George Washington University (GWU) vs NorthWestern

When it comes to higher education, George Washington University (GWU) and Northwestern University (NU) stand out as two prestigious institutions with distinct offerings. GWU, located in the heart of Washington, D.C., boasts a diverse student body and a strong focus on public affairs and international relations. NU, situated in Evanston, Illinois, is known for its rigorous academics, vibrant campus life, and excellent research opportunities. While both universities share a commitment to academic excellence, they differ in several key aspects, including acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to discover which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	George Washington University	Northwestern University
Overview
Location	Washington, District of Columbia	Evanston, Illinois
Campus setting	City: Large	City: Small
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Quarter
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	91.0%	99.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	49.7%	7.0%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $80 Graduate: $80	Undergraduate: $75 Graduate: $95
SAT range	1310 - 1490	1470 - 1570
ACT range	30 - 34	34 - 35
Students submitting SAT score	29.0%	43.0%
Students submitting ACT score	18.0%	39.0%
Total number of applicants	27,236	47,636
Total number of admissions given out	13,539	3,321
Admitted students who chose to enroll	2,571	2,086
Yield rate	19.0%	62.8%
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	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$78,335	$83,838
Average net price	$31,240	$29,999
Tuition	$59,780	$60,276
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $15,260 Meal plan: $3,240	Room/dormitory: $11,271 Meal plan: $6,993
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	74.0% Average amount $31,678	57.0% Average amount $51,087
Students receiving federal student loan	30.0% Average amount $5,150	23.0% Average amount $4,625
Students taking out private loans	5.0% Average amount $25,366	2.0% Average amount $38,595

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	11,502 Men 36.3% Women 63.7%	8,847 Men 46.1% Women 53.9%
Graduate students	14,955 Men 38.1% Women 61.9%	14,562 Men 47.3% Women 52.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	98.7%	N/A
International students	11.6%	17.8%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	6,693	4,409
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	New York New Jersey Virginia California Pennsylvania	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Business Social Sciences Legal Profession Computer and Information Science	Business Communication and Journalism Engineering Health Professions Legal Profession
Students to faculty ratio	12:1	6:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	83.7%	95.2%
Dropout rate	16.1%	4.2%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Systems Engineering (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $160,692 Year 2: $146,893 Year 3: $153,607 Human Resources Management and Services (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $124,764 Year 2: $106,421 Year 3: $130,306 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $124,241 Year 2: $127,142 Year 3: $127,952 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $107,834 Year 2: $114,046 Year 3: $119,393 Systems Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $106,809 Year 2: $101,072 Year 3: $112,813 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $98,922 Year 2: $104,061 Year 3: $111,679 Public Health (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: $84,962 Year 2: $104,192 Year 3: $105,816 Engineering-Related Fields (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $104,747 Year 2: $96,405 Year 3: $105,562 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $95,274 Year 2: $101,254 Year 3: $103,350 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $77,345 Year 2: $83,177 Year 3: $102,875	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

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George Washington University (GWU) vs NorthWestern

George Washington University

Northwestern University

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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