Northwestern College
Orange City, Iowa · Website
$49,802
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$49,802
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Northwestern College is a private nonprofit 4-year college in Orange City, Iowa with 1,175 undergraduates and 521 graduate students. Its average net price after grants is $25,907 a year (tuition and fees $36,710). It admits 80% of applicants and 66% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $49,802 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $23,249 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$25,907
US median $17,138
Tuition and fees
$36,710
US median $11,837
Admission rate
80%
US median 78%
Completion rate
66%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$23,249
About $246 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$49,802
Rank 1,484 of 5,094 in the US
Cost
What a year costs: posted prices and the average after grants
Net price by family income
Average yearly cost after grants, for students who get aid
- Net price
- $25,907
- Tuition and fees
- $36,710
- Cost of attendance
- $49,783
- Students with a need-based grant
- 25%
- Students with federal loans
- 56%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $27,059
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $19,503
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $20,572
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $24,265
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $29,539
Net price is what students who get aid pay on average after grants.
Tuition and net price by year
School years 2015-16 to 2024-25. The year on the chart is the year the school year starts.
Yearly cost
Tuition and fees went from $28,950 in 2015-16 to $36,710 in 2024-25.
Admission, completion and retention
Share of applicants admitted, of students who finish and of first-year students who come back
Admission and students
- Admission rate
- 80%
- SAT reading, middle
- 545
- SAT math, middle
- 545
- ACT, middle
- 24
- Undergraduates
- 1,175
- Graduate students
- 521
- Part-time students
- 10%
- Women
- 52%
- Students per teacher
- 15
- Completion rate
- 66%
- Retention rate
- 74%
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Programs
- 53
- Endowment
- $76.9M
- Other
- Religious affiliation
Earnings and debt
Compared with the medians of the colleges of its state, of colleges of the same kind and of all US colleges
Median earnings 10 years after starting rank 1,484 of 5,094 US colleges and 28 of 69 in Iowa (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | IA median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $25,907 | $17,730 | $22,320 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $36,710 | $20,270 | $31,170 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | 80% | 80% | 74% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 66% | 65% | 57% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 74% | 74% | 77% | 75% |
| Median debt | $23,249 | $14,745 | $24,287 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $46,731 | $39,099 | $44,392 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $49,802 | $42,793 | $52,928 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US private nonprofit 4-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 87% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 81% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
53 fields of study and credentials, with graduates, debt and earnings
| Field of study | Graduates | Median debt | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | US median 4 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Special Education and TeachingGraduate certificate | Graduate certificate | 89 | - | - | Withheld | - |
| Educational Administration and SupervisionOnlineMaster's | Master's | 77 | $7,536 | $57,016 | $60,765 | $71,685 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 58 | $23,250 | $48,515 | $68,565 | $68,257 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject AreasOnlineGraduate certificate | Graduate certificate | 55 | - | - | Withheld | - |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 43 | $21,875 | $42,441 | $47,640 | $47,382 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsOnlineMaster's | Master's | 27 | $6,861 | $54,774 | $57,076 | $59,916 |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsMaster's | Master's | 24 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/FitnessBachelor's | Bachelor's | 22 | Withheld | Withheld | $51,829 | $54,562 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingBachelor's | Bachelor's | 19 | $19,209 | $71,479 | $71,322 | $88,910 |
| Special Education and TeachingOnlineMaster's | Master's | 15 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $64,397 |
| Social WorkBachelor's | Bachelor's | 15 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $51,790 |
| Educational Administration and SupervisionOnlineGraduate certificate | Graduate certificate | 14 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Biology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 12 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $57,214 |
| Accounting and Related ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 12 | Withheld | Withheld | $59,192 | $76,194 |
| Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied CommunicationBachelor's | Bachelor's | 11 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $63,560 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject AreasOnlineMaster's | Master's | 9 | - | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Psychology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 8 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $50,706 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 7 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $53,072 |
| EconomicsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 7 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Design and Applied ArtsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 7 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Criminal Justice and CorrectionsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 6 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $55,378 |
| Computer ScienceBachelor's | Bachelor's | 5 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $107,009 |
| MathematicsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 5 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $69,562 |
| Religion/Religious StudiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 5 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $41,390 |
| Political Science and GovernmentBachelor's | Bachelor's | 5 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of Orange City and Iowa on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in Iowa
- Homes: Homes for sale in Iowa
Questions and answers
How much does Northwestern College cost?
$25,907 a year is the average net price at Northwestern College after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $36,710, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $49,783. Families earning under $30,000 pay $27,059 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Northwestern College?
80% of applicants are admitted to Northwestern College. The median admission rate of colleges in Iowa is 80%.
How much do Northwestern College graduates earn?
$49,802 a year is the median pay of former Northwestern College students who work, 10 years after they started ($46,731 after 6 years). That ranks 1,484 of 5,094 US colleges and 28 of 69 in Iowa. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's) at $71,479.
How much student debt do Northwestern College graduates have?
$23,249 is the median federal student loan debt of Northwestern College graduates, about $246 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 56% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Northwestern College?
66% of first-time, full-time students at Northwestern College finish within 6 years. 74% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of private nonprofit 4-year colleges is 57%.
What are the most popular majors at Northwestern College?
Special Education and Teaching (89 graduate certificate graduates), Educational Administration and Supervision (77 master's graduates), Business Administration, Management and Operations (58 bachelor's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 53 programs.
Official public data, June 2026 release. Net price is for first-time, full-time students who get aid. Completion counts first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of the normal time. Debt and earnings are medians of students who received federal student aid, measured a few years after they left, in the dollars of the year measured; earnings count former students who work and are not enrolled, including those who did not finish.