Northwestern College vs. Nebraska Wesleyan University

Northwestern College vs. Nebraska Wesleyan University comparison

	Northwestern College	Nebraska Wesleyan University	College 3	College 4
	Remove	Remove	+Add	+Add
Overview	Northwestern College	Nebraska Wesleyan University
Location	Orange City, IA	Lincoln, NE
Setting	Distant Town	Large City
Enrollment	1,651	1,688
Type	Private 4 Year	Private 4 Year
National Ranking	#638	#393
Religious Affiliation	Reformed Church in America	United Methodist	-	-
Status	Non-profit	Non-profit
Website	nwciowa.edu	nebrwesleyan.edu
Team Colors

Costs	Northwestern College	Nebraska Wesleyan University
Tuition (In State)	$34,000	$38,898
Tuition (Out of State)	$34,000	$38,898
Room & Board	$10,200	$11,374
Avg Net Price	$25,198	$25,201
Avg Grant Aid	$22,228	$26,523
% Receiving Grant Aid	100%	100%

Admission	Northwestern College	Nebraska Wesleyan University
Admission Chances	Calculate	Calculate
Applied	1,105	2,370
Admitted	965	1,931
Acceptance Rate	87.3%	81.5%
Enrolled %	29.8%	18.5%
Avg High School GPA	3.57	3.7
Typical High School Grades	B+	A-
Admissions Standards	Average	Challenging
Applicant Competition
ACT Range	20/27	22/29
SAT Range	940/1240	1010/1240
Submit Test Scores	Not considered for admission, even if submitted (Test Blind)	Not required for admission, but considered if submitted (Test Optional)
Application Deadline		Aug 15, 2025

Academics	Northwestern College	Nebraska Wesleyan University
Student to Faculty Ratio	15:1	11:1
Popular Majors	Business (17%) Education (15%) Health Professions (10%) Biology (9%) Visual and Performing Arts (8%)	Business (21%) Health Professions (10%) Education (9%) Biology (9%) Recreation, Leisure and Fitness Studies (8%)
Outcomes	Northwestern College	Nebraska Wesleyan University
Graduation Rate	66%	64%
Median Earnings (After 10 years)	$38,400	$51,800
Making Student Loan Payments	85%	77%
Median Student Loan Debt	$25,092	$25,000
Median Loan Payment	$259	$258

Diversity	Northwestern College	Nebraska Wesleyan University
% Men	39%	43%
% Women	61%	57%
Racial Diversity	Very Low	Very Low
HBCU	No	No
% White	83%	85%
% Black	2%	2%
% Hispanic	5%	5%
% Native American	0%	0%
% Pacific Islander	0%	0%
% Two or More Races	2%	2%
% International	3%	1%
% Unknown Race	4%	2%

Students	Northwestern College	Nebraska Wesleyan University
% In-State	55%	68%
% Out-of-State	42%	30%
Campus	Northwestern College	Nebraska Wesleyan 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

• Nebraska Wesleyan University is larger than than Northwestern College based on total student enrollment (1,688 students vs. 1,651 students)

Northwestern College vs. Nebraska Wesleyan University Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, Northwestern College or Nebraska Wesleyan University?

• Nebraska Wesleyan University is 14.4% more expensive to attend than Northwestern College for in-state tuition ($38,898.00 vs. $34,000.00)
• Out of state tuition is 14.4% higher at Nebraska Wesleyan University than Northwestern College ($38,898.00 vs. $34,000.00)
• The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Northwestern College than Nebraska Wesleyan University ($25,198 vs. $25,201)
• Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Northwestern College are 11.5% lower than costs at Nebraska Wesleyan University ($10,200 vs. $11,374)
• The same percent of students receive financial grant aid at Northwestern College as Nebraska Wesleyan University (100% vs. 100%)
• The average total grant financial aid received by Nebraska Wesleyan University students is 19.3% larger than aid received Northwestern College ($26,523 vs. $22,228)

Northwestern College vs. Nebraska Wesleyan University Admissions Difficulty Comparison

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

• The average SAT score at Northwestern College (1141) is 20 points higher than at Nebraska Wesleyan University (1121)
• Incoming Northwestern College students have at the same average ACT score (25) as students at Nebraska Wesleyan University (25)
• Accepted freshman Nebraska Wesleyan 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 Nebraska Wesleyan University (81.5%)

Northwestern College vs. Nebraska Wesleyan University Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, Northwestern College or Nebraska Wesleyan 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 Nebraska Wesleyan University and Northwestern College.

• The graduation rate at Northwestern College is higher than Nebraska Wesleyan University (66% vs. 64%)
• Graduates from Nebraska Wesleyan University earn on average $13,400 more per year than Northwestern College graduates after ten years. ($51,800 vs. $38,400)
• Nebraska Wesleyan University students graduate with a $92 lower median federal student loan debt than Northwestern College graduates. ($25,000 vs. $25,092)
• Nebraska Wesleyan University 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 Nebraska Wesleyan University students, three years after graduation. (85% vs. 77%)

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