The Graduate School at Northwestern University

What The Graduate School at Northwestern University does

The Graduate School (TGS) at Northwestern University is the central administrative body for graduate education at the university, awarding doctoral and master's degrees in more than seventy disciplines. TGS serves more than 3,500 PhD students and 1,900 master's students, plus postdoctoral scholars, across programs spanning the Weinberg College of Arts & Sciences, McCormick School of Engineering, School of Communication, School of Education and Social Policy, Pritzker School of Law, and other Northwestern units. The school provides comprehensive funding packages for doctoral students — a minimum annual stipend of $47,748 for 2026-27 (up from $46,356 in 2025-26), full tuition coverage, and health insurance — supplemented by fellowships (including the highly selective Presidential Fellowship, awarded to less than 12% of nominated students), grants, and graduate/teaching/research assistantships requiring 15-20 hours per week of service.

TGS operates as an academic administrative unit rather than a technology or commercial enterprise. Its core technology stack consists of standard university administrative systems: ApplyWeb for online applications, CAESAR for student registration, and Canvas for orientation. There are no proprietary technology products, APIs, patents, or AI/ML capabilities associated with the institution. The product portfolio is comprised of academic programs (doctoral and master's degrees), funding programs (fellowships, grants, assistantships, PhD funding packages), recognition awards (Ver Steeg Faculty/Staff Awards, McBride Awards, DGS Excellence Award), and support services (career and professional development through the GPS program, international student services, holistic student support).

The revenue model is embedded within Northwestern University's institutional budget. TGS derives funding from tuition and fees for graduate programs, fellowships and grants funded by endowments, private foundations, and federal research grants, and assistantship funding tied to research and teaching service. Because TGS does not publish independent revenue figures and operates as a wholly-controlled administrative unit of Northwestern University (a private research university), there are no external shareholders, no funding rounds, and no M&A activity. Customer segments are persona-based: PhD students (primary), master's students, and postdoctoral scholars — each with distinct funding, academic, and professional development needs addressed through TGS programming.

Name

The Graduate School at Northwestern University

Legal name

The Graduate School - Northwestern University

Website

https://tgs.northwestern.edu

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Graduate School at Northwestern University is the central administrative body for graduate education, awarding doctoral and master's degrees across 70+ disciplines to 3,500+ PhD and 1,900+ master's students with fully-funded PhD packages.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education - Graduate Programs

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Online Graduate Schools (Master’s & Doctoral Programs) (EDAHALAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Research Grants, Fellowships & Stipends (International) (EDAIAOAJ), Scholarships, Grants & Education Benefits Administration (Financing-adjacent) (FSAKAEAM)

Keywords

• Graduate education
• Doctoral programs
• Research university
• Graduate funding
• Academic programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Evanston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Fees: Graduate education revenue derived from tuition charges for PhD, master's, and nondegree programs. PhD students typically receive full funding packages including tuition coverage and stipends.
2. Fellowships and Grants: TGS distributes fellowships and grants funded by endowments, private foundations, and federal research grants. These include Presidential Fellowships, internal fellowships, and external funding.
3. Assistantships: Graduate and teaching assistantships and research assistantships provide funding to students in exchange for 15-20 hours per week of service, supporting both education and research missions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Graduate School (TGS) is Northwestern University's central administrative body for graduate education, awarding doctoral and master's degrees in more than seventy disciplines. Its core offerings are funded doctoral and master's programs, with PhD students receiving comprehensive funding packages (minimum $47,748 annual stipend for 2026-27 plus tuition coverage and health insurance for a minimum of five years), supplemented by fellowships (including the Presidential Fellowship), grants, and graduate/teaching/research assistantships.

Product overview

The Graduate School (TGS) at Northwestern University is an academic institution offering doctoral and master's degrees in more than seventy disciplines. Its core offerings include PhD funding packages (minimum $47,748 annual stipend for 2026-27) and prestigious fellowships such as the Presidential Fellowship. TGS provides comprehensive support through fellowships and grants, assistantships (graduate, teaching, and research), and professional development services. The institution also recognizes excellence through awards including the Clarence Ver Steeg Awards (faculty and staff), McBride Awards (students and postdocs), and DGS Excellence Award.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Doctoral Programs Over 70 doctoral degree programs spanning disciplines at Northwestern University, taught by the graduate faculty automatically appointed by TGS from tenure and tenure-line positions across Northwestern's colleges and schools. Intended for prospective PhD students pursuing research-intensive doctorates.
• Master's Programs Master's degree programs across multiple disciplines at Northwestern, with admission decisions extending through July. MFA students qualify for TGS support including fellowships and assistantships. Intended for prospective master's students seeking graduate-level education.
• PhD Funding Package Comprehensive funding package covering tuition, health insurance, and a minimum $47,748 annual stipend for 2026-27 (up from $46,356 for 2025-26) for four quarters per year for a minimum of five years. Awarded to doctoral students as the primary financial support structure at TGS.
• Presidential Fellowship Northwestern's most prestigious graduate fellowship; less than 12% of nominated students are appointed. Provides stipend at advanced rate, tuition coverage, $1,000 research award per year, and up to $1,000 conference travel funds per year for 24 months, plus Society of Fellows membership.
• Fellowships and Grants Comprehensive funding support including endowed fellowships, private foundation awards, and federal research grants for doctoral students, including internal fellowships such as Presidential Fellowships.
• Assistantships Graduate, teaching, and research assistantships, plus interdisciplinary graduate assistantships, providing funding to students in exchange for 15-20 hours per week of service supporting education and research missions.
• Career and Professional Development Services Professional development programming including the PhD and Postdoc Career Development Series, Management for PhDs, Mentoring Workshops, and Research Communication Training Program. Intended for current graduate students and postdoctoral scholars.

Quantifiable outcome

• More than 3,500 PhD students and 1,900 master's students enrolled

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Northwestern University Schools and DepartmentscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTGS draws graduate faculty from faculties of Northwestern's Colleges and Schools that have placed graduate work under TGS administration. The Graduate School automatically appoints all tenure and tenure-line faculty to the graduate faculty annually. Programs span across Weinberg College of Arts & Sciences, McCormick School of Engineering, School of Communication, School of Education and Social Policy, Pritzker School of Law, and other Northwestern units.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• MIT Graduate School: MIT's central graduate office administering fully-funded PhD packages across engineering and science disciplines. Direct structural peer with comparable STEM-heavy PhD funding economics.
• Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences: Yale's central graduate school awarding PhD and master's degrees across humanities, social sciences, and STEM. Comparable fully-funded PhD model and fellowship administration.
• Princeton University Graduate School: Princeton's central graduate school with a fully-funded PhD model across the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. Comparable mission and funding structure to TGS.
• UC Berkeley Graduate Division: Berkeley's central graduate office administering PhD funding packages and master's programs across a broad range of disciplines at a leading public R1. Structural peer to TGS.
• Stanford University Graduate Studies: Office of the Vice Provost for Graduate Education at Stanford, administering PhD funding packages and graduate policy across 60+ programs. Comparable in scale, prestige, and disciplinary breadth to TGS.
• University of Chicago - Graduate Programs: Central graduate administration at UChicago covering PhD funding packages and master's programs across the physical sciences, social sciences, humanities, and biological sciences — a comparable private R1 graduate school footprint.
• Caltech Graduate Studies Office: Caltech's central graduate office administering fully-funded PhD packages across engineering and science disciplines at a leading private R1. Direct peer in funding structure though smaller in scope.
• Columbia Graduate School of Arts and Sciences: Columbia's central graduate school administering PhD funding, fellowships, and master's programs across a comparable set of Arts & Sciences disciplines.
• University of Michigan Rackham Graduate School: Central graduate school at a leading public R1 university, administering PhD funding and fellowships across 100+ programs. Comparable in scope and funding administration responsibilities, though in a public university context.
• Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences: Central graduate school of Harvard University administering PhD and master's programs across Arts & Sciences with comparable fully-funded PhD packages and fellowship ecosystems. Direct structural analog to TGS at Northwestern.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/TGSNU
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-graduate-school-at-northwestern-university
• Instagraminstagram.com/tgs_nu
• Xx.com/TGSatNU

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Graduate School at Northwestern University