Northwestern College vs. Dakota State

Northwestern College vs. Dakota State University comparison

	Northwestern College	Dakota State University	College 3	College 4
	Remove	Remove	+Add	+Add
Overview	Northwestern College	Dakota State
Location	Saint Paul, MN	Madison, SD
Setting	Large Suburban	Distant Town
Enrollment	3,253	3,241
Type	Private 4 Year	Public 4 Year
National Ranking	#554	#808
Religious Affiliation	Other Protestant	-	-	-
Status	Non-profit	Non-profit
Website	nwc.edu	dsu.edu
Team Colors

Costs	Northwestern College	Dakota State
Tuition (In State)	$34,490	$7,616
Tuition (Out of State)	$34,490	$10,718
Room & Board	$10,644	$8,018
Avg Net Price	$25,704	$17,977
Avg Grant Aid	$20,487	$5,467
% Receiving Grant Aid	100%	92%

Admission	Northwestern College	Dakota State
Admission Chances	Calculate	Calculate
Applied	1,349	882
Admitted	1,248	696
Acceptance Rate	92.5%	78.9%
Enrolled %	31.9%	53.4%
Avg High School GPA	3.58	3.33
Typical High School Grades	B+	B+
Admissions Standards	Challenging	Average
Applicant Competition
ACT Range	21/28	19/27
SAT Range	1015/1311	940/1240
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, 2025

Academics	Northwestern College	Dakota State
Student to Faculty Ratio	15:1	18:1
Popular Majors	Theology and Religious Vvocations (22%) Business (18%) Education (11%) Psychology (10%) Communication (10%)	Computer and Information Sciences (28%) Business (25%) Education (22%) Health Professions (14%) Recreation, Leisure and Fitness Studies (3%)
Outcomes	Northwestern College	Dakota State
Graduation Rate	64%	34%
Median Earnings (After 10 years)	$41,100	$42,200
Making Student Loan Payments	78%	67%
Median Student Loan Debt	$22,070	$23,500
Median Loan Payment	$228	$242

Diversity	Northwestern College	Dakota State
% Men	39%	64%
% Women	61%	36%
Racial Diversity	Very Low	Very Low
HBCU	No	No
% White	84%	84%
% Black	3%	4%
% Hispanic	4%	4%
% Native American	0%	1%
% Pacific Islander	0%	0%
% Two or More Races	3%	3%
% International	1%	1%
% Unknown Race	1%	1%

Students	Northwestern College	Dakota State
% In-State	77%	58%
% Out-of-State	22%	39%
Campus	Northwestern College	Dakota State
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

• Northwestern College is larger than than Dakota State based on total student enrollment (3,253 students vs. 3,241 students)

Northwestern College vs. Dakota State Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, Northwestern College or Dakota State?

• Northwestern College is 352.9% more expensive to attend than Dakota State for in-state tuition ($34,490.00 vs. $7,616.00)
• Out of state tuition is 221.8% higher at Northwestern College than Dakota State University ($34,490.00 vs. $10,718.00)
• The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Dakota State University than Northwestern College ($17,977 vs. $25,704)
• Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Dakota State University are 32.8% lower than costs at Northwestern College ($8,018 vs. $10,644)
• More students receive financial grant aid at Northwestern College than Dakota State University (100% vs. 92%)
• The average total grant financial aid received by Northwestern College students is 274.7% larger than aid received Dakota State University ($20,487 vs. $5,467)

Northwestern College vs. Dakota State Admissions Difficulty Comparison

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

• The average SAT score at Northwestern College (1102) is 55 points higher than at Dakota State (1047)
• Incoming Northwestern College students have a 1 point higher average ACT score (24) than students at Dakota State (23)
• Accepted freshman Northwestern College students have a 0.25 point higher average high school GPA (3.58) than students at Dakota State (3.33)
• Northwestern College has a higher acceptance rate (92.5%) than Dakota State (78.9%)

Northwestern College vs. Dakota State Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, Northwestern College or Dakota State? 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 Dakota State and Northwestern College.

• The graduation rate at Northwestern College is higher than Dakota State University (64% vs. 34%)
• Graduates from Dakota State University earn on average $1,100 more per year than Northwestern College graduates after ten years. ($42,200 vs. $41,100)
• Northwestern College students graduate with a $1,430 lower median federal student loan debt than Dakota State graduates. ($22,070 vs. $23,500)
• Northwestern College graduates are paying $14 less per month on federal student loans than Dakota State graduates. ($228 vs. $242)
• More Northwestern College graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Dakota State students, three years after graduation. (78% vs. 67%)

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