Athletic Division
NCAA Division I-A
Athletic Conferences
Football: Big Ten Conference
Basketball: Big Ten Conference
School Colors
Purple and white
Men Playing Varsity Sports
236 - 6%
Women Playing Varsity Sports
238 - 5%
Students Receiving Athletic Financial Aid
Football:
84Basketball:
26Baseball:
23Cross Country/Track:
11Other Sports:
218Graduation Rates of Athletic Financial Aid Recipients
Football:
80%Basketball:
57%Baseball:
100%Cross Country/Track:
100%Other Sports:
87%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
Club Sports
- Aikido
- Baseball
- Basketball
- Boxing
- Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
- Cricket
- Cycling
- Equestrian
- Fencing
- Figure skating
- Gymnastics
- Ice hockey
- Ju-Jutsu
- Karate
- Lacrosse
- Power lifting
- Rowing
- Rugby
- Sailing
- Ski racing
- Soccer
- Squash
- Swimming
- Synchronized skating
- Table tennis
- Taekwondo, WTF
- Tennis
- Track
- Triathlon
- Ultimate Frisbee
- Volleyball
- Water polo
Intramurals
- Basketball
- Dodgeball
- Flag football
- Floor hockey
- Soccer
- Softball
- Ultimate Frisbee
- Volleyball
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 Field
- 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 in the nation.
School Spirit
Students generally get excited for big basketball and football games. It is an unusual mix to have a school like Northwestern, at the top in terms of academics, to be in a conference like the Big 10. It doesn't matter if the teams do well; students will be spirited.
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. Students also like to run to the Baha'i Temple, just north of the northernmost tip of campus.