Washington University in St Louis (WashU) vs NorthWestern

Washington University in St Louis and Northwestern University, both esteemed private research universities, offer distinct educational experiences. Washington University boasts a slightly higher acceptance rate (17%) compared to Northwestern's (13%), making it marginally easier to gain admission. While Northwestern's student body is more diverse, with international students comprising 15% of the population, Washington University's student body is slightly larger, with an undergraduate enrollment of over 7,000 students. Both universities excel in various academic disciplines, with popular majors including engineering, business, and social sciences. However, Northwestern has a slightly higher graduation rate (91%) compared to Washington University's (89%). To help you make an informed decision, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison table highlighting key differences between these two prestigious institutions. Explore the table to discover which university better aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Northwestern University	Washington University in St Louis
Overview
Location	Evanston, Illinois	Saint Louis, Missouri
Campus setting	City: Small	Suburb: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Quarter	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	99.0%	96.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	7.0%	13.0%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $75 Graduate: $95	Undergraduate: $75 Graduate: $45
SAT range	1470 - 1570	1490 - 1570
ACT range	34 - 35	33 - 35
Students submitting SAT score	43.0%	25.0%
Students submitting ACT score	39.0%	41.0%
Total number of applicants	47,636	33,634
Total number of admissions given out	3,321	4,373
Admitted students who chose to enroll	2,086	1,980
Yield rate	62.8%	45.3%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	Not required
Recommendation letters	Required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$83,838	$81,620
Average net price	$29,999	$28,298
Tuition	$60,276	$57,750
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $11,271 Meal plan: $6,993	Room/dormitory: $12,350 Meal plan: $5,550
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	57.0% Average amount $51,087	44.0% Average amount $51,288
Students receiving federal student loan	23.0% Average amount $4,625	14.0% Average amount $4,790
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $38,595	2.0% Average amount $25,095

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	8,847 Men 46.1% Women 53.9%	8,034 Men 46.4% Women 53.6%
Graduate students	14,562 Men 47.3% Women 52.7%	8,939 Men 47.6% Women 52.4%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	88.2%
International students	17.8%	26.1%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	4,409	6,826
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	California Missouri New York Illinois Florida

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Communication and Journalism Engineering Health Professions Legal Profession	Business Legal Profession Engineering Health Professions Computer and Information Science
Students to faculty ratio	6:1	7:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	95.2%	93.1%
Dropout rate	4.2%	6.5%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Medical Clinical Sciences/Graduate Medical Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $150,242 Year 2: $188,472 Year 3: $221,242 Business/Commerce, General (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $188,472 Year 3: $216,176 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $187,194 Year 2: $170,971 Year 3: $206,288 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $120,709 Year 2: $189,565 Year 3: $194,961 Business/Commerce, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $162,478 Year 2: $163,561 Year 3: $177,652 Engineering-Related Fields (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $111,200 Year 2: $157,779 Year 3: $159,304 Engineering, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $140,321 Year 2: $141,586 Year 3: $154,556 Medical Illustration and Informatics (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $88,288 Year 2: $118,465 Year 3: $132,325 Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $118,780 Year 2: $111,323 Year 3: $130,124 Community Organization and Advocacy (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $115,760 Year 2: $113,668 Year 3: $128,046	Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $89,930 Year 2: $99,517 Year 3: $149,178 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $108,627 Year 2: $112,270 Year 3: $125,369 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $83,311 Year 2: $91,744 Year 3: $123,261 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $90,605 Year 2: $80,755 Year 3: $115,101 Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $92,604 Year 2: $85,538 Year 3: $96,865 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $66,886 Year 2: $67,995 Year 3: $82,126 Medicine (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $57,989 Year 2: $58,334 Year 3: $73,030 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $65,467 Year 2: $64,379 Year 3: $68,070 Public Health (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $48,193 Year 2: $52,107 Year 3: $66,777 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $67,699 Year 2: $63,997 Year 3: $66,289

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