<p>My question might sound a little confusing, but what I am trying to ask is what is the lowest SAT/ACT score that you have ever heard of that got someone into Northwestern? Also, if you do not mind sharing, what qualities did that person have that might have gotten him or her into Northwestern. </p>
<p>I was wondering about a few other things and if anyone could answer them, I would be really happy. :) </p>
<p>Will applying early decision and/or early action have an impact on my odds of getting into NU?
If I get rejected early, can I still apply during the regular admission process?
What is the family income distribution at NU? (this question is hard to answer, but I will take anything you have. Even a comment like "NU has a bunch of rich kids").</p>
<p>I don’t attend but I can help a little bit.</p>
<p>ED - yes, applying ED increases chances at NU because it shows a clear demonstrated interest.</p>
<p>No - they do not defer to regular admission process if you are rejected ED.</p>
<p>Family income…I don’t know but they do offer pretty good need-based aid and are trying to attract more lower income students. Not sure if they ahve been successful, however. Good luck!</p>
<p>26, but I know only a few people going there. She was involved, not more than the average person though. She did, however, play a lot of sports but was not recruited or anything.</p>
<p>They absolutely DO defer from ED, but only a very limited number of students, like under 50, and they make it very clear that they are deferring to see mid-year senior grades. (They first started deferring kids during the 2009 admissions cycle.)</p>
<p>Early decision helps. They do not have EA.</p>
<p>There are MANY kids on financial aid as well as many wealthy kids.</p>
<p>Under 1350. Talent. Passion. (I’m sure there are others who have gotten in with lower scores, but all of these people are really outliers when you look at the NU admissions profile.)</p>
<p>After consulting Naviance, the lowest ACT score was a 29 (both early and regular decision) and the lowest SAT score was 1240/1860 (early decision) and 1130/1680 (regular decision). </p>
<p>I know someone who got in with a 25 act… take into consideration that this was probably 6 years ago. They were accepted into Bienen. I’m sure they had other outstanding qualities on their application though… very involved.</p>
<p>This might be relevant to those who might start thinking that folks with a 26 or 29 on their ACTs have a good shot at NU.</p>
<p>From this years’ Northwestern admissions;</p>
<p>“Over 3,300 applicants with a 1500 SAT (CR+M) or higher (the equivalent of a 34 ACT) were not offered admission.”</p>
<p>If your test scores are lower than you’d like, and you still have time, why not re-take the tests to improve your odds? As I recall, even those applying ED will have time to submit October scores.</p>
<p>I got a 26, but my essay stood out a lot. I also had a 3.8 and got my IB Diploma. I had a lot of extracurriculars too. I guess if you don’t have high test scores you have to compensate with other things.</p>
<p>@Happyless – We know of people with ACT scores FAR higher than 30 who were not admitted to NU this year. We know people who were admitted to Yale and Princeton who were not admitted to NU.</p>
<p>Sorry Happyless, my daughter got into Yale and Dartmouth but was waitlisted at NU. She was eventually admitted and is a Junior now and loving it. The best college is the one that works best FOR YOU, not for their reputation. (Although I will say that it was a very difficult decision and it still hurts when my husband thinks about it!) I am very proud of her for doing what worked best for her and she’s never looked back.</p>
<p>@Happyless – In spite of your anecdotal evidence, the facts are that the middle 50% at NU scored 31-34 on ACTs, and (as stated above) over 3,300 applicants with a 1500 SAT (CR+M) or higher (the equivalent of a 34 ACT) were not offered admission. D’s scores were far higher than 29-30 and NU was her first choice.</p>
<p>Clearly some people with lower scores are admitted and some with higher scores aren’t.</p>
<p>Best of luck to all who are applying this year!</p>
<ol>
<li>The person created a CC account just to claim that everyone he/she knows with 30+ ACT gets accepted to NU. Impossible to believe 10 years ago, let alone now.</li>
<li>
Putting UChicago and only UChicago together with Harvard and Yale twice in a row just gives away everything because we have HYPMS, not HY…“C”. </li>
</ol>
<p>A fan, student, or alum…of a peer school in close proximity just decided to stir something up. It happened many times before on CC unfortunately.</p>
<p>^They are still with you in a way; they tried not to defer only a small number of applicants and the admit rate for the deferred was around 50% two years ago.</p>