Northwestern University is a private research university established on January 28, 1851 on the shore of Lake Michigan in Evanston, Illinois, making it the oldest chartered university in Illinois; it was founded by nine Chicago businessmen and Methodist leaders and named for its intended service to the historic Northwest Territory. Originally affiliated with the Methodist Episcopal Church, it later became non-sectarian, joined the Big Ten Conference in 1896 and the Association of American Universities in 1917, and today comprises eleven undergraduate, graduate and professional schools enrolling about 22,801 students, with an endowment of 15.3 billion dollars as of 2024, the eighth-largest among U.S. private universities.
Facts
Founded Year Ownership Type Classification
Institution Type Statistics
Enrollment Size FAQs
Why is it called Northwestern University?
It was founded to serve the Northwest Territory.
The name reflects the purpose behind its founding. On May 31, 1850, the founders set in motion the creation of a university that would serve the Northwest Territory. The Illinois legislature passed its Act of Incorporation in 1851, the year the university counts as its founding.
Connections
Associated With
Fellow member of the Association of American Universities, an invitation-only group of leading research universities.
Source Boston University (Wikipedia)
Fellow member of the Association of American Universities, an invitation-only group of leading research universities.
Source Northwestern University (Wikipedia)
Fellow member of the Association of American Universities, an invitation-only group of leading research universities.
Source Northwestern University (Wikipedia)
In the Other Atlases
Same As
Also in Science Atlas: the same subject.
Also in Society and Culture Atlas: the same subject.
Located In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is located.
Source Northwestern University (Wikipedia)Lead paragraph of the cited Wikipedia articletier 2Quote, Lead paragraph of the cited Wikipedia article
Northwestern University (NU) is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States.
Sources
1. Northwestern University (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationLead section
Established in 1851, it is the oldest chartered university in Illinois.
- Lead section / infobox
Description, institution-kind classification
Northwestern University is a private research university established on January 28, 1851 on the shore of Lake Michigan in Evanston, Illinois, making it the oldest chartered university in Illinois; it was founded by nine Chicago businessmen and Methodist leaders and named for its intended service to the historic Northwest Territory.
- Associated With: Rice University
- Associated With: University of Southern California
View the Source 2. Wikidata: Northwestern University
- Wikidata Q309350, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)
- Wikidata Q309350, class allow-list match (w-bbfill-education6-0927)
- Wikidata Q309350 P2196 (number of students), preferred+latest (w-bbfill-education6-0927)
View the SourceBoston University (Wikipedia)
Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.