Division I · Big Ten Conference
Northwestern University Football
Evanston, IL · the Wildcats · Northwestern University overview
109
Roster
4 over the D-I cap of 105
$38M
Team budget
80th percentile in Division I
$347,722
Per roster spot
median $79,762
15
Coaches
1 head · 14 assistant
995
APR
100% of players retained
7%
Admitted
top 10% for selectivity
Northwestern University fields a football team in the Big Ten Conference (NCAA Division I). In 2024–25 the roster carried 109 players, about the median of 119, with 1 head coach and 14 assistants. Team expenses were $37,901,761, well above the median of $9.1M — $347,722 per roster spot, top quarter of Division I football programs. Under the Division I roster cap of 105 in force from 2025-26, that is 4 over — cuts or attrition are likely, though players already on the roster may stay (230 of 261 Division I programs carried more than the cap). The team's multi-year Academic Progress Rate is 995, about the median of 964, with 100% of players retained year to year. The school gave $14,880,630 in athletic aid across its men's teams, about $56,796 per roster spot.
Among Division I football programs
Where this program sits against its 261 peers (percentile; the tick is the median).
#53Team budgetof 261 · Division I#44Spend per playerof 261 · Division I#215Roster sizeof 261 · Division I#4APRof 261 · Division I
Team budgets across the division
this programevery Division I football program
Roster sizes (cap 105)
this programevery Division I roster
The program
- Roster109 2024–25 season
- Division I roster cap105 4 over last season
- Coaching staff1 head, 14 assistant
- Team expenses$37,901,761 for the year
- Operating expenses$3,692,626 game-day and travel
- Spend per roster spot$347,722 division median $79,762
- Academic Progress Rate995 multi-year; 996 latest
- Players retained100% year to year
- Eligible99% of player-terms
- Athletic aid, men's teams$14,880,630 school-wide
- Aid per roster spot$56,796 across men's teams
- Recruiting spend, men's$1,863,790 school-wide
Coaching staff
| Name | Title | |
|---|---|---|
| David Braun head coach | Head Coach | not on file |
Put Northwestern University on a target list, address the whole staff at once, and send each email yourself from Gmail — nothing goes out without you pressing Send.Start your board
Recruiting timing
- Coaches may first contact youSeptember 1 of junior year
- Your own emailsAny time the rule limits what coaches send back
- High-school football players1,029,588 2024-25
- Division I roster spots31,184 261 programs
- Odds of a spot1 in 33 3.0% of high-school players hold a Division I roster spot
General NCAA rule for Division I; the football recruiting guide has the date for each grad year, the eligibility checklist and what to put in a first email.
About the school
What an athlete asks first — each panel opens the full picture.Campus
Full picture →9,157undergraduates · 23,203 students in all
Women 55% Men 45%
- Setting
- City
- Type
- Private · Research university
- Affiliation
- None
Getting in
Full picture →7%admitted · of 51,769 applicants
SAT middle 50%1490 – 1560
ACT middle 50%33 – 35
- Test scores
- Test-optional
- Graduate in 6 yrs
- 96%
Football
Full picture →109on the roster · 2024–25 season
Roster vs the D-I cap of 105109
4 over — players already on the roster may stay
Academic Progress Rate995
100% of players kept year to year
- Team expenses
- $37,901,761 $347,723 per roster spot · top quarter of Division I
- Coaches
- 1 head · 14 assistant
- Athletic aid, men's teams
- $14,880,630
- Recruiting spend, men's
- $1,863,790
Cost
Full picture →$23,341net price · after grants, aided first-years
Net price by family income
- Tuition & fees
- $65,997
Campus safety
Full picture →0.52violent offences per 1,000 · students a year, 2022–2024
- In residence halls
- 6 burglaries · 24 sex offences over 2022–2024
- Residence-hall fires
- 2 over 2022–2024
Majors
Full picture →16%of bachelor's degrees in engineering · 24 fields · Bachelor's, Doctorate, Master's
Research Northwestern University
School pages built around what an athlete needs to know — the program's money and roster room, admissions fit, what a family really pays, majors, campus life and safety.
Football program109 on the rosterPeers, percentiles, nearby programs, comparisonsRankingsWhere it standsEvery list this school is on, nationally and in its divisionAdmissions7% admittedSAT/ACT ladders, test policy, graduationCost & aid$23,341 net priceSticker vs net price by family income, athletic aidMajorsEngineering · 16%Every field and program with degrees awardedCampusCity · 9,157Setting, who is on campus, housing costs, servicesCampus safety0.52 violent / 1,000Three years of reported offences against the divisionAthleticsEvery teamThe whole department: every team, staff and aid
Football programs within 150 miles
| School | Miles | Roster | Budget | APR | Admitted | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Park University Division III · College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin | 5 | 110 | $745k | — | 73% | |
| Roosevelt University Division II · Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | 12 | 126 | $2.9M | — | 94% | |
| Concordia University Chicago Division III · Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference | 12 | 84 | $423k | — | 93% | |
| Lake Forest College Division III · Midwest Conference | 16 | 111 | $521k | — | 59% | |
| Elmhurst University Division III · College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin | 17 | 84 | $634k | — | 76% | |
| University of Chicago Division III · Midwest Conference | 19 | 92 | $767k | — | 5% | |
| Chicago State University Division I · Northeast Conference | 23 | — | — | — | 41% | |
| Wheaton College (Illinois) Division III · College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin | 25 | 127 | $1.3M | — | 90% | |
| Benedictine University (Illinois) Division III · Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference | 29 | 143 | $447k | — | 77% | |
| North Central College Division III · College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin | 30 | 142 | $1.1M | — | 58% | |
| Aurora University Division III · Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference | 40 | 138 | $711k | — | 85% | |
| Carthage College Division III · College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin | 40 | 97 | $692k | — | 84% |
Other football programs in the Big Ten Conference
| School | Roster | Budget | Per player | APR | Compare | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Ohio State University 17 over cap | 122 | $92M | $757,043 | 985 | vs | |
| Pennsylvania State University 25 over cap | 130 | $77M | $595,277 | 982 | vs | |
| Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick 32 over cap | 137 | $76M | $554,182 | 979 | vs | |
| University of Southern California 11 over cap | 116 | $74M | $638,060 | 970 | vs | |
| University of Nebraska-Lincoln 50 over cap | 155 | $71M | $455,320 | 974 | vs | |
| University of Washington 9 over cap | 114 | $69M | $604,576 | 999 | vs | |
| University of Michigan 34 over cap | 139 | $62M | $443,620 | 980 | vs | |
| University of Oregon 21 over cap | 126 | $61M | $482,916 | 968 | vs | |
| University of California, Los Angeles 16 over cap | 121 | $55M | $456,240 | 944 | vs | |
| University of Iowa 26 over cap | 131 | $51M | $388,506 | 971 | vs | |
| Indiana University, Bloomington 9 over cap | 114 | $50M | $440,417 | 969 | vs | |
| Michigan State University 14 over cap | 119 | $48M | $405,275 | 952 | vs | |
| University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign 14 over cap | 119 | $48M | $403,373 | 970 | vs | |
| University of Minnesota, Twin Cities 12 over cap | 117 | $45M | $388,484 | 980 | vs | |
| University of Wisconsin-Madison 17 over cap | 122 | $41M | $335,274 | 986 | vs | |
| Northwestern University 4 over cap | 109 | $38M | $347,722 | 995 | vs | |
| Purdue University 21 over cap | 126 | $37M | $295,184 | 954 | vs | |
| University of Maryland, College Park 15 over cap | 120 | $36M | $295,855 | 956 | vs |
Every Big Ten Conference football program · Football budgets ranked