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Northwestern University
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Northwestern University - Athletics - College ProwlerCollege Prowler4.24

Athletics

A-
Where does this grade come from?View all Athletics rankingsReview this school to add your opinion

Comparable Schools' Athletics Grades:

Quick Stats

Athletic Association
  • NAA
  • NCAA
Athletic Division NCAA Division I-A
Athletic Conferences Football: Big Ten Conference
Basketball: Big Ten Conference
School Colors Purple and white
School Nickname Wildcat
Men Playing Varsity Sports 224 - 5%
Women Playing Varsity Sports 239 - 5%
Students Receiving Athletic Financial Aid Football: 84
Basketball: 26
Baseball: 23
Cross Country/Track: 11
Other Sports: 218
Graduation Rates of Athletic Financial Aid Recipients Football: 80%
Basketball: 57%
Baseball: 100%
Cross Country/Track: 100%
Other Sports: 87%

Student Author OverviewWhat's This?

NU sports are going through a resurgence of sorts. The football team has made it to several bowl games in a row, the men's basketball team is getting closer to securing its first NCAA Tournament bid ever, and the women's basketball team has improved a lot in recent seasons. Men's soccer is always in the discussion as one of the best teams in the nation, and the women's lacrosse team’s five straight national championships from 2004 to 2009 speak for themselves. The football team plays at Ryan Field and basketball plays at Welsh-Ryan Arena, both of which are north of campus, and the on-campus Lakeside Fields are home to the soccer, field hockey, lacrosse, and many club teams.

And NU students are noticing this resurgence. The student section at football games is usually packed pretty tightly, creating a half-drunken, raucous sea of purple. Although attendance usually sags at basketball games, recent duals against highly ranked squads such as Purdue and rivals like Illinois have brought wild, loud student sections to Welsh-Ryan, which has created an actual home-court advantage even though the arena isn’t on campus. Overall, though, school spirit at Northwestern can go either way, depending on who you talk to.

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Northwestern University Student ReviewsWhat's This?

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Athletics at Northwestern University

moreforthat

'15

English

3.8
B+

Personally Am Not Very Involved in Athletics

I've been to two football games, and I guess the school spirit was pretty good. But I'm not very into the athletics scene.

Jan 23, 2012

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Athletics at Northwestern University

WildCat1992

'15

Performing Arts

3.5
B

Not a Top School, but Great Big Ten Atmosphere

Northwestern's great in that it combines fantastic academics with a Big Ten atmosphere. While we're by no means the top athletic school (except in girls lacrosse?), people go to the games and there is a good amount of school spirit. Big Ten football games are definitely fun, and home games are an important part of campus life. The SPAC recreation facility is wonderful for both athletes and non-athletes. Northwestern definitely puts a higher focus on academics than sports, but they're a good part of campus culture

Dec 06, 2011

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Athletics at Northwestern University

slane818

'15

Journalism

3.8
B+

Athletics

We are in the Big Ten, which is awesome for a school of Northwestern's academic caliber. However, you are never going to mistake us for a Michigan or Ohio State. We aren't big enough to fill a 100,000 person football stadium, nor have we been good enough.

That said, football and men's basketball always draws big crowds for big games and NU football has been on the cusp of national ranking for a few years. Our women's lacrosse team is legit too.

NU athletics are great and if you are huge sports fan like me you will still love it here, but because of our size and academic level, sports aren't as big here as other Big Ten schools

Nov 26, 2011

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Page 1 of 13

Student Survey Poll ResultsWhat's This?

How popular are varsity sports on campus?

How popular are intramurals and club sports?

How would you describe the athletic facilities?

Facts

Men's Varsity Sports
  • Baseball
  • Basketball
  • Football
  • Golf
  • Soccer
  • Swimming and diving
  • Tennis
  • Wrestling
Women's Varsity Sports
  • Basketball
  • Cross country
  • Fencing
  • Field hockey
  • Golf
  • Lacrosse
  • Soccer
  • Softball
  • Swimming and diving
  • Tennis
  • Volleyball
Intramurals
  • Basketball
  • Dodgeball
  • Flag football
  • Floor hockey
  • Soccer
  • Softball
  • Ultimate Frisbee
  • Volleyball
Club Sports
  • Aikido
  • Baseball
  • Basketball
  • Cycling
  • Equestrian
  • Fencing
  • Gymnastics
  • Ice hockey
  • Ju-Jutsu
  • Karate
  • Lacrosse
  • Rowing
  • Rugby
  • Sailing
  • Ski racing
  • Soccer
  • Squash
  • Synchronized skating
  • Tae Kwon Do, ATA
  • Tae Kwon To, WTF
  • Tennis
  • Track
  • Triathlon
  • Ultimate Frisbee
  • Volleyball
  • Water polo
Athletic Fields & Facilities
  • Blomquist Recreation Center
  • Byron S. Coon Center
  • Combe Tennis Center & Vandy Christie Tennis Center
  • Henry Crown Sports Pavilion
  • Ken Kraft Wrestling Room
  • Lakeside Field
  • Leonard B. Thomas Athletic Complex
  • Luke Donald Practice Facility & Gleacher Center
  • Norris Aquatics Center
  • Patten Gymnasium
  • Rocky Miller Park
  • Ryan Park
  • Sailing Center
  • Sharon J. Drysdale Field
  • Welsh-Ryan Arena

Most Popular Sports

Football and basketball command the most respect and bring in the biggest audiences.

Most Overlooked Teams

Most women’s teams fade into the background, although they are among the strongest at the school. For example, the women’s tennis team sends someone to the NCAA women’s tennis quarterfinals every year, and the fencing team is regularly ranked among the Top 5 in the nation.

School Spirit

Students generally get excited for big basketball and football games. But, just remember, Northwestern is a Top 10 school for academics, so it’s not too big of a deal to the students if the teams don't always finish in the top 25.

Getting Tickets

NU students can get in free to all regular season sporting events with their student ID. For Family Weekend, discounted tickets are offered to family members early in the school year. Other than that, tickets are usually pretty accessible to the general public and are relatively cheap.

Best Place to Take a Walk

Paths through the Lakefill

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Most Recent Student Author

College Prowler guides are in the hands of students throughout the entire process. Because you can't make student-written guides without the students, we have students at each campus who write, edit, and survey their peers for every guide that we publish. Thanks to our most recent student author at NU

Name: Kevin Echavarria

Hometown: San Antonio, Texas

Major: Journalism/Comparative Literary Studies

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