How to Apply to Economics at Northwestern University: Economics in Weinberg College, Declare by the End of Sophomore Year, and Admission and Prerequisites for US, International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Applicants

At Northwestern University, undergraduate economics is offered by the Department of Economics in the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences. Weinberg says prospective students apply to Northwestern as first-year (Early Decision, Regular Decision or QuestBridge) or transfer applicants, while current Northwestern students use the inter-school transfer process. The department’s pages mention a Bachelor of Arts (BA) only. It says it has close to 1,000 students majoring in economics. This guide covers fall 2027 entry for US applicants, international applicants (including Chinese applicants) and transfer applicants.

1. Economics degree and options

• Major requirements (Academic Catalog): 12 department courses—3 introductory (ECON 201 Introduction to Macroeconomics, ECON 202 Introduction to Microeconomics, ECON 281 Introduction to Applied Econometrics), 3 intermediate theory (ECON 310-1 and 310-2 Microeconomics, ECON 311 Macroeconomics) and 6 additional 300-level field courses—plus two related courses: MATH 220-1 Single-Variable Differential Calculus and STAT 210 Introduction to Probability and Statistics (or MATH 314).
• Substitutions: up to one non-economics course may replace a field course, limited to a short list (such as BUS_INST 304, COMP_SCI 332, IEMS 373, MATH 366-1 and SOC_POL 331/332/333), noted on your petition to graduate and approved by an economics adviser.
• Econometrics: most students take ECON 281. Students with strong maths or statistics, those planning an honors thesis or graduate economics may go straight to ECON 381-1,2, which waives ECON 281. The 381 prerequisites are longer (including MATH 220-2, 230-1, 230-2 and 240).
• Grades: core, field and related courses must be taken for a letter grade (not P/N) with C- or higher. The “Economics GPA” counts only the 6 core and 6 field courses. The department’s major page says “two related courses” in one place and mentions “five related courses” in the grading note; the Catalog says two.
• Minors and double majors: there is an economics minor, and many students double major. Most double majors need the full requirements of both departments, with exceptions for Industrial Engineering and Management Science (IEMS) and Mathematical Methods in the Social Sciences (MMSS). MMSS is a special-admission adjunct major with a separate application that requires a strong high school curriculum including a year of calculus; admission to Northwestern does not guarantee admission to MMSS.
• Related programmes: Kellogg certificates in Financial Economics or Managerial Analytics (starting in junior or senior autumn), the Business Institutions minor, and the MENU first-year maths sequence.
• STEM designation: not stated on the pages read; ask the department or international student services.
• Honors: a GPA of 3.5 or higher in economics courses, no grade below B in STAT 210 and ECON 281, 310-1, 310-2 and 311, and at least two of the six field courses by the end of junior year. Honors candidates take two extra courses (usually ECON 398-1,2 Senior Seminar) to write a thesis; departmental honors are recommended by a committee and approved by the college.
• BA/MA: highly selective; the page says a GPA of at least 3.8 in economics and other courses, with ECON 381-1,2 or MATH 386 and advanced maths, normally by the end of junior year. The MA needs 9 units, and at most three courses can count toward both degrees.

2. Admission and entering the major

• Admission: you apply to Northwestern, not to economics. The pages read do not describe how a school or intended major is chosen on the application; ask Undergraduate Admissions.
• When to declare: Weinberg students must declare a major before the end of sophomore year; earlier is generally wise because it puts you on mailing lists and may give registration priority. Declaring means completing the WCAS Major Form and Worksheet, meeting an economics adviser, and having the adviser send the forms to the Registrar, which typically takes at least a week.
• GPA threshold and capacity: the pages read give no GPA threshold or enrolment cap for declaring economics. The department says most students have never taken economics before coming to Northwestern and that it offers introductory classes every quarter with enough seats.
• Internal transfer: students already at another Northwestern school use Weinberg’s inter-school process; its specific requirements are not in the pages read.

3. Prerequisites and first two years

• High school maths: the pages read do not set a high school maths requirement for economics. The major’s maths requirement comes after you enrol: at minimum MATH 220-1. The department says most 300-level classes use algebra, graphical analysis and derivatives, and strongly advises MATH 220-2, 230-1 and 240 Linear Algebra; students considering a PhD should add more such as MATH 300 and the 320 Real Analysis sequence.
• Usual start: ECON 201, then 202, then 310-1; introductory courses run every quarter. 201 and 202 must be finished before any 300-level course. The prerequisites for ECON 281 are 201, 202, MATH 220-1 and STAT 210; first-years usually take STAT 210 and then ECON 281.
• AP/IB/A-Level credit (first-year page): students with 5 on AP economics, 6 or better on IB, A or A* at A-Level, or economics taken at another college can skip 201 and/or 202. The department recommends first-years not take 310-1, 311 or 281 until after the autumn term.
• Calculus and statistics credit: the Catalog says MATH 220-1 (or higher) credit from AP or IB can satisfy that related course, and STAT 210 credit from an AP or IB test can be applied. Students entering in fall 2023 or later cannot use a Mathematics Placement Examination exemption from MATH 220-1 unless it is used to register for and complete a higher-level maths course.
• Typical sequence: ECON 201 → 202 → 310-1 (then 310-2 and 311); STAT 210 → ECON 281; MATH 220-1 (or 218-1 and 218-2). The department recommends finishing econometrics early, preferably in sophomore year.

4. Deadlines and materials

• Dates for 2027 entry (official table): QuestBridge 1 October 2026; Early Decision (ED) 1 November 2026, decisions in December; Regular Decision (RD) 4 January 2027, decisions in March. Financial aid materials are due 1 December 2026 for ED and 1 February 2027 for RD. ED is binding: you enrol if admitted and withdraw other applications.
• Platform: Common Application, Apply Coalition with Scoir, or QuestBridge.
• Fee: US$75, non-refundable, with a fee waiver available.
• Essays: the required Northwestern supplement question (300 words or fewer) asks how your background, identity or school, community and household settings shape how you would engage in Northwestern’s community. The Common App/Coalition personal essay is no longer required.
• Recommendations: two—one from your high school counselor and one from a teacher in a core subject, most likely from junior or senior year; supplemental letters are accepted. Official transcripts from all schools attended and a school report from the most recent school are also required.
• Testing: SAT/ACT optional with no preference. Self-reported SAT scores use the highest section scores; for ACT, report the official superscore. Official scores are needed if you enrol. School codes: SAT 1565, ACT 1106.
• Interviews: alumni interviews are no longer offered. Applicants from US high schools may submit a Glimpse video; applicants from international high schools may submit an InitialView interview. Both are optional and non-submission is no disadvantage; due 6 November for ED and 16 January for RD.
• Entry term: autumn (September) quarter only; Northwestern runs on quarters.

5. US applicants

• Testing: optional, as above.
• Tuition: tuition and mandatory fees are the same for in-state and out-of-state students. The pages read say nothing about preference for state residents.
• Aid: awarded on demonstrated need, and the aid offer is identical for ED and RD; a Net Price Calculator gives an estimate.

6. International applicants

• Process: the same as for domestic applicants; there is no separate international process.
• English: required if your first or primary language is not English or your secondary schooling was not in English. Northwestern accepts the Duolingo English Test, IELTS (the FAQ says including IELTS Indicator) and TOEFL iBT. Scores cannot be self-reported and must come from the testing organisation. There is no minimum score, but competitive applicants score in the high range on all sections; TOEFL MyBest is not reviewed and English exams are not superscored. TOEFL code 1565.
• Credentials: foreign academic credentials need certified English translations from any translation service.
• Proof of funds: the pages read do not list proof-of-funds documents; the site gives the international specialist’s email, nuinternational@northwestern.edu, for questions.
• Aid: need-based aid is available. Northwestern guarantees to meet 100% of demonstrated need for admitted first-year students for all four years, but it is need-aware for international applicants: a request for aid and the amount needed may factor into the admission decision. The pages read do not describe international scholarships.
• Exceptions: applicants affected by world events can write to the international specialist before 15 November to ask about changes to deadlines or requirements.

7. Applicants from China

• There is no China-specific admissions page; the international guidance above applies.
• Whether the gaokao is considered: not stated on the pages read; ask Undergraduate Admissions.
• Transcripts and school-leaving exam records: official transcripts from all high schools attended and the school report are required; documents not in English need certified translations. Requirements for school-leaving exam records (such as huikao) are not stated.
• English: required if your schooling was not in English. The FAQ specifically says TOEFL iBT is accepted but not TOEFL ITP Plus for China.
• The FAQ lists a question on how to answer application questions that do not apply to your educational system, but the answer text did not appear in the page read; see the original page.

8. Costs

• 2026-27 tuition: US$23,934 per quarter for full-time students, US$71,802 for three quarters. The cost-of-attendance page (living on campus) lists tuition 71,802, fees 1,260, on-campus housing and meals 22,941, books and supplies 1,239, personal 2,079, loan fees 54, transportation varies, total US$99,375. That page does not state the academic year, though its tuition figure matches the 2026-27 tuition page. Tuition and fees are the same in-state and out-of-state.
• Aid: need-based, as above.
• Research and internships: the economics department’s EconLab lets undergraduates do part-time research, and the department sponsors student groups such as the Undergraduate Economics Society, Womxn in Economics and the Northwestern Economics Tournament. Numbers and pay are not stated.
• Overseas study: the department has a page on economics credit for courses taken in Northwestern’s overseas programmes; see it for details.

9. Transferring in

• Dates: Transfer Early Decision is due 1 March 2027, with decisions in early April; Transfer Regular Decision is due 1 April 2027, with decisions in mid to late May. Autumn entry only.
• Who: anyone who has earned college credit after secondary school. Successful transfer applicants typically arrive having completed at least one academic year of full-time college work (24 semester or 36 quarter hours), and must be in good standing and eligible to continue at their current institution.
• Materials: Common App or Apply Coalition with transfer writing supplements, secondary school transcript with proof of graduation, all college transcripts, a College Report, one academic evaluation, the US$75 fee, and an ED agreement for ED. Test scores are optional. An essay on why you want to transfer is required.
• Entry to economics: the department’s page only points transfer students to the transfer credit section of its advising FAQs and to Weinberg’s transfer student page; it states no GPA or course requirements (such as calculus or principles) for moving into economics. Write to econBA@northwestern.edu.
• Credit (department rules): courses that are purely business-oriented with no economics principles do not earn economics credit; courses at other US institutions should be pre-approved by an economics adviser, 300-level field credit needs intermediate micro, intermediate macro or econometrics as prerequisites; grade C- or better; the department accepts at most two classes per term and four in total. After admission, the Registrar gives a preliminary transfer credit evaluation.

Checklist

US applicants:

• Apply to Northwestern: ED 1 November 2026 or RD 4 January 2027; SAT/ACT optional; two recommendations
• After enrolling, take ECON 201, 202, 310-1, STAT 210 and MATH 220-1, and declare by the end of sophomore year

International applicants (including China):

• Same plans and deadlines; if schooling was not in English, send TOEFL iBT, IELTS or Duolingo directly from the testing organisation
• Request aid when you apply; Northwestern is need-aware for international applicants
• Whether the gaokao is considered and requirements for school-leaving exam records are not stated; ask Admissions

Transfer applicants:

• About one year of college completed; ED 1 March and RD 1 April 2027; confirm economics transfer details with the department

Sources: Northwestern University, Undergraduate Admissions: dates and deadlines; Application materials; International applicants; International applicant FAQs; Transfer FAQs; Weinberg College: admission; Weinberg: major and minor FAQs; Department of Economics: Economics Major; Economics: first-year students; Economics: prospective and transfer students; Economics: declaring a major; Economics: honors; Economics: BA/MA; Economics: undergraduate advising FAQs; Academic Catalog: Economics Major; Cost of attendance; 2026-27 undergraduate tuition. Information is for fall 2027 entry. Check Northwestern for the latest details.