Northwest Nazarene University (NNU) vs Holy Names University

Northwest Nazarene University and Holy Names University, both located in the Pacific Northwest, offer distinct educational experiences. Northwest Nazarene, a private Christian university in Nampa, Idaho, boasts a higher acceptance rate (84%) compared to Holy Names' 75%. Holy Names, a private Catholic university in Oakland, California, has a more diverse student body, with 44% of its undergraduates identifying as Hispanic/Latino compared to Northwest Nazarene's 11%. While Northwest Nazarene excels in nursing and education programs, Holy Names is known for its strong liberal arts and social sciences offerings. With graduation rates of 58% and 56% respectively, both universities provide ample support to help students succeed. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more key differences and make an informed decision about which university aligns best with your academic goals and personal preferences.

	Holy Names University	Northwest Nazarene University
Overview
Location	Oakland, California	Nampa, Idaho
Campus setting	City: Large	Suburb: Midsize
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	62.0%	74.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation	Catholic	Evangelical

Admission
Acceptance rate	95.3%	88.1%
Application fees
SAT range	N/A	970 - 1230
ACT range	N/A	20 - 26
Students submitting SAT score		54.0%
Students submitting ACT score		31.0%
Total number of applicants	703	2,843
Total number of admissions given out	670	2,506
Admitted students who chose to enroll	98	275
Yield rate	14.6%	11.0%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$64,043	$48,730
Average net price	$21,515	$23,045
Tuition	$40,368	$33,740
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,226 Meal plan: $6,768	Room/dormitory: $4,600 Meal plan: $5,620
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $33,511	99.0% Average amount $21,525
Students receiving federal student loan	75.0% Average amount $5,485	61.0% Average amount $5,144
Students taking out private loans	0.0% Average amount $0	13.0% Average amount $11,288

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	596 Men 33.4% Women 66.6%	1,323 Men 42.9% Women 57.1%
Graduate students	419 Men 25.5% Women 74.5%	721 Men 28.4% Women 71.6%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	43.0%
International students	3.2%	0.8%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	Suburb: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	440	821
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	Idaho Washington Oregon California Alaska

Academics
Popular study areas	Psychology Education Health Professions Business Kinesiology & Leisure Studies	Health Professions Education Business Public Administration and Social Service Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	9:1	14:1
Institutional accreditation	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission	Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities

Outcome
Graduation rate	58.0%	62.6%
Dropout rate	21.9%	36.7%
Transferred out	3.4%	0.4%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $131,135 Year 2: $137,605 Year 3: $146,003 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $90,368 Year 2: $86,867 Year 3: $109,835 Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $62,070 Year 2: $46,478 Year 3: $48,788 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $52,636 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $29,927 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $31,305 Year 3: N/A Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,840 Year 2: $36,141 Year 3: N/A	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $77,274 Year 2: $64,493 Year 3: $71,655 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,228 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $65,637 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,965 Year 2: $39,153 Year 3: $55,303 Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $39,552 Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: $44,225 Social Work (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $47,583 Year 2: $40,768 Year 3: $40,489 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,460 Year 2: $32,925 Year 3: $37,728 Theological and Ministerial Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $56,990 Year 2: $44,384 Year 3: N/A Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $44,441 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $85,713 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Social Work (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $27,268 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A

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Northwest Nazarene University (NNU) vs Holy Names University

Holy Names University

Northwest Nazarene University

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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