Enrollment Trends at Northwestern

The average student population over the last 11 years is 22,629 where 23,856 students are attending the school for the academic year 2024-2025.

Total enrollment fluctuated between 2016 and 2025, with 8 year-over-year increases and 1 decrease. It peaked at 23,856 students in 2025 and was lowest at 21,655 in 2016. Overall, enrollment rose from 21,655 to 23,856 students, a net gain of 2,201 (10.2%).

The following table and chart illustrate the changes in student population by gender at Northwestern University since 2015.

The average number of Undergraduate students over the last 11 years is 8,861 where 9,399 students are attending the Undergraduate school for the academic year 2024-2025. The following table and chart illustrate the changes in Undergraduate enrollment by attending status and gender at Northwestern University since 2015.

The average number of Graduate students over the last 11 years is 13,768 where 14,457 students are attending the Graduate school for the academic year 2024-2025. The following table and chart illustrate the changes in Graduate enrollment by attending status and gender at Northwestern University since 2015.

The percentage of white students is 32.86% and the percentage of black students is 6.47% at Northwestern University. 15.96% of enrolled students is Asian. Hispanic students comprise 10.57% of the student body.

Over the past 10 years, the racial composition has shifted. The percentage of white students decreased from 46.50% to 32.86%. Asian enrollment grew from 13.35% to 15.96%. Black student enrollment increased from 4.95% to 6.47%. Hispanic student representation expanded from 7.87% to 10.57%.

The overall racial diversity, measured by the Census Bureau Diversity Index, is 0.8487 which indicates that highly diverse. This increased from 0.7564 a decade ago, suggesting that racial diversity has improved.

The following table and chart illustrate the student population trends by race/ethnicity at Northwestern University over the past 11 years (2015-2025).

781 students are enrolled in online degree programs exclusively for the academic year 2024-2025, which is 3% of total students. The number of online students has decreased -52.03% since 2015. The following table and chart illustrate the changes in the online student population by enrolled type at Northwestern University from 2015 to 2025.