Northwestern College vs. University of St Thomas

Northwestern College vs. University of St Thomas comparison

	Northwestern College	University of St Thomas	College 3	College 4
	Remove	Remove	+Add	+Add
Overview	Northwestern College	University of St Thomas
Location	Saint Paul, MN	Houston, TX
Setting	Large Suburban	Large City
Enrollment	3,253	3,588
Type	Private 4 Year	Private 4 Year
National Ranking	#554	#479
Religious Affiliation	Other Protestant	Roman Catholic	-	-
Status	Non-profit	Non-profit
Website	nwc.edu	stthom.edu
Team Colors

Costs	Northwestern College	University of St Thomas
Tuition (In State)	$34,490	$31,724
Tuition (Out of State)	$34,490	$31,724
Room & Board	$10,644	$9,760
Avg Net Price	$25,704	$19,207
Avg Grant Aid	$20,487	$23,181
% Receiving Grant Aid	100%	91%

Admission	Northwestern College	University of St Thomas
Admission Chances	Calculate	Calculate
Applied	1,349	1,123
Admitted	1,248	1,086
Acceptance Rate	92.5%	96.7%
Enrolled %	31.9%	47.4%
Avg High School GPA	3.58	3.53
Typical High School Grades	B+	B+
Admissions Standards	Challenging	Challenging
Applicant Competition
ACT Range	21/28	24/29
SAT Range	1015/1311	1010/1300
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 15, 2025

Academics	Northwestern College	University of St Thomas
Student to Faculty Ratio	15:1	14:1
Popular Majors	Theology and Religious Vvocations (22%) Business (18%) Education (11%) Psychology (10%) Communication (10%)	Business (23%) Social Sciences (13%) Liberal Arts and Humanities (12%) Communication (10%) Psychology (9%)
Outcomes	Northwestern College	University of St Thomas
Graduation Rate	64%	44%
Median Earnings (After 10 years)	$41,100	$57,200
Making Student Loan Payments	78%	59%
Median Student Loan Debt	$22,070	$22,000
Median Loan Payment	$228	$227

Diversity	Northwestern College	University of St Thomas
% Men	39%	42%
% Women	61%	58%
Racial Diversity	Very Low	Very High
HBCU	No	No
% White	84%	28%
% Black	3%	7%
% Hispanic	4%	40%
% Native American	0%	0%
% Pacific Islander	0%	0%
% Two or More Races	3%	2%
% International	1%	10%
% Unknown Race	1%	2%

Students	Northwestern College	University of St Thomas
% In-State	77%	95%
% Out-of-State	22%	3%
Campus	Northwestern College	University of St Thomas
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

• University of St Thomas is larger than than Northwestern College based on total student enrollment (3,588 students vs. 3,253 students)

Northwestern College vs. University of St Thomas Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, Northwestern College or University of St Thomas?

• Northwestern College is 8.7% more expensive to attend than University of St Thomas for in-state tuition ($34,490.00 vs. $31,724.00)
• Out of state tuition is 8.7% higher at Northwestern College than University of St Thomas ($34,490.00 vs. $31,724.00)
• The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at University of St Thomas than Northwestern College ($19,207 vs. $25,704)
• Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at University of St Thomas are 9.1% lower than costs at Northwestern College ($9,760 vs. $10,644)
• More students receive financial grant aid at Northwestern College than University of St Thomas (100% vs. 91%)
• The average total grant financial aid received by University of St Thomas students is 13.1% larger than aid received Northwestern College ($23,181 vs. $20,487)

Northwestern College vs. University of St Thomas Admissions Difficulty Comparison

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

• The average SAT score at University of St Thomas (1103) is 1 points higher than at Northwestern College (1102)
• Incoming University of St Thomas students have a 1 point higher average ACT score (25) than students at Northwestern College (24)
• Accepted freshman Northwestern College students have a 0.05 point higher average high school GPA (3.58) than students at University of St Thomas (3.53)
• University of St Thomas has a higher acceptance rate (96.7%) than Northwestern College (92.5%)

Northwestern College vs. University of St Thomas Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, Northwestern College or University of St Thomas? 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 University of St Thomas and Northwestern College.

• The graduation rate at Northwestern College is higher than University of St Thomas (64% vs. 44%)
• Graduates from University of St Thomas earn on average $16,100 more per year than Northwestern College graduates after ten years. ($57,200 vs. $41,100)
• University of St Thomas students graduate with a $70 lower median federal student loan debt than Northwestern College graduates. ($22,000 vs. $22,070)
• University of St Thomas graduates are paying $1 less per month on federal student loans than Northwestern College graduates. ($227 vs. $228)
• More Northwestern College graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former University of St Thomas students, three years after graduation. (78% vs. 59%)

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