Northwestern University H-1B Visa Sponsorship 2026
University · H-1B sponsor · FY2017–2026
🏢 Evanston, IL HQ📍 Chicago, IL most H-1B filings🌐 northwestern.edu
Does Northwestern University sponsor H-1B visas and green cards?
Yes. Northwestern University has filed 2,628 H-1B LCAs and 86 PERM green-card cases with the U.S. Department of Labor between FY2017 and FY2026. In FY2025–2026 Northwestern University filed 622 H-1B LCAs at a median base salary of $71,656, about 41% below the national H-1B median of $121,966 for the same period, and 19 green-card cases were decided.
H-1B pay & filings by year
Median base salary (line) and H-1B filing volume (bars), by fiscal year
Show the numbers behind this chart
| Fiscal year | H-1B LCA filings | Median base salary |
|---|---|---|
| FY2026 (partial) | 290 | $72k |
| FY2025 | 332 | $72k |
| FY2024 | 307 | $70k |
| FY2023 | 280 | $69k |
| FY2022 | 301 | $66k |
| FY2021 | 199 | $65k |
| FY2020 | 168 | $59k |
| FY2019 | 271 | $60k |
| FY2018 | 238 | $57k |
| FY2017 | 242 | $53k |
A fiscal year marked partial is still in progress, so its total is lower than a complete year and the two are not comparable.
H-1B wage floor & filing outcomes
What this employer pays against the DOL legal minimum, how senior the roles are, and how the filings were decided
Roles they file for
Where they hire
Green-card (PERM) pay & filings by year
Median green-card offer (line) and PERM filing volume (bars), by fiscal year †
Show the numbers behind this chart
| Fiscal year | PERM filings | Median base salary |
|---|---|---|
| FY2026 (partial) | 11 | $91k |
| FY2025 | 8 | $147k |
| FY2024 | 2 | $153k |
| FY2023 | 1 | $91k |
| FY2022 | 5 | $120k |
| FY2021 | 10 | $109k |
| FY2020 | 18 | $80k |
| FY2019 | 9 | $108k |
| FY2018 | 12 | $81k |
| FY2017 | 10 | $174k |
Green-card route and outcomes
Worker backgrounds · FY2017–2024
Where their green-card (PERM) workers studied & came from
Pay against the local market
Northwestern University’s 10 most-filed occupations and metros, FY2018–FY2026. Its median base salary is 82% of the local BLS median for the same work.
| Occupation | Metro | Filings | Northwestern University pay | Local BLS median‡ | vs market |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medical Scientists | Chicago, IL | 461 | $62,854 | $84,526 | 74% |
| Biochemists and Biophysicists | Chicago, IL | 417 | $59,609 | $89,282 | 67% |
| Biological Scientists, All Other | Chicago, IL | 150 | $68,927 | $82,599 | 83% |
| Materials Scientists | Chicago, IL | 141 | $65,161 | $115,201 | 57% |
| Chemists | Chicago, IL | 119 | $58,071 | $85,713 | 68% |
| Statisticians | Chicago, IL | 93 | $79,648 | $106,442 | 75% |
| Physicians, All Other | Chicago, IL | 58 | $86,626 | $198,770 | 44% |
| Biological Technicians | Chicago, IL | 54 | $49,179 | $51,341 | 96% |
| Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary | Chicago, IL | 51 | $65,421 | $75,103 | 87% |
| Cardiologists | Chicago, IL | 49 | $69,649 | $147,892 | 47% |
About Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a university based in Evanston, IL. It was founded in 1851 and has about 2,500 employees worldwide.
- Name (DOL filings)
- Northwestern University
- Listed
- Private
- Sponsoring since
- FY2017 or earlier
- Headquarters
- Evanston, United States
- Industry
- University
- Employees (US, est)
- 13,658 (2024)
- Revenue (IRS Form 990)
- $4.1B (FY2025)
- Median base
- $66,172
- Founded
- 1851
Northwestern University pays a median H-1B base of $66,172 across FY2017–2026, about 9% below the typical University sponsor.
Files 1 green-card application for every 31 H-1B filings, where a typical sponsor its size does 1 in 6.5.
H-1B sponsors similar to Northwestern University
| Employer | Filings, all years | Recent filings | Median base | New employment | Level III-IV roles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Michigan | 5,359 | 1,200 | $72k | 527 | 14% |
| Stanford University | 4,738 | 991 | $90k | 520 | 17% |
| Johns Hopkins University | 3,790 | 870 | $75k | 421 | 19% |
| Northwestern University | 2,628 | 622 | $72k | 274 | 12% |
| University of Florida | 2,565 | 640 | $95k | 305 | 18% |
| Yale University | 2,541 | 618 | $80k | 338 | 23% |
| Indiana University | 2,522 | 719 | $78k | 349 | 12% |
