Northwestern College

Private · Moderately Selective · IA

Photo: Tlandegent at en.wikipedia (Public Domain)

School data & stats

TypePrivate

LocationIA · Midwest

SettingRural

Undergrads1,175

Student:faculty15:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate54.6%

6-yr grad rate66%

Drop-out rate26.5%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$37k

Out-of-state tuition$37k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity18.9%

Gender diversity52.3%

International4.3%

IdentityReformed Church in America

Overview

Northwestern College is a private Christian college in Orange City, in northwest Iowa, affiliated with the Reformed Church in America. Faith integration runs through the curriculum in every discipline, not just in a religion department.

Academics

Education, nursing, and business are the college's strongest and most established programs. Small class sizes and a close faculty-student ratio are the norm, consistent with the college's size and its rural northwest-Iowa setting.

Campus & student life

Orange City is a small, tightly knit Dutch-heritage town, and Northwestern's campus culture reflects that: chapel attendance and Reformed faith practice are woven into daily student life, and the surrounding community is deeply connected to the college. Social life centers on campus and church activities more than any nearby city.

Getting in

Northwestern looks for applicants who are comfortable with its explicitly faith-integrated approach to education, and the admissions process reflects an access-oriented, mission-fit emphasis rather than high selectivity.

Worth knowing

Faith integration at Northwestern is genuinely comprehensive — coursework across majors is taught from a Reformed Christian perspective, a different experience than a secular college with an optional campus ministry.

nwciowa.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate80.4%

Enrolled mid-50%1210

Test policynot used

Rec letters—

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

AdmissionRolling

Applying