---
title: "Northwestern University vs UCLA: Which is more popular by branded search?"
description: "Which is more popular in search, Northwestern University or UCLA? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Globally sought US universities set worldwide. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time."
canonical: "https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/northwestern-university-vs-ucla"
publisher: "Brandwave"
---

# Northwestern University vs UCLA: Which is more popular by branded search?

Which is more popular in search, Northwestern University or UCLA? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Globally sought US universities set worldwide. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time.

## Key facts

- **Compared**: Northwestern University and UCLA
- **Competitive set**: Globally sought US universities
- **Market**: Global
- **Month measured**: Aug 2026
- **Northwestern University Share of Search**: 3%
- **UCLA Share of Search**: 6.8%

## Which is more popular in search, Northwestern University or UCLA?

- In August 2026, UCLA had more branded searches than Northwestern University among globally sought US universities worldwide. UCLA was estimated to have 565K branded searches compared to Northwestern University’s 246K, and held a 6.8% Share of Search versus Northwestern University’s 3%.
- UCLA was ahead of Northwestern University in every measured month of the 11 months ending August 2026.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Northwestern University’s estimated Share of Search among globally sought US universities worldwide moved from 3.9% to 3%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 368K to 246K.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, UCLA’s estimated Share of Search among globally sought US universities worldwide moved from 9% to 6.8%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 841K to 565K.

## How did search popularity change for globally sought US universities worldwide in August 2026?

- In August 2026, UCLA gained estimated Share of Search among globally sought US universities worldwide, from 5.6% to 6.8%.
- Estimated monthly branded searches for Northwestern University worldwide fell 33.2% over 11 measured months, from 368K to 246K in August 2026.

## Month by month

| Month | Northwestern University estimated searches | Northwestern University Share of Search | Northwestern University rank | UCLA estimated searches | UCLA Share of Search | UCLA rank |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Oct 2025 | 368K | 3.9% | 11 | 841K | 9% | 3 |
| Nov 2025 | 301K | 3.7% | 13 | 688K | 8.4% | 3 |
| Dec 2025 | 301K | 1.8% | 12 | 565K | 3.4% | 6 |
| Jan 2026 | 246K | 3% | 15 | 565K | 6.9% | 3 |
| Feb 2026 | 201K | 2.7% | 16 | 565K | 7.6% | 3 |
| Mar 2026 | 301K | 3.2% | 15 | 841K | 9% | 3 |
| Apr 2026 | 246K | 2.7% | 16 | 841K | 9.3% | 3 |
| May 2026 | 301K | 3.5% | 14 | 691K | 8% | 3 |
| Jun 2026 | 246K | 3.4% | 15 | 465K | 6.5% | 5 |
| Jul 2026 | 201K | 3% | 16 | 380K | 5.6% | 5 |
| Aug 2026 | 246K | 3% | 16 | 565K | 6.8% | 5 |
| Sep 2026 | — | — | — | — | — | — |

## How each brand is measured

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Northwestern University’s and UCLA’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.

- **Northwestern University**: Measured on the search term “northwestern university”.
- **UCLA**: Measured on the search terms “ucla”, “ucla university” and “university of california los angeles”, summed into one figure.

- [Northwestern University profile](/demand/global-en/brands/northwestern-university)
- [UCLA profile](/demand/global-en/brands/ucla)
- [All globally sought US universities worldwide](/demand/global-en/categories/globally-sought-us-universities): The set both shares are measured inside, 17 brands.

## Methodology

- [How is branded search demand measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused.

## Frequently asked questions

### Which is more popular in search, Northwestern University or UCLA?

In August 2026, UCLA had more branded searches than Northwestern University among globally sought US universities worldwide. UCLA was estimated to have 565K branded searches compared to Northwestern University’s 246K, and held a 6.8% Share of Search versus Northwestern University’s 3%.

## Cite this page

Brandwave. "Northwestern University vs UCLA: Which is more popular by branded search?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/northwestern-university-vs-ucla

This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/northwestern-university-vs-ucla. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.