Getting into NU just got tougher

Colleges and Universities A-Z Northwestern University
1

<p>Summary of today's Chicago Tribune article on increase in NU's applications:</p>

<p>Applications up 19% for this fall's class</p>

<p>Total of 21,839 applications for the year, a 55 percent jump from five years ago</p>

<p>As few as a quarter of all applicants may be admitted, down from 30 percent last year.</p>

<p>This year's applicants have a mean SAT score of 1454 and an average ACT score of 31.1. Eighty-six percent of them are in the top 10 percent of their classes.</p>

<p>The increase, double that of most peer institutions, is a coup for the Evanston campus. Officials say it vaults Northwestern, already an elite school, to a new level of selectivity.</p>

<p>Moreover, they say the quality of the applicants has risen by every measure.</p>

<p>"You can spend a career in higher education and not have a year like this. I feel like this is a turning point toward Northwestern becoming an even more competitive institution and sought out more highly by the nation's best students," said Michael Mills, associate provost for university enrollment.</p>

<p>"I hear every day from [application] readers that, `If I see another perfect SAT score, I'm going to scream,'" he said. "That is a nice problem to have."</p>

<p>Northwestern attributes the increase in part to switching to the Common Application.</p>

<p>Mills also attributed the application increase to spending more time and money traveling to recruiting events and high schools, including some as far away as Southeast Asia and China. About 2,000 international students applied to Northwestern this year, up 54 percent over last year.</p>

<p>Also a new program guaranteeing that the lowest-income students won't have loans</p>

<p>"Other schools are seeing increases, but not of the size that Northwestern seems to be. Eight to 10 percent would be huge. They are talking 18 to 20 percent," said C. Anthony Broh, director of research policy at the Consortium on Financing Higher Education, which represents 31 of the nation's most elite campuses. "They are becoming more and more of a national university, attracting students from across the country as well as internationally."</p>

<p><a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0702100149feb10,1,5367180,print.story?coll=chi-business-utl%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0702100149feb10,1,5367180,print.story?coll=chi-business-utl&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

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<p>damn i am so nervous now...19% thats insane</p>

3

<p>Um. Screwed.</p>

4

<p>First i get screwed over at penn, and now northwestern. Guess I'm not going to college.</p>

5

<p>:( this just makes me sad</p>

6

<p>*<strong><em>... odin, same for me... penn apps increase, so im not getting in off deferred list, and now northwestern apps increase, so im definately not getting in here... oh *</em></strong></p>

7

<p>Damn. Just damn.</p>

8

<p>Um, this is when I feel that too much info is a bad thing... :(</p>

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<p>one thing i dont get is if the apps rose so much but the ACT average is just 31? idk seems kinda low compared to an SAT average of 1454. what was the previous average? kinda gives me a glimmer of hope since i got 34</p>

10

<p>I shouldn't have read this thread.</p>

<p>Ignorance is bliss.</p>

11

<p>hahahahahah awwww its sad for you guys. good luck</p>

12

<p>Man, thirding the screwedness at Penn. Sadly, those are my top 2 choices.</p>

13

<p>kill yourselves</p>

14

<p>54% increase in international applicants !? :eek:</p>

<p>I am so screwed.</p>

15

<p>well think about it this way. All schools are at max capacity. These college have to know this. plus, your year has one of the highest number of college applications, let alone college bound students. college and universities know this, and they WILL take it into account.</p>

16

<p>Wow...I was accepted ED, but I had no idea that the standards of NU were becoming this increasingly difficult.</p>

<p>Best of luck to those still awaiting a decision:-)</p>

17

<p>well, ED has like, a 50% admit rate... congrats on your acceptence</p>

<p>i think whats going to happen is that theyll have to admit a greater percent of applicants, all colleges will, becuse so any kids are applying to so many more colleges and theyve got to make sure that they have enough to matriculate... i guess a lot could be put on the wait list</p>

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<p>any idea if there is an increase in international applicants?</p>

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<p>I think, baring a few applicants, people who would have probably got in last year will get in this year too.</p>

20

<p>Yeah, there's alot more applicants, but there also many other factors to consider. </p>

<p>The increase is most attributed to the introduction of the Common App, which means more people applying are less serious about attending NU. The yield will likely drop and they will admit more people than before. </p>

<p>Also, just because there are more applicants, does not mean there is a stronger applicant pool. Again, the common app may have just attracted more. </p>

<p>The acceptance rate will drop, but I don't think qualified candidates will have a much tougher time getting in this year as they would have had in previous years.</p>