Northwestern College
Orange City, IA · Private · Town (distant)
Private institution in Orange City, IA · 1,125 undergraduates · 87% acceptance rate · $49,802 median earnings 10 years after entry.
Stats
College Scorecard figures, each with where this school sits nationally among institutions that report the same measure. A dash means the school does not report it.
Cost
- Average net price
- $23,5191,367th cheapest of 1,969 reporting
- In-state tuition & fees
- $35,3001,485th cheapest of 2,024 reporting
- Out-of-state tuition & fees
- $35,3001,431st cheapest of 2,024 reporting
- Cost of attendance
- $48,4471,438th cheapest of 1,969 reporting
- Median graduate debt
- $23,2491,031st lowest of 1,865 reporting
Outcomes
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $49,8021,070th highest of 1,954 reporting
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $46,731744th highest of 1,950 reporting
- Graduation rate (4-year)
- 63.6%643rd highest of 2,014 reporting
- Full-time retention
- 79.9%679th highest of 1,837 reporting
Admissions
- Acceptance rate
- 87.0%1,129th most selective of 1,596 reporting
- Average SAT
- —
- Median ACT
- 24420th highest of 952 reporting
Campus
- Undergraduates
- 1,1251,298th largest of 2,144 reporting
- Student-faculty ratio
- 14.0:11,158th smallest of 2,141 reporting
- Pell Grant share
- 22.7%1,555th highest of 2,122 reporting
Nearest large-hub airport: 192 mi (MSP)
On 1 of our 111 lists
Every published ranking this school appears on, with its rank there.
Best-paying fields of study
Median earnings one and two years after graduating, by field. Showing 12 of 43 reported programs.
| Field | Level | 1 yr | 2 yr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingHealth Professions | bachelors | $57,149 | $61,516 |
| Accounting and Related ServicesBusiness | bachelors | $52,107 | — |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsBusiness | bachelors | $39,009 | $41,193 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsEducation | bachelors | $36,437 | — |
| Health and Physical Education/FitnessParks, Recreation & Fitness | bachelors | $34,704 | — |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsHealth Professions | bachelors | — | — |
| Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular BiologyBiological Sciences | bachelors | — | — |
| Biology, GeneralBiological Sciences | bachelors | — | — |
| ChemistryPhysical Sciences | bachelors | — | — |
| Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied ProfessionsHealth Professions | bachelors | — | — |
| Computer Science | bachelors | — | — |
| Criminal Justice and CorrectionsHomeland Security & Law Enforcement | bachelors | — | — |
Campus facts
- Religious affiliation: Reformed Church in Americasource
- Founded in 1882source
- Athletic nickname: "Red Raiders"source
- Motto: ""God Is Light" (Deus Est Lux)"source
- Campus size: about 100 acressource
- Formerly known as "Northwestern Classical Academy" (1882–1928)source
- Formerly known as "Northwestern Junior College" (1928–1961)source
- Athletic conference: NAIAsource
Athletics — 11 sports
NAIA Division II · NAIA
Athletic scholarships allowed · Athletic aid $3,991,801 (M $2,687,921 · W $1,187,980 · Coed $115,900)
- Baseball
- Basketball
- Football
- Golf
- Other Sports
- Soccer
- Softball
- Tennis
- Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
- Volleyball
- Wrestling
Self-reported EADA participants (2024-2025). Athletic aid is institution-level, not per sport.
Similar-size colleges
Nearest undergraduate enrollment to Northwestern College’s 1,125 (College Scorecard UGDS, compiled 2026-10-24). Size only — not a judgment of similarity or quality.
In IA
Elsewhere
- Austin CollegeSherman, TX · 1,125 undergrads
- Arizona Christian UniversityGlendale, AZ · 1,127 undergrads
- Catawba CollegeSalisbury, NC · 1,127 undergrads
- Mount Aloysius CollegeCresson, PA · 1,123 undergrads
- New Mexico Institute of Mining and TechnologySocorro, NM · 1,122 undergrads
- University of Maine at FarmingtonFarmington, ME · 1,131 undergrads
Key links
- Official websitenwciowa.edu
- College ScorecardFederal source for every figure above (UNITID 154101)
- Compare colleges in IARe-score with your weights
- The Most Selective Colleges in IowaEvery eligible four-year in this state, ranked by published admission rate
- Compare with Simpson CollegeSide by side on every Scorecard measure — closest in-state school by enrollment
- Showdown: Northwestern College vs Simpson CollegeHigher-or-lower on real Scorecard metrics — round 1 is these two
- Sports directoryAll 11 EADA programs at this school
- Build an admissions plan8th–12th grade actions for this college — sports, activities, timeline
- MethodologyWhat these figures do and do not capture
- How to read a school page end to endStats, standings, lists, athletics, news — one profile, many jobs. Know which panel answers which question.
- Sticker price is a trapPublished tuition is a starting rumor. Net price is closer to what families actually pay.
- What acceptance rate actually measuresSelectivity is a competition statistic — not a quality score, and not your personal odds.
- A plan from eighth grade — without fake certaintySchool-anchored milestones, sports scarcity honesty, and EC playbooks — not invented admit odds.