Drake University vs Northwestern College

Drake University and Northwestern College, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Drake University, a private research university in Des Moines, Iowa, boasts a diverse student body and a wide range of academic programs, including popular majors in business, education, and health professions. With an acceptance rate of 75%, Drake provides a supportive environment for students to thrive. In contrast, Northwestern College, a private Christian college in Orange City, Iowa, offers a close-knit community and a strong emphasis on liberal arts education. With an acceptance rate of 98%, Northwestern attracts students seeking a faith-based education, with popular majors in business, education, and nursing. While both institutions offer excellent opportunities for personal and intellectual growth, their unique characteristics cater to different student preferences and aspirations. Explore the comparison table below to discover which institution aligns best with your academic goals and personal values.

	Drake University	Northwestern College
Overview
Location	Des Moines, Iowa	Orange City, Iowa
Campus setting	City: Midsize	Town: Distant
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	84.0%	83.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation		Protestant

Admission
Acceptance rate	69.1%	83.0%
Application fees	$70
SAT range	1190 - 1410	940 - 1240
ACT range	25 - 31	20 - 27
Students submitting SAT score	14.0%	8.0%
Students submitting ACT score	43.0%	82.0%
Total number of applicants	7,932	1,172
Total number of admissions given out	5,479	973
Admitted students who chose to enroll	759	268
Yield rate	13.9%	27.5%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Not required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$62,125	$47,650
Average net price	$29,507	$24,848
Tuition	$45,734	$33,350
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $6,160 Meal plan: $5,128	$10,000
Available payment plans	Guaranteed tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $29,904	100.0% Average amount $21,873
Students receiving federal student loan	48.0% Average amount $5,294	69.0% Average amount $5,257
Students taking out private loans	15.0% Average amount $18,053	21.0% Average amount $10,813

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,902 Men 39.8% Women 60.2%	1,053 Men 48.7% Women 51.3%
Graduate students	1,973 Men 33.4% Women 66.6%	460 Men 24.3% Women 75.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	68.0%	N/A
International students	2.9%	2.2%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	Town: Distant
Dormitory capacity	1,758	995
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Iowa Minnesota Illinois Wisconsin Texas	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Health Professions Business Legal Profession Communication and Journalism	Education Health Professions Biological and Biomedical Sciences Business Visual & Performing Arts
Students to faculty ratio	11:1	12:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	78.2%	70.8%
Dropout rate	20.2%	6.5%
Transferred out	N/A	22.7%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $113,335 Year 3: $126,268 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $93,514 Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,552 Year 2: $78,971 Year 3: $92,797 Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $65,238 Year 3: $80,038 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $59,587 Year 2: $71,255 Year 3: $78,000 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,903 Year 2: $62,409 Year 3: $72,353 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,700 Year 2: $57,705 Year 3: $71,750 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $62,167 Year 2: $60,623 Year 3: $70,579 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,063 Year 2: $59,485 Year 3: $67,788 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $61,460 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $65,013	Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $55,719 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,017 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $49,993 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $20,925 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $33,080 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,227 Year 2: $61,516 Year 3: N/A Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,185 Year 2: $41,193 Year 3: N/A

Compare Similar Colleges

The list of suggested college comparisons provided below is generated automatically by our system, utilizing statistics gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and various online sources. If you don't find the colleges you wish to compare, please visit our comparison page. There, you can search for the specific colleges and initiate your comparison.

Drake University vs Northwestern College

Drake University

Northwestern College

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

Compare Similar Colleges

Find Colleges By State

Resources

About