Northwestern College vs. St. Kate's

Northwestern College vs. St Catherine University comparison

	Northwestern College	St Catherine University	College 3	College 4
	Remove	Remove	+Add	+Add
Overview	Northwestern College	St. Kate's
Location	Saint Paul, MN	Saint Paul, MN
Setting	Large Suburban	Large City
Enrollment	3,253	3,577
Type	Private 4 Year	Private 4 Year
National Ranking	#554	#276
Religious Affiliation	Other Protestant	Roman Catholic	-	-
Status	Non-profit	Non-profit
Website	nwc.edu	stkate.edu
Team Colors

Costs	Northwestern College	St. Kate's
Tuition (In State)	$34,490	$46,976
Tuition (Out of State)	$34,490	$46,976
Room & Board	$10,644	$9,900
Avg Net Price	$25,704	$19,976
Avg Grant Aid	$20,487	$37,012
% Receiving Grant Aid	100%	100%

Admission	Northwestern College	St. Kate's
Admission Chances	Calculate	Calculate
Applied	1,349	1,512
Admitted	1,248	1,399
Acceptance Rate	92.5%	92.5%
Enrolled %	31.9%	24.7%
Avg High School GPA	3.58	3.62
Typical High School Grades	B+	B+
Admissions Standards	Challenging	Challenging
Applicant Competition
ACT Range	21/28	18/26
SAT Range	1015/1311	1155/1450
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	St. Kate's
Student to Faculty Ratio	15:1	10:1
Popular Majors	Theology and Religious Vvocations (22%) Business (18%) Education (11%) Psychology (10%) Communication (10%)	Health Professions (51%) Business (10%) Education (6%) Human Services (5%) Social Sciences (5%)
Outcomes	Northwestern College	St. Kate's
Graduation Rate	64%	65%
Median Earnings (After 10 years)	$41,100	$50,100
Making Student Loan Payments	78%	65%
Median Student Loan Debt	$22,070	$28,000
Median Loan Payment	$228	$289

Diversity	Northwestern College	St. Kate's
% Men	39%	7%
% Women	61%	93%
Racial Diversity	Very Low	Medium
HBCU	No	No
% White	84%	64%
% Black	3%	9%
% Hispanic	4%	7%
% Native American	0%	1%
% Pacific Islander	0%	0%
% Two or More Races	3%	3%
% International	1%	1%
% Unknown Race	1%	4%

Students	Northwestern College	St. Kate's
% In-State	77%	80%
% Out-of-State	22%	17%
Campus	Northwestern College	St. Kate's
Campus Housing	Yes	Yes
Freshman Dorm Required	No	No
Meal Plan	Yes	Yes
Weekend/Evening Classes	No	Yes
Daycare Facility	No	Yes
Learn More	Details	Details

Comparable Facts

• St Catherine University is larger than than Northwestern College based on total student enrollment (3,577 students vs. 3,253 students)

Northwestern College vs. St. Kate's Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, Northwestern College or St. Kate's?

• St Catherine University is 36.2% more expensive to attend than Northwestern College for in-state tuition ($46,976.00 vs. $34,490.00)
• Out of state tuition is 36.2% higher at St. Kate's than Northwestern College ($46,976.00 vs. $34,490.00)
• The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at St Catherine University than Northwestern College ($19,976 vs. $25,704)
• Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at St Catherine University are 7.5% lower than costs at Northwestern College ($9,900 vs. $10,644)
• The same percent of students receive financial grant aid at Northwestern College as St Catherine University (100% vs. 100%)
• The average total grant financial aid received by St Catherine University students is 80.7% larger than aid received Northwestern College ($37,012 vs. $20,487)

Northwestern College vs. St. Kate's Admissions Difficulty Comparison

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

• The average SAT score at Northwestern College (1102) is 70 points higher than at St. Kate's (1032)
• Incoming Northwestern College students have a 2 point higher average ACT score (24) than students at St. Kate's (22)
• Accepted freshman St. Kate's students have a 0.04 point higher average high school GPA (3.62) than students at Northwestern College (3.58)
• St. Kate's has a higher acceptance rate (92.5%) than Northwestern College (92.5%)

Northwestern College vs. St. Kate's Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, Northwestern College or St. Kate's? 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 St. Kate's and Northwestern College.

• The graduation rate at St. Kate's is higher than Northwestern College (65% vs. 64%)
• Graduates from St Catherine University earn on average $9,000 more per year than Northwestern College graduates after ten years. ($50,100 vs. $41,100)
• Northwestern College students graduate with a $5,930 lower median federal student loan debt than St. Kate's graduates. ($22,070 vs. $28,000)
• Northwestern College graduates are paying $61 less per month on federal student loans than St. Kate's graduates. ($228 vs. $289)
• More Northwestern College graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former St. Kate's students, three years after graduation. (78% vs. 65%)

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