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Northwestern University Alumni

International Students

25

% of international students in the university

5500

Total International Students in the university

Northwestern, based in Evanston and Chicago, is known for its strong programs in journalism, business, engineering, and the arts. Its alumni—nicknamed the "Purple Mafia"—have made waves in politics, entertainment, science, sports, and beyond

Here are 25 notable alumni:

Alumni Name

Notable Achievement / Famous For

Degree

Graduating Year

Gerald R. Ford

38th U.S. President

BA (Economics & Poli Sci)

1935

Stephen Colbert

Emmy-winning comedian and host (The Late Show)

BA (Communication)

N/A

Julia Louis-Dreyfus

Emmy-winning actress (Veep, Seinfeld)

BA (Theatre)

N/A

Warren Beatty

Academy-nominated actor/director (Reds, Heaven Can Wait)

BA (Drama)

N/A

George R.R. Martin

Author (A Song of Ice and Fire)

BA (Journalism)

1970

John Paul Stevens

U.S. Supreme Court Justice

JD

1947

Saul Bellow

Nobel Prize-winning novelist

BA (English)

1937

George McGovern

U.S. Senator and presidential candidate

BA (History & Poli Sci)

1943

Rahm Emanuel

Former Mayor of Chicago

BA (History)

N/A

Chad Mirkin

Chemist, inventor of dip‑pen nanolithography

PhD (Chemistry)

N/A

Matt Grevers

Olympic swimmer, six-time medalist

BA (Journalism)

2007

Sherry Lansing

First female head of a major film studio (Paramount Pictures)

BA (English)

1963

Meghan Markle

Duchess of Sussex, former actress (Suits)

BA (Communications)

2003

Harrison Ford (attended)

Iconic actor (Star Wars, Indiana Jones)

N/A (attended)

N/A

Hugh Hefner

Founder of Playboy magazine

BA (Psychology)

1949

Zooey Deschanel

Actress/musician (New Girl, Elf)

BA (Drama)

2000

Seth Meyers

Saturday Night Live and late-night host

BA (Theatre)

N/A

Penny Fuller

Emmy- and Tony-nominated actress

BA (Theatre)

N/A

Veronica Roth

Author of Divergent trilogy

BA (Creative Writing)

2010

Daniel H. Pink

Best-selling author (Drive, To Sell is Human); former Gore speechwriter

BA (English)

1986

Gwynne Shotwell

President & COO of SpaceX

BS/MS (Mechanical Engineering & Applied Math)

1985/86

Christine Poon

Vice chair of Johnson & Johnson

BS (Pharmacy)

N/A

William “Will” Shu

Co-founder & CEO of Deliveroo

BA (Economics)

N/A

Saul Bellow (duplicate)

Nobel Prize-winning novelist

BA

1937

Seth Meyers (duplicate)

Late-night host

BA

N/A

Cloris Leachman

Emmy- and Oscar-winning actress

BA

1948

Students

880

±¬ÁϳԹÏÍøers Applied

361

±¬ÁϳԹÏÍøers Admitted

6,794

±¬ÁϳԹÏÍøers Interested

Northwestern University admitted student profiles

GRE

319

TOEFL

106

IELTS

8

Profiles that got Into Northwestern University

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Devika Suresh
fall 2024
university Logo
Northwestern University

IELTS 7.5

GRE 292

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Karthik S
fall 2024
university Logo
Northwestern University

GRE 308

IELTS 8

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Divya Mudliar
fall 2024
university Logo
Northwestern University

GRE 312

IELTS 8

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Ishita Singh
fall 2024
university Logo
Northwestern University

GRE 324

TOEFL 109

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Anonymous Guy
fall 2024
university Logo
Northwestern University

TOEFL 105

GRE 316

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John Rohit
fall 2024
university Logo
Northwestern University

IELTS 7.5

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Kruthi M
fall 2024
university Logo
Northwestern University
loggedout-user-icon
Balaji B
fall 2024
university Logo
Northwestern University

GRE 318

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