More selective than 46% of Iowa colleges we cover.
College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $49,783. College Scorecard.
Higher than 59% of Iowa colleges we cover and 71% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 20% of Iowa colleges we cover and 40% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
Northwestern College acceptance rate & admissions
Of 1,155 applicants, Northwestern College admitted 1,005 and 283 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class).
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
Northwestern College tuition, cost & net price
What families actually pay per year, by income
Average net price after grants and scholarships for students who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.
College Scorecard, latest reported year (federal aid recipients)
Sticker price (before aid)
IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard
College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal
What Northwestern College costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of Northwestern College took 4.1 years on average to finish, so the yearly price adds up to the total below. Payback compares former students' earnings with what high school graduates earn in Iowa. The figures follow your residency and income choices above.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $27,059 | $111,483 | 8.5 years |
| $30–48k | $19,503 | $80,352 | 6.1 years |
| $48–75k | $20,572 | $84,757 | 6.4 years |
| $75–110k | $24,265 | $99,972 | 7.6 years |
| $110k+ | $29,539 | $121,701 | 9.3 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.1 years, the average time graduates took (57% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of former students 10 years after starting ($49,802) minus $36,661 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in IA (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $13,141 a year. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method
College Scorecard (net price, earnings); IPEDS Graduation Rates (time to finish); U.S. Census Bureau ACS (high school earnings). Calculated by EducationGuide.
Northwestern College majors, earnings & careers
Northwestern College offers 42 bachelor's majors across 10 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Humanities & Languages · 8
- Science & Math · 7
- Arts & Design · 5
- Business & Finance · 5
- Health & Medicine · 5
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 5
- Education · 3
- Communications & Media · 2
- Engineering · 1
- Technology & Computing · 1
Highest-earning majors at Northwestern College
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Nursing | $71,322 | $27,000 |
| Business Administration | $68,565 | $23,250 |
| Accounting | $59,192 | — |
| Kinesiology / Exercise Science | $51,829 | — |
| Education (Elementary / Secondary) | $47,640 | $25,995 |
Quick list of all 42 majors
- Accounting$59,192
- Allied Health (Imaging / Therapy / Tech)—
- Biochemistry—
- Biology—
- Business Administration$68,565
- Chemistry—
- Computer Engineering—
- Computer Science—
- Criminal Justice—
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology—
- Economics—
- Education (Elementary / Secondary)$47,640
- Education (Subject Teaching)—
- English—
- Entrepreneurship—
- Genetics—
- Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design—
- History—
- Journalism—
- Kinesiology / Exercise Science$51,829
- Liberal Arts / General Studies—
- Linguistics—
- Management Science / Analytics—
- Mathematics—
- Medical Laboratory Science—
- Music—
- Nursing$71,322
- Political Science—
- Psychology—
- Public Relations and Advertising—
- Rehabilitation / Therapy Sciences—
- Religious Education—
- Religious Studies—
- Social Work—
- Sociology—
- Spanish / French / Romance Languages—
- Special Education—
- Statistics—
- Studio Art—
- Theatre—
- Visual and Performing Arts, Other—
- Writing—
— means too few graduates to report earnings.
College Scorecard field of study, latest release
All majors by area with earnings 1 and 4 years out, and debt →Business Administration → Management analyst
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 10.1% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Nursing → Registered nurse
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 5.6% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in Orange City
2 bedrooms $1,000.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 30 inches of rain a year, 27 inches of snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
Highest: winter weather (relatively high).
FEMA National Risk Index, Sioux County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Sioux County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare Northwestern College with similar schools
Similar private colleges in Iowa by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.
| School | Acceptance | You'd pay | Graduation | Earnings, 10 yrs | Price gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northwestern College | 80% | $25,907 | 66% | $49,802 | This school |
| Cornell College | 80% | $23,634 | 62% | $53,460 | |
| Central College | 86% | $23,377 | 66% | $54,317 | |
| Buena Vista University | 78% | $18,846 | 62% | $49,156 | |
| Wartburg College | 76% | $32,908 | 64% | $56,201 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
Northwestern College would cost you $2,273 more per year than Cornell College, on average.
- Lower sticker price at Northwestern College, mostly from lower tuition & fees (−$15,950).
- Cornell College gives aided families $18,739 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, Iowa resident | Northwestern College | Cornell College | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $36,710 | $52,660 | −$15,950 |
| Books & supplies | $1,100 | $1,200 | −$100 |
| Housing & meals | $10,700 | $11,358 | −$658 |
| Personal & travel | $3,200 | $3,160 | +$40 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$1,927 | −$2,129 | +$202 |
| Sticker price | $49,783 | $66,249 | −$16,466 |
| Average grants | −$23,876 | −$42,615 | +$18,739 |
| You pay | $25,907 | $23,634 | +$2,273 |
“+” means Northwestern College costs more; “−” means it costs less. Grants are the sticker price minus the net price. Cost items: IPEDS, on-campus budget. Sticker and net price: College Scorecard, latest reported year; the adjustment reconciles the two. Net price is an average for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, not a quote.
Common questions about Northwestern College
What is the Northwestern College acceptance rate?
Northwestern College accepts 80% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 1,005 of 1,155 applicants were admitted.
How much does Northwestern College cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $49,783 a year. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $25,907 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $27,059 and families earning $110k+ pay $29,539.
How much do Northwestern College graduates earn?
Former Northwestern College students earn a median $49,802 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the Northwestern College graduation rate?
66% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 74% return for their second year.
How long does a Northwestern College degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at Northwestern College costs about $84,757 after grants ($20,572 a year for 4.1 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $49,802 ten years after starting, $13,141 more than high school graduates in Iowa ($36,661), so the cost is repaid in 6.4 years of that gain, before taxes and interest (EducationGuide calculation).
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Sources on this page: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS; U.S. Census Bureau (ACS); Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections); Bureau of Economic Analysis; HUD; NOAA; FEMA; Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By); Wikidata. “Colleges we cover” means colleges awarding bachelor's degrees to at least 100 undergraduates. Averages are not quotes; confirm costs with the school. How we score
Data: download this school's data (JSON) · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “Northwestern College: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/northwestern-college (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).