# Northwestern College

Private nonprofit college in Orange City, IA. IPEDS ID 154101.
Source page: https://educationguide.com/colleges/northwestern-college · Data: https://educationguide.com/data/colleges/northwestern-college.json · Method: https://educationguide.com/how-we-score

## Key numbers
- Acceptance rate: 80% (Fall 2024, College Scorecard)
- Average net price after grants: $25,907 per year (AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25)
- Graduation rate (6 years): 66%; beats 59% of IA colleges and 71% nationwide
- Median earnings 10 years after starting: $49,802; beats 20% of IA colleges and 40% nationwide
- Median debt at graduation: $16,791

## Net price by family income (per year, after grants)
| Family income | Net price |
|---|---|
| 0-30k | $27,059 |
| 30-48k | $19,503 |
| 48-75k | $20,572 |
| 75-110k | $24,265 |
| 110k+ | $29,539 |

Average after grants for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid. Negative values mean grants exceed cost.

## Cost to finish and years to pay back (EducationGuide calculation)
Graduates took 4.12 years on average (57% finished in 4 years; Fall 2017 entrants, IPEDS). Earnings gain = $49,802 (median earnings of former students 10 years after starting college (College Scorecard)) minus $36,661 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in IA (Census ACS 2020-2024).

| 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 |

Method: https://educationguide.com/how-we-score#value

## Sticker price
- Cost of attendance: $49,783
- Tuition and fees: $36,710
- Housing and meals: $10,700; books: $1,100

## Admissions
- SAT reading & writing: not reported; SAT math: not reported; ACT: not reported (25th–75th percentile, Fall 2024)
- Fall 2023: 1,155 applicants, 1,005 admitted, 283 enrolled; test scores not considered
- Fall 2024: acceptance 80%, ACT not reported (College Scorecard)
- Fall 2023: acceptance 87%, ACT not reported (IPEDS Admissions)

## Majors (42 bachelor's majors)
| Major | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nursing | $71,479 | $71,322 | $27,000 |
| Business Administration | $48,515 | $68,565 | $23,250 |
| Accounting | not reported | $59,192 | not reported |
| Kinesiology / Exercise Science | not reported | $51,829 | not reported |
| Education (Elementary / Secondary) | $42,441 | $47,640 | $25,995 |
| Journalism | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Public Relations and Advertising | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Computer Science | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Special Education | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Education (Subject Teaching) | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Computer Engineering | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Linguistics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Spanish / French / Romance Languages | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| English | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Writing | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Liberal Arts / General Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Biology | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Biochemistry | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Genetics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Mathematics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Statistics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Religious Studies | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Religious Education | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Chemistry | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Psychology | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Criminal Justice | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Social Work | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Economics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Political Science | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Sociology | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Theatre | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Studio Art | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Music | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Visual and Performing Arts, Other | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Allied Health (Imaging / Therapy / Tech) | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Medical Laboratory Science | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Rehabilitation / Therapy Sciences | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Entrepreneurship | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Management Science / Analytics | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| History | not reported | not reported | not reported |

## Major to career
- Business Administration → Management analyst: median wage not reported (metro), $85,530 (IA), $101,860 (U.S.)
- Nursing → Registered nurse: median wage not reported (metro), $78,630 (IA), $97,550 (U.S.)

## Sources and years
- Net price: AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; cost of attendance: AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; tuition: AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25
- Graduation: Fall 2018 or AcadYr 2018-19 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25; earnings: Treasury AY2009-10, AY2010-11 pooled cohort measured in CY2020, CY2021, inflation adjusted to 2022 dollars; debt: NSLDS FY2020, FY2021 pooled cohorts
- Major earnings (4 yr): Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars

Free to reuse with attribution: cite "EducationGuide.com" with a link to the page URL. Most figures are U.S. government data (public domain); loan default rates and athletics come from the Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By 1.0, attribution required) and founding years from Wikidata (CC0).