Northwestern U.

Rankings

Data year Earned doctorates Full-time graduate students Total R&D expenditures Research space
Rank Percentile Institutions ranked Rank Percentile Institutions ranked Rank Percentile Institutions ranked Rank Percentile Institutions ranked
2024 32 93.3 459 34 94.8 631 28 97.1 925
2023 33 93.1 459 38 94.6 679 29 97 911 19 97 602
2022 31 93.5 457 39 94.5 680 29 96.9 900
2021 31 93.3 447 38 94.7 691 30 96.8 908 18 97.1 583
2020 33 92.9 450 36 95 698 29 97 916
2019 28 94 447 36 95 697 29 97 914 53 91.2 589
2018 32 92.8 428 48 93.3 700 28 97.1 911
2017 31 93 425 44 93.8 684 29 96.9 898 59 90 575
2016 33 92.6 430 46 93.6 697 29 96.9 896
2015 36 91.8 426 46 93.6 693 29 96.9 898 58 90.1 570
NOTES:
  • 1. See TableBuilder for the prior year data.
  • 2. Blank white cells indicate data not available, not applicable, or institution not eligible for survey.
  • 3. Data from the Survey of Science and Engineering Research Facilities is collected every two years.

Data

Number of earned doctorates, by trend major field of study of recipients: 2024–15

NOTE:
  • . = data were not collected at this level or institution was not eligible to participate for this survey year.

SOURCE: National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Survey of Earned Doctorates

Full-time graduate students in science, engineering, and health, by selected characteristics: 2024–15
All races 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015
  U.S. citizens and permanent residents 2,546 2,427 2,427 2,390 2,288 2,197 1,572 1,719 1,567 1,677
    Hispanic or Latino 341 330 314 313 272 237 148 169 150 158
    Not Hispanic or Latino 2,128 2,014 2,024 1,985 1,921 1,859 1,332 1,463 1,334 1,422
      American Indian or Alaska Native 3 1 4 6 6 6 4 3 2 3
      Asian 447 411 409 354 324 304 229 254 76 204
      Black or African American 171 178 171 163 166 165 110 110 109 114
      Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander 1 1 1 1 2 2 1 1 1 1
      White 1,370 1,300 1,321 1,357 1,307 1,252 904 1,013 1,070 1,030
      More than one race 136 123 118 104 116 130 84 82 76 70
    Unknown ethnicity and race 77 83 89 92 95 101 92 87 83 97
  Temporary visa holders 1,770 1,702 1,481 1,411 1,224 1,340 1,248 1,236 1,395 1,181
  Science and engineering 4,171 3,976 3,797 3,687 3,342 3,370 2,718 2,827 2,858 2,759
    Science 2,962 2,761 2,636 2,538 2,288 2,228 1,642 1,658 1,805 1,793
      Agricultural and veterinary sciences 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Biological and biomedical sciences 801 732 657 643 554 567 494 538 392 371
      Communication 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 65 51
      Computer and information sciences 425 393 296 263 194 206 168 124 124 141
      Family and consumer sciences and human sciences 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Geosciences, atmospheric, and ocean sciences 25 24 23 24 25 29 32 29 27 22
      Mathematics and statistics 151 127 106 82 83 80 90 90 152 140
      Multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary sciences 74 76 77 73 78 31 32 29 27 25
      Natural resources and conservation 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Physical sciences 427 403 422 382 396 403 308 312 358 385
      Psychology 578 561 600 609 560 517 115 118 122 124
      Social sciences 481 445 455 462 398 395 403 418 416 417
    Engineering 1,209 1,215 1,161 1,149 1,054 1,142 1,076 1,169 1,053 966
      Aerospace, aeronautical, and astronautical engineering 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Biological, biomedical, and biosystems engineering 206 177 166 160 152 147 137 164 147 120
      Chemical, petroleum, and chemical-related engineering 116 119 119 116 109 98 101 119 120 117
      Civil, environmental, transportation and related engineering fields 107 115 119 127 22 115 107 121 110 107
      Electrical, electronics, communications and computer engineering 215 221 184 167 168 203 156 184 104 127
      Industrial, manufacturing, systems engineering and operations research 84 88 83 84 65 64 63 58 67 58
      Mechanical engineering 146 145 139 140 229 173 161 163 160 136
      Metallurgical, mining, materials and related engineering fields 209 220 227 247 209 236 232 234 248 237
      Other engineering 126 130 124 108 100 106 119 126 97 64
    Health 145 153 111 114 170 167 102 128 104 99
      Clinical medicine 101 102 61 63 93 95 36 71 55 46
      Other health 44 51 50 51 77 72 66 57 49 53

NOTE:
  • . = data were not collected at this level or institution was not eligible to participate for this survey year.
  • Fields of study are grouped as they appear in survey data table (https://www.nsf.gov/statistics/srvygradpostdoc/#tabs-2).

SOURCE: National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science and Engineering

Part-time graduate students in science, engineering, and health, by selected characteristics: 2024–15
All races 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015
  U.S. citizens and permanent residents 530 576 482 521 502 358 107 69 136 147
    Hispanic or Latino 85 86 60 58 60 36 9 5 12 11
    Not Hispanic or Latino 434 473 404 446 424 313 95 61 121 133
      American Indian or Alaska Native 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 0
      Asian 65 76 65 67 54 40 27 20 6 30
      Black or African American 58 47 42 60 66 48 7 3 4 5
      Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0
      White 292 320 272 295 287 217 60 36 108 98
      More than one race 19 29 24 23 15 8 1 2 2 0
    Unknown ethnicity and race 11 17 18 17 18 9 3 3 3 3
  Temporary visa holders 75 78 90 26 87 71 106 108 109 88
  Science and engineering 546 573 488 463 507 368 160 126 156 148
    Science 453 488 385 384 369 254 21 25 63 55
      Agricultural and veterinary sciences 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Biological and biomedical sciences 3 7 0 3 2 3 6 5 3 2
      Communication 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
      Computer and information sciences 41 42 33 11 18 16 13 19 42 48
      Family and consumer sciences and human sciences 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Geosciences, atmospheric, and ocean sciences 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
      Mathematics and statistics 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 7 2
      Multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary sciences 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Natural resources and conservation 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Physical sciences 6 12 1 5 2 0 0 1 3 0
      Psychology 401 424 346 363 341 234 1 0 0 1
      Social sciences 0 3 3 1 5 1 1 0 6 2
    Engineering 93 85 103 79 138 114 139 101 93 93
      Aerospace, aeronautical, and astronautical engineering 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Biological, biomedical, and biosystems engineering 2 2 2 4 2 3 2 1 2 0
      Chemical, petroleum, and chemical-related engineering 1 1 1 4 2 3 4 3 1 0
      Civil, environmental, transportation and related engineering fields 1 4 5 6 11 8 15 18 14 13
      Electrical, electronics, communications and computer engineering 28 25 19 5 27 14 37 52 0 0
      Industrial, manufacturing, systems engineering and operations research 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 63 60
      Mechanical engineering 7 6 12 5 19 7 2 12 7 10
      Metallurgical, mining, materials and related engineering fields 13 12 30 5 13 14 16 8 6 10
      Other engineering 40 35 33 50 64 64 63 7 0 0
    Health 59 81 84 84 82 61 53 51 89 87
      Clinical medicine 46 66 74 67 64 45 42 40 61 66
      Other health 13 15 10 17 18 16 11 11 28 21

NOTE:
  • . = data were not collected at this level or institution was not eligible to participate for this survey year.
  • Fields of study are grouped as they appear in survey data table (https://www.nsf.gov/statistics/srvygradpostdoc/#tabs-2).

SOURCE: National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science and Engineering

Full-time graduate students in science, engineering, and health receiving primary support from federal sources, by field: 2024–15
Field 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015
All surveyed fields 821 683 650 650 716 668 585 643 613 635
  Science and engineering 818 680 649 649 708 658 570 629 602 624
    Science 492 392 408 400 417 404 347 378 404 404
      Agricultural and veterinary sciences 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Biological and biomedical sciences 239 204 213 207 191 192 163 195 132 105
      Communication 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3
      Computer and information sciences 36 32 25 25 26 19 17 13 15 15
      Family and consumer sciences and human sciences 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Geosciences, atmospheric, and ocean sciences 7 8 5 4 7 8 8 4 7 8
      Mathematics and statistics 2 1 2 4 2 3 3 5 17 22
      Multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary sciences 20 21 21 12 15 6 7 4 4 4
      Natural resources and conservation 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Physical sciences 152 110 125 132 158 145 121 121 129 158
      Psychology 6 8 6 9 7 15 17 21 25 24
      Social sciences 30 8 11 7 11 16 11 15 13 20
    Engineering 326 288 241 249 291 254 223 251 198 220
      Aerospace, aeronautical, and astronautical engineering 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Biological, biomedical, and biosystems engineering 60 44 37 43 53 41 30 34 33 23
      Chemical, petroleum, and chemical-related engineering 37 41 30 28 33 34 31 29 31 28
      Civil, environmental, transportation and related engineering fields 35 26 16 18 0 14 9 11 8 11
      Electrical, electronics, communications and computer engineering 32 34 22 18 20 16 21 15 9 18
      Industrial, manufacturing, systems engineering and operations research 9 8 12 14 7 16 6 7 7 9
      Mechanical engineering 40 34 27 23 60 42 37 33 23 34
      Metallurgical, mining, materials and related engineering fields 74 70 70 75 93 72 69 82 78 89
      Other engineering 39 31 27 30 25 19 20 40 9 8
    Health 3 3 1 1 8 10 15 14 11 11
      Clinical medicine 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0
      Other health 3 3 1 1 8 10 15 13 10 11

NOTE:
  • . = data were not collected at this level or institution was not eligible to participate for this survey year.
  • Fields of study are grouped as they appear in survey data table (https://www.nsf.gov/statistics/srvygradpostdoc/#tabs-2).

SOURCE: National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science and Engineering

Full-time graduate students in science, engineering, and health, by type and primary source of support: 2024–15
Type and primary source of support 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015
All types and sources of support 4,316 4,129 3,908 3,801 3,512 3,537 2,820 2,955 2,962 2,858
  Fellowships 1,583 1,595 1,282 992 560 707 692 1,013 1,044 1,043
    Federal 267 230 201 73 43 86 102 273 238 238
    Institutional 1,227 1,285 1,041 784 405 502 497 636 703 681
    Nonfederal 89 80 40 135 112 119 93 104 103 124
  Research assistantships 910 860 897 1,059 926 942 893 692 662 630
    Federal 554 453 449 577 673 582 483 370 375 388
    Institutional 294 350 394 420 150 281 315 248 233 179
    Nonfederal 62 57 54 62 103 79 95 74 54 63
  Teaching assistantships 379 341 441 382 365 368 358 440 456 441
    Federal 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
    Institutional 379 341 438 382 365 368 358 440 456 441
    Nonfederal 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
  Other types of support 1,444 1,333 1,288 1,368 1,661 1,520 877 810 800 744
    Federal 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9
    Institutional 0 0 53 100 569 330 237 422 334 74
    Nonfederal 0 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 2
    Personal resources 1,444 1,333 1,233 1,266 1,092 1,190 640 388 466 659

NOTE:
  • . = data were not collected at this level or institution was not eligible to participate for this survey year.

SOURCE: National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science and Engineering

Postdoctorates in science, engineering, and health, by selected characteristics: 2024–15
All races 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015
  Science and engineering 749 685 694 660 647 665 633 678 599 566
    Science 592 549 564 488 482 509 462 508 451 426
      Agricultural and veterinary sciences 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Biological and biomedical sciences 190 196 208 183 187 196 185 210 194 179
      Communication 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2
      Computer and information sciences 8 10 9 13 7 9 1 1 0 0
      Family and consumer sciences and human sciences 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Geosciences, atmospheric, and ocean sciences 4 4 2 0 1 0 2 4 1 2
      Mathematics and statistics 30 21 24 21 22 24 9 7 5 2
      Multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary sciences 79 83 79 44 21 56 51 63 44 42
      Natural resources and conservation 0 0 0 0 7 0 0 0 0 0
      Physical sciences 225 188 193 179 185 180 175 184 175 167
      Psychology 28 20 17 16 21 15 13 15 11 15
      Social sciences 28 27 32 32 31 29 26 24 19 17
    Engineering 157 136 130 172 165 156 171 170 148 140
      Aerospace, aeronautical, and astronautical engineering 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Biological, biomedical, and biosystems engineering 23 25 19 62 49 18 22 29 25 30
      Chemical, petroleum, and chemical-related engineering 18 24 35 40 38 27 28 25 22 17
      Civil, environmental, transportation and related engineering fields 25 20 16 12 11 16 13 13 13 16
      Electrical, electronics, communications and computer engineering 11 6 8 8 11 13 20 18 16 19
      Industrial, manufacturing, systems engineering and operations research 3 1 1 3 6 7 4 2 4 5
      Mechanical engineering 30 21 12 9 7 8 12 17 16 12
      Metallurgical, mining, materials and related engineering fields 41 33 31 29 37 45 48 51 52 41
      Other engineering 6 6 8 9 6 22 24 15 0 0
    Health 341 292 267 269 292 279 287 311 214 180
      Clinical medicine 294 247 230 225 250 230 246 271 186 152
      Other health 47 45 37 44 42 49 41 40 28 28

NOTE:
  • . = data were not collected at this level or institution was not eligible to participate for this survey year.
  • Fields of study are grouped as they appear in survey data table (https://www.nsf.gov/statistics/srvygradpostdoc/#tabs-2).

SOURCE: National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science and Engineering

Federally supported science, engineering, and health postdoctorates, by field: 2024–15
Field 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015
All surveyed fields 559 517 580 588 539 532 533 591 534 478
  Science and engineering 392 364 419 419 378 374 364 393 401 376
    Science 296 277 327 303 276 291 276 302 305 279
      Agricultural and veterinary sciences 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Biological and biomedical sciences 124 135 146 142 141 141 135 144 139 121
      Communication 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2
      Computer and information sciences 2 4 2 5 2 2 1 1 0 0
      Family and consumer sciences and human sciences 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Geosciences, atmospheric, and ocean sciences 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0
      Mathematics and statistics 5 5 5 7 4 10 6 5 3 2
      Multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary sciences 39 27 44 22 8 20 17 15 20 32
      Natural resources and conservation 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0
      Physical sciences 101 89 106 100 92 99 98 116 123 104
      Psychology 15 11 13 13 13 7 8 10 8 9
      Social sciences 9 6 10 14 13 12 10 11 9 9
    Engineering 96 87 92 116 102 83 88 91 96 97
      Aerospace, aeronautical, and astronautical engineering 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Biological, biomedical, and biosystems engineering 15 17 12 45 33 11 14 20 20 19
      Chemical, petroleum, and chemical-related engineering 10 16 28 25 24 17 14 15 11 14
      Civil, environmental, transportation and related engineering fields 14 11 9 6 3 2 5 4 7 8
      Electrical, electronics, communications and computer engineering 7 5 5 5 6 9 8 11 13 17
      Industrial, manufacturing, systems engineering and operations research 1 0 1 1 2 3 2 1 1 2
      Mechanical engineering 19 14 10 5 7 2 6 11 13 8
      Metallurgical, mining, materials and related engineering fields 25 22 21 22 23 27 29 26 31 29
      Other engineering 5 2 6 7 4 12 10 3 0 0
    Health 167 153 161 169 161 158 169 198 133 102
      Clinical medicine 150 135 143 151 144 138 146 178 115 84
      Other health 17 18 18 18 17 20 23 20 18 18

NOTE:
  • . = data were not collected at this level or institution was not eligible to participate for this survey year.
  • Fields of study are grouped as they appear in survey data table (https://www.nsf.gov/statistics/srvygradpostdoc/#tabs-2).

SOURCE: National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science and Engineering

Total R&D expenditures, by field: 2024–15
(Dollars in thousands)
Field 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015
  All R&D fields 1,257,859 1,114,269 1,000,695 913,178 874,671 857,069 805,672 751,809 713,491 656,167
    Science 1,093,327 981,193 880,452 807,366 770,529 747,194 694,796 639,540 600,524 549,644
      Computer and information sciences 14,917 13,831 10,117 8,957 8,441 3,035 2,512 2,530 2,197 40
      Geosciences, atmospheric sciences, and ocean sciences 2,433 1,795 1,443 1,342 1,351 1,547 1,627 1,821 1,655 1,924
        Atmospheric science and meteorology 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
        Geological and earth sciences 2,433 1,795 1,443 1,342 1,351 1,547 1,627 1,821 1,655 1,924
        Ocean sciences and marine sciences 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
        Geosciences, atmospheric sciences, and ocean sciences nec 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Life sciences 902,321 816,739 721,230 659,195 619,270 604,875 555,160 515,893 481,869 451,943
        Agricultural sciences 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
        Biological and biomedical sciences 221,411 205,479 189,086 166,594 153,629 141,523 128,409 130,422 122,935 100,231
        Health sciences 670,382 596,679 514,642 474,272 451,059 446,421 406,467 370,779 346,275 327,972
        Natural resources and conservation 0 0 0 0 0 2,242 2,868 1,823 1,234 0
        Life sciences nec 10,528 14,581 17,502 18,329 14,582 14,689 17,416 12,869 11,425 23,740
      Mathematics and statistics 3,104 2,311 2,215 1,490 2,275 2,461 2,869 2,461 2,293 2,228
      Physical sciences 110,150 97,816 90,194 83,618 78,168 82,072 82,409 71,743 67,071 43,551
        Astronomy and astrophysics 8,304 7,498 6,681 6,676 6,604 5,274 4,566 3,438 2,564 0
        Chemistry 58,024 42,247 40,697 36,484 35,130 40,651 39,150 38,954 39,855 34,334
        Materials science 19,099 19,933 18,052 16,535 16,418 13,853 18,211 15,094 12,620 0
        Physics 21,229 22,886 19,886 19,296 15,418 17,918 18,337 12,441 10,125 7,521
        Physical sciences nec 3,494 5,252 4,878 4,627 4,598 4,376 2,145 1,816 1,907 1,696
      Psychology 4,493 3,316 4,231 3,352 3,706 4,157 3,923 4,177 4,667 3,602
      Social sciences 24,276 23,363 24,515 21,988 18,762 16,211 15,007 16,447 16,924 19,787
        Anthropology 2,139 1,577 951 553 1,106 963 822 842 820 0
        Economics 8,749 8,318 8,819 6,455 3,721 1,556 1,819 1,548 2,015 1,797
        Political science and government 835 834 641 584 758 801 918 847 502 14,427
        Sociology, demography, and population studies 395 493 275 249 443 523 607 688 551 1,842
        Social sciences nec 12,158 12,141 13,829 14,147 12,734 12,368 10,841 12,522 13,036 1,721
      Sciences nec 31,633 22,022 26,507 27,424 38,556 32,836 31,289 24,468 23,848 26,569
    Engineering 120,781 93,785 88,008 80,735 77,150 80,413 81,662 84,520 84,243 77,676
      Aerospace, aeronautical, and astronautical engineering 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Bioengineering and biomedical engineering 22,788 20,128 17,376 14,826 14,678 11,844 15,052 14,133 12,628 12,994
      Chemical engineering 19,986 12,688 13,889 15,296 14,434 15,264 10,304 9,541 7,077 8,924
      Civil engineering 9,461 7,457 6,071 4,883 5,619 4,211 5,536 5,034 5,247 4,459
      Electrical, electronic, and communications engineering 10,280 8,452 8,475 8,204 7,501 12,630 12,339 11,654 12,742 7,213
      Industrial and manufacturing engineering 3,200 3,127 4,615 3,995 3,948 3,530 3,380 3,347 2,983 0
      Mechanical engineering 13,930 8,038 7,448 6,274 6,525 6,845 7,181 9,458 10,923 9,463
      Metallurgical and materials engineering 23,207 18,076 16,229 16,709 15,415 16,820 17,293 21,207 17,752 18,397
      Engineering nec 17,929 15,819 13,905 10,548 9,030 9,269 10,577 10,146 14,891 16,226
    Non-S&E 43,751 39,291 32,235 25,077 26,992 29,462 29,214 27,749 28,724 28,847
      Business management and business administration 16,102 15,511 15,461 10,181 11,847 11,085 8,845 5,791 6,115 8,415
      Communication and communications technologies 4,174 3,353 3,090 3,019 3,298 3,575 4,673 5,574 7,195 6,677
      Education 14,675 12,464 8,171 7,353 6,237 8,202 9,087 10,078 9,650 7,363
      Humanities 4,344 4,761 3,470 2,970 3,986 4,475 4,172 3,673 3,166 1,776
      Law 2,507 1,509 1,216 1,108 993 1,260 1,300 1,317 1,492 1,486
      Social work 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Visual and performing arts 1,876 1,693 827 446 631 865 1,135 1,098 1,104 969
      Non-S&E nec 73 0 0 0 0 0 2 218 2 2,161

NOTE:
  • . = data were not collected at this level or institution was not eligible to participate for this survey year.
  • Prior to FY 2016, expenditures for natural resources and conservation, materials science, anthropology, and industrial and manufacturing engineering were not collected separately. R&D expenditures in agricultural sciences decreased in FY 2016 because a number of disciplines previously reported in that field are now reported separately under natural resources and conservation.

SOURCE: National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Higher Education R&D Survey

Total R&D expenditures, by source of funds and R&D field: 2024
(Dollars in thousands)
Field All R&D expenditures Federal government State and local government Institution funds Business Nonprofit organizations All other sources
  All R&D fields 1,257,859 735,735 5,838 361,296 70,595 68,565 15,830
    Science 1,093,327 660,197 5,838 292,039 64,892 57,449 12,912
      Computer and information sciences 14,917 7,613 0 3,963 151 330 2,860
      Geosciences, atmospheric sciences, and ocean sciences 2,433 1,535 0 740 0 127 31
        Atmospheric science and meteorology 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
        Geological and earth sciences 2,433 1,535 0 740 0 127 31
        Ocean sciences and marine sciences 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
        Geosciences, atmospheric sciences, and ocean sciences nec 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Life sciences 902,321 560,478 2,556 222,575 59,863 49,090 7,759
        Agricultural sciences 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
        Biological and biomedical sciences 221,411 146,335 0 51,719 2,985 19,097 1,275
        Health sciences 670,382 411,842 2,556 165,156 56,346 29,853 4,629
        Natural resources and conservation 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
        Life sciences nec 10,528 2,301 0 5,700 532 140 1,855
      Mathematics and statistics 3,104 1,678 0 1,150 0 276 0
      Physical sciences 110,150 57,078 0 43,073 4,418 4,804 777
        Astronomy and astrophysics 8,304 2,530 0 4,881 0 888 5
        Chemistry 58,024 28,350 0 22,853 4,148 2,638 35
        Materials science 19,099 15,174 0 3,373 75 477 0
        Physics 21,229 10,487 0 9,204 0 801 737
        Physical sciences nec 3,494 537 0 2,762 195 0 0
      Psychology 4,493 2,514 0 1,932 0 18 29
      Social sciences 24,276 11,191 0 9,434 0 2,531 1,120
        Anthropology 2,139 660 0 921 0 440 118
        Economics 8,749 4,777 0 3,301 0 0 671
        Political science and government 835 200 0 558 0 42 35
        Sociology, demography, and population studies 395 0 0 388 0 7 0
        Social sciences nec 12,158 5,554 0 4,266 0 2,042 296
      Sciences nec 31,633 18,110 3,282 9,172 460 273 336
    Engineering 120,781 71,574 0 38,514 5,421 4,422 850
      Aerospace, aeronautical, and astronautical engineering 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Bioengineering and biomedical engineering 22,788 15,247 0 6,532 99 910 0
      Chemical engineering 19,986 12,772 0 4,631 1,596 760 227
      Civil engineering 9,461 6,710 0 1,998 436 210 107
      Electrical, electronic, and communications engineering 10,280 7,249 0 2,336 628 0 67
      Industrial and manufacturing engineering 3,200 1,857 0 907 436 0 0
      Mechanical engineering 13,930 9,685 0 3,346 823 2 74
      Metallurgical and materials engineering 23,207 14,350 0 6,296 901 1,358 302
      Engineering nec 17,929 3,704 0 12,468 502 1,182 73
    Non-S&E 43,751 3,964 0 30,743 282 6,694 2,068
      Business management and business administration 16,102 545 0 14,352 107 107 991
      Communication and communications technologies 4,174 536 0 2,179 0 1,041 418
      Education 14,675 2,539 0 6,696 0 4,886 554
      Humanities 4,344 257 0 3,986 0 39 62
      Law 2,507 17 0 2,092 175 223 0
      Social work 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      Visual and performing arts 1,876 0 0 1,435 0 398 43
      Non-S&E nec 73 70 0 3 0 0 0

NOTE:
  • . = data were not collected at this level or institution was not eligible to participate for this survey year.
  • Prior to FY 2016, expenditures for natural resources and conservation, materials science, anthropology, and industrial and manufacturing engineering were not collected separately. R&D expenditures in agricultural sciences decreased in FY 2016 because a number of disciplines previously reported in that field are now reported separately under natural resources and conservation.

SOURCE: National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Higher Education R&D Survey

Federally funded R&D expenditures, by federal agency: 2024–15
(Dollars in thousands)
Source of funds 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015
Federal Agencies 735,735 678,062 618,771 572,975 531,654 502,300 469,525 446,609 432,413 393,186
  DOD 64,812 51,407 50,435 45,744 43,595 43,448 42,721 37,140 38,566 35,124
  DOE 32,757 33,607 30,065 28,064 22,672 21,580 20,189 21,968 21,294 21,359
  HHS 560,300 521,988 467,367 432,853 402,269 374,302 344,380 324,778 305,371 280,136
  NASA 4,555 4,253 3,872 3,213 3,457 3,961 5,555 3,625 3,440 1,818
  NSF 61,693 56,367 57,278 53,359 49,659 48,728 42,916 45,192 48,927 45,979
  USDA 349 318 411 307 448 137 233 35 37 8
  Other 11,269 10,122 9,343 9,435 9,554 10,144 13,531 13,871 14,778 8,762

NOTE:
  • . = data were not collected at this level or institution was not eligible to participate for this survey year.

SOURCE: National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Higher Education R&D Survey

Headcount of R&D personnel: 2024–18 [temporarily discontinued]
Year
2024 . . . .
2023 . . . .
2022 . . . .
2021 . . . .
2020 . . . .
2019 10,096 1,337 8,759 .
2018 9,603 1,293 8,310 .

NOTE:
  • . = data were not collected at this level or institution was not eligible to participate for this survey year.

SOURCE: National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Higher Education R&D Survey

Science and engineering research space in academic institutions, by field: 2023–14
(Net assignable square feet in thousands)
Field, medical school space, and research animal space 2023 2021 2019 2017 2015
  All research space 2,479 2,471 1,173 1,085 1,003
    Agricultural sciences 0 0 0 0 0
    Biological and biomedical sciences 403 397 210 265 249
    Computer and information sciences 19 18 6 0 0
    Engineering 385 366 166 187 166
    Geosciences, atmospheric sciences, and ocean sciences 24 24 8 7 9
    Health sciences 877 892 448 445 399
    Mathematics and statistics 22 22 4 4 4
    Natural resources and conservation 9 7 3 4 1
    Physical sciences 277 271 134 137 140
    Psychology 43 43 12 13 14
    Social sciences 153 168 19 11 12
    Other 268 263 163 12 10

NOTE:
  • . = data were not collected at this level or institution was not eligible to participate for this survey year.
  • Data from the Survey of Science and Engineering Research Facilities is collected every two years.

SOURCE: National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Survey of Science and Engineering Research Facilities

New construction of science and engineering research space, by field and time of construction: 2025–16
(Net assignable square feet in thousands)
Field, medical school space, and research animal space Planned to start in FY 2024 or FY 2025 Started in FY 2022 or FY 2023 Started in FY 2020 or FY 2021 Started in FY 2018 or FY 2019 Started in FY 2016 or FY 2017
  All research space 0 0 0 18,726 335,981
    Agricultural sciences 0 0 0 0 0
    Biological and biomedical sciences 0 0 0 0 98,542
    Computer and information sciences 0 0 0 0 0
    Engineering 0 0 0 18,726 70,333
    Geosciences, atmospheric sciences, and ocean sciences 0 0 0 0 0
    Health sciences 0 0 0 0 101,944
    Mathematics and statistics 0 0 0 0 0
    Natural resources and conservation 0 0 0 0 0
    Physical sciences 0 0 0 0 27,968
    Psychology 0 0 0 0 0
    Social sciences 0 0 0 0 0
    Other 0 0 0 0 37,194

NOTE:
  • . = data were not collected at this level or institution was not eligible to participate for this survey year.
  • Data from the Survey of Science and Engineering Research Facilities is collected every two years.

SOURCE: National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Survey of Science and Engineering Research Facilities

Costs for repair and renovation of science and engineering research space in academic institutions, by field and time of repair and renovation: 2025–16
(Dollars in thousands)
Field, medical school space, and research animal space Planned to start in FY 2024 or FY 2025 Started in FY 2022 or FY 2023 Started in FY 2020 or FY 2021 Started in FY 2018 or FY 2019 Started in FY 2016 or FY 2017
  All research space 189,209 138,290 75,693 59,124 86,532
    Agricultural sciences 0 0 0 0 0
    Biological and biomedical sciences 119,105 21,671 16,135 2,347 7,459
    Computer and information sciences 1,336 11,923 0 13,200 0
    Engineering 21,249 18,913 12,970 9,003 19,216
    Geosciences, atmospheric sciences, and ocean sciences 0 0 0 0 0
    Health sciences 13,834 26,357 28,675 13,727 8,583
    Mathematics and statistics 0 0 0 0 0
    Natural resources and conservation 0 0 0 0 0
    Physical sciences 10,893 29,440 3,124 11,303 8,931
    Psychology 250 0 0 0 281
    Social sciences 21,916 1,098 1,821 387 0
    Other 627 28,888 12,969 9,157 42,061

NOTE:
  • . = data were not collected at this level or institution was not eligible to participate for this survey year.
  • Data from the Survey of Science and Engineering Research Facilities is collected every two years.

SOURCE: National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, Survey of Science and Engineering Research Facilities