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After Northwestern: graduation, pay and debt

Evanston, Illinois · Private · 9,201 undergrads

96% of Northwestern students finish within six years, the typical student earns $104,255 ten years after starting and graduates leave with $17,017 in federal loans at the median.

The short answers

$104.3k
median pay 10 years after starting college.
96%
finish within six years.
88%
finish in four years.
98%
of first-years come back for year two.
$17k
median federal debt at graduation.
87%
of borrowers were paying down their loans three years after leaving.
All the federal numbers

Finishing

Finished in four yearsIPEDS, fall 2023
88%
Finished within six yearsIPEDS, fall 2023
96%
First-years who came back for year twoCollege Scorecard, fall 2024
98%
Men who finished within six yearsIPEDS, students who started in 2017
95%
Women who finished within six yearsIPEDS, students who started in 2017
96%
Students in that six-year groupIPEDS, students who started in 2017
1,900
Earned a degree or certificate here within eight yearsIPEDS, full-time students who started in 2015
96%
Still enrolled here after eight yearsIPEDS, full-time students who started in 2015
3%
Students in that eight-year groupIPEDS, full-time students who started in 2015
2,012

Pay after college

Median pay 6 years after starting collegeCollege Scorecard
$76,267
Median pay 10 years after starting collegeCollege Scorecard, 2022-23
$104,255
Earning more than $25,000 six years after startingCollege Scorecard, earlier release
85%

Pay is for students who got federal aid and are working, counted from the year they started college, whether or not they finished.

Debt and paying it back

Median federal debt, students who graduatedCollege Scorecard, 2024-25
$17,017
Median federal debt, everyone who borrowed (finished or not)College Scorecard, earlier release
$14,000
Median federal debt, students with a Pell GrantCollege Scorecard, earlier release
$12,000
Median federal debt, students without a Pell GrantCollege Scorecard, earlier release
$15,000
Paying down their loans 3 years after leavingCollege Scorecard, 2024-25
87%
Paying down their loans 5 years after leavingCollege Scorecard, earlier release
90%
Paying down their loans 7 years after leavingCollege Scorecard, earlier release
91%

Federal student loans only. Private loans and Parent PLUS loans aren't counted.

Where these numbers come from

Updated Nov 5, 2026Spot a mistake?How we get our numbers