Located on campuses in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, Northwestern combines innovative teaching and pioneering research in a highly collaborative environment. The University provides students and faculty exceptional opportunities for intellectual, personal and professional growth in settings enhanced by the richness of Chicago.

Northwestern University is committed to excellent teaching, innovative research, and the personal and intellectual growth of its students in a diverse academic community.

Northwestern University is a private institution founded in 1851 to serve the Northwest Territory, an area that now includes the states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, and part of Minnesota. In 1853 the founders purchased a 379-acre tract of land on the shore of Lake Michigan 12 miles north of Chicago. They established a campus and developed the land near it, naming the surrounding town Evanston in honor of one of the University's founders, John Evans. After completing its first building in 1855, Northwestern began classes that fall with two faculty members and 10 students.