Other · DOL Form 5500 · 2022
Northwestern University Retirement Plan
Data updated 2026-08-11
- $950M
- Total assets
- 15,574
- Participants
- 99th
- Percentile by assets
- $61,021
- Avg per participant
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.
- 99th percentile by assets (of 139,126 plans)
- #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.
- $950M
- total plan assets (2022 EOY)
- 15,574
- covered participants
- 99th
- percentile by assets (of 139,126 plans)
- $61,021
- avg assets per participant
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.
Participants vs Illinois filers
In Illinois, the average filing covers about 779 participants across 5,745 plans. Northwestern University Voluntary Savings Plan reports 15,574 participants - 20x that state average ($950M EOY assets).
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)
| 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.
Northwestern University Voluntary Savings Plan vs. nearby Other plans in Illinois, assets vs. participants
- 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)
Similar-Sized Other Plans Nationally
Other plans in other states closest to Northwestern University Voluntary Savings Plan by total assets, not by location.
- 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
Frequently Asked Questions
How did Northwestern University Voluntary Savings Plan assets move in 2022? ▼
How have Northwestern University plan assets changed over time? ▼
Where does Northwestern University Voluntary Savings Plan rank by assets among Form 5500 filers? ▼
Which Other plans are similar in size to Northwestern University Voluntary Savings Plan? ▼
Next read for Northwestern University Voluntary Saving…
Filing takeaways
Ways to act on Northwestern University Voluntary Savings Plan's numbers.
- By total assets, Northwestern University Voluntary Savings Plan ranks among the largest 1% of all filed plans. See the largest plans
- Compare it side-by-side against 3 similar Other plans in Illinois. Compare plans
- Northwestern University's sponsor-wide assets have grown 26.8% since 2022 across 3 plan years on file. More Educational Services plans