Northwestern College vs. Dakota Wesleyan University

Northwestern College vs. Dakota Wesleyan University comparison

	Northwestern College	Dakota Wesleyan University	College 3	College 4
	Remove	Remove	+Add	+Add
Overview	Northwestern College	Dakota Wesleyan University
Location	Saint Paul, MN	Mitchell, SD
Setting	Large Suburban	Remote Town
Enrollment	3,253	887
Type	Private 4 Year	Private 4 Year
National Ranking	#554
Religious Affiliation	Other Protestant	United Methodist	-	-
Status	Non-profit	Non-profit
Website	nwc.edu	dwu.edu
Team Colors

Costs	Northwestern College	Dakota Wesleyan University
Tuition (In State)	$34,490	$30,700
Tuition (Out of State)	$34,490	$30,700
Room & Board	$10,644	$7,450
Avg Net Price	$25,704	$19,825
Avg Grant Aid	$20,487	$21,097
% Receiving Grant Aid	100%	100%

Admission	Northwestern College	Dakota Wesleyan University
Admission Chances	Calculate	Calculate
Applied	1,349	1,209
Admitted	1,248	904
Acceptance Rate	92.5%	74.8%
Enrolled %	31.9%	18.6%
Avg High School GPA	3.58	3.36
Typical High School Grades	B+	B+
Admissions Standards	Challenging	Average
Applicant Competition
ACT Range	21/28	18/24
SAT Range	1015/1311	950/1420
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	Aug 27, 2025

Academics	Northwestern College	Dakota Wesleyan University
Student to Faculty Ratio	15:1	12:1
Popular Majors	Theology and Religious Vvocations (22%) Business (18%) Education (11%) Psychology (10%) Communication (10%)	Health Professions (37%) Business (13%) Education (9%) Biology (7%) Recreation, Leisure and Fitness Studies (6%)
Outcomes	Northwestern College	Dakota Wesleyan University
Graduation Rate	64%	43%
Median Earnings (After 10 years)	$41,100	$38,200
Making Student Loan Payments	78%	71%
Median Student Loan Debt	$22,070	$26,533
Median Loan Payment	$228	$274

Diversity	Northwestern College	Dakota Wesleyan University
% Men	39%	46%
% Women	61%	54%
Racial Diversity	Very Low	Very Low
HBCU	No	No
% White	84%	88%
% Black	3%	2%
% Hispanic	4%	3%
% Native American	0%	2%
% Pacific Islander	0%	0%
% Two or More Races	3%	3%
% International	1%	2%
% Unknown Race	1%	0%

Students	Northwestern College	Dakota Wesleyan University
% In-State	77%	61%
% Out-of-State	22%	35%
Campus	Northwestern College	Dakota Wesleyan 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 Dakota Wesleyan University based on total student enrollment (3,253 students vs. 887 students)

Northwestern College vs. Dakota Wesleyan University Cost Comparison

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

• Northwestern College is 12.3% more expensive to attend than Dakota Wesleyan University for in-state tuition ($34,490.00 vs. $30,700.00)
• Out of state tuition is 12.3% higher at Northwestern College than Dakota Wesleyan University ($34,490.00 vs. $30,700.00)
• The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Dakota Wesleyan University than Northwestern College ($19,825 vs. $25,704)
• Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Dakota Wesleyan University are 42.9% lower than costs at Northwestern College ($7,450 vs. $10,644)
• The same percent of students receive financial grant aid at Northwestern College as Dakota Wesleyan University (100% vs. 100%)
• The average total grant financial aid received by Dakota Wesleyan University students is 3% larger than aid received Northwestern College ($21,097 vs. $20,487)

Northwestern College vs. Dakota Wesleyan University Admissions Difficulty Comparison

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

• The average SAT score at Northwestern College (1102) is 120 points higher than at Dakota Wesleyan University (982)
• Incoming Northwestern College students have a 3 point higher average ACT score (24) than students at Dakota Wesleyan University (21)
• Accepted freshman Northwestern College students have a 0.22 point higher average high school GPA (3.58) than students at Dakota Wesleyan University (3.36)
• Northwestern College has a higher acceptance rate (92.5%) than Dakota Wesleyan University (74.8%)

Northwestern College vs. Dakota Wesleyan University Graduation Outcomes Comparison

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

• The graduation rate at Northwestern College is higher than Dakota Wesleyan University (64% vs. 43%)
• Graduates from Northwestern College earn on average $2,900 more per year than Dakota Wesleyan University graduates after ten years. ($41,100 vs. $38,200)
• Northwestern College students graduate with a $4,463 lower median federal student loan debt than Dakota Wesleyan University graduates. ($22,070 vs. $26,533)
• Northwestern College graduates are paying $46 less per month on federal student loans than Dakota Wesleyan University graduates. ($228 vs. $274)
• More Northwestern College graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Dakota Wesleyan University students, three years after graduation. (78% vs. 71%)

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