Massachusetts Institute of Technology vs Northwestern University

Cambridge, MA · Evanston, IL · largest Scorecard gap: median earnings (6 yr)

Scorecard match plate

Pair MA:IL

PRIVATE-NP-PAIR · CROSS-STATE · ACCEPT-TIGHT · NET-SPLIT · EARN-SPLIT · DEBT-PAR · COMPLETE-HIGH · GAP-EARN

  • PRIVATE-NP-PAIR Private nonprofit pair
  • CROSS-STATE MA × IL
  • ACCEPT-TIGHT Tight admission
  • NET-SPLIT Net-price split
  • EARN-SPLIT Earnings split
  • DEBT-PAR Debt near-par
  • COMPLETE-HIGH High completion
  • GAP-EARN Largest gap · Median Earnings (6 yr)

Instrument codes from this pair's College Scorecard ownership, geography, acceptance, net price, earnings, debt, and completion, plus the TWIN-TIGHTEN · adm · 2013–2023 decade-path stamp below, not a ranking or recommendation.

Decade path · College Scorecard

Both acceptance rates tightened, 2013–2023

TWIN-TIGHTEN · adm · 2013–2023

Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Northwestern University each posted a directional decline in acceptance rate over the same College Scorecard window. The squeeze is shared; the magnitude is close.

  • Northwestern University: acceptance rate tightened -53.3% across 2013–2023 (r² 0.86).
  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology: acceptance rate tightened -41.1% across 2013–2023 (r² 0.77).
  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology: net price ranged $5,084–$23,547 across 11 years (2013–2023); endpoint change -9.2% is not a trend (r² 0.29).
  • Northwestern University: net price ranged $23,279–$28,544 across 11 years (2013–2023); endpoint change -4.9% is not a trend (r² 0.16).

College Scorecard institution series; dollars are nominal. Direction claims require r² ≥ 0.40 on the fitted annual slope, otherwise the page reports the observed range. Descriptive history, not a recommendation.

Scorecard metrics

Cards ordered by relative gap on this pair. Teal = better side.

Largest gaps: Massachusetts Institute of Technology vs Northwestern University

  1. MEDIAN-EARNINGS-(6 Massachusetts Institute of Technology leads on median earnings (6 yr) ($131,633 vs $76,844 at Northwestern University)
  2. ACCEPTANCE-RATE Massachusetts Institute of Technology leads on acceptance rate (4.5% vs 7.7% at Northwestern University)
  3. MEDIAN-EARNINGS-(1 Massachusetts Institute of Technology leads on median earnings (10 yr) ($143,372 vs $89,363 at Northwestern University)

Massachusetts Institute of Technology profile · Northwestern University profile · Compare other colleges

Also on the Scorecard board

Median Earnings (6 yr) and other Scorecard questions

On median earnings (6 yr), who leads between Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Northwestern University?
Massachusetts Institute of Technology leads on median earnings (6 yr) at $131,633 versus $76,844 at Northwestern University. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.
On acceptance rate, who leads between Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Northwestern University?
Massachusetts Institute of Technology leads on acceptance rate at 4.5% versus 7.7% at Northwestern University. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.
On median earnings (10 yr), who leads between Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Northwestern University?
Massachusetts Institute of Technology leads on median earnings (10 yr) at $143,372 versus $89,363 at Northwestern University. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.

Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard College Scorecard institution outcomes (earnings, completion, debt); median earnings (6 yr) focus for this pair · 2025