What to Expect from Your College Visit

At the University of Northwestern, we’re delighted to welcome prospective students and their families to our beautiful 107-acre lakeside campus, where exciting opportunities for both academic and spiritual growth await. Whether you’re just beginning your college search or narrowing down your options, visiting our campus is the best way to experience the unique blend of faith, academics, and community that makes Northwestern special. 

We offer two primary visit options tailored to meet your needs: personal visits, where you can customize your time on campus, and visit events, designed to give you a broader experience of what life at Northwestern is like. Both options will provide you with a comprehensive look at our programs, student life, and vibrant community.

Personal Visits

Personal campus visits are customized to fit each student. While all visits include a campus tour with current students and a meeting with an admission counselor, we’d also love for you to experience chapel, enjoy lunch in the cafeteria, meet with a coach, or sit in on band or choir. We also offer specialized tours of our engineering labs, art department, communications/media center, and backstage theatre areas. 

High school seniors and transfer students have even more opportunities to tailor their visit. If you’d like to observe a class in your major or have a one-on-one meeting with a professor, we’d be happy to arrange that for you!

Molly Spores, Campus Visit Coordinator, says, “A personal visit is one of the best ways to explore UNW. We love to tailor visits around a student’s specific interests—whether that’s a particular major, a sport or musical group, or a meeting with a career coach.”

Schedule your personal visit at UNW here. 

Visit Events

Visit events typically involve a larger group of guests and a more general introduction to the university. Preview Days give students a glimpse at a “day in the life” of a UNW student, while other events are focused on special audiences (for example, creative arts, STEM, PSEO, or athletics). 

In addition, “Icebreaker is a unique and favorite event of ours because it’s just for admitted students,” says Morgan Peterson, Assistant Director of Traditional Admissions. “There’s a buzz of energy as students meet future friends and roommates.”

Check out our 2024-25 visit event schedule and register here. 

Bonus: Off-Campus Events

Our admission counselors travel extensively each fall and spring, sometimes hosting events at local schools, restaurants, or even radio stations in our Northwestern Media network! We also attend college fairs and visit area schools. Watch for news about UNW coming to your area. 

Make Your College Visit Unforgettable

At Northwestern, faith and community are at the heart of everything we do. Whether you’re exploring opportunities for spiritual growth, academics, athletics, or the arts, our team is here to help you discover how these values intersect with your personal goals. We are committed to making sure your visit is not only informative but also meaningful and inspiring. From the moment you step on campus, we want you to feel welcomed, supported, and confident that you’re taking the first step toward a bright future. We can’t wait to show you all that UNW has to offer!

For more helpful advice and excellent questions to ask on your campus visit, check out What to Expect from Your UNW Admission Counselor.