MLC vs. Northwestern College

Martin Luther College vs. Northwestern College comparison

	Martin Luther College	Northwestern College	College 3	College 4
	Remove	Remove	+Add	+Add
Overview	MLC	Northwestern College
Location	New Ulm, MN	Saint Paul, MN
Setting	Remote Town	Large Suburban
Enrollment	880	3,253
Type	Private 4 Year	Private 4 Year
National Ranking		#554
Religious Affiliation	Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod	Other Protestant	-	-
Status	Non-profit	Non-profit
Website	mlc-wels.edu	nwc.edu
Team Colors

Costs	MLC	Northwestern College
Tuition (In State)	$17,420	$34,490
Tuition (Out of State)	$17,420	$34,490
Room & Board	$6,880	$10,644
Avg Net Price	$22,293	$25,704
Avg Grant Aid	$6,301	$20,487
% Receiving Grant Aid	99%	100%

Admission	MLC	Northwestern College
Admission Chances	Calculate	Calculate
Applied	215	1,349
Admitted	180	1,248
Acceptance Rate	83.7%	92.5%
Enrolled %	78.9%	31.9%
Avg High School GPA	3.56	3.58
Typical High School Grades	B+	B+
Admissions Standards	Challenging	Challenging
Applicant Competition
ACT Range	20/27	21/28
SAT Range	1051/1316	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		Aug 1, 2025

Academics	MLC	Northwestern College
Student to Faculty Ratio	9:1	15:1
Popular Majors	Education (67%) Theology and Religious Vvocations (33%)	Theology and Religious Vvocations (22%) Business (18%) Education (11%) Psychology (10%) Communication (10%)
Outcomes	MLC	Northwestern College
Graduation Rate	73%	64%
Median Earnings (After 10 years)	$38,000	$41,100
Making Student Loan Payments	89%	78%
Median Student Loan Debt	$23,125	$22,070
Median Loan Payment	$239	$228

Diversity	MLC	Northwestern College
% Men	47%	39%
% Women	53%	61%
Racial Diversity	Extremely Low	Very Low
HBCU	No	No
% White	93%	84%
% Black	1%	3%
% Hispanic	1%	4%
% Native American	0%	0%
% Pacific Islander	0%	0%
% Two or More Races	1%	3%
% International	2%	1%
% Unknown Race	0%	1%

Students	MLC	Northwestern College
% In-State	20%	77%
% Out-of-State	78%	22%
Campus	MLC	Northwestern College
Campus Housing	Yes	Yes
Freshman Dorm Required	No	No
Meal Plan	Yes	Yes
Weekend/Evening Classes	No	No
Daycare Facility	No	No
Learn More	Details	Details

Comparable Facts

• Northwestern College is larger than than MLC based on total student enrollment (3,253 students vs. 880 students)

MLC vs. Northwestern College Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, MLC or Northwestern College?

• Northwestern College is 98% more expensive to attend than MLC for in-state tuition ($34,490.00 vs. $17,420.00)
• Out of state tuition is 98% higher at Northwestern College than Martin Luther College ($34,490.00 vs. $17,420.00)
• The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Martin Luther College than Northwestern College ($22,293 vs. $25,704)
• Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Martin Luther College are 54.7% lower than costs at Northwestern College ($6,880 vs. $10,644)
• More students receive financial grant aid at Northwestern College than Martin Luther College (100% vs. 99%)
• The average total grant financial aid received by Northwestern College students is 225.1% larger than aid received Martin Luther College ($20,487 vs. $6,301)

MLC vs. Northwestern College Admissions Difficulty Comparison

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

• The average SAT score at Martin Luther College (1145) is 43 points higher than at Northwestern College (1102)
• Incoming MLC students have a 1 point higher average ACT score (25) than students at Northwestern College (24)
• Accepted freshman Northwestern College students have a 0.02 point higher average high school GPA (3.58) than students at MLC (3.56)
• Northwestern College has a higher acceptance rate (92.5%) than MLC (83.7%)

MLC vs. Northwestern College Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, MLC 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 MLC.

• The graduation rate at MLC is higher than Northwestern College (73% vs. 64%)
• Graduates from Northwestern College earn on average $3,100 more per year than MLC graduates after ten years. ($41,100 vs. $38,000)
• Northwestern College students graduate with a $1,055 lower median federal student loan debt than MLC graduates. ($22,070 vs. $23,125)
• Northwestern College graduates are paying $11 less per month on federal student loans than MLC graduates. ($228 vs. $239)
• More MLC graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Northwestern College students, three years after graduation. (89% vs. 78%)

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