Key differences on Outcomes
- 1
Penn grads earn $22K more ten years out than Northwestern's ($111,371 vs. $89,363)
Median earnings, 10 yrs - 2
Penn graduates 1 pts more of its students than Northwestern (97% vs. 97%)
Graduation rate
Outcomes
Outcomes
Earnings and finishing
Median earnings, 10 yrs
Penn$111.4KHighest
Northwestern$89.4K
Graduation rate
Penn97%Highest
Northwestern97%
Retention rate
Penn99%Highest
Northwestern98%
Borrowing
Median debt
Penn$15.7K
Northwestern$15KLowest
Undergrads with a federal loan
Penn10%
Northwestern17%
Median debt, Pell Grant recipients
Penn$12K
Northwestern$12KLowest
Eight-year outcomes
Credential within 4 years, all students
Penn88%
Northwestern87%
Credential within 8 years, all students
Penn97%
Northwestern97%
Enrolled at another college, 8 years on
Penn1%
Northwestern2%
Graduation by group
Graduated in 6 years, Pell Grant recipients
Penn93%
Northwestern94%
Graduated in 6 years, neither Pell nor subsidized loan
Penn97%
Northwestern96%
Pell graduation gap
Penn4 pts lower
Northwestern2 pts lower
Graduated in 6 years, by race and ethnicity
| Group | Penn | Northwestern |
|---|---|---|
| White | 97% | 96% |
| Asian | 98% | 97% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 94% | 90% |
| Black | 95% | 92% |
| Two or more races | 96% | 93% |
| International | 96% | 97% |
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 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