Northwestern College vs. Southern Adventist University

Northwestern College vs. Southern Adventist University comparison

	Northwestern College	Southern Adventist University	College 3	College 4
	Remove	Remove	+Add	+Add
Overview	Northwestern College	Southern Adventist University
Location	Saint Paul, MN	Collegedale, TN
Setting	Large Suburban	Large Suburban
Enrollment	3,262	3,154
Type	Private 4 Year	Private 4 Year
National Ranking	#551	#592
Religious Affiliation	Other Protestant	Seventh Day Adventists	-	-
Status	Non-profit	Non-profit
Website	nwc.edu	southern.edu
Team Colors

Costs	Northwestern College	Southern Adventist University
Tuition (In State)	$35,970	$24,350
Tuition (Out of State)	$35,970	$24,350
Room & Board	$11,148	$8,460
Avg Net Price	$26,779	$25,374
Avg Grant Aid	$21,360	$12,495
% Receiving Grant Aid	100%	100%

Admission	Northwestern College	Southern Adventist University
Admission Chances	Calculate	Calculate
Applied	1,194	2,731
Admitted	1,097	1,819
Acceptance Rate	91.9%	66.6%
Enrolled %	33.2%	41.7%
Avg High School GPA	3.58	3.59
Typical High School Grades	B+	B+
Admissions Standards	Challenging	Average
Applicant Competition		Low
ACT Range	22/29	18/26
SAT Range	981/1293	970/1270
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	Southern Adventist University
Student to Faculty Ratio	15:1	16:1
Popular Majors	Theology and Religious Vvocations (22%) Business (18%) Education (11%) Psychology (10%) Communication (10%)	Health Professions (36%) Business (12%) Visual and Performing Arts (7%) Education (7%) Theology and Religious Vvocations (5%)
Outcomes	Northwestern College	Southern Adventist University
Graduation Rate	64%	51%
Median Earnings (After 10 years)	$41,100	$44,600
Making Student Loan Payments	78%	63%
Median Student Loan Debt	$22,070	$26,500
Median Loan Payment	$228	$274

Diversity	Northwestern College	Southern Adventist University
% Men	1%	3%
% Women	1%	7%
Racial Diversity	Very Low	Very High
HBCU	No	No
% White	84%	48%
% Black	3%	11%
% Hispanic	4%	21%
% Native American	0%	0%
% Pacific Islander	0%	1%
% Two or More Races	3%	4%
% International	1%	5%
% Unknown Race	1%	0%

Students	Northwestern College	Southern Adventist University
% In-State	74%	20%
% Out-of-State	26%	77%
Campus	Northwestern College	Southern Adventist University
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 Southern Adventist University based on total student enrollment (3,262 students vs. 3,154 students)

Northwestern College vs. Southern Adventist University Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, Northwestern College or Southern Adventist University?

• Northwestern College is 47.7% more expensive to attend than Southern Adventist University for in-state tuition ($35,970.00 vs. $24,350.00)
• Out of state tuition is 47.7% higher at Northwestern College than Southern Adventist University ($35,970.00 vs. $24,350.00)
• The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Southern Adventist University than Northwestern College ($25,374 vs. $26,779)
• Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Southern Adventist University are 31.8% lower than costs at Northwestern College ($8,460 vs. $11,148)
• The same percent of students receive financial grant aid at Northwestern College as Southern Adventist University (100% vs. 100%)
• The average total grant financial aid received by Northwestern College students is 70.9% larger than aid received Southern Adventist University ($21,360 vs. $12,495)

Northwestern College vs. Southern Adventist University Admissions Difficulty Comparison

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

• Accepted freshman Southern Adventist University students have a 0.01 point higher average high school GPA (3.59) than students at Northwestern College (3.58)
• Northwestern College has a higher acceptance rate (91.9%) than Southern Adventist University (66.6%)

Northwestern College vs. Southern Adventist University Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, Northwestern College or Southern Adventist 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 Southern Adventist University and Northwestern College.

• The graduation rate at Northwestern College is higher than Southern Adventist University (64% vs. 51%)
• Graduates from Southern Adventist University earn on average $3,500 more per year than Northwestern College graduates after ten years. ($44,600 vs. $41,100)
• Northwestern College students graduate with a $4,430 lower median federal student loan debt than Southern Adventist University graduates. ($22,070 vs. $26,500)
• Northwestern College graduates are paying $46 less per month on federal student loans than Southern Adventist University graduates. ($228 vs. $274)
• More Northwestern College graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Southern Adventist University students, three years after graduation. (78% vs. 63%)

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