NNU vs. Southwestern Adventist University

Northwest Nazarene University vs. Southwestern Adventist University comparison

	Northwest Nazarene University	Southwestern Adventist University	College 3	College 4
	Remove	Remove	+Add	+Add
Overview	NNU	Southwestern Adventist University
Location	Nampa, ID	Keene, TX
Setting	Small City	Distant Town
Enrollment	1,774	817
Type	Private 4 Year	Private 4 Year
National Ranking	#570
Religious Affiliation	Church of the Nazarene	Seventh Day Adventists	-	-
Status	Non-profit	Non-profit
Website	nnu.edu	swau.edu
Team Colors

Costs	NNU	Southwestern Adventist University
Tuition (In State)	$38,570	$23,928
Tuition (Out of State)	$38,570	$23,928
Room & Board	$11,550	$9,032
Avg Net Price	$27,291	$20,198
Avg Grant Aid	$23,126	$14,534
% Receiving Grant Aid	99%	99%

Admission	NNU	Southwestern Adventist University
Admission Chances	Calculate	Calculate
Applied	3,571	1,468
Admitted	2,248	815
Acceptance Rate	63%Open	55.5%Open
Enrolled %	10.9%Open	19.5%Open
Avg High School GPA	3.59	3.3
Typical High School Grades	B+	B+
Admissions Standards	Challenging	Easy
Applicant Competition	Low	Low
ACT Range	25/31	17/25
SAT Range	940/1210	910/1200
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 15, 2026	Aug 1, 2026

Academics	NNU	Southwestern Adventist University
Student to Faculty Ratio	14:1	12:1
Popular Majors	Business (30%) Education (12%) Health Professions (10%) Liberal Arts and Humanities (9%) Biology (7%)	Health Professions (29%) Business (22%) Education (13%) Liberal Arts and Humanities (12%) Psychology (8%)
Outcomes	NNU	Southwestern Adventist University
Graduation Rate	52%	38%
Median Earnings (After 10 years)	$43,000	$42,600
Making Student Loan Payments	66%	49%
Median Student Loan Debt	$26,000	$26,000
Median Loan Payment	$268	$268

Diversity	NNU	Southwestern Adventist University
% Men	11%	0%
% Women	24%	0%
Racial Diversity	Low	Very High
HBCU	No	No
% White	75%	21%
% Black	2%	14%
% Hispanic	10%	41%
% Native American	1%	0%
% Pacific Islander	0%	2%
% Two or More Races	2%	4%
% International	3%	14%
% Unknown Race	6%	2%

Students	NNU	Southwestern Adventist University
% In-State	55%	77%
% Out-of-State	42%	20%
Campus	NNU	Southwestern Adventist University
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

• Northwest Nazarene University is larger than than Southwestern Adventist University based on total student enrollment (1,774 students vs. 817 students)

NNU vs. Southwestern Adventist University Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, NNU or Southwestern Adventist University?

• Northwest Nazarene University is 61.2% more expensive to attend than Southwestern Adventist University for in-state tuition ($38,570.00 vs. $23,928.00)
• Out of state tuition is 61.2% higher at NNU than Southwestern Adventist University ($38,570.00 vs. $23,928.00)
• The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Southwestern Adventist University than NNU ($20,198 vs. $27,291)
• Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Southwestern Adventist University are 27.9% lower than costs at Northwest Nazarene University ($9,032 vs. $11,550)
• The same percent of students receive financial grant aid at Northwest Nazarene University as Southwestern Adventist University (99% vs. 99%)
• The average total grant financial aid received by Northwest Nazarene University students is 59.1% larger than aid received Southwestern Adventist University ($23,126 vs. $14,534)

NNU vs. Southwestern Adventist University Admissions Difficulty Comparison

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

• The average SAT score at Northwest Nazarene University (1056) is 152 points higher than at Southwestern Adventist University (904)
• Incoming NNU students have a 4 point higher average ACT score (24) than students at Southwestern Adventist University (20)
• Accepted freshman NNU students have a 0.29 point higher average high school GPA (3.59) than students at Southwestern Adventist University (3.3)
• NNU has a higher acceptance rate (63%) than Southwestern Adventist University (55.5%)

NNU vs. Southwestern Adventist University Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, NNU or Southwestern Adventist 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 Southwestern Adventist University and NNU.

• The graduation rate at NNU is higher than Southwestern Adventist University (52% vs. 38%)
• Graduates from Northwest Nazarene University earn on average $400 more per year than Southwestern Adventist University graduates after ten years. ($43,000 vs. $42,600)
• Southwestern Adventist University and NNU graduates both have the same median student loan debt upon graduation ($26,000 vs. $26,000)
• Southwestern Adventist University and NNU graduates both have a median monthly student loan payment upon graduation ($268 vs. $268)
• More NNU graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Southwestern Adventist University students, three years after graduation. (66% vs. 49%)

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