MLC vs. Northwest University

Martin Luther College vs. Northwest University comparison

	Martin Luther College	Northwest University	College 3	College 4
	Remove	Remove	+Add	+Add
Overview	MLC	Northwest University
Location	New Ulm, MN	Kirkland, WA
Setting	Remote Town	Large Suburban
Enrollment	880	1,014
Type	Private 4 Year	Private 4 Year
National Ranking		#360
Religious Affiliation	Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod	Assemblies of God Church	-	-
Status	Non-profit	Non-profit
Website	mlc-wels.edu	northwestu.edu
Team Colors

Costs	MLC	Northwest University
Tuition (In State)	$17,420	$34,500
Tuition (Out of State)	$17,420	$34,500
Room & Board	$6,880	$10,140
Avg Net Price	$22,293	$23,722
Avg Grant Aid	$6,301	$22,486
% Receiving Grant Aid	99%	100%

Admission	MLC	Northwest University
Admission Chances	Calculate	Calculate
Applied	215	383
Admitted	180	361
Acceptance Rate	83.7%	94.3%
Enrolled %	78.9%	43.2%
Avg High School GPA	3.56	3.41
Typical High School Grades	B+	B+
Admissions Standards	Challenging	Difficult
Applicant Competition
ACT Range	20/27	22/30
SAT Range	1051/1316	1050/1320
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		Aug 1, 2025

Academics	MLC	Northwest University
Student to Faculty Ratio	9:1	9:1
Popular Majors	Education (67%) Theology and Religious Vvocations (33%)	Theology and Religious Vvocations (23%) Business (16%) Education (12%) Health Professions (11%) Communication (10%)
Outcomes	MLC	Northwest University
Graduation Rate	73%	50%
Median Earnings (After 10 years)	$38,000	$41,400
Making Student Loan Payments	89%	62%
Median Student Loan Debt	$23,125	$21,532
Median Loan Payment	$239	$222

Diversity	MLC	Northwest University
% Men	47%	35%
% Women	53%	65%
Racial Diversity	Extremely Low	Medium
HBCU	No	No
% White	93%	69%
% Black	1%	5%
% Hispanic	1%	8%
% Native American	0%	1%
% Pacific Islander	0%	1%
% Two or More Races	1%	5%
% International	2%	4%
% Unknown Race	0%	2%

Students	MLC	Northwest University
% In-State	20%	79%
% Out-of-State	78%	18%
Campus	MLC	Northwest University
Campus Housing	Yes	Yes
Freshman Dorm Required	No	No
Meal Plan	Yes	Yes
Weekend/Evening Classes	No	Yes
Daycare Facility	No	No
Learn More	Details	Details

Comparable Facts

• Northwest University is larger than than MLC based on total student enrollment (1,014 students vs. 880 students)

MLC vs. Northwest University Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, MLC or Northwest University?

• Northwest University is 98% more expensive to attend than MLC for in-state tuition ($34,500.00 vs. $17,420.00)
• Out of state tuition is 98% higher at Northwest University than Martin Luther College ($34,500.00 vs. $17,420.00)
• The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Martin Luther College than Northwest University ($22,293 vs. $23,722)
• Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Martin Luther College are 47.4% lower than costs at Northwest University ($6,880 vs. $10,140)
• More students receive financial grant aid at Northwest University than Martin Luther College (100% vs. 99%)
• The average total grant financial aid received by Northwest University students is 256.9% larger than aid received Martin Luther College ($22,486 vs. $6,301)

MLC vs. Northwest University Admissions Difficulty Comparison

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

• The average SAT score at Martin Luther College (1145) is 149 points higher than at Northwest University (996)
• Incoming MLC students have a 3 point higher average ACT score (25) than students at Northwest University (22)
• Accepted freshman MLC students have a 0.15 point higher average high school GPA (3.56) than students at Northwest University (3.41)
• Northwest University has a higher acceptance rate (94.3%) than MLC (83.7%)

MLC vs. Northwest University Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, MLC or Northwest University? 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 Northwest University and MLC.

• The graduation rate at MLC is higher than Northwest University (73% vs. 50%)
• Graduates from Northwest University earn on average $3,400 more per year than MLC graduates after ten years. ($41,400 vs. $38,000)
• Northwest University students graduate with a $1,593 lower median federal student loan debt than MLC graduates. ($21,532 vs. $23,125)
• Northwest University graduates are paying $17 less per month on federal student loans than MLC graduates. ($222 vs. $239)
• More MLC graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Northwest University students, three years after graduation. (89% vs. 62%)

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