Colleges by Location
Colleges by Fields of Study
Colleges by Tuition Range
Colleges by GPA Range
College by SAT Range
Colleges by ACT Score
Graduate Schools by Location
Graduate Schools by Fields of Study
Graduate School by Degree Type
Paying for Graduate School
Online Graduate Programs
Test Preparation
Career Planning
College Planning
Graduate School Planning
Applying to Graduate School
- More
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%.
Explore this school's profile to find out all the important things about Northwestern College.
Quick Facts
1,187
Total Number of Undergraduate Students
$36,400
Tuition
15:1
Student to Faculty Ratio
66%
Graduation Rate
Admissions
You need to learn as much as you can about the entrance requirements of the school in order to maximize your chances of being accepted. Read on to find out some vital information about admission policy and requirements at 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. Why is that metric important? Because it tells you if the majority of freshmen enjoyed their first year at a school enough to come back.
The freshman retention rate for Northwestern College was 73.5% in 2025, reflecting the superb quality of the educational programs at this institution.
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 right match for you is not simple. You can have a better understanding of the school's culture and way of life by finding out more about the student body.
Main Student Body
In 2025, the school had an enrollment of 1,708 students.
That year, the institution had 43% of out-of-state students. There was a total of 1,187 undergraduate students, 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
Higher Education is dedicated to increasing student diversity and enhancing students' feelings of inclusion and belonging. Diversity promotes critical thinking, challenges preconceived notions, and encourages intellectual growth, so it helps students develop empathy and a broader understanding of the world. Learn more about all the ethnic communities you might encounter at this institution.
This school had 20 Asian students and 19 Afro-American students in 2025. 73 undergraduate students at this school declared as Hispanic/Latino and 20 as multirace. There were also 30 students whose ethnicity is unknown.
Cost
Before you send an application to any college or university, you should take into account the financial component. The most recent data reported regarding the expenses for attending this school are detailed below.
Tuition and Fees
If you were wondering how much the tuition cost for Northwestern College is, here are some recent data that will come in handy.
Tuition in 2025 was $36,400 for full-time domestic students. 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 summed up to $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. Most students have to pay about $1,150 for books and supplies during their time at Northwestern College.
Boarding
The cost of dorm rooms and meals in the school's cafeteria is for sure something to take into consideration. How much do room and board fees average around at colleges and universities?
In 2025, the price of room and board at Northwestern College was $11,100 per academic year. The cost of a dorm room only at this school in 2025 was $5,250 for one academic year.
| 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 types of financial support available to students. If you are interested in finding out more about need-based and non-need-based aid at Northwestern College, here are some recent data you should consider.
The most recent records show that 242 freshmen received some sort of financial help. The average amount of financial aid given to students was $35,368.
Need-based
Need-based financial aid is exactly what it sounds like — it’s awarded based on the determined financial need.
There were 788 students who received 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 amounted to 788. The amount of federal need-based scholarships/grants awarded to the students at this institution was $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. The most popular forms of non-need-based financial aid for students are loans and grants, like Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loans, Graduate PLUS Loans, Parent PLUS Loans, and the Teacher Education Access for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant.
773 students, including freshmen, obtained institutional non-need-based financial aid at this institution in 2025. Institutional grants or scholarships that are not based on financial need were given to 242 full-time freshman. 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. $2,568,294 was the amount that the students at this institution got from external sources (like Kiwanis and National Merit).
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.
According to the most recent data, the student-faculty ratio at Northwestern College was 15:1: that means 15 students per one teacher. According to the most recent information, there are 217 faculty members at this school. This number included 97 male and 120 female faculty members. 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. Find out some info about social life at Northwestern College.
Its campus is 40 hects in size.
Student Organizations
A student organization is run by students at a university or a college institution, whose membership typically consists only of current students and/or alumni.
This school has 12 open-membership student organizations you can participate in. The student organization that is most favored by 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.
For students with a talent for acting, there is a drama club. Interested in media and communication? Northwestern College publishes its own newspaper.
Student Services
Northwestern College provides a number of services necessary for a comfortable and secure life on campus.
The dormitory entrances at the school are electronically controlled. There is a health clinic with personal/psychological counseling. All in all, campus life at Northwestern College is rich and vibrant and provides everything most students need.
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
Acquiring information about the potential income after graduation can help you decide if a specific school is the right one for your career aspirations.
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
-
Northwestern College is located in Orange City, IA.
-
Northwestern College offers need-based college-administered scholarship and grant aid to international students.
-
The overall full-time tuition per academic year for Northwestern College is 36,400 USD, based on the most recent data.
-
According to the latest information, the acceptance rate for Northwestern College is 80%.
-
According to the latest information, the 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.
Find the best schools for you.
Need help with choosing grad school? We got you.
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.
