Northwestern College vs. Bethel University

Northwestern College vs. Bethel University comparison

	Northwestern College	Bethel University	College 3	College 4
	Remove	Remove	+Add	+Add
Overview	Northwestern College	Bethel University
Location	Orange City, IA	Saint Paul, MN
Setting	Distant Town	Large Suburban
Enrollment	1,665	3,521
Type	Private 4 Year	Private 4 Year
National Ranking	#633	#320
Religious Affiliation	Reformed Church in America	Baptist	-	-
Status	Non-profit	Non-profit
Website	nwciowa.edu	bethel.edu
Team Colors

Costs	Northwestern College	Bethel University
Tuition (In State)	$35,000	$42,760
Tuition (Out of State)	$35,000	$42,760
Room & Board	$10,700	$12,090
Avg Net Price	$24,737	$30,375
Avg Grant Aid	$23,319	$25,924
% Receiving Grant Aid	100%	99%

Admission	Northwestern College	Bethel University
Admission Chances	Calculate	Calculate
Applied	1,155	1,642
Admitted	1,005	1,494
Acceptance Rate	87%	91%
Enrolled %	28.2%	28.8%
Avg High School GPA	3.57	3.6
Typical High School Grades	B+	B+
Admissions Standards	Average	Challenging
Applicant Competition
ACT Range	20/27	23/29
SAT Range	940/1240	1065/1240
Submit Test Scores	Not considered for admission, even if submitted (Test Blind)	Not required for admission, but considered if submitted (Test Optional)
Application Deadline		May 1, 2025

Academics	Northwestern College	Bethel University
Student to Faculty Ratio	14:1	12:1
Popular Majors	Business (17%) Education (15%) Health Professions (10%) Biology (9%) Visual and Performing Arts (8%)	Business (24%) Health Professions (18%) Education (10%) Communication (8%) Psychology (5%)
Outcomes	Northwestern College	Bethel University
Graduation Rate	66%	73%
Median Earnings (After 10 years)	$38,400	$50,100
Making Student Loan Payments	85%	80%
Median Student Loan Debt	$25,092	$24,400
Median Loan Payment	$259	$252

Diversity	Northwestern College	Bethel University
% Men	7%	8%
% Women	24%	17%
Racial Diversity	Very Low	Low
HBCU	No	No
% White	83%	78%
% Black	2%	5%
% Hispanic	5%	4%
% Native American	0%	0%
% Pacific Islander	0%	0%
% Two or More Races	2%	2%
% International	3%	0%
% Unknown Race	4%	7%

Students	Northwestern College	Bethel University
% In-State	55%	82%
% Out-of-State	42%	16%
Campus	Northwestern College	Bethel University
Campus Housing	Yes	Yes
Freshman Dorm Required	No	No
Meal Plan	Yes	Yes
Weekend/Evening Classes	No	Yes
Daycare Facility	No	Yes
Learn More	Details	Details

Comparable Facts

• Bethel University is larger than than Northwestern College based on total student enrollment (3,521 students vs. 1,665 students)

Northwestern College vs. Bethel University Cost Comparison

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

• Bethel University is 22.2% more expensive to attend than Northwestern College for in-state tuition ($42,760.00 vs. $35,000.00)
• Out of state tuition is 22.2% higher at Bethel University than Northwestern College ($42,760.00 vs. $35,000.00)
• The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Northwestern College than Bethel University ($24,737 vs. $30,375)
• Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Northwestern College are 13% lower than costs at Bethel University ($10,700 vs. $12,090)
• More students receive financial grant aid at Northwestern College than Bethel University (100% vs. 99%)
• The average total grant financial aid received by Bethel University students is 11.2% larger than aid received Northwestern College ($25,924 vs. $23,319)

Northwestern College vs. Bethel University Admissions Difficulty Comparison

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

• The average SAT score at Northwestern College (1141) is 14 points higher than at Bethel University (1127)
• Incoming Northwestern College students have at the same average ACT score (25) as students at Bethel University (25)
• Accepted freshman Bethel University students have a 0.03 point higher average high school GPA (3.6) than students at Northwestern College (3.57)
• Bethel University has a higher acceptance rate (91%) than Northwestern College (87%)

Northwestern College vs. Bethel University Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, Northwestern College or Bethel 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 Bethel University and Northwestern College.

• The graduation rate at Bethel University is higher than Northwestern College (73% vs. 66%)
• Graduates from Bethel University earn on average $11,700 more per year than Northwestern College graduates after ten years. ($50,100 vs. $38,400)
• Bethel University students graduate with a $692 lower median federal student loan debt than Northwestern College graduates. ($24,400 vs. $25,092)
• Bethel University graduates are paying $7 less per month on federal student loans than Northwestern College graduates. ($252 vs. $259)
• More Northwestern College graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Bethel University students, three years after graduation. (85% vs. 80%)

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