Northwestern University

Overview

Northwestern's main campus runs along the lakefront in Evanston, a suburb that borders Chicago. The academic year uses quarters. Applicants choose one of the undergraduate schools, which include Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, the McCormick School of Engineering, the Medill School of Journalism, the School of Communication, the School of Education and Social Policy and the Bienen School of Music.

Deadlines for 2026-27

Northwestern accepts the Common Application and the Coalition Application with Scoir. Early Decision students who are admitted commit by February 1; Regular Decision students reply by May 1.

Testing policy

Northwestern follows a test-optional policy and does not require ACT or SAT scores from first-year or transfer candidates. It has no preference between the two tests. If you submit SAT results, Northwestern combines your highest section scores across dates into a superscore.

Northwestern's testing FAQ says it did not calculate its own ACT superscore for the 2025-26 cycle and asked applicants to report the official ACT superscore from MyACT rather than calculate one themselves; check the FAQ for the 2026-27 rule. Tests taken after the enhanced ACT rollout produce composites from English, Math and Reading only. Northwestern lists October as the testing month for Early Decision and December for Regular Decision.

Costs and aid

Northwestern's aid deadlines are tied to your round, as shown above. International students, including Canadians, should read the university's financial aid pages for international applicants for the current policy on how aid requests are considered. We could not confirm that wording directly for this update, so we have not summarised it.

A sample schedule

Northwestern's supplemental questions are posted on the application each August. Where they ask about your interest in Northwestern, name actual programs, research opportunities or student groups rather than general praise. Some schools add requirements, such as auditions for Bienen School of Music applicants, so read your school's page in early autumn.

1. September: pick your undergraduate school and start the Northwestern supplement.
2. October: take your final SAT or ACT if you plan to submit one for Early Decision.
3. November 1, 2026: Early Decision deadline; December 1 for aid documents.
4. January 4, 2027: Regular Decision deadline; February 1 for aid documents.

If Northwestern is one of several US options, Regular Decision keeps your choices open until spring.

Preparing as a Canadian student

Northwestern's ten-week quarters move fast, and the first midterms come only a few weeks in. Our post on active recall versus rereading and the study skills deck are good preparation. For an overview of US systems and visa links, read the StudyBrix United States guide.