball players were charged and convicted for sports bribery, having been paid to shave points in games against three other Big Ten schools during the 1995 season.<ref>{{cite news |date=November 25, 1998 |title=Sentences Issued in Gambling Case |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9502E0D81739F936A15752C1A96E958260 |access-date=July 13, 2008 |archive-date=July 7, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230707053023/https://www.nytimes.com/1998/11/25/sports/basketball-jurisprudence-northwestern-sentences-issued-in-gambling-case.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Belluck |first=Pam |date=March 27, 1998 |title=Ex-Northwestern Players Charged in Point-Shaving |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D07EFDA173BF934A15750C0A96E958260 |access-date=July 13, 2008 |archive-date=July 7, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230707053029/https://www.nytimes.com/1998/03/27/sports/college-basketball-ex-northwestern-players-charged-in-point-shaving.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Berkow |first=Ira |date=April 20, 1998 |title=Caught in Gambling's Grip; A Promising Career Unravels at Northwestern |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D07E4DA113CF933A15757C0A96E958260 |access-date=July 13, 2008 |archive-date=July 7, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230707053022/https://www.nytimes.com/1998/04/20/sports/college-basketball-caught-gambling-s-grip-promising-career-unravels-northwestern.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The football team became embroiled in a different betting scandal later that year when federal prosecutors indicted four former players for perjury related to betting on their own games.<ref>{{cite news |last=Dedman |first=Bill |date=December 4, 1998 |title=College Football; 4 Are Indicted in Northwestern Football Scandal |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C00E4D8103BF937A35751C1A96E958260 |access-date=July 13, 2008 |archive-date=April 3, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080403053359/http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C00E4D8103BF937A35751C1A96E958260 |url-status=live }}</ref> In August 2001, Rashidi Wheeler, a senior safety, collapsed and died during practice from an asthma attack.<ref>{{cite news |date=August 4, 2001 |title=College Player Dies at Practice |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9402E4D9133CF937A3575BC0A9679C8B63 |access-date=July 13, 2008 |archive-date=July 7, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230707053023/https://www.nytimes.com/2001/08/04/sports/college-football-college-player-dies-at-practice.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Fountain |first=John |date=August 8, 2001 |title=Amid Questions, Northwestern Honors a 'Hero' |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E02E5DD163FF93BA3575BC0A9679C8B63 |access-date=July 13, 2008 |archive-date=July 7, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230707053528/https://www.nytimes.com/2001/08/08/sports/college-football-amid-questions-northwestern-honors-a-hero.html |url-status=live }}</ref> An autopsy revealed that he had ephedrine, a stimulant banned by the NCAA, in his system, which prompted Northwestern to investigate the prevalence of stimulants and other banned substances across all of its athletic programs.<ref>{{cite news |date=August 21, 2001 |title=Banned Substance in Wheeler's System |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A00E2D61F3EF932A1575BC0A9679C8B63 |access-date=July 13, 2008 |archive-date=July 7, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230707053524/https://www.nytimes.com/2001/08/21/sports/plus-college-football-banned-substance-in-wheeler-s-system.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=August 13, 2001 |title=University Examines Use of Supplements |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9403E0DE1E3FF930A2575BC0A9679C8B63 |access-date=July 13, 2008 |archive-date=July 7, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230707053528/https://www.nytimes.com/2001/08/13/sports/plus-college-football-university-examines-use-of-supplements.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2006, the Northwestern women's soccer team was suspended and coach Jenny Haigh resigned following the release of images of alleged hazing.<ref>{{cite news |last=Sprow |first=Chris |date=May 16, 2006 |title=Northwestern Women's Soccer Team Suspended After Hazing |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/16/sports/soccer/16hazing.html |access-date=February 11, 2017 |archive-date=June 11, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170611225833/http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/16/sports/soccer/16hazing.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=June 21, 2006 |title=Northwestern women's soccer coach resigns |work=ESPN |url=https://www.espn.com/college-sports/news/story?id=2493994 |access-date=May 16, 2009 |archive-date=January 12, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120112093014/http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/news/story?id=2493994 |url-status=live }}</ref>
==== Men's Basketball ==== {{Main|Northwestern Wildcats men's basketball}}
[[File:Welsh-Ryan Arena.png|thumb|Welsh–Ryan Arena of the Northwestern University with 7,039 seats]]The Wildcats men's basketball team is under the direction of Sullivan-Ubben head men's basketball coach Chris Collins, a role that he has been in since 2013. Collins led the Wildcats to heights never before reached during the 2016–17 season when the program saw a school-record 24 wins and its first NCAA tournament berth and victory in program history. Collins was named as one of four finalists for the Naismith Men's Coach of the Year award in 2017.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Northwestern Men's Basketball |url=https://nusports.com/sports/mens-basketball |url-status=live |access-date=May 18, 2023 |archive-date=May 18, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230518020221/https://nusports.com/sports/mens-basketball }}</ref>
Northwestern’s 1930–31 team was retroactively named national champion by both the Helms Athletic Foundation and the Premo-Porretta Power Poll.<ref>{{cite book | title = Helms Athletic Foundation Collegiate Basketball Record, Part II | publisher = Helms Athletic Foundation | year = 1943 | url = https://archive.org/details/helms-athletic-foundation-collegiate-basketball-record-part-ii-1943/page/5/mode/2up | via = Internet Archive | access-date = 13 May 2026 }}</ref> <ref>{{cite book |editor-last=ESPN |title=ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Men's Game |location=New York, NY |publisher=ESPN Books |date=2009 |pages=526, 529–587 |isbn=978-0-345-51392-2}} </ref> Since then, the Wildcats have played in the National Invitation Tournament seven times, most recently in 2012.<ref>{{cite manual |title=2020-21 Men's Basketball Media Guide |publisher=Northwestern University Athletics |date=November 27, 2020 |url=https://nusports.com/documents/2020/11/27/2020_MBB_Media_Guide.pdf |access-date=May 13, 2026}} </ref> The men's basketball program was the first to open the renovated Welsh-Ryan Arena<ref>{{Cite web |title=Welsh-Ryan Arena |url=https://nusports.com/facilities/welsh-ryan-arena/12 |url-status=live |access-date=May 18, 2023 |archive-date=May 18, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230518022648/https://nusports.com/facilities/welsh-ryan-arena/12 }}</ref> on November 2, 2018, in an exhibition game against McKendree. The facility was built to be the most accessible arena in college athletics and seats 7,039.
==== Women's Basketball ==== {{Main|Northwestern Wildcats women's basketball}}
In 2017, the Wildcats saw its highest draft pick in program history with Nia Coffey, selected fifth overall by the San Antonio Stars. The first player drafted in program history was Amy Jaeschke in 2011, selected 27th overall by the Chicago Sky.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Staff Directory |url=https://nusports.com/staff-directory/joe-mckeown/110 |url-status=live |access-date=May 18, 2023 |archive-date=May 18, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230518022651/https://nusports.com/staff-directory/joe-mckeown/110 }}</ref>
=== Fencing === The Northwestern Fencing program competes in the Central Collegiate Conference and has a tenured history of success. Zach Moss is the programs head coach, a role that he has been in since 2016. Following a historic 2017–18 season, Moss was named the Midwest Fencing Conference Coach of the Year as the Wildcats captured their fifth-ever conference championship and finished with three All-Americans at the NCAA Championships. Additionally, the team set the program record for most wins in a season with 47 and the program record for longest win streak at 25. The 2018–19 season saw more milestones for the Wildcats including a 39–5 record, an 11th-place finish at the NCAA Championships, and a second consecutive conference championship. The Wildcats achieved the highest ranking in program history during the season at second in the country and amassed 39 victories at the conference championships.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Northwestern Fencing |url=https://nusports.com/sports/womens-fencing |url-status=live |access-date=May 18, 2023 |archive-date=May 18, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230518022658/https://nusports.com/sports/womens-fencing }}</ref>
=== Field Hockey === {{Main|Northwestern Wildcats field hockey}}
The Northwestern Field Hockey team plays its home games at Lakeside Field, adjacent to Lanny and Sharon Martin Stadium on the lakefront. The Wildcats are led by head coach Tracey Fuchs, a role that she has been in since 2009. Fuchs has led the Wildcats to two Big Ten titles and three NCAA tournament appearances. Under Fuchs' direction, the Wildcats have posted winning seasons in 10 of her 11 seasons.
The Northwestern Wildcats field hockey team has gathered six regular-season Big Ten titles and 1 tournament title in addition to 14 NCAA tournament appearances. In 2021, the team won the NCAA tournament, followed by a championship game appearance in 2022.
=== Lacrosse === {{Main|Northwestern Wildcats women's lacrosse}}
Northwestern lacrosse has won the national championship in women's lacrosse five straight times, from 2005 to 2009, and then again in 2011 and 2012, giving them seven championships in eight years. In 2007, the team joined Maryland as the only other school to three-peat. The run started in 2005, when the team enjoyed a perfect season and defeated many long-established east-coast schools after only five years as a varsity sport to capture the school's first national championship since 1941. In doing so, it became the westernmost institution to ever win the title. Soon after, the team made national news when members appeared in a White House photo with President Bush wearing thong sandals, or flip-flops, dubbed as the "White House flip-flop flap." The 2009 season also was an undefeated run. In their five consecutive championship seasons, the Wildcats have a 106–3 record. The Wildcats are led by head coach Kelly Amonte-Hiller, a role that she has been in since 2002. The Wildcats won their first-ever Big Ten Championship in 2019 and won their first-ever Big Ten regular season championship in 2021.<ref>{{cite news |last=Lomonico |first=David |date=May 25, 2008 |title=Northwestern completes four-peat in women's lacrosse |work=ESPN |url=https://www.espn.com/espn/print?id=3412373&type=Story&imagesPrint=off |access-date=May 16, 2009 |archive-date=November 2, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121102115342/http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/print?id=3412373&type=Story&imagesPrint=off |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=May 24, 2009 |title=Northwestern wins 5th straight title |work=ESPN |agency=The Associated Press |url=https://www.espn.com/college-sports/news/story?id=4203437 |access-date=May 25, 2009 |archive-date=January 14, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150114231724/http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/news/story?id=4203437 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Northwestern Women's Lacrosse Archives |url=http://www.nusports.com/sports/w-lacros/archive/nw-w-lacros-archive.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130526180741/http://www.nusports.com/sports/w-lacros/archive/nw-w-lacros-archive.html |archive-date=May 26, 2013 |access-date=May 21, 2013 |publisher=Northwestern University}}</ref> Most recently, Northwestern won its ninth NCAA championship in 2026, after having won in 2023 and was runner-up 2024 and 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Social Media: Lacrosse Wins 9th National Championship |url=https://nusports.com/news/2026/5/26/womens-lacrosse-social-media-lacrosse-wins-9th-national-championship |access-date=2026-06-01 |website=Northwestern Athletics |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=DI Women's Lacrosse Championship History {{!}} NCAA.com |url=https://www.ncaa.com/history/lacrosse-women/d1 |access-date=2026-06-01 |website=www.ncaa.com |language=en}}</ref>
=== Wrestling === The Northwestern Wildcats wrestling program hosts home matches in Welsh-Ryan Arena and practices in the Ken Kraft Wrestling Room, located in Anderson Hall. The Wildcats are led by Matt Storniolo, a role that he has been in since 2016. The Wildcats have had 40 Big Ten individual champions in addition to 10 NCAA individual champions and 75-plus All-Americans.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Northwestern Wildcats Wrestling |url=https://nusports.com/sports/wrestling |url-status=live |access-date=May 18, 2023 |archive-date=May 18, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230518022654/https://nusports.com/sports/wrestling }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Northwestern All Americans |url=https://nwhof.org/national-wrestling-hall-of-fame/champions-database?school=186&page=1 |access-date=May 18, 2023 |website=nwhof.org |archive-date=July 7, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230707053524/https://nwhof.org/national-wrestling-hall-of-fame/champions-database?school=186&page=1 |url-status=live }}</ref>
=== Golf === The men's golf team has won eight Big Ten Conference championships: 1925, 1937, 1939, 1948, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2006. They have twice placed second in the NCAA Championships: 1939, 1945. Luke Donald won the NCAA Individual Championship in 1999. He was Big Ten Conference Player of the year in 1999, and David Merkow was named the same in 2006. Donald was ranked number 1 in the Official World Golf Ranking for 56 weeks in 2011 and 2012.
== People ==
=== Alumni === {{Main list|List of Northwestern University alumni }} {{multiple image | align = right | total_width = 400 | image1 = William Jennings Bryan LCCN2014686249.jpg | alt1 = | image2 = Saul Bellow (Herzog portrait).jpg | alt2 = | footer = Northwestern alumni include orator William Jennings Bryan and Nobel Prize-winning writer Saul Bellow. }}
Northwestern's political alumni include U.S. Senator and presidential candidate George McGovern and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://bioguide.congress.gov/search/bio/M000452|title=McGovern, George Stanley|website=Biographical Directory of the United States Congress|access-date=April 26, 2025}}</ref> Law school graduates include orator William Jennings Bryan, U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice John Paul Stevens, Supreme Court Justice and United Nations Ambassador Arthur Joseph Goldberg, Chicago Mayor Harold L. Washington, Governor of Illinois and Democratic presidential candidate Adlai Stevenson,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nga.org/governor/adlai-ewing-stevenson/|title=Gov. Adlai Ewing Stevenson|website=National Governors Association|date=January 12, 2015 |access-date=April 26, 2025}}</ref> prominent American civil rights attorney, Howard University President, and United Nations Ambassador James Nabrit Jr.''',''' and Cincinnati mayor and tabloid host Jerry Springer.
The number of Northwestern alumni involved in theater, film, and television is also so large that the alumni have been dubbed the "Northwestern mafia."<ref>{{cite news |last=Russo |first=Francine |date=September 3, 2002 |title=Rallying the Troupes: Young Directors Take Charge |newspaper=Village Voice |location=New York |url=http://www.villagevoice.com/2002-09-03/nyc-life/rallying-the-troupes |url-status=dead |access-date=January 6, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141019013042/http://www.villagevoice.com/2002-09-03/nyc-life/rallying-the-troupes/ |archive-date=October 19, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=April 30, 2002 |title=Alum touts connections among NU grads in L.A. |work=The Daily Northwestern |url=http://media.www.dailynorthwestern.com/media/storage/paper853/news/2002/04/30/Campus/Alum-Touts.Connections.Among.Nu.Grads.In.L.a-1909784.shtml |url-status=dead |access-date=January 6, 2009 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20110806003526/http://media.www.dailynorthwestern.com/media/storage/paper853/news/2002/04/30/Campus/Alum-Touts.Connections.Among.Nu.Grads.In.L.a-1909784.shtml |archive-date=August 6, 2011}}</ref> Actor alumni include Warren Beatty, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Charlton Heston, David Schwimmer,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.kennedy-center.org/artists/h/ha-hn/charlton-heston/|title=Charlton Heston|publisher=The Kennedy Center|access-date=April 26, 2025}}</ref> and British royal family member Meghan, Duchess of Sussex. Other media alumni include Stephen Colbert and Seth Meyers.
Others include Nobel Prize-winning economists George J. Stigler and Peter Howitt, Nobel Prize-winning novelist Saul Bellow, and Nobel Prize winning biochemist Robert F. Furchgott. Pulitzer Prize-winning composer and diarist Ned Rorem, ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' author George R. R. Martin, Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Howard Hanson, historian and novelist Wilma Dykeman, and National Prayer Breakfast founder Abraham Vereide are also among its alumni. Among U.S. universities, Northwestern ranks eighth in the number of billionaires produced.<ref name="Forbes Billionaire">{{cite news |date=August 11, 2010 |title=In Pictures: Billionaire Universities |website=Forbes |url=https://www.forbes.com/2010/08/11/harvard-stanford-columbia-business-billionaires-universities_slide.html |access-date=June 18, 2018 |archive-date=December 23, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201223095755/https://www.forbes.com/2010/08/11/harvard-stanford-columbia-business-billionaires-universities_slide.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Northwestern alumni have founded companies and organizations including the Mayo Clinic, The Blackstone Group, U.S. Steel, Accenture, Aon Corporation, and Booz Allen Hamilton.
===Faculty=== {{Main list|List of Northwestern University faculty }} [[File:Nobel Laureates 7327 (30647283454).jpg|thumb|upright|Professor Fraser Stoddart was awarded the 2016 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his molecular machine research.]] The university employs 3,781 faculty members across its eleven schools,<ref name="Faculty"/> including 18 members of the National Academy of Sciences,<ref>{{cite web|title=National Academy of Sciences Directory|url=http://www.nasonline.org/site/Dir/139832544?pg=rslts|access-date=February 11, 2011|publisher=National Academy of Sciences|archive-date=June 28, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110628235951/http://www.nasonline.org/site/Dir/139832544?pg=rslts|url-status=live}}</ref> 65 members of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences,<ref name="acad directory">{{cite web|title=American Academy of Arts and Sciences Directory|url=http://www.amacad.org/members/classList.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111005034430/http://www.amacad.org/members/classList.pdf|archive-date=October 5, 2011|access-date=February 11, 2011|publisher=American Academy of Arts and Sciences}}</ref> 19 members of the National Academy of Engineering,<ref>{{cite web|title=National Academy of Engineering Directory|url=http://www.nae.edu/default.aspx?id=20412|access-date=February 11, 2011|publisher=National Academy of Engineering|archive-date=February 11, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110211023807/http://www.nae.edu/default.aspx?id=20412|url-status=live}}</ref> and 6 members of the Institute of Medicine.<ref>{{cite web|title=Institute of Medicine Directory|url=http://www.iom.edu/Global/Directory.aspx?affiliationsearch=northwestern&type={A75AB05B-9C36-4917-8FE3-ACA7E5CC580C}|access-date=February 11, 2011|publisher=Institute of Medicine}}{{dead link|date=December 2017|bot=InternetArchiveBot|fix-attempted=yes}}</ref>
Faculty include 2010 Nobel laureate in Economics Dale T. Mortensen;<ref>{{cite news|title=nobel prize in economics|url=http://www.northwestern.edu/newscenter/archives/special/nobel-prize-winner.html|access-date=October 11, 2010|archive-date=October 15, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101015012001/http://www.northwestern.edu/newscenter/archives/special/nobel-prize-winner.html|url-status=live}}</ref> 2025 Nobel laureate in Economics Joel Mokyr; nano-scientists Chad Mirkin and Samuel I. Stupp; Benjamin Franklin Medal in Electrical Engineering winner Manijeh Razeghi; Tony Award-winning director Mary Zimmerman; management expert Philip Kotler; King Faisal International Prize in Science recipient and Nobel laureate Sir Fraser Stoddart; Steppenwolf Theatre director Anna Shapiro; sexual psychologist J. Michael Bailey;<ref>{{cite news|last=Carey|first=Benedict|date=August 21, 2007|title=Criticism of a Gender Theory, and a Scientist Under Siege|newspaper=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/21/health/psychology/21gender.html|access-date=January 4, 2009|archive-date=April 10, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090410120121/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/21/health/psychology/21gender.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Federalist Society co-founder Steven Calabresi;<ref>{{cite web|title=Steven G. Calabresi – Biography|url=http://www.fed-soc.org/publications/id.91/author.asp|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100317211655/http://www.fed-soc.org/publications/id.91/author.asp|archive-date=March 17, 2010|access-date=March 7, 2010|publisher=The Federalist Society}}</ref> former Weatherman Bernardine Rae Dohrn;<ref>{{cite news|last=Fountain|first=John|date=November 4, 2001|title=Northwestern Alumni to End Donations if Ex-Radical Stays|newspaper=The New York Times|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D01E0DA1739F937A35752C1A9679C8B63|access-date=July 12, 2008|archive-date=April 30, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080430072720/http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D01E0DA1739F937A35752C1A9679C8B63|url-status=live}}</ref> ethnographer Gary Alan Fine;<ref>{{cite journal|last=Sassatelli|first=Roberta|date=March 2010|title=A Serial Ethnographer: An Interview with Gary Alan Fine|journal=Qualitative Sociology|volume=33|issue=1|pages=79–96|doi=10.1007/s11133-009-9144-2|issn=1573-7837|s2cid=144558047}}</ref> Pulitzer Prize–winning historian Garry Wills;<ref>{{cite web|date=March 4, 1997|title=Pulitzer-Prize winning writer Garry Wills|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1109559|access-date=January 4, 2009|work=National Public Radio|archive-date=January 22, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100122213010/http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1109559|url-status=live}}</ref> American Academy of Arts and Sciences fellow Monica Olvera de la Cruz and MacArthur Fellowship recipients Stuart Dybek, Jennifer Richeson, Amy Rosenzweig, John A. Rogers, Mark Hersam, William Dichtel, and Dylan Penningroth.
The faculty also includes Holocaust denier Arthur Butz<ref>{{cite news|last=King|first=Seth S.|date=January 28, 1977|title=Professor Causes Furor by Saying Nazi Slaying of Jews Is a Myth|newspaper=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1977/01/28/archives/professor-causes-furor-by-saying-nazi-slaying-of-jews-is-a-myth.html|access-date=November 26, 2008|archive-date=September 5, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170905145931/http://www.nytimes.com/1977/01/28/archives/professor-causes-furor-by-saying-nazi-slaying-of-jews-is-a-myth.html|url-status=live}}</ref> and Richard Bruce Silverman, inventor of Lyrica (Pregabalin). Former faculty include political advisor David Axelrod,<ref>{{cite web|title=Senior Advisor David Axelrod|url=https://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/staff/david-axelrod/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100306205606/http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/staff/david-axelrod|archive-date=March 6, 2010|access-date=March 7, 2010|publisher=The White House}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=David Axelrod Biography|url=http://www.biography.com/people/david-axelrod-431900|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150505104153/http://www.biography.com/people/david-axelrod-431900|archive-date=May 5, 2015|access-date=May 22, 2015|website=Biography.com website}}</ref> artists William Conger, Judy Ledgerwood, Ed Paschke,<ref>{{cite news|last=Smith|first=Roberta|date=December 1, 2004|title=Ed Paschke, Painter, 65, Dies; Pop Artist With Dark Vision|newspaper=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/01/arts/design/01paschke.html|access-date=January 6, 2009|archive-date=May 22, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130522042253/http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/01/arts/design/01paschke.html|url-status=live}}</ref> and James Valerio, writer Charles Newman,<ref>{{cite news|last=Fox|first=Margalit|date=March 22, 2006|title=Charles Newman, 67, Writer and Literary Journal Editor, Dies|newspaper=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/22/national/22newman.html|access-date=January 6, 2009|archive-date=November 26, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151126203835/http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/22/national/22newman.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Nobel Prize–winning chemist John Pople,<ref>{{cite news|last=Chang|first=Kenneth|date=March 18, 2004|title=Sir John A. Pople, 78, Dies; Won Nobel Chemistry Prize|newspaper=The New York Times|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=980DE0D81531F93BA25750C0A9629C8B63|access-date=January 6, 2009|archive-date=July 7, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230707053555/https://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/18/world/sir-john-a-pople-78-dies-won-nobel-chemistry-prize.html|url-status=live}}</ref> and military sociologist and "don't ask, don't tell" author Charles Moskos.<ref>{{cite news|last=Martin|first=Douglas|date=June 5, 2008|title=Charles Moskos, Policy Adviser, Dies at 74|newspaper=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/05/us/05moskos.html|access-date=January 4, 2009|archive-date=September 20, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190920120704/https://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/05/us/05moskos.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
==Notes== {{Notelist}}
===Citations=== {{Reflist}}
==Further reading== {{Portal|Chicago|Illinois}} . * Diner, Steven J. ''A city and its universities: Public policy in Chicago, 1892–1919'' (UNC Press Books, 2017) [https://books.google.com/books?id=4LY4DwAAQBAJ&dq=Steven+Diner+%22a+city+and+its+universities%22&pg=PP1 online]. * {{cite book |last=Pridmore |first=Jay |title=Northwestern University: Celebrating 150 Years |url=http://www.nu150.northwestern.edu/book/ |year=2000 |publisher=Northwestern University Press |location=Evanston, Illinois |isbn=0-8101-1829-7 }} {{clear}}
==External links== {{commons category}} * {{Official website}} * [https://nusports.com/ Official athletics website] * {{Cite NSRW|wstitle=Northwestern University|short=x}} * {{Cite NIE|wstitle=Northwestern University|short=x}} * [https://www.chicagodancehistory.org/search-results?q=Northwestern+University&type=pages "Chicago Dance History Project / Interviews with Dancers connected to Northwestern University"] {{Northwestern University}}{{Navboxes |titlestyle = {{CollegePrimaryStyle|Northwestern Wildcats|color=white}} |list = {{Evanston, Illinois}} {{QuestBridge}} {{Big Ten Conference navbox}} {{Big Ten Academic Alliance}} {{Colleges and universities in metropolitan Chicago}} {{MethodistColleges}} {{Association of American Universities}} {{Northwestern Medicine}} }} {{authority control}}
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