Northwestern College vs. Augustana University

Northwestern College vs. Augustana University comparison

	Northwestern College	Augustana University	College 3	College 4
	Remove	Remove	+Add	+Add
Overview	Northwestern College	Augustana University
Location	Saint Paul, MN	Sioux Falls, SD
Setting	Large Suburban	Midsize City
Enrollment	3,262	2,158
Type	Private 4 Year	Private 4 Year
National Ranking	#551	#332
Religious Affiliation	Other Protestant	Evangelical Lutheran Church	-	-
Status	Non-profit	Non-profit
Website	nwc.edu	augie.edu
Team Colors

Costs	Northwestern College	Augustana University
Tuition (In State)	$35,970	$38,150
Tuition (Out of State)	$35,970	$38,150
Room & Board	$11,148	$9,470
Avg Net Price	$26,779	$25,280
Avg Grant Aid	$21,360	$27,925
% Receiving Grant Aid	100%	100%

Admission	Northwestern College	Augustana University
Admission Chances	Calculate	Calculate
Applied	1,194	3,330
Admitted	1,097	1,973
Acceptance Rate	91.9%	59.2%
Enrolled %	33.2%	23.1%
Avg High School GPA	3.58	3.76
Typical High School Grades	B+	A-
Admissions Standards	Challenging	Average
Applicant Competition		Low
ACT Range	22/29	21/27
SAT Range	981/1293	1075/1290
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 1, 2026

Academics	Northwestern College	Augustana University
Student to Faculty Ratio	15:1	11:1
Popular Majors	Theology and Religious Vvocations (22%) Business (18%) Education (11%) Psychology (10%) Communication (10%)	Education (18%) Business (15%) Health Professions (14%) Biology (9%) Foreign Languages (7%)
Outcomes	Northwestern College	Augustana University
Graduation Rate	64%	65%
Median Earnings (After 10 years)	$41,100	$46,800
Making Student Loan Payments	78%	83%
Median Student Loan Debt	$22,070	$27,000
Median Loan Payment	$228	$279

Diversity	Northwestern College	Augustana University
% Men	1%	5%
% Women	1%	8%
Racial Diversity	Very Low	Very Low
HBCU	No	No
% White	84%	84%
% Black	3%	2%
% Hispanic	4%	2%
% Native American	0%	0%
% Pacific Islander	0%	0%
% Two or More Races	3%	2%
% International	1%	8%
% Unknown Race	1%	0%

Students	Northwestern College	Augustana University
% In-State	74%	45%
% Out-of-State	26%	42%
Campus	Northwestern College	Augustana University
Campus Housing	Yes	Yes
Freshman Dorm Required	No	No
Meal Plan	Yes	Yes
Weekend/Evening Classes	No	No
Daycare Facility	No	Yes
Learn More	Details	Details

Comparable Facts

• Northwestern College is larger than than Augustana University based on total student enrollment (3,262 students vs. 2,158 students)

Northwestern College vs. Augustana University Cost Comparison

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

• Augustana University is 6.1% more expensive to attend than Northwestern College for in-state tuition ($38,150.00 vs. $35,970.00)
• Out of state tuition is 6.1% higher at Augustana University than Northwestern College ($38,150.00 vs. $35,970.00)
• The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Augustana University than Northwestern College ($25,280 vs. $26,779)
• Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Augustana University are 17.7% lower than costs at Northwestern College ($9,470 vs. $11,148)
• The same percent of students receive financial grant aid at Northwestern College as Augustana University (100% vs. 100%)
• The average total grant financial aid received by Augustana University students is 30.7% larger than aid received Northwestern College ($27,925 vs. $21,360)

Northwestern College vs. Augustana University Admissions Difficulty Comparison

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

• The average SAT score at Augustana University (1164) is 62 points higher than at Northwestern College (1102)
• Incoming Augustana University students have a 2 point higher average ACT score (26) than students at Northwestern College (24)
• Accepted freshman Augustana University students have a 0.18 point higher average high school GPA (3.76) than students at Northwestern College (3.58)
• Northwestern College has a higher acceptance rate (91.9%) than Augustana University (59.2%)

Northwestern College vs. Augustana University Graduation Outcomes Comparison

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

• The graduation rate at Augustana University is higher than Northwestern College (65% vs. 64%)
• Graduates from Augustana University earn on average $5,700 more per year than Northwestern College graduates after ten years. ($46,800 vs. $41,100)
• Northwestern College students graduate with a $4,930 lower median federal student loan debt than Augustana University graduates. ($22,070 vs. $27,000)
• Northwestern College graduates are paying $51 less per month on federal student loans than Augustana University graduates. ($228 vs. $279)
• More Augustana University graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Northwestern College students, three years after graduation. (83% vs. 78%)

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