Northwestern College
Orange City, IA · Private
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See the full analysis — freeAdmission rate
Northwestern College admitted 80.4% of applicants university-wide (1,203 of 1,497).
| Cohort | Admit rate | Admitted | Applicants |
|---|---|---|---|
| University-wide | 80.4% | 1,203 | 1,497 |
| Men | 80.6% | 674 | 836 |
| Women | 80.0% | 529 | 661 |
Of 1,203 admitted students, 327 enrolled (27.2% yield).
Northwestern College Common Data Set 2024-2025 · Sections C1–C2 · 2024 — Published cohort admit rates — context, not an applicant-specific probability.
Test scores and GPA of admitted students
- SAT (mid-50%)
- 1000–1200
- ACT (mid-50%)
- 21–26
- GPA (mid-50%, 4.0 scale)
- 3.00–3.74
Testing policy: Test-blind (scores not considered)
Northwestern College Common Data Set 2024-2025 · Sections C9–C12 · 2024 — Published admit stats reflect the entire incoming class unless explicitly labeled international-only.
Cost and financial aid
Published cost of attendance: $52,760/yr.
| Out-of-state tuition | $36,710 |
| Fees, housing, food, books & other | $16,050 |
| Sticker cost of attendance | $52,760/yr |
Average net price by family income (US, federal aid data)
| Under $30k | $27,059 |
| $30k–48k | $19,503 |
| $48k–75k | $20,572 |
| $75k–110k | $24,265 |
| Over $110k | $29,539 |
US applicants
Need- and merit-based aid available.
- Academic scholarship — $10,000 - $15,000 (Merit)
- ACT/SAT bonus — up to $1,500 (Merit)
- Honors Program Scholarship — $1,500 (Merit)
- Legacy Grant — $1,500 per year (Other)
- ACT/SAT score submission bonus — $500 for ACT ≤24/SAT ≤1190, $1,000 for ACT 25-28/SAT 1200-1320, $1,500 for ACT ≥29/SAT ≥1330 (Other)
- Athletic + esport scholarships — Varies (Athletic)
- Athletic scholarship — Varies (Athletic)
- Esport scholarship — Varies (Athletic)
- Northwestern Grant — Varies (Need Based)
- Performing arts scholarship — Varies (Other)
- Performing arts scholarships — Varies (Departmental)
- Stand Out scholarship — Varies (Other)
International applicants
No need-based aid reported for internationals.
- Academic scholarship — $10,000 - $15,000 (Merit)
- ACT/SAT bonus — up to $1,500 (Merit)
- Honors Program Scholarship — $1,500 (Merit)
- Legacy Grant — $1,500 per year (Other)
- ACT/SAT score submission bonus — $500 for ACT ≤24/SAT ≤1190, $1,000 for ACT 25-28/SAT 1200-1320, $1,500 for ACT ≥29/SAT ≥1330 (Other)
- Athletic + esport scholarships — Varies (Athletic)
- Athletic scholarship — Varies (Athletic)
- Esport scholarship — Varies (Athletic)
- Northwestern Grant — Varies (Need Based)
- Performing arts scholarship — Varies (Other)
- Performing arts scholarships — Varies (Departmental)
- Stand Out scholarship — Varies (Other)
Northwestern College Common Data Set 2024-2025 · Sections G–H · 2024
Application requirements
US applicants
- Official high school transcript
- ACT/SAT/CLT scores (recommended)
International applicants
- Official high school transcript
- ACT/SAT/CLT scores (recommended)
- English proficiency (IELTS/TOEFL)
- GPA credential conversion
- Predicted Class XII marksheet
- Financial documentation (I-20)
Northwestern College · Application requirements (official admissions pages) · 2025
Essay prompts
Northwestern College requires no supplemental essays.
Prompts from the Common App member feed · verified Jul 3, 2026
Graduate outcomes
- Median earnings
- $49,802
- Median earnings · 10 years after entry
- Graduation rate
- 66%
- Within 150% of normal time
- First-year retention
- 73%
- Return for year two · CDS Section B
- Median debt
- $23,249
- At graduation
Northwestern College · U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (2023 release) · 2023 — Earnings and debt figures are federal data for aid-receiving graduates — cohort outcomes, not a guarantee for any individual student.
Academics and campus
Largest degree fields: Business & marketing (23%), Biological & life sciences (11%), Psychology (4%).
Student–faculty ratio: 13:1 · 55% of class sections have under 20 students.
Northwestern College Common Data Set 2024-2025 · Sections E, F, I · 2024 — Published institutional figures for the reporting year — descriptive of the current student body, not a prediction about your experience.