Other · DOL Form 5500 · 2022
Northwestern University Retirement Plan
Data updated 2026-08-25
- $950M
- Total assets Above avg plan size
- 15,574
- Participants Very large workforce
- 99th
- Percentile by assets National rank
- $61,021
- Avg per participant Low balance/head
Official DOL plan name: Northwestern University Voluntary Savings Plan · Sponsored by Northwestern University · Illinois · Educational Services
$950M in assets, 15,574 participants
Northwestern University's Northwestern University Voluntary Savings Plan reported $950M in total assets and 15,574 participants in its 2022 DOL Form 5500 filing, ranking in the 99th percentile by assets among filed plans. Figures are as reported by the plan sponsor to the Department of Labor, not audited or endorsed by PlainRetire.
- #3,956 in Educational Services (4,024 peers)
Coverage in Illinois
Northwestern University Voluntary Savings Plan covers 15,574 participants in Illinois, 20x the typical Illinois plan (state average ~779 per filing). Assets: $950M.
- #3,956
- in Educational Services (4,024 peers)
- -11.8%
- assets change YoY
- 9.5×
- vs typical plan assets (national mean)
The plan reported a net loss of $127M for the year, a single-year figure driven by markets and benefit payments, not a measure of plan health.
Northwestern University Voluntary Savings Plan's outsized position by total assets
Northwestern University Voluntary Savings Plan vs every filed plan by assets
End-of-year total assets · plan year 2022 · DOL Form 5500
$950,343,210 Top 1% higher than 99% of 139,123 filed plans
Dashed line + filled bar = this entry, among filed plans.
Source U.S. Department of Labor Form 5500 filings (EBSA) · plan year 2022
Northwestern University Voluntary Savings Plan's mega-plan peer group by participant headcount
Plan-year 2022 Form 5500 filings with a reported participant count, partitioned by headcount band, not by assets. Northwestern University Voluntary Savings Plan is a mega filing (15,574 participants), the rightmost band on the breakdown.
DOL schedule card
Filing strip 362167817 · Northwestern University PY 2022 · Other
Northwestern University Voluntary Savings Plan · $950M · 15,574 · 99th
- TYPE $950M
- NET 15,574
- BOOK 99th
- VS-ST Other
- BOY near Southcoast Health System Partnership Plan
- SCH ind #3956
Stamps derive from this plan's Form 5500 line items (assets, participants, type, EIN, cohort placement) - not a quality rating of the sponsor. Read with Educational Services retirement plans → · Plans in Illinois →
Northwestern University Voluntary Savings Plan in the asset neighbourhood
Illinois filing particulars
| Total Assets (Beginning of Year) | $1.1B |
|---|---|
| Net Assets (End of Year) | $950M |
| Net Income | -$127M |
| Employer EIN | 362167817 |
| Plan Effective Date | 1974-09-01 |
| Filing Status | FILING RECEIVED |
Sponsor Plan History (Northwestern University)
Sponsor-wide plan assets over time
All Northwestern University plans reported in each filing year
- Latest sponsor-wide plan assets
- $5.7B 26.835153425030896% vs 2022
- 2024 filing year
| Year | Plans | Participants | Total Assets |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 3 | 25,039 | $4.5B |
| 2023 | 3 | 21,775 | $5.1B |
| 2024 | 3 | 21,547 | $5.7B |
Nearby Other Plans in Illinois
Peer Other plans, same state, same plan type, ranked by total assets.
- Washington University Retirement Savings Plan $5.9B · 15,925
- Northwestern University Retirement Plan $3.5B · 9,465
- The University of Chicago Contributory Retirement Plan $3.1B · 4,552
- Northshore University Healthsystem Tax Deferred Annuity Plan $1.8B · 13,159
- The University of Chicago Supplemental Retirement Plan $1.5B · 7,855
Scale composition for Northwestern University Voluntary Savings Plan
Northwestern University Voluntary Savings Plan reports $950M in end-of-year assets across 15,574 participants (0.008% of the $12.3T held by all Form 5500 filers in the national rollup , and 0.017% of 93,925,755 covered participants) - about $61,021 per participant (44% of the national average assets-per-participant) . Net income for plan year 2022 was -$127M.
This plan identity (EIN 362167817, plan #003) has 3 Form 5500 filings on file from 2022 to 2024 , with end-of-year assets moving from $950M to $1.2B (+28.1%) while covered participants moved from 15,574 to 12,219 . Single-year sparse filers cannot show that trail.
| Plan year | Participants | EOY assets | Filing |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 15,574 | $950M | This page |
| 2023 | 12,335 | $1.1B | Open filing |
| 2024 · index core | 12,219 | $1.2B | Open filing |
The same sponsor also keeps 2 other index-core plans on PlainRetire:
- Northwestern University Retirement Plan (Other, $4.4B, 9,328 participants)
- Northwestern University Voluntary Savings Plan (Other, $1.2B, 12,219 participants)
Northwestern University Voluntary Savings Plan's out-of-state Other peers by assets and headcount
Outside Illinois, the nearest Other by assets is Southcoast Health System Partnership Plan in MA ($950M); by covered participants it is St. Lukes Health System Matched 403b Plan in ID (15,284 participants). Same-state nearby plans are listed separately above.
Closest by plan assets
Nearest other-state filings by tot_assets_eoy ($950M here).
- Southcoast Health System Partnership Plan (MA) $950M · 6,539
- Retirement Savings Plan for Employees of West Penn Allegheny Health System (PA) $951M · 6,614
- Board of Electrical Workers Local #26 I.a. Individual Account Plan (MD) $948M · 11,128
- West Virginia University Health System 403(b) Retirement Savings Plan (WV) $960M · 18,993
Similar participant headcount
Nearest other-state filings by covered participants (15,574 participants); asset peers above are excluded.
- St. Lukes Health System Matched 403b Plan (ID) 15,284 · 290 off
- The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Retirement Savings Plan (PA) 15,989 · 415 off
- Multicare Health System 403(b) Employee Savings Plan (WA) 14,779 · 795 off
- Scripps Health 403(b) Plan (CA) 16,497 · 923 off
DOL Form 5500 plan year 2022. Asset totals can differ widely at the same headcount; neither axis is a quality rating.