University of Northwestern-St. Paul

Northwestern is on a 107-acre campus in the suburban setting of St. Paul, Minnesota, not far from Minneapolis-St. Paul.

Northwestern Student Activities

There are many activities and organizations for Northwestern students to join – including chorus, theater groups, a campus newspaper, a radio station and more.

Interested in Greek life? Northwestern does not have fraternities or sororities.

Northwestern has the Northwestern Student Association (student government). In fact, more students participate in the Northwestern Student Association (student government) than any other on-campus activity.

Other popular student organizations at Northwestern include The Gathering (religious group), Student Missions Fellowship, Guardian Angels and Outreach Ministries.

Northwestern students' favorite campus traditions are Variety Shows, Christmas at Northwestern and Day of Prayer and Service.

Does Northwestern Offer Student Housing?

This table offers information on housing at Northwestern.

Northwestern offers housing. Students are required to live on campus through junior year. First year students are guaranteed on-campus housing.

The majority of Northwestern students live on campus. In 2022, 62% of undergrads at Northwestern lived in some kind of on-campus housing and 38% of students lived off-campus or commuted to Northwestern. There are 979 spots available in on-campus housing for all 3,289 undergraduates. In the 2021-2022 school year, 908 students chose to live on-campus. On the weekends, about 68% students stay on-campus. First year students are not allowed to park a car on campus.

Northwestern offers coed housing and housing for students with disabilities.

Northwestern Athletics

At Northwestern there are a variety of athletic options for students interested in joining a sports program.

Intercollegiate sports are the highest tier of college sports and can be very competitive. Intercollegiate teams are regulated by the NCAA, funded by the university, and compete against teams from other universities. The division of a sports team depends on the size of the university, funding, and competition level. An intercollegiate school team will be Division I, II or III, with Division I being the highest level.

Club sports are not regulated by the NCAA and are a great option for students not interested in trying out for an intercollegiate team. Club sports are usually student run but can also be funded by the university.

Intramural sports are the most casual and informal. Intramural sports are often free and require very little time commitment.

Let's take a look at the athletic options available at Northwestern:

Is Northwestern Safe?

College is like a home away from home. Whether you're walking to class or coming back from late-night studying (or partying!), it's important to feel safe on campus.

University of Northwestern-St. Paul is patroled 24 hours a day by trained security. The Northwestern campus has emergency telephones or alarms for students to use anytime of day or night.

Northwestern offers late-night transportation or safety escorts for students. Dorms can only be accessed with secure key cards so that students can feel confident that they are safe in on-campus housing.

Plan a Visit to Northwestern

Visiting colleges is one of the best ways to get a sense of the campus and student body. If you'd like to visit Northwestern, take Interstate 35 to St. Paul, MN. If you need to fly, book your flight to Minneapolis-St. Paul International airport.

While you're planning, check out other schools in Minnesota you may want to visit too. Click the heart at the top of each school's page to save it to your college list.

Want to visit but can't make the trip? Explore Northwestern's campus without leaving home by taking a virtual campus tour

Keep Reading About Northwestern

Choose one of the options below to find out more about about Northwestern:

Overview

Admissions

Academics

Tuition & Aid

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