Northwestern College vs. McMurry University

Northwestern College vs. McMurry University comparison

	Northwestern College	McMurry University	College 3	College 4
	Remove	Remove	+Add	+Add
Overview	Northwestern College	McMurry University
Location	Orange City, IA	Abilene, TX
Setting	Distant Town	Midsize City
Enrollment	1,651	1,237
Type	Private 4 Year	Private 4 Year
National Ranking	#638	#734
Religious Affiliation	Reformed Church in America	United Methodist	-	-
Status	Non-profit	Non-profit
Website	nwciowa.edu	mcm.edu
Team Colors

Costs	Northwestern College	McMurry University
Tuition (In State)	$34,000	$29,972
Tuition (Out of State)	$34,000	$29,972
Room & Board	$10,200	$9,250
Avg Net Price	$25,198	$18,757
Avg Grant Aid	$22,228	$23,537
% Receiving Grant Aid	100%	100%

Admission	Northwestern College	McMurry University
Admission Chances	Calculate	Calculate
Applied	1,105	2,345
Admitted	965	1,325
Acceptance Rate	87.3%	56.5%
Enrolled %	29.8%	20.8%
Avg High School GPA	3.57	3.7
Typical High School Grades	B+	A-
Admissions Standards	Average	Moderate
Applicant Competition		Low
ACT Range	20/27	20/25
SAT Range	940/1240	1040/1230
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 15, 2025

Academics	Northwestern College	McMurry University
Student to Faculty Ratio	15:1	13:1
Popular Majors	Business (17%) Education (15%) Health Professions (10%) Biology (9%) Visual and Performing Arts (8%)	Education (23%) Business (19%) Visual and Performing Arts (8%) Social Sciences (7%) Biology (7%)
Outcomes	Northwestern College	McMurry University
Graduation Rate	66%	36%
Median Earnings (After 10 years)	$38,400	$43,700
Making Student Loan Payments	85%	53%
Median Student Loan Debt	$25,092	$26,824
Median Loan Payment	$259	$277

Diversity	Northwestern College	McMurry University
% Men	39%	53%
% Women	61%	47%
Racial Diversity	Very Low	High
HBCU	No	No
% White	83%	52%
% Black	2%	18%
% Hispanic	5%	25%
% Native American	0%	1%
% Pacific Islander	0%	0%
% Two or More Races	2%	1%
% International	3%	1%
% Unknown Race	4%	0%

Students	Northwestern College	McMurry University
% In-State	55%	96%
% Out-of-State	42%	3%
Campus	Northwestern College	McMurry 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

• Northwestern College is larger than than McMurry University based on total student enrollment (1,651 students vs. 1,237 students)

Northwestern College vs. McMurry University Cost Comparison

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

• Northwestern College is 13.4% more expensive to attend than McMurry University for in-state tuition ($34,000.00 vs. $29,972.00)
• Out of state tuition is 13.4% higher at Northwestern College than McMurry University ($34,000.00 vs. $29,972.00)
• The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at McMurry University than Northwestern College ($18,757 vs. $25,198)
• Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at McMurry University are 10.3% lower than costs at Northwestern College ($9,250 vs. $10,200)
• The same percent of students receive financial grant aid at Northwestern College as McMurry University (100% vs. 100%)
• The average total grant financial aid received by McMurry University students is 5.9% larger than aid received Northwestern College ($23,537 vs. $22,228)

Northwestern College vs. McMurry University Admissions Difficulty Comparison

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

• The average SAT score at Northwestern College (1141) is 254 points higher than at McMurry University (887)
• Incoming Northwestern College students have a 6 point higher average ACT score (25) than students at McMurry University (19)
• Accepted freshman McMurry University students have a 0.13 point higher average high school GPA (3.7) than students at Northwestern College (3.57)
• Northwestern College has a higher acceptance rate (87.3%) than McMurry University (56.5%)

Northwestern College vs. McMurry University Graduation Outcomes Comparison

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

• The graduation rate at Northwestern College is higher than McMurry University (66% vs. 36%)
• Graduates from McMurry University earn on average $5,300 more per year than Northwestern College graduates after ten years. ($43,700 vs. $38,400)
• Northwestern College students graduate with a $1,732 lower median federal student loan debt than McMurry University graduates. ($25,092 vs. $26,824)
• Northwestern College graduates are paying $18 less per month on federal student loans than McMurry University graduates. ($259 vs. $277)
• More Northwestern College graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former McMurry University students, three years after graduation. (85% vs. 53%)

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