Key differences on Outcomes
- 1
Stanford grads earn $34.7K more ten years out than Northwestern's ($124,080 vs. $89,363)
Median earnings, 10 yrs - 2
Stanford graduates 0 pts more of its students than Northwestern (97% vs. 97%)
Graduation rate
Outcomes
Outcomes
Earnings and finishing
Median earnings, 10 yrs
Northwestern$89.4K
Stanford$124.1KHighest
Graduation rate
Northwestern97%
Stanford97%Highest
Retention rate
Northwestern98%Highest
Stanford97%
Borrowing
Median debt
Northwestern$15K
Stanford$12KLowest
Undergrads with a federal loan
Northwestern17%
Stanford6%
Median debt, Pell Grant recipients
Northwestern$12K
Stanford$7.5KLowest
Eight-year outcomes
Credential within 4 years, all students
Northwestern87%
Stanford72%
Credential within 8 years, all students
Northwestern97%
Stanford97%
Enrolled at another college, 8 years on
Northwestern2%
Stanford1%
Graduation by group
Graduated in 6 years, Pell Grant recipients
Northwestern94%
Stanford88%
Graduated in 6 years, neither Pell nor subsidized loan
Northwestern96%
Stanford93%
Pell graduation gap
Northwestern2 pts lower
Stanford5 pts lower
Graduated in 6 years, by race and ethnicity
| Group | Northwestern | Stanford |
|---|---|---|
| White | 96% | 94% |
| Asian | 97% | 92% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 90% | 91% |
| Black | 92% | 90% |
| Two or more races | 93% | 90% |
| International | 97% | 90% |
Sources:College Scorecard, most recent release;College Scorecard, Entered fall 2023;College Scorecard, 2023–24;IPEDS Outcome Measures survey, Students entering fall 2016;IPEDS Graduation Rates survey (Pell Grant and subsidized loan recipients), Entered fall 2018;Stanford University Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2024About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)
Figures are the newest each college has published; years can differ between colleges. Each value's ⓘ shows its source and year. Why