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Northwestern University Diversity Statistics: An In-Depth Look
What’s Covered:
- Overview of Northwestern Diversity Statistics
- Cultural Resources at Northwestern
- Plans to Improve Diversity at Northwestern
- LGBTQ+ Inclusivity at Northwestern
- How Diverse and Inclusive is Evanston, IL?
- Is Northwestern Right for You?
A top-tier research university located just outside of Chicago, Northwestern University has many claims to fame, academically and athletically. It is celebrated for programs in business, journalism, medicine, and many others. It’s also a founding member of the renowned Big Ten Conference.
The university has been making strides to be more diverse and inclusive, particularly in recent decades. How diverse is Northwestern now? Keep reading to find out.
Overview of Northwestern Diversity Statistics
Ethnic Diversity
Here are the demographics of the undergraduate students at Northwestern.
|
Ethnicity |
Percentage |
|
Hispanic or Latinx |
13% |
|
American Indian or Alaska Native |
<1% |
|
Asian American |
18% |
|
Black |
7% |
|
White |
50% |
|
Other |
12% |
According to CollegeVine’s benchmarks, a school like Northwestern with a 50-65% white student body would be characterized as a moderately diverse institution.
Northwestern provides faculty data by individual school and according to faculty type. Below is the information from its 2018 report.
Tenure-line faculty by school
|
American Indian/Native American |
Asian American/Pacific Islander |
Black/African American |
Hispanic/Latinx |
International |
Multiracial |
Unknown |
White |
|
|
Weinburg |
0.2% |
7.7% |
5.5% |
5.7% |
2.6% |
2.0% |
0.8% |
75.4% |
|
Education |
0.0% |
2.9% |
17.6% |
0.0% |
0.0% |
0.0% |
5.9% |
73.5% |
|
Medill |
4.5% |
4.5% |
0.0% |
4.5% |
4.5% |
0.0% |
4.5% |
77.3% |
|
Bienen |
0.0% |
8.1% |
5.4% |
0.0% |
0.0% |
0.0% |
2.7% |
83.8% |
|
Communication |
0.0% |
4.2% |
6.3% |
5.3% |
4.2% |
2.1% |
2.1% |
75.8% |
|
McCormick |
0.0% |
21.7% |
3.2% |
3.2% |
1.1% |
0.0% |
1.6% |
69.3% |
|
Feinburg |
0.0% |
19.4% |
1.9% |
3.8% |
3.0% |
0.3% |
0.8% |
70.9% |
|
Pritzker |
0.0% |
4.3% |
8.5% |
4.3% |
2.1% |
0.0% |
4.3% |
76.6% |
|
Kellogg |
0.0% |
7.5% |
0.8% |
3.0% |
9.8% |
0.0% |
2.3% |
76.7% |
Clinical/instructional faculty by school
|
American Indian/Native American |
Asian American/Pacific Islander |
Black/African American |
Hispanic/Latinx |
International |
Multiracial |
Unknown |
White |
|
|
Weinburg |
0.0% |
9.1% |
0.6% |
1.7% |
11.9% |
0.6% |
3.4% |
72.7% |
|
Education |
0.0% |
0.0% |
20.0% |
0.0% |
0.0% |
0.0% |
20.0% |
60.0% |
|
Medill |
0.0% |
4.7% |
16.3% |
4.7% |
0.0% |
0.0% |
0.0% |
74.4% |
|
Bienen |
0.0% |
6.3% |
0.0% |
0.0% |
0.0% |
0.0% |
0.0% |
93.8% |
|
Communication |
0.0% |
1.4% |
2.9% |
2.9% |
1.4% |
4.3% |
2.9% |
84.1% |
|
McCormick |
0.0% |
13.3% |
0.0% |
6.7% |
0.0% |
0.0% |
6.7% |
73.3% |
|
Feinburg |
0.1% |
20.4% |
3.4% |
3.0% |
4.4% |
0.6% |
1.5% |
66.6% |
|
Pritzker |
0.0% |
1.8% |
3.5% |
3.5% |
0.0% |
0.0% |
1.8% |
89.5% |
|
Kellogg |
0.0% |
4.8% |
7.1% |
9.5% |
0.0% |
0.0% |
0.0% |
78.6% |
As you can see, there is less diversity among faculty, as they are predominantly while in every school.
Financial Diversity
According to a New York Times study published in 2017, Northwestern students come from the following economic brackets:
|
Top 0.1% |
1.9% |
|
Top 1% |
14% |
|
Top 5% |
41% |
|
Top 10% |
53% |
|
Top 20% |
66% |
|
Bottom 20% |
3.7% |
Northwestern students are predominantly wealthy, despite the fact that admissions are need-blind. This means that ability to pay is not factored into your admissions decision. The school is also no-loan and meets 100% of demonstrated need, so financial aid packages tend to be generous.
Geographic Diversity
All 50 states and more than 75 countries are represented in Northwestern’s undergraduate student body.
International students make up 8% of the student body. They are eligible for financial aid at Northwestern, with the university meeting 100% of first-year students’ need, although the admissions committee employs a need-aware policy when reviewing applications.
Cultural Resources at Northwestern
Through Multicultural Student Affairs (MSA), students can access cultural programs, groups, events, and resources. MSA consists of four Student Affair groups: African American Student Affairs, Asian/Asian American Student Affairs, Hispanic/Latino Student Affairs, and the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender (LGBT) Resource Center.
Along with an online presence, MSA has three physical centers:
- The Temporary Black House
- The Gender and Sexuality Resource Center
- The Multicultural Center (MCC)
Through different branches and groups, students may receive advising, academic tutoring and support, funding for activities, meeting spaces, and more. MSA sponsors excursions and trips to conferences, community gatherings, the US: Unscripted Stories Podcast, heritage month celebrations, and discussion groups.
Additionally, Northwestern has numerous student identity groups and organizations, including:
Advancement for the Undocumented Community
Alianza – The Latinx Student Alliance
Asian American Intervarsity Christian Fellowship
Asian Pacific American Coalition
Association for Women in Sports Media
Association of Undergraduate Women in Science
Ballet Folklórico Mexicano: Ritmo de Mis Ancestros
Black Graduate Student Association
Chinese International Student Association
Chinese Student and Scholar Association
Girls Empowered by Math & Science
Graduate International Student Association
Graduate Student Association for Latino and Spanish Activities
Graduate Women Across Northwestern
Indian Graduate Students and Scholars Association
Indonesian Students’ Association
International Student Association
InterVarsity Christian Fellowship
Japanese American Student Association
Kaibigan: Philippine-American Student Association
Kappa Phi Lambda Sorority, Inc.
Korean American Student Association
Koreans Association at Northwestern University
La Unidad Latina, Lambda Upsilon Lambda Fraternity, Inc.
Latin American Student Alliance
Masculinity, Allyship, Reflection, Solidarity
Minority Association of Pre-Med Students at Northwestern
Polish American Student Alliance
Society of Asian Scientists & Engineers
Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers
Students for Justice in Palestine
Taiwanese American Students Club
Vietnamese Student Association
Plans to Improve Diversity at Northwestern
Northwestern offers the following statement on diversity:
“We commit to increasing diversity within our community. We will work to ensure that our underrepresented students, faculty and staff members thrive in a fair, open, accountable and supportive environment with more opportunities for personal and professional growth. We will be proactive in recruiting Black and other underrepresented students and scholars at all levels by immediately providing resources to schools and departments so they can meet this commitment. We will also utilize the ongoing collaborative work of the Searle Center for Advancing Learning and Teaching, Office of Institutional Diversity and Inclusion, Division of Student Affairs, Office of Equity and Office of the Provost.”
According to the university’s 2019 report, Human Resources, in partnership with the Office of Institutional Diversity and Inclusion and with the guidance of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Education Advisory Group, has made strides to make the university more equitable and inclusive. These initiatives include Unconscious Bias and Active Inclusion for Teams workshops, as well as Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Playlists, which curate online videos, readings, and research.
Northwestern also made progress on additional initiatives, such as AccessibleNU; Gender-Queer, Non-Binary, and Trans Task Force; and Veterans Support Initiative.
LGBTQ+ Inclusivity
Northwestern earns four out of five stars on the Campus Pride Index. The university has a Gender and Sexuality Resource Center, which provides programming, services, resources, and a space for the Queer, Trans*, and Ally community. Additionally, the Rainbow Alliance supports the LGBTQIA community.
In an effort to make Northwestern more inclusive for LGBTQIA students, the MSA established the LGBTQ Advisory Board in 2016. Among others, its initiatives have included a Queer Wellness Retreat.
The university also celebrates Queer & Trans* Empowerment Month and National Coming Out Day.
How Diverse and Inclusive Is Evanston?
Evanston, Illinois is a suburb of Chicago and not as diverse as its urban neighbor, with the following ethnic breakdown, according to Census data:
|
Race |
Percentage |
|
White alone |
66.6% |
|
Black or African American alone |
16.5% |
|
American Indian and Alaska Native alone |
0.1% |
|
Asian alone |
9.4% |
|
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone |
0.0% |
|
Two or more races |
4.0% |
|
Hispanic or Latino |
11.7% |
|
White alone, not Hispanic or Latino |
59.2% |
There are some restaurants with international cuisines, such as Chinese, Indian, Korean, and Mediterranean.
The city also offers resources for the LGBTQ+ community, including Pride activities, a designated Police Department liaison and city liaison, and more. Politically, the city skews liberal.
Is Northwestern the Right Fit for You?
Along with diversity, you should think about other factors when considering which colleges are right for you, including academic programs, location, size, clubs and activities, and more.
To help you find the right fit, check out CollegeVine’s free chancing engine and school search tool, which will estimate your chances of getting into your top-choice schools and help you match your interests and preferences to the best colleges for you.
Finding the right college can be overwhelming, and that’s why we created this tool to streamline the process.
