National University (NU) vs NorthWestern

National University and Northwestern University, two esteemed institutions of higher learning, stand apart in their offerings and student experiences. National University, a private, non-profit university, boasts an open admissions policy, welcoming students from all backgrounds. In contrast, Northwestern University, a private research university, maintains a highly selective admissions process, resulting in a lower acceptance rate. While both universities offer a diverse range of undergraduate and graduate programs, National University is known for its flexible learning options, including online and evening classes, catering to working professionals and non-traditional students. Northwestern University, on the other hand, emphasizes research and offers a more traditional campus experience. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover further distinctions between these two exceptional universities, including popular majors, student body demographics, graduation rates, and more, to help you make an informed decision about your academic journey.

	National University	Northwestern University
Overview
Location	La Jolla, California	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	Non Traditional	Quarter
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	100.0%	99.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	54.5%	7.0%
Application fees		Undergraduate: $75 Graduate: $95
SAT range	N/A	1470 - 1570
ACT range	N/A	34 - 35
Students submitting SAT score		43.0%
Students submitting ACT score		39.0%
Total number of applicants	154	47,636
Total number of admissions given out	84	3,321
Admitted students who chose to enroll	38	2,086
Yield rate	45.2%	62.8%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Not required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$36,459	$83,838
Average net price	$9,966	$29,999
Tuition	$13,320	$60,276
Room & board		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)	100.0% Average amount $8,610	57.0% Average amount $51,087
Students receiving federal student loan		23.0% Average amount $4,625
Students taking out private loans		2.0% Average amount $38,595

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	7,648 Men 47.1% Women 52.9%	8,847 Men 46.1% Women 53.9%
Graduate students	9,487 Men 28.7% Women 71.3%	14,562 Men 47.3% Women 52.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	0.6%	17.8%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	N/A	4,409
First year students are required to live on campus?	N/A	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Health Professions Psychology Business Law Enforcement and Firefighting	Business Communication and Journalism Engineering Health Professions Legal Profession
Students to faculty ratio	16:1	6:1
Institutional accreditation	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	46.7%	95.2%
Dropout rate	N/A	4.2%
Transferred out	43.3%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $94,452 Year 2: $81,333 Year 3: $97,514 Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $77,429 Year 2: $84,653 Year 3: $94,326 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $85,563 Year 2: $84,367 Year 3: $90,127 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $84,898 Year 2: $83,505 Year 3: $87,794 Computer Science (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $80,729 Year 2: $71,575 Year 3: $82,008 Educational/Instructional Media Design (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $71,709 Year 2: $66,821 Year 3: $81,966 Public Administration (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $67,545 Year 2: $75,989 Year 3: $77,049 Health and Medical Administrative Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $52,576 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $76,724 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $63,716 Year 2: $65,238 Year 3: $74,055 Human Resources Management and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $55,949 Year 2: $65,657 Year 3: $73,109	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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