Northwestern College vs. Gwynedd Mercy College

Northwestern College vs. Gwynedd Mercy College comparison

	Northwestern College	Gwynedd Mercy College	College 3	College 4
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Overview	Northwestern College	Gwynedd Mercy College
Location	Orange City, IA	Gwynedd Valley, PA
Setting	Distant Town	Large Suburban
Enrollment	1,651	2,091
Type	Private 4 Year	Private 4 Year
National Ranking	#638	#315
Religious Affiliation	Reformed Church in America	Roman Catholic	-	-
Status	Non-profit	Non-profit
Website	nwciowa.edu	gmc.edu
Team Colors

Costs	Northwestern College	Gwynedd Mercy College
Tuition (In State)	$34,000	$36,052
Tuition (Out of State)	$34,000	$36,052
Room & Board	$10,200	$13,056
Avg Net Price	$25,198	$28,122
Avg Grant Aid	$22,228	$24,512
% Receiving Grant Aid	100%	100%

Admission	Northwestern College	Gwynedd Mercy College
Admission Chances	Calculate	Calculate
Applied	1,105	1,063
Admitted	965	621
Acceptance Rate	87.3%	58.4%
Enrolled %	29.8%	24.5%
Avg High School GPA	3.57	3.34
Typical High School Grades	B+	B+
Admissions Standards	Average	Moderate
Applicant Competition		Low
ACT Range	20/27
SAT Range	940/1240	1015/1235
Submit Test Scores	Not considered for admission, even if submitted (Test Blind)	Not required for admission, but considered if submitted (Test Optional)
Application Deadline		Aug 20, 2025

Academics	Northwestern College	Gwynedd Mercy College
Student to Faculty Ratio	15:1	8:1
Popular Majors	Business (17%) Education (15%) Health Professions (10%) Biology (9%) Visual and Performing Arts (8%)	Health Professions (46%) Business (33%) Education (10%) Biology (2%) Psychology (2%)
Outcomes	Northwestern College	Gwynedd Mercy College
Graduation Rate	66%	52%
Median Earnings (After 10 years)	$38,400	$56,600
Making Student Loan Payments	85%	63%
Median Student Loan Debt	$25,092	$25,000
Median Loan Payment	$259	$258

Diversity	Northwestern College	Gwynedd Mercy College
% Men	39%	27%
% Women	61%	73%
Racial Diversity	Very Low	High
HBCU	No	No
% White	83%	57%
% Black	2%	23%
% Hispanic	5%	5%
% Native American	0%	0%
% Pacific Islander	0%	0%
% Two or More Races	2%	0%
% International	3%	0%
% Unknown Race	4%	10%

Students	Northwestern College	Gwynedd Mercy College
% In-State	55%	80%
% Out-of-State	42%	20%
Campus	Northwestern College	Gwynedd Mercy College
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

• Gwynedd Mercy College is larger than than Northwestern College based on total student enrollment (2,091 students vs. 1,651 students)

Northwestern College vs. Gwynedd Mercy College Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, Northwestern College or Gwynedd Mercy College?

• Gwynedd Mercy College is 6% more expensive to attend than Northwestern College for in-state tuition ($36,052.00 vs. $34,000.00)
• Out of state tuition is 6% higher at Gwynedd Mercy College than Northwestern College ($36,052.00 vs. $34,000.00)
• The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Northwestern College than Gwynedd Mercy College ($25,198 vs. $28,122)
• Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Northwestern College are 28% lower than costs at Gwynedd Mercy College ($10,200 vs. $13,056)
• The same percent of students receive financial grant aid at Northwestern College as Gwynedd Mercy College (100% vs. 100%)
• The average total grant financial aid received by Gwynedd Mercy College students is 10.3% larger than aid received Northwestern College ($24,512 vs. $22,228)

Northwestern College vs. Gwynedd Mercy College Admissions Difficulty Comparison

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

• The average SAT score at Northwestern College (1141) is 217 points higher than at Gwynedd Mercy College (924)
• Incoming Northwestern College students have a 5 point higher average ACT score (25) than students at Gwynedd Mercy College (20)
• Accepted freshman Northwestern College students have a 0.23 point higher average high school GPA (3.57) than students at Gwynedd Mercy College (3.34)
• Northwestern College has a higher acceptance rate (87.3%) than Gwynedd Mercy College (58.4%)

Northwestern College vs. Gwynedd Mercy College Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, Northwestern College or Gwynedd Mercy 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 Gwynedd Mercy College and Northwestern College.

• The graduation rate at Northwestern College is higher than Gwynedd Mercy College (66% vs. 52%)
• Graduates from Gwynedd Mercy College earn on average $18,200 more per year than Northwestern College graduates after ten years. ($56,600 vs. $38,400)
• Gwynedd Mercy College students graduate with a $92 lower median federal student loan debt than Northwestern College graduates. ($25,000 vs. $25,092)
• Gwynedd Mercy College graduates are paying $1 less per month on federal student loans than Northwestern College graduates. ($258 vs. $259)
• More Northwestern College graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Gwynedd Mercy College students, three years after graduation. (85% vs. 63%)

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