Key differences on Outcomes
- 1
Northwestern graduates 9 pts more of its students than Boston (97% vs. 87%)
Graduation rate - 2
Northwestern grads earn $6.1K more ten years out than Boston's ($89,363 vs. $83,238)
Median earnings, 10 yrs
Outcomes
Outcomes
Earnings and finishing
Median earnings, 10 yrs
Boston$83.2K
Northwestern$89.4KHighest
Graduation rate
Boston87%
Northwestern97%Highest
Retention rate
Boston95%
Northwestern98%Highest
Borrowing
Median debt
Boston$23.3K
Northwestern$15KLowest
Undergrads with a federal loan
Boston23%
Northwestern17%
Median debt, Pell Grant recipients
Boston$21.9K
Northwestern$12KLowest
Eight-year outcomes
Credential within 4 years, all students
Boston80%
Northwestern87%
Credential within 8 years, all students
Boston86%
Northwestern97%
Enrolled at another college, 8 years on
Boston9%
Northwestern2%
Graduation by group
Graduated in 6 years, Pell Grant recipients
Boston89%
Northwestern94%
Graduated in 6 years, neither Pell nor subsidized loan
Boston88%
Northwestern96%
Pell graduation gap
Boston1 pts higher
Northwestern2 pts lower
Graduated in 6 years, by race and ethnicity
| Group | Boston | Northwestern |
|---|---|---|
| White | 90% | 96% |
| Asian | 91% | 97% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 86% | 90% |
| Black | 85% | 92% |
| Two or more races | 86% | 93% |
| International | 87% | 97% |
On-time progress, from the colleges' Common Data Sets
| Finished within | Boston | Northwestern |
|---|---|---|
| 4 years: Pell recipients | 82% | Not published |
| 4 years: neither Pell nor subsidized loan | 79% | Not published |
| 4 years: all first-time full-time | 81% | Not published |
| 5 years: Pell recipients | 87% | Not published |
| 5 years: neither Pell nor subsidized loan | 87% | Not published |
| 5 years: all first-time full-time | 87% | Not published |
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;Boston University Common Data Set 2024–25, Entered fall 2018About 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