Northwest Technical College (NWTC) vs Ridgewater College

Northwest Technical College and Ridgewater College, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer diverse educational opportunities to students in Minnesota. Northwest Technical College, located in Bemidji, boasts an acceptance rate of 100%, welcoming all aspiring learners. Ridgewater College, with campuses in Willmar and Hutchinson, has a slightly more selective admissions process, with an acceptance rate of 98%. While Northwest Technical College primarily focuses on career and technical programs, Ridgewater College offers a wider range of academic programs, including associate degrees, bachelor's degrees, and certificates. Explore the detailed comparison table below to delve into further distinctions between these two colleges, including popular majors, student body demographics, graduation rates, and more, to make an informed decision that aligns with your educational goals and aspirations.

	Northwest Technical College	Ridgewater College
Overview
Location	Bemidji, Minnesota	Willmar, Minnesota
Campus setting	Town: Remote	Town: Remote
College type	2 year	2 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	58.0%	64.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	Open Admission	Open Admission
Application fees	$20
SAT range	N/A	N/A
ACT range	N/A	N/A
Students submitting SAT score
Students submitting ACT score
Total number of applicants
Total number of admissions given out
Admitted students who chose to enroll
Yield rate
Test scores (SAT/ACT)		Not required
High school GPA	N/A	N/A
Recommendation letters	N/A	N/A
High school transcript	N/A	N/A
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	N/A	N/A

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$20,139	$19,335
Average net price	$12,540	$11,014
Tuition	$6,057	$5,288
Room & board
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	75.0% Average amount $5,613	65.0% Average amount $4,966
Students receiving federal student loan	58.0% Average amount $5,116	31.0% Average amount $4,823
Students taking out private loans	9.0% Average amount $8,149	1.0% Average amount $8,646

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	794 Men 32.0% Women 68.0%	2,846 Men 37.5% Women 62.5%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	0.4%	0.3%
Campus local/setting	Town: Remote	Town: Remote
Dormitory capacity	N/A	N/A
First year students are required to live on campus?	N/A	N/A
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Construction Trades Business Automotive Technology Computer and Information Science	Health Professions Agriculture Engineering Technologies Construction Trades Business
Students to faculty ratio	16:1	19:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	44.8%	45.4%
Dropout rate	38.5%	34.6%
Transferred out	16.7%	14.4%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $57,602 Year 2: $55,512 Year 3: $58,722 Construction Trades, General (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $39,369 Year 3: $45,671 Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $21,312 Year 3: N/A Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $30,771 Year 3: N/A Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $35,060 Year 3: N/A Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $44,603 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Health and Medical Administrative Services (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $25,194 Year 3: N/A Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: N/A Business Operations Support and Assistant Services (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $36,668 Year 3: N/A	Electromechanical Instrumentation and Maintenance Technologies/Technicians (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $62,271 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $67,045 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $53,281 Year 2: $54,109 Year 3: $58,414 Precision Metal Working (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: $42,048 Year 2: $42,363 Year 3: $46,759 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $25,109 Year 2: $28,236 Year 3: $38,818 Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: $34,040 Year 2: $36,560 Year 3: $37,448 Agricultural Business and Management (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: $39,627 Year 2: $37,208 Year 3: $36,604 Health and Medical Administrative Services (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $27,555 Year 2: $33,565 Year 3: $34,846 Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: $34,790 Year 2: $24,421 Year 3: $31,271 Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $29,549 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $28,764 Veterinary/Animal Health Technologies/Technicians (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $29,443 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.

Northwest Technical College (NWTC) vs Ridgewater College

Northwest Technical College

Ridgewater College

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

Compare Similar Colleges

Find Colleges By State

Resources

About