Northwestern should be proud of their admissions results for the Class of 2029 — over 53,000 students applied, of which just over 7% were admitted. Is this the lowest acceptance rate in the school’s history? No, that designation goes to the Class of 2025, in which only 3,239 of 47,633 students were admitted, or 6.8%. Still, amid a pretty tricky year for highly selective colleges, especially the Ivy League, Northwestern’s record-setting applicant pool is nothing to scoff at.

But perhaps we’re getting ahead of ourselves. Let’s back up and take a look at how the acceptance rate at Northwestern has changed over time.

Northwestern University Admissions Statistics (Classes of 2029 – 2018)

Northwestern Class Year	Total Applications Received	Total Applications Accepted	Overall Acceptance Rate
Class of 2029	~53,000	Not Yet Published	7%
Class of 2028	50,000	3,750	7.50%
Class of 2027	52,225	3,656	7%
Class of 2026	51,554	3,609	7%
Class of 2025	47,633	3,239	6.80%
Class of 2024	39,261	3,542	9.02%
Class of 2023	40,577	3,611	8.90%
Class of 2022	40,425	3,392	8.39%
Class of 2021	37,050	3,371	9.10%
Class of 2020	35,099	3,751	10.69%
Class of 2019	32,124	4,187	13.03%
Class of 2018	33,673	4,349	12.92%

Northwestern University Class of 2029 in Historical Perspective

The above statistics appear to be counting down to something major: Northwestern’s slow but steady charge towards a near 0% acceptance rate! Does it sound ambitious? Maybe, but look at the data! Just ten years ago, Northwestern’s acceptance rate was nearly twice as high; ten years before that, it was even higher. This trend can be observed in the admissions statistics of pretty much every elite college across the United States. 

Accompanying this decline in acceptance has been a vast increase in the volume of applications received each year and a decrease in the number of applications accepted. Why is this the case? Possibly because Northwestern admissions officers have seen a higher yield rate each year, so they must predict the yield each year and account for it with the number of students they admit. In any event, these statistics paint an optimistic picture of Northwestern’s institutional longevity.

Profile of Northwestern University Admits to the Class of 2029

Beyond the raw numbers, Northwestern has failed to publish any substantial demographic information about this new crop of admitted students, beyond touting an increase in the number of secondary schools represented. We don’t know anything about their racial makeup, gender ratio, socioeconomic status, or geographic origins. But we do know that these students were culled out of a test-optional applicant pool. 

Unlike many of the other elite colleges that fill the pages of this college admissions blog, Northwestern has extended its pandemic-era test-optional policy through the 2025-26 admissions cycle, meaning “squeakers” will continue to be present in their application pool. These are those enterprising high school seniors who try to get into top schools without submitting any test scores (because if they did, they wouldn’t get in!). The only catch is that these students still don’t get in because, all else being equal, students who do submit scores are always at an advantage over those who don’t. 

This phenomenon somewhat accounts for the record-breaking applicant pools of recent years at Northwestern. Ivy Coach’s crystal ball predicts that as soon as they renege on this policy, as they inevitably will, Northwestern will experience a considerable decline in applications.

Ivy Coach’s Assistance with Northwestern’s Waitlist

At Ivy Coach, we help students earn admission off the Northwestern waitlist. If you’re interested in our assistance optimizing your case for admission off the Northwestern waitlist, fill out our complimentary consultation form, indicate that Northwestern has waitlisted you, and we’ll be in touch to outline our waitlist services with our very own Chad Faber, a former longtime Northwestern admissions officer.