Northwestern University

Turning a Department Website Into an Accessible Front Door for Every Prospective Student

  • Compliance

    WCAG 2.1 AA

    Compliance Achieved

  • UG & Grad

    Program Pages Fully Accessible

  • Real Users

    Tested with Disabled Testers

The Challenge

A leading professional school within Northwestern University had invested significantly in its public-facing department website — a primary tool for attracting prospective undergraduate and graduate students to its distinctive academic programs.

A leading professional school within Northwestern University had invested significantly in its public-facing department website — a primary tool for attracting prospective undergraduate and graduate students to its distinctive academic programs. The site was content-rich, visually polished, and designed to tell a compelling story about what made the school's programs unique.



But when the school's marketing and digital team took a closer look at the site through an accessibility lens, the picture changed. Prospective students relying on screen readers, keyboard-only navigation, or other assistive technologies were encountering a fragmented experience — broken navigation flows, inaccessible program comparison tools, and content that simply didn't translate for assistive technology users.



For a school competing to attract the best students from across the country and around the world, this wasn't just a compliance risk — it was an enrollment risk. Any prospective student with a disability who hit a wall on the website was a student who might look elsewhere. The marketing team decided to fix it proactively, before it became a legal or reputational issue.

The Inclusive Web Solution

Inclusive Web conducted a focused human-led WCAG 2.1 AA audit of the school's department website, with particular attention to the pages and user flows most critical to prospective student recruitment — undergraduate program pages, graduate program pages, faculty profiles, application information, and event listings.

Our audit went beyond surface-level issues. We evaluated the full prospective student journey: how a first-time visitor discovers the school's programs, explores individual tracks and concentrations, learns about faculty, and takes the next step toward applying. Every barrier in that journey was identified, prioritized by enrollment impact, and tracked through to verified resolution.

  • Human-led WCAG 2.1 AA audit of the full department website with a recruitment-journey lens

  • Undergraduate and graduate program page accessibility review — including program descriptions, curriculum details, and concentration pages

  • Navigation and site architecture audit ensuring screen reader and keyboard-only users can explore the full site independently

  • Faculty profile and research page accessibility review

  • Application information and event pages evaluated for assistive technology compatibility

  • Remediation guidance with developer-ready specificity, prioritized by prospective student impact

  • Fix verification — every resolved issue confirmed working before sign-off

  • Real-user testing with testers who identify as disabled, validating the prospective student experience using screen readers, keyboard-only navigation, and voice control

  • Ongoing accessibility monitoring to maintain compliance as new program content, faculty pages, and campaign landing pages are added

Real-User Accessibility Testing — Validated by the Audience That Matters

Inclusive Web tested the school's department website with testers who identify as disabled and use assistive technologies as part of their daily lives — including screen readers (JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver), keyboard-only navigation, and voice control. For a recruitment-focused website, this means confirming that a prospective student using a screen reader can explore programs, learn about faculty, and find application information with complete independence — just like any other visitor.

The Result

WCAG 2.1 AA compliance achieved across the full department website, including all undergraduate and graduate program pages

The complete prospective student journey — from first visit through program exploration to application information — fully accessible to users relying on assistive technologies

Faculty profiles, research pages, and event listings accessible to screen reader and keyboard-only users

Real-user testing confirmed that prospective students with disabilities can explore the school's programs with the same depth and independence as any other visitor

ADA Title II compliance achieved — proactively, before any legal pressure arose

Ongoing monitoring in place to protect accessibility as the school publishes new program content, admissions campaigns, and faculty updates

The school's digital front door now reflects its stated commitment to an inclusive academic community — for every prospective student who visits it

"We put a lot of effort into telling the story of what makes our programs exceptional. Inclusive Web made sure that story reaches every prospective student — including those who rely on assistive technologies to experience the web."

Director of Digital Marketing, Northwestern University School

Services Delivered

WCAG 2.1 AA Audit (Department Website)

Navigation & Site Architecture Audit

Prospective Student Journey Audit

Remediation Verification

UG & Graduate Program Page Review

Real-User Usability Testing

Ongoing Accessibility Monitoring

Compliance & Policy Drivers

Federal obligations and public expectations that made this work essential.

Proactive Marketing & Enrollment Strategy

ADA Title II Compliance

WCAG 2.1 AA Standard

Competitive Student Recruitment

Institutional Inclusion Commitment

Is your school's website reaching every prospective student?

Inclusive Web helps colleges and university departments make their recruitment websites fully accessible — so the story of what makes your programs exceptional reaches every student who's looking for it.

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