Quad

Head-to-head

Northwestern
Harvard

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    Harvard's yield is 28 pts higher than Northwestern's

    Yield rate
  2. 2

    Harvard grads earn $12.5K more ten years out than Northwestern's ($101,817 vs. $89,363)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs
  3. 3

    Harvard costs about $8.9K less per year on average than Northwestern ($48,312 vs. $57,229, all students)

    Average cost, all students
  4. 4

    Harvard has 11 pts more first-gen students than Northwestern (26% vs. 15%)

    First-generation students
  5. 5

    Harvard is 1.8× more selective than Northwestern

    Acceptance rate
  6. 6

    Harvard's grants cover 44% of its full price on average, vs. 37% at Northwestern

    Aid generosity

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

Harvard admits 4.2%, Northwestern 7.7%; Harvard's yield is higher, at 84%.

Acceptance rate
Northwestern7.7%
Harvard4.2%
Quad's selectivity
  • NorthwesternUltra selective
  • HarvardUltra selective
SAT middle 50%Axis 1300–1600
Northwestern
1510–1570
Harvard
1450–1560
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • NorthwesternSchool record and prep program required
  • HarvardRigor, GPA, and tests consideredweighted GPAs

Who's on each campus

Northwestern is a bit larger than Harvard (9,201 vs. 7,601 undergrads) and has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
Northwestern9.2K
Harvard7.6K
Pell Grant share
Northwestern19%
Harvard16%

Majors and faculty

Econometrics and Quantitative Economics leads at both; Northwestern has 6 students per faculty member to Harvard's 7.

Students per faculty member
Northwestern6 to 1
Harvard7 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • NorthwesternEconometrics and Quantitative Economics11%
  • HarvardEconometrics and Quantitative Economics13%

What each costs

Harvard costs about $8.9K less a year than Northwestern on average, and its grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
Northwestern$57.2K
Harvard$48.3K
Aid generosity
Northwestern37%
Harvard44%

What each pays off

Harvard's former students earn more, a median $101.8K ten years after enrolling; both graduate more than 90% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
Northwestern$89.4K
Harvard$101.8K
Graduation rate
Northwestern97%
Harvard98%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; Northwestern got more selective while Harvard held steady.

Applications, 10-year change
  • NorthwesternGrowing+47%
  • HarvardGrowing+57%
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:IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, most recent release;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey, 2023–24;IPEDS Student Financial Aid survey, 2023–24;College Scorecard, Entered fall 2023;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;Harvard University (Fall 2025), Fall 2025;Harvard University Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2025;Harvard University Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2027 applicants;Harvard 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