Northwestern University is the only private college of the Big Ten Conference.
Northwestern University -LRB- NU -RRB- is a private research university based in Evanston , Illinois , with campuses in Chicago , Illinois , and Doha , Qatar , and academic programs / facilities in Washington , D.C. , and San Francisco , California .. Evanston. Evanston, Illinois. Chicago. Chicago. Illinois. Illinois. private. Private university. research university. research university. Doha. Doha. Qatar. Qatar. San Francisco. San Francisco. Composed of twelve schools and colleges , Northwestern offers 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees .. professional. Northwestern University School of Professional Studies. It is considered one of the most prestigious universities in the United States , notably in social sciences where it ranks 11th worldwide .. Northwestern was founded in 1851 by John Evans , for whom the City of Evanston is named , and eight other lawyers , businessmen and Methodist leaders .. Evanston. Evanston, Illinois. John Evans. John Evans ( governor ). Its founding purpose was to serve the Northwest Territory , an area that today includes the states of Ohio , Indiana , Illinois , Michigan , Wisconsin and parts of Minnesota .. Illinois. Illinois. Northwest Territory. Northwest Territory. Instruction began in 1855 ; women were admitted in 1869 .. Today , the main campus is a 240 acre parcel in Evanston , along the shores of Lake Michigan 12 miles north of downtown Chicago .. Evanston. Evanston, Illinois. Chicago. Chicago. Lake Michigan. Lake Michigan. The university 's law , medical , and professional schools are located on a 25 acre campus in Chicago 's Streeterville neighborhood .. Chicago. Chicago. law. Northwestern University School of Law. medical. Feinberg School of Medicine. professional. Northwestern University School of Professional Studies. Streeterville. Streeterville. In 2008 , the university opened a campus in Education City , Doha , Qatar with programs in journalism and communication .. Doha. Doha. Qatar. Qatar. Education City. Education City. In 2016 , Northwestern opened its San Francisco space at 44 Montgomery St. , which hosts journalism , engineering , and marketing programs .. San Francisco. San Francisco. 44 Montgomery. 44 Montgomery. Northwestern is a large research university with a comprehensive doctoral program and it attracts over $ 650 million in sponsored research each year .. research university. research university. Northwestern has the tenth largest university endowment in the United States , currently valued at $ 9.6 billion .. In 2017 , the university accepted 9.0 % of undergraduate applicants from a pool of 37,255 .. Northwestern is a founding member of the Big Ten Conference and remains the only private university in the conference .. Big Ten. Big Ten Conference. private. Private university. Big Ten Conference. Big Ten Conference. The Northwestern Wildcats compete in 19 intercollegiate sports in the NCAA 's Division I Big Ten Conference .. Big Ten. Big Ten Conference. Wildcats. Northwestern Wildcats. Big Ten Conference. Big Ten Conference. Northwestern Wildcats. Northwestern Wildcats. NCAA. National Collegiate Athletic Association. Division I. Division I ( NCAA )