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Orange City , IA
Northwestern College is a private Christian college located in Orange City, Iowa. Founded in 1882, the college offers a variety of undergraduate and graduate programs in areas such as arts and sciences, business, education, and nursing. Northwestern College is affiliated with the Reformed Church in America and is dedicated to providing a Christ-centered education that integrates faith and learning.
The college boasts a small and close-knit community, with an average class size of 15 students and a student-to-faculty ratio of 13:1. This allows for a personalized and interactive learning environment, where students can engage deeply with their professors and peers. Northwestern College places a strong emphasis on holistic development, aiming to shape students intellectually, emotionally, socially, and spiritually.
Students at Northwestern College benefit from a wide range of extracurricular activities and organizations that contribute to their overall growth and provide opportunities for personal and leadership development. The college's athletic programs, known as the Red Raiders, compete in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and offer a range of sports for both men and women. Northwestern College also has a strong commitment to community service, offering numerous volunteer opportunities for students to serve and make a positive impact on their local and global communities. Overall, Northwestern College provides a comprehensive educational experience that prepares students to excel academically, personally, and professionally while fostering a strong Christian faith.
Located in Orange City, IA, Northwestern College is a private four-year college. This school uses a semester-based calendar. It has an acceptance rate of 80%. The freshman retention rate at Northwestern College is 73.5% and the six-year graduation rate is 66%.
To find out more about what Northwestern College has to offer to its students, read on for the latest data reported by this school.
Quick Facts
1,187
Total Number of Undergraduate Students
$36,400
Tuition
15:1
Student to Faculty Ratio
66%
Graduation Rate
Admissions
In order to maximize your chances of getting admitted, you need to know as much as possible about the institution's criteria for admission. What are the admission requirements for Northwestern College?
In 2025, the school accepted 1,206 new students.
Test Scores
The latest reported average GPA of the enrolled students was 3.61. That means that you need a GPA that's above average in order to get into Northwestern College.
Retention Rate
The student retention rate is the percentage of students who re-enroll from one year to the next. That information can tell you if the majority of freshmen liked their first year enough to come back.
The freshman retention rate for Northwestern College was 73.5% in 2025, a clear indication of the excellence and value of the educational experience at this school.
Another important metric to consider is the graduation rate. This rate indicates how many students finish their degrees within a certain timeframe. This academic institution has the six-year graduation rate of 66%, which is considered an above-average graduation rate.
Student Body
Making the choice of which school is the optimal place for you is not easy. Gaining a better insight into a school's student body helps you learn more about its culture and life.
Main Student Body
In 2025, the institution had an enrollment of 1,708 students.
That year, the school had an out-of-state student body percentage of 43. There was a total of 1,187 those pursuing undergraduate studies, including 50 international students. The school reported to have a total of 29 transfer students.
Student Population Gender Ratio
With a coeducational student body, the school had 665 male and 915 female full-time students in 2025.
Student Population Diversity
In order to promote a sense of inclusion and belonging among its students, higher education is dedicated to increasing student diversity. In a diverse learning space, you will be exposed to people from different backgrounds, which promotes the feeling of inclusion and acceptance. Find out more about different ethnic groups you can meet at Northwestern College.
This school had 20 Asian students and 19 Afro-American students in 2025. 73 undergraduates at this school identified as Hispanic/Latino and 20 as multirace. There were also 30 students whose ethnicity is unknown.
Cost
Before sending an application to any college or university, the financial component should be taken into account. Here are some data on the expenses that most students at this institution have.
Tuition and Fees
Wondering about tuition at Northwestern College? Here is what you need to know.
Tuition fees per academic year for full-time domestic students were $36,400 in 2025. Northwestern College is a private institution, so tuition is the same for all the accepted students. Fees per academic year required of full-time students totaled $310 in 2025.
Books and Supplies
When you try to estimate the cost of attendance for a college or university, you need to take into account the cost of books and supplies you're going to need. The cost of books and supplies for full-time students of this school is estimated at about $1,150.
Boarding
Before you apply to a college or university, you should, among other things, think about the price of a dorm room and cafeteria meals. What do schools typically charge for room and board?
The cost of room and board (on campus) per academic year at Northwestern College was $11,100 in 2025. Room-only (on campus) cost per academic year at this school totaled $5,250, according to the data from 2025.
| Expense Category | Amount |
|---|---|
| Tuition | $ 36,400 |
| Room and Board | $ 11,100 |
| Book and Supplies | $ 1,150 |
| Total Expense | $ 48,650 |
Financial Aid
Grants, loans, scholarships, work-study programs: these are all different types of financial aid for students. Check out some recent data to get the info about need-based and non-need-based monetary aid you might get at Northwestern College.
The most recent figures show that financial help was given to 242 freshmen. The average financial aid package awarded to students totaled $35,368.
Need-based
Need-based aid is financial aid that a student can receive if they are determened to have financial need and meet other eligibility criteria.
There were 788 students who obtained need-based financial aid of any kind. Need-based college-administered scholarship and grant aid at Northwestern College is available to international students. The total number of students (including freshmen) who were determined to have financial need ended up being 788. The amount of federal need-based scholarships/grants awarded to the students at this institution totaled $485,988, and state $138,615. The students of Northwestern College received the -institutional need-based aid in the amount of $10,502,363, and external in the amount of $15,868.
$17,190
Average Amount of Aid Received
Non-Need Based
Non-need-based aid is any type of financial aid given to a student who does not meet the requirements for need-based aid. Most students get non-need-based financial aid as Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loans, Graduate PLUS Loans, Parent PLUS Loans, and the TEACH Grant.
Institutional non-need-based scholarships or grants were given to 773 students overall (including freshmen) at Northwestern College in 2025. 242 full-time freshmen were awarded institutional non-need-based scholarship or grant aid. Federal non-need-based scholarships and grants totaled $485,988 for students at this institution, while state aid came to $1,032,627. The total amount of institutional scholarships and awards that were not based on financial need was $6,520,158. This includes endowment, alumni, other institutional awards, and also external funds awarded by the institution, but doesn't include athletic aid and tuition waivers. The amount the students of this school received from external sources (e.g. Kiwanis, National Merit) was $2,568,294 USD.
Majors
Faculty
15:1
Student to Faculty Ratio
The student-to-faculty or student-to-professor ratio represents the number of students compared to the number of professors at a school.
In 2025, this ratio at Northwestern College was 15:1. That means that there were 15 times more students than teachers at this school. The total number of faculty teaching at the institution is 217. This number included 97 men and 120 women. The fact that female faculty members outnumber the male ones at this school is telling of the importance gender equality has at Northwestern College.
Student Population Diversity Graph
Campus Life
It is not all about learning and grades at Northwestern College: campus life is a crucial component of your educational experience. Check out some information about students' life at Northwestern College.
Student Organizations
Student organizations are run by students of an institution, and its membership typically consists exclusively of current students and/or alumni.
This school has 12 open-membership student organizations you can participate in. The student organization that attracts the greatest number of students is Women in Leadership, followed by Student Government Association and Spring Service Partnerships. Other popular organizations at Northwestern College are Intercultural Club and Discipleship Groups.
There is a drama club you can join if acting is something that interests you. For students who have a passion for media and communication, Northwestern College publishes its own newspaper.
Student Services
Northwestern College provides a number of services important for a comfortable and safe life on campus.
There are electronically operated dormitory entrances. This school has a health clinic with personal/psychological counseling. All in all, campus life at Northwestern College is rich and vibrant and provides all you need for a comfortable stay.
Career Services
Having career services at a college or university can mean a great deal for your career planning, so find out what you can expect at Northwestern College.
Career Counselling
At Northwestern College, there is both group career counseling for all students and individual career counseling for all students. There are a library and job fairs. Job interviews are also available to students through the career center. The career center offers resume preparation and resume referral to employers. There is campus employer recruitment for all the students. This school offers alumni networking opportunities, which could be excellent for your future career. Individual job placement is available to all students at this school.
Job Placement
Being aware of the projected salary upon finishing your studies can be important in determining if a specific school is in line with your career ambitions.
Within six months of graduation, this school's students can expect an average base annual starting salary of 52,878 USD.
$52,878
Average Starting Salary After 6 Months of Graduation
FAQ
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Northwestern College is located in Orange City, IA.
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Northwestern College offers need-based college-administered scholarship and grant aid to international students.
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The overall full-time tuition per academic year for Northwestern College is 36,400 USD, based on the most recent data.
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The most recent data indicate that the acceptance rate for Northwestern College is 80%.
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The most recent reported freshman retention rate for Northwestern College is 73.5%.
Contact Information
Data Source: IPEDS and Peterson's Databases © 2023 Peterson's LLC All rights reserved. Portions of this content were co-written with OpenAI's GPT-3.5 model.
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Data Source: IPEDS and Peterson's Databases © 2023 Peterson's LLC All rights reserved.
Portions of this content were co-written with OpenAI's GPT-3.5 model.