Northwestern College vs Briar Cliff University

Northwestern College and Briar Cliff 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, while Briar Cliff University, located in Sioux City, Iowa, prides itself on its diverse student body and its commitment to academic excellence. With acceptance rates of 85% and 75% respectively, both universities welcome a considerable number of applicants. While Northwestern College excels in fields like Business, Education, and Nursing, Briar Cliff University shines in areas such as Business, Health Professions, and Psychology. Explore the detailed comparison table to delve into further distinctions between these two institutions, including student body demographics, graduation rates, and additional factors that may influence your decision in choosing the ideal academic environment for your educational journey.

	Briar Cliff University	Northwestern College
Overview
Location	Sioux City, Iowa	Orange City, Iowa
Campus setting	City: Small	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	63.0%	83.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation	Catholic	Protestant

Admission
Acceptance rate	Open Admission	83.0%
Application fees
SAT range	N/A	940 - 1240
ACT range	N/A	20 - 27
Students submitting SAT score		8.0%
Students submitting ACT score		82.0%
Total number of applicants		1,172
Total number of admissions given out		973
Admitted students who chose to enroll		268
Yield rate		27.5%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	Not required	N/A
High school GPA	N/A	Not required
Recommendation letters	N/A	Not required
High school transcript	N/A	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	N/A	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$48,190	$47,650
Average net price	$21,734	$24,848
Tuition	$32,526	$33,350
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $4,713 Meal plan: $5,440	$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)	99.0% Average amount $25,701	100.0% Average amount $21,873
Students receiving federal student loan	70.0% Average amount $5,210	69.0% Average amount $5,257
Students taking out private loans	7.0% Average amount $12,375	21.0% Average amount $10,813

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	766 Men 47.4% Women 52.6%	1,053 Men 48.7% Women 51.3%
Graduate students	234 Men 31.6% Women 68.4%	460 Men 24.3% Women 75.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	62.6%	N/A
International students	4.8%	2.2%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	Town: Distant
Dormitory capacity	571	995
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Iowa Nebraska Texas Virgin Islands Illinois	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Public Administration and Social Service Business Education Biological and Biomedical Sciences	Education Health Professions Biological and Biomedical Sciences Business Visual & Performing Arts
Students to faculty ratio	12:1	12:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	55.7%	70.8%
Dropout rate	44.3%	6.5%
Transferred out	N/A	22.7%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $59,675 Year 2: $70,009 Year 3: $75,805 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $54,009 Year 2: $57,657 Year 3: $59,664 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,817 Year 2: $47,650 Year 3: $58,240 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $44,709 Year 2: $47,397 Year 3: $56,596 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $33,281 Year 3: $40,775 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,691 Year 2: $35,416 Year 3: N/A Social Work (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $25,406 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Criminology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: N/A Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $62,863 Year 2: N/A 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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