Bethel University vs. Northwestern College

Bethel University vs. Northwestern College comparison

	Bethel University	Northwestern College	College 3	College 4
	Remove	Remove	+Add	+Add
Overview	Bethel University	Northwestern College
Location	Saint Paul, MN	Saint Paul, MN
Setting	Large Suburban	Large Suburban
Enrollment	3,546	3,253
Type	Private 4 Year	Private 4 Year
National Ranking	#238	#554
Religious Affiliation	Baptist	Other Protestant	-	-
Status	Non-profit	Non-profit
Website	bethel.edu	nwc.edu
Team Colors

Costs	Bethel University	Northwestern College
Tuition (In State)	$41,110	$34,490
Tuition (Out of State)	$41,110	$34,490
Room & Board	$11,490	$10,644
Avg Net Price	$29,915	$25,704
Avg Grant Aid	$24,586	$20,487
% Receiving Grant Aid	98%	100%

Admission	Bethel University	Northwestern College
Admission Chances	Calculate	Calculate
Applied	2,199	1,349
Admitted	1,594	1,248
Acceptance Rate	72.5%	92.5%
Enrolled %	27.9%	31.9%
Avg High School GPA	3.6	3.58
Typical High School Grades	B+	B+
Admissions Standards	Challenging	Challenging
Applicant Competition	Low
ACT Range	20/28	21/28
SAT Range	1123/1343	1015/1311
Submit Test Scores	Not required for admission, but considered if submitted (Test Optional)	Not required for admission, but considered if submitted (Test Optional)
Application Deadline	May 1, 2025	Aug 1, 2025

Academics	Bethel University	Northwestern College
Student to Faculty Ratio	12:1	15:1
Popular Majors	Business (24%) Health Professions (18%) Education (10%) Communication (8%) Psychology (5%)	Theology and Religious Vvocations (22%) Business (18%) Education (11%) Psychology (10%) Communication (10%)
Outcomes	Bethel University	Northwestern College
Graduation Rate	73%	64%
Median Earnings (After 10 years)	$50,100	$41,100
Making Student Loan Payments	80%	78%
Median Student Loan Debt	$24,400	$22,070
Median Loan Payment	$252	$228

Diversity	Bethel University	Northwestern College
% Men	38%	39%
% Women	62%	61%
Racial Diversity	Low	Very Low
HBCU	No	No
% White	78%	84%
% Black	5%	3%
% Hispanic	4%	4%
% Native American	0%	0%
% Pacific Islander	0%	0%
% Two or More Races	2%	3%
% International	0%	1%
% Unknown Race	7%	1%

Students	Bethel University	Northwestern College
% In-State	79%	77%
% Out-of-State	21%	22%
Campus	Bethel University	Northwestern College
Campus Housing	Yes	Yes
Freshman Dorm Required	No	No
Meal Plan	Yes	Yes
Weekend/Evening Classes	Yes	No
Daycare Facility	Yes	No
Learn More	Details	Details

Comparable Facts

• Bethel University is larger than than Northwestern College based on total student enrollment (3,546 students vs. 3,253 students)

Bethel University vs. Northwestern College Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, Bethel University or Northwestern College?

• Bethel University is 19.2% more expensive to attend than Northwestern College for in-state tuition ($41,110.00 vs. $34,490.00)
• Out of state tuition is 19.2% higher at Bethel University than Northwestern College ($41,110.00 vs. $34,490.00)
• The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Northwestern College than Bethel University ($25,704 vs. $29,915)
• Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Northwestern College are 7.9% lower than costs at Bethel University ($10,644 vs. $11,490)
• More students receive financial grant aid at Northwestern College than Bethel University (100% vs. 98%)
• The average total grant financial aid received by Bethel University students is 20% larger than aid received Northwestern College ($24,586 vs. $20,487)

Bethel University vs. Northwestern College Admissions Difficulty Comparison

Which college is harder to get into, Bethel University or Northwestern College? Average SAT and ACT scores plus acceptance rates offer good insight into the difficulty of admission between Northwestern College or Bethel University .

• The average SAT score at Bethel University (1127) is 25 points higher than at Northwestern College (1102)
• Incoming Bethel University students have a 1 point higher average ACT score (25) than students at Northwestern College (24)
• Accepted freshman Bethel University students have a 0.02 point higher average high school GPA (3.6) than students at Northwestern College (3.58)
• Northwestern College has a higher acceptance rate (92.5%) than Bethel University (72.5%)

Bethel University vs. Northwestern College Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, Bethel University or Northwestern College? Graduation rate, salary and amount of student loan debt are indicators of a college which offers better outcomes for its graduates. Compare the following outcomes facts between Northwestern College and Bethel University.

• The graduation rate at Bethel University is higher than Northwestern College (73% vs. 64%)
• Graduates from Bethel University earn on average $9,000 more per year than Northwestern College graduates after ten years. ($50,100 vs. $41,100)
• Northwestern College students graduate with a $2,330 lower median federal student loan debt than Bethel University graduates. ($22,070 vs. $24,400)
• Northwestern College graduates are paying $24 less per month on federal student loans than Bethel University graduates. ($228 vs. $252)
• More Bethel University graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Northwestern College students, three years after graduation. (80% vs. 78%)

Sources: U.S. Department of Education https://nces.ed.gov IPEDS and College Scorecard https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/