Northwestern College vs Augustana University

Northwestern College and Augustana University, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Northwestern College, nestled in Orange City, Iowa, boasts a tight-knit community with a strong emphasis on Christian values. Augustana University, located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, prides itself on its liberal arts tradition and commitment to diversity. While both institutions share a dedication to academic excellence, they differ in acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to discover which college aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Augustana University	Northwestern College
Overview
Location	Sioux Falls, South Dakota	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	4-1-4	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	84.0%	83.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation	Evangelical	Protestant

Admission
Acceptance rate	71.8%	83.0%
Application fees	$60
SAT range	1020 - 1300	940 - 1240
ACT range	22 - 28	20 - 27
Students submitting SAT score	7.0%	8.0%
Students submitting ACT score	73.0%	82.0%
Total number of applicants	2,257	1,172
Total number of admissions given out	1,621	973
Admitted students who chose to enroll	467	268
Yield rate	28.8%	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	$55,114	$47,650
Average net price	$26,795	$24,848
Tuition	$34,934	$33,350
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $3,930 Meal plan: $4,928	$10,000
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $24,606	100.0% Average amount $21,873
Students receiving federal student loan	66.0% Average amount $6,261	69.0% Average amount $5,257
Students taking out private loans	13.0% Average amount $13,036	21.0% Average amount $10,813

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,715 Men 37.4% Women 62.6%	1,053 Men 48.7% Women 51.3%
Graduate students	307 Men 26.1% Women 73.9%	460 Men 24.3% Women 75.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	44.6%	N/A
International students	6.5%	2.2%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	Town: Distant
Dormitory capacity	1,380	995
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	South Dakota Minnesota Iowa Nebraska Colorado	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Health Professions Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Foreign Languages and Literatures Business	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	70.6%	70.8%
Dropout rate	9.3%	6.5%
Transferred out	19.9%	22.7%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,050 Year 2: $57,724 Year 3: $60,403 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $43,860 Year 2: $44,666 Year 3: $51,957 Education, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $51,320 Year 2: $48,883 Year 3: $49,768 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $25,995 Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: $47,863 Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $24,410 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $43,036 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $39,009 Year 3: $42,736 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $31,851 Year 3: $42,185 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,193 Year 2: $37,928 Year 3: $40,435 Special Education and Teaching (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $39,009 Year 3: N/A Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $43,426 Year 3: N/A	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

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