Quad

Head-to-head

Emory
Northwestern

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    Northwestern's yield is 18 pts higher than Emory's

    Yield rate
  2. 2

    Northwestern grads earn $9.2K more ten years out than Emory's ($89,363 vs. $80,137)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs
  3. 3

    Northwestern's grants cover 37% of its full price on average, vs. 31% at Emory

    Aid generosity
  4. 4

    Northwestern graduates 4 pts more of its students than Emory (97% vs. 92%)

    Graduation rate
  5. 5

    Northwestern admits 7.7% vs. 10% at Emory

    Acceptance rate
  6. 6

    Northwestern's SAT midpoint is 35 points higher than Emory's

    SAT midpoint

The shape of each school

Each axis is a national rank among 4-year colleges; further out = more of it.

SelectivityTest scoresSizePell shareFirst-genDiversity

Who's hardest to get into

Northwestern admits 7.7%, Emory 10%; Northwestern's yield is higher, at 55%.

Acceptance rate
Emory10%
Northwestern7.7%
Quad's selectivity
  • EmoryHighly selective
  • NorthwesternUltra selective
SAT middle 50%Axis 1400–1600
Emory
1480–1540
Northwestern
1510–1570
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • EmoryRigor, GPA, and tests very important77%
  • NorthwesternSchool record and prep program required

Who's on each campus

Northwestern is a bit larger than Emory (9,201 vs. 7,298 undergrads) and has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
Emory7.3K
Northwestern9.2K
Pell Grant share
Emory18%
Northwestern19%

Majors and faculty

Management Science leads at Emory, and Econometrics and Quantitative Economics at Northwestern; Northwestern has 6 students per faculty member to Emory's 10.

Students per faculty member
Emory10 to 1
Northwestern6 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • EmoryManagement Science23%
  • NorthwesternEconometrics and Quantitative Economics11%

What each costs

Emory and Northwestern cost about the same a year on average; Northwestern's grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
Emory$57.3K
Northwestern$57.2K
Aid generosity
Emory31%
Northwestern37%

What each pays off

Northwestern's former students earn more, a median $89.4K ten years after enrolling; both graduate more than 90% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
Emory$80.1K
Northwestern$89.4K
Graduation rate
Emory92%
Northwestern97%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; both got more selective.

Applications, 10-year change
  • EmoryGrowing+88%
  • NorthwesternGrowing+47%
All the numbersEvery figure for these colleges in one table, with differences highlighted.
Sources for this comparisonEvery dataset and year behind the numbers in this comparison; tap any ⓘ for one number's source

Sources:Emory University (Fall 2025), Fall 2025;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, most recent release;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey, 2023–24;IPEDS Student Financial Aid survey, 2023–24;Emory University Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2027 applicants;IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;Emory University Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2024;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard, 2023–24;IPEDS Graduation Rates survey (Pell Grant and subsidized loan recipients), Entered fall 2018;College Scorecard, Entered fall 2023About 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