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Evanston, IL · Economics

Economics at Northwestern

Northwestern graduates about 373 economics majors a year, 18% of its graduating class. That puts it 7th of 683 schools we score for economics, a standout program at 96 out of 100. Its current catalog lists 53 undergraduate courses in the field, more than 86% of the schools we've counted. Graduates in the major earn a median $126,000 four years out, 1.52× what the same major pays nationally. Research spending in the field runs about $11 million a year, a rough guide to how many labs and projects undergraduates can join.

96/100Standout#7 of 683 for economics →
Graduates a year37318% of the class
Courses in the catalog53more than 86% of schools
Median pay 4 years out$126,0001.52× the same major nationally
Research in the field$11Ma year, NSF
Admit rate7%whole school
SAT middle 50%1490–1570whole school

Around Northwestern

A photo of the interior of Dearborn Observatory. The dome is open, the red light
Dearborn Telescope with open domePhoto: Jackricono · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
The Shakespeare Garden in Evanston (1915). It was established by the Garden Club
Shakespeare Garden (8105928197)Photo: Teemu008 from Palatine, Illinois · CC BY-SA 2.0 · source
Aggelos Katsaggelos
Aggelos KatsaggelosPhoto: Leandros89 · CC0 · source
This represents what PDMS looks like.
FabricwithinPDMSPhoto: Ih2283 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source

Where economics happens

Buildings on campus that fit the field: Ayers College of Commerce & Industry.

Named buildings on the campus map: Academic 96 · Dorm 44 · Fraternity or sorority house 13 · Arts 8 · Chapel 5 · Athletics 3.

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Nearby in the economics ranking

  1. Duke University 98
  2. Yale University 97
  3. Brown University 97
  4. Princeton University 97
  5. Columbia University 96
  6. Vanderbilt University 96
  7. University of Notre Dame 96
  8. University of Pennsylvania 96

Other strong majors at Northwestern

How the score works

The score is out of 100 and compares Northwestern with every school we score in economics. It weighs the school's overall strength; how many students graduate in the major and what share of the class they are; research spending in the field (NSF); early pay against the same major nationally; how many courses the catalog lists; and test scores. 80+ is a standout program, 65+ strong, 45+ solid. Sources: US Department of Education (College Scorecard, IPEDS), NSF HERD, each school's current course catalog, OpenStreetMap and Wikimedia Commons.

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