Northwestern’s acceptance rate is expected to be 7.5% after receiving more than 50,000 first-year applications during the 2023-24 admissions cycle, according to University spokesperson Jon Yates.
The University admitted about half of these applicants during Early Decision, Yates said in a statement to The Daily. After announcing Early Decision application results on Dec. 15, NU released decisions for Regular Decision applicants Wednesday.
NU has seen increases in both the number of applicants and the number of secondary schools represented. Students in more than 10,000 secondary schools applied during the most recent admissions cycle, Yates said.
Since the 2019-20 admissions cycle, the University’s acceptance rate has hovered between 7% and 7.2% — the former being a historical low. This year’s acceptance rate remains lower than pre-pandemic levels.
NU unveiled a new set of supplemental questions for the 2023-24 admissions cycle, including a required question for Common Application and Coalition with Scoir. Essay questions asked applicants to discuss personal experiences that shaped how they see themselves engaging with the University’s community.
The change followed last June’s Supreme Court ruling banning universities from considering race as a factor in admissions. Universities can still consider how race or ethnicity affected an applicant’s life if one discloses that information in an essay.
Test-optional policies implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic have contributed to increased application numbers and, consequently, decreased acceptance rates. NU will remain test-optional for both first-year and transfer students applying during the 2024-25 admissions cycle.
Students admitted through Regular Decision have until May 1 to accept their offer by submitting nonrefundable housing and tuition deposits.
Transfer applicants who could not meet the March 15 application deadline can apply through April 10. Those students will receive decisions in May.
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