April 2016, Northwestern became one of 15 Illinois universities to sign on to the Chicago Star Partnership, a City Colleges initiative aimed at increasing opportunities for students in the city's public school district. Through this partnership, the university provides scholarships to students who "graduate from Chicago Public Schools, get their associate degree from one of the city's community colleges, and then get admitted to a bachelor's degree program."
The university is need-blind for domestic applicants.
=== Rankings and reputation ===
Northwestern is a large, residential research university.
=== Education ===
The university provides instruction in over 200 formal academic concentrations, 124 undergraduate programs, and 145 graduate and professional programs, including various dual degree programs. Although there is no university-wide core curriculum, a foundation in the liberal arts and sciences, sometimes referred as distribution requirements, are required for all majors; individual degree requirements …
