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Northwestern College
Northwestern College says yes to 80.4% of applicants. Focus less on getting in and more on what's below — starting with the $49,802 median earnings.
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Northwestern College anchors the college town of Orange City, IA, where the private campus and town largely share a footprint. The school maintains its Reformed Church in America affiliation, which threads through campus life to a degree that varies by program.
Its highest-earning path is Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing, where graduates median $71,322 four years out. 24.7% of undergraduates carry Pell grants — a plain read on who the campus actually serves. With 1,175 undergraduates and a residential core, weekends happen on campus — and 73.5% of first-years come back for a second year.
Northwestern College won't look at test scores — here the GPA calculator is the tool that matters. Bring your saved semester numbers and see what they average.
Admissions
In the Fall 2023 cycle, Northwestern College received 1,155 applications and admitted 1,005 (87%), with 283 enrolling.
Leave the SAT prep out of this one — test scores are disregarded entirely. Northwestern College's 80.4% admission rate turned on grades and application strength.
How Northwestern College compares
| Northwestern College | Iowa median | National median | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acceptance rate | 80.4% | 80.1% | 77.2% |
| Tuition (in-state) | $36,710 | $36,684 | $19,591 |
| Median earnings (10 yr) | $49,802 | $55,396 | $53,781 |
At $49,802, ten-year earnings trail the state median ($55,396). Look at Northwestern College's major-level rows below before reading too much into the campus-wide number.
Cost, size & completion
Tuition runs $36,710 regardless of where you're from. At Northwestern College, that sticker is a starting point for aid talks — not what the median family pays.
Enrollment sits at 1,175 — Northwestern College is one of the smaller campuses on this site.
66% graduate within six years. Roughly 34% don't — ask a Northwestern College tour guide what happens to them and watch the answer carefully.
Top majors by earnings at Northwestern College
| Bachelor's program | Median earnings, 4 yrs after completion |
|---|---|
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | $71,322 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | $68,565 |
| Accounting and Related Services | $59,192 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | $51,829 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | $47,640 |
Median earnings for these 5 Northwestern College programs come from a different federal cohort than the campus-wide $49,802 above — compare rows to each other, not to that 10-year figure. 37 additional Northwestern College programs have earnings withheld under federal privacy rules.
Frequently asked questions
What GPA and test scores do you need for Northwestern College?
Northwestern College doesn't look at test scores; its 80.4% admission rate turned on transcripts, coursework rigor and the application itself.
What is Northwestern College's acceptance rate?
87% in the Fall 2023 cycle — 1,005 admitted from 1,155 applicants.
How much does Northwestern College cost?
At Northwestern College, published tuition is $36,710 — net price after aid usually comes in lower. That number is Northwestern College's ceiling, not a quote.
What do Northwestern College graduates earn?
Federal data puts median earnings at $49,802 ten years after enrolling. The table above breaks this down by major.
Similar colleges in Iowa
- Mount Mercy University — 82.5% admitted
- Morningside University — 71% admitted
- Saint Ambrose University — 77.3% admitted
- St Luke's College — 80% admitted
Run your own numbers
Data: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (Jun 2026), IPEDS ADM2023/HD2024. Retrieved 2026-09-01. Figures reflect the latest federal cohorts, which lag the current admissions cycle.